Good Lovin'

I just caught Ada sitting in her favorite chair having a conversation with Grammy and Grampapa.. complete with lots and lots of kisses.



Margot was quick to join in the love fest.



We're comin' to see you Grammy and Grampapa... day after tomorrow.. and we can't wait to give you some lovin' in person :)

Water Colors

The only thing that can keep them busy longer than blocks (other than Play-Doh) is painting with their water colors.



Look at that focus. No words.. just expression.









They are certainly their daddy's girls. Uncle David.. we can't wait for you get here and give us some tips.

Architects

Stephen made these blocks for the girls first birthday. They were a little young for the sharp edges and after Ada's double stitches we decided to put them away until later.



Not only are they more than ready now.. they absolutely love building towers of all shapes and sizes.



Particularly love to top said towers with one of the NYC block set that Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Michelle gave me for Christmas ... last year? Two years ago? Can't remember.



These building sessions can last for 20 -30 minutes and the level of concentration is a thing to behold.

Big Brother

Belated Halloween Pix

The girls wanted owls on their "daddy pumpkin". Are we surprised ?



While Mommy fought an epic battle with a migraine upstairs.. the girls and Stephen made some scary spiders (still referred to as "itsy Adas" around here) to hang outside for Halloween night.









We were all prepared to dress up in Aunt Mariel's lady bug and bumble bee outfits (with matching glow wands of course).. and Margot was thrilled to sport her costume..



..she spent most of the evening delivering candy to her neighbor friends as they walked along the sidewalk..



.. Madame Ada was not in a bumble bee kind of mood.. so she decided to go as a ninja instead... a ninja with a glowing bumble bee wand..



I am ashamed to admit that this was the girls' very first lolly pop experience. A neighbor was handing them out and of course.. they were a big hit. I don't know why they haven't had one before now.... just never really thought about it I guess.



They had an absolute blast .. mostly with visiting neighbors houses and running up and down the sidewalk delivering candy to other kids and dumping it into their bags or buckets. We all sat out on our porch and commented over and over on how much we love this neighborhood. There were a couple of pretty scary costumes that came our way and I was pleased to see that the girls did not even flinch. Maybe we will be able to get them more excited about dressing up next year.

Party of five

Margot has been playing "Mommy" lately. This is what that game looks like these days. Mommy has been spending quite a bit of her days on the couch.. again.

Our little pioneer would have been due on September 25th. We found out the day before that soon we will be a party of five. June 1st to be exact.



Just look at the beautiful strong little heartbeat. We are thrilled. We are overwhelmed by this blessing and His perfect timing.

Daddy Horse

State Fair with Grammy and Granpapa

Last weekend we all went to the NC State Fair while Grammy and Granpapa were in town. The girls marveled at the animals. Margot was particularly enthralled with a calf that was nursing from his mother. The calf kept whacking the mother cow with his head as he nursed and we were all saying "Ow! That must hurt!". A few moments later, after another whack, Margot exclaimed "Ouch baby cow! Just drink your milk!". Even now if you ask her about the fair she will say "Ouch baby cow!".











Here we are with the winning giant pumpkin. I love the good clean fun of the state fair. The rows and rows of beautiful hand tended produce displaying their winning ribbons. Seems like so much goes into the things that folks enter. The quilts, the hand stitched handy work.. the cakes and cookies on display. The canned goods are what always slay me. They are so beautiful in their white cases. It seems that every year there are fewer and fewer entries. I wish I knew how to can (I could always ask Mom to teach me.. she is an expert of course). It just seems like such a valuable art form. Being able to preserve your own food. That's the historical re-enactment side of me talking.. did I just admit to being a former living history junkie?







The girls got their first taste of fair food. Margot was way into it. Ada like the ribbon fries but the corn dog did not suit her fancy.







Margot ate her corn dog with much thoughtfulness.







The girls are self proclaimed big girls now and have no interest in strolling or.. wagon-ing from place to place. It was quite a hike from the free parking lot to the fair and back. I thought they did a great job hoofing it (of course there was quite a bit of carrying being done as well). By the time we made it back to the car, Ada was done in.

Later that afternoon Stephen and I went back just the two of us. We walked though all the exhibits we skipped with the girls and ate.. and ate.. and ate. I had.. 3 giant kosher dill pickles, the best ham biscuit on the planet, roasted corn on the cob with lots of butter and salt, a chocolate dip ice cream cone.. and a giant half un-sweetened ice tea and half lemonade. It was heavenly.

Fallish

.. cool enough for long sleeves but not too chilly for bare feet yet..

Daddy, his Ada and her Ollie

Triangles

I have been in agony since Monday with a migraine that simply would not give up. My head is so bruised it feels like I have been beaten with a baseball bat. I can't even tell you how frustrating it is to be in pain such as this when you could be enjoying a cup of hot tea and a reading by the window, watching the rain patter on the sidewalk. Ugh. This morning I woke up pain free.. completely pain free... I resolved to take it easy all day .. to make sure the pain did not return. Ada and Margot were just super excited to see me off the couch for the first time all week (for the record they are excellent little nurses). We read all morning and then headed upstairs to wreck the play room. Margot has really been into her puzzles lately, particularly the ones with numbers. So we did some puzzling together.

I have to be honest here, my girls are not super great at puzzles. I know they just turned two but there are plenty of two year olds that are more than capable of putting simple puzzle pieces in the correct spot. My girls have not been that interested. They are more into coloring, playing pretend, learning how to jump.. kicking soccer balls around.. reading books.. anyway the point is that have been too busy to concentrate on the patience for puzzle doing. Suddenly Margot is all about it.. and as it turns out.. she is really good. She picks up the piece and puts it right where it goes, matching shape and color to shape and color.. or number to number. Today as we were finishing her shape puzzle of choice, she held up the green triangle for me to announce it's title "And now.. the GREEN TRIANGLE!!!!" She started to slam it home when she stopped.. it was like a light went off in her little mind.. she ran over to the toy bins and rummaged around until she found the rhythm triangle.. she held it up to compare it with the green one in her other hand and grinned from ear to ear. "Mommy, is'a triangle!" she announced. It was precious. The recognition in her eyes.. I know it all sound so silly... but it was such a sweet moment. She went around the room finding more triangles and getting super excited about each one she found. I was so grateful to be with her.

It was only moments later that we were all banging away on the musical instruments in the room. The girls have seen the violin in books and on a story book dvd that we have... and they love it. They also know that mommy used to play the violin.. but for some reason I am desperately shy when it comes to my violin playing.. I have never played it for them. Until today. I glanced over from the tiny piano I was pinging away on and saw Ada sawing away at a stuffed animal on her shoulder with a drum stick making violin noises .. it was time. I had them sit down while I got Franz (yes, he has a name) out of the closet. I asked them if they wanted me to play them a song and they requested "Twinkle Star". It certainly was a moment. They listened and clapped and couldn't wait to try it for themselves. I showed them where to hold the bow and where to play between the bridge and the fingerboard and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they did. They dug right into those strings. They were so patient, taking turns and helping each other keep the bow in the right spot while I fingered the notes. Just the three of us.. playing the violin.

The month in review

It has been a long, exciting, tiring, busy month here. Here are a few highlights. Above you can see Margot taking good car of the baby owl that still lives under our sink.. she has brought him some vitamins.



We got to share our story time with Ms. Josie one night.



They both really enjoy helping daddy cook eggs from their perch on the counter.



Tea parties have become popular as well. Complete with "Daddy Cookies" (not sure how they got this name).



These are actually the coasters that Uncle Page and Aunt Jennie brought us back from Africa.



John and Aunt Mariel came up to celebrate our birthdays (John, Page and I were all born in September).



Little in the middle.



Fearless Margot got to sit on Papa motorcycle. Ada would have none of it but enjoyed watching her little sister explore all the whistles and bells.







I have been enjoying some fine cuddle time with my growing babies.



Nana and Margot at the bit birthday bash. Margot still loves that mouse house.



We had a big lobster boil for our birthdays. Mom and Dad ordered them from our favorite lobster pound in Maine (Trenton Bridge) and they arrived alive and well.



They didn't stay that way for long. My most sincere apologies to my vegan/vegetarian friends out there. They were so delish that we didn't even get a picture of anyone eating them.. no one wanted to take time to get the camera.



The men in my life (sans Ollie who was guarding our house from purple elephants.. he did an excellent job.. our house was elephant free when we got home that night).

The girls and I are enjoying a soggy day indoors, watching the rain patter onto the window screens. I have a tiny migraine that insists on joining me for the day.... Looking forward to nap time today.