20 months old and sick!

Bryn and Henry caught some nasty stomach bug that landed them at home all weekend. Jay pulled out the futon and the whole fam was soon lounging in the living room. Bryn officially inducted me into motherhood by covering me in vomit, not once, but twice. Thanks to Jay who quickly played cleanup of the mess before I lost my cookies too. He claims he did 9 loads of laundry and washed the entire dining room and kitchen floor thanks to B.

We both admitted that it was oh so nice to snuggle those two, as they rarely slow down long enough for a book these days. Bryn did manage some smiles when Grandma and Grandpa stopped over to have a look at our "nest". Thanks for the peanut butter cookies Karyl!

Learning manners

Here is an excerpt of an email I got at work from our nanny, Amber:


"They've both been doing really well saying Please and Thank You... now I'm working on Excuse me, for when they want to get by. It's going pretty well. Henry used it a lot this morning while vaccuuming. :) Well, I hope you are having a good day. Enjoy your weekend!
Amber"

Ring around the rosie

They LOVE ring around the rosie, especially when they get to the "all fall down" part. It's even better when their friends Hadley and Aidyn join in. Henry only lasted for one round with all the girls and then decided to watch from a distance as they spun in their circle, giggling away.

Walking on water.... well, kind of...

We met Pete and the kids (Eliot, Maya and Josie) at Governor's island to go for our first hike of the season. The kids thought it was pretty cool to walk on frozen Lake Mendota. Eliot, Maya and Josie found every patch of smooth ice to "skate" on. Bryn and Henry did too, but they were on their bottoms more than their feet.
When Sandra asked the kids what they saw on their hike when they returned home, Maya replied "Dog poo". Eliot is the lucky one who brought some home(on the bottom of his shoe) for mom!

Copy Cat

If I haven't mentioned it yet, B and H have mastered the art of copy cat. If one is placing a colander on their head, the other grabs a colander; if one is grabbing dog food to sprinkle in the water, the other grabs a handful; if one is unloading books off the bookshelf, the other is there in seconds to help; if one is standing on the couch and jumping (which I have told them a thousand times they can not do), the other is jumping as well. At times it's the cutest thing to see how much they want to be like the other but the rest of the time, I think they are secretly trying to drive me nuts. Henry had the bright idea that his wood car resembled a phone so he held it to his ear and started a conversation. Bryn couldn't help but join in too!

Henners and mom

The power of pennies...

B and H both thought rummaging through Grandpa and Grandma's house in search of pennies was a blast. Even more fun was trying to put them in the wooden piggy bank and wondering why those pennies disappeared into that tiny hole. Some day they will figure out what the cork is for. Until then, that piggy bank is magic.

Watching for birds at the window

Artists at work and at play....

Bryn likes to show off her skill at the easel with a little flair (the flair being the telephone cord hanging around her neck). Henry enjoyed making us laugh by peering through the easel, in between his laps around the kitchen pushing wooden cutting boards.

What's a tantrum?

According to the dictionary, a tantrum is a violent demonstration of rage or frustration; a sudden burst of ill temper. Here's a photo display in case you are still wondering.

It all started with a spatula....

Henry decided to make use of Grandma's spatula and Finn's water dish. Once Bryn saw all the giggles and splashing she needed a spatula too. Thankfully Grandma had two to spare. But it wasn't fun until they could add a little something special to the mix. I have to give credit to Bryn for the idea of mixing Finn's dog food in with the water and what an idea it was. Much better than her idea earlier in the week of EATING his dog food. Henry's pant's prove the value of water, a dog and a spatula.

You may also notice the road rash on Henry's chin. Yep, his mother decided they needed to go a little faster on their sled as she pulled them on the icy blacktop. Oops, sorry Henry. His face hit the ice before his hands did.

Finally the littles got their first blizzard this weekend. They both have found a love for shoveling but seem to think that the other one always has the "better" shovel so we spent our time playing referree as they continued to steal each others shovel. They also figured out that taking the wet mittens off gives a much better grip. Jay built them a snow cave that Bryn finally wiggled her way in to. When asked if he would like to sit in the cave, Henry replied "No , no, no, no, no, no." We got the picture. Henry did agree to "ride" the snow horse I built in our snowbank and waved buh-bye to the horse when he came inside for the day. Expecting more snow tonight!

Henry on dad's lap

Girls having fun

Henry trying his luck at a cappella at the Overture Center

If only they could put themselves to work in the kitchen

Anyone need their furniture moved?

Daddy's sweet cheeks

Happy Heart Day

A Valentine's Day Ring Around the Rosie

The littles, with the help of Amber, painted us a Valentine's Day card

Who spilled the couscous?

Showing Grandma how to vacuum

Someone's gotta feed Finn

Bryn's first pigtails. Don't know how Jay did it.