Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in MA.  :)  Happy chaos.  

 good dad giving up watching part of the Eagles game to finish a movie with the kids

 kids soccer between periods

 pulled pork and cousins!

 Love!!

 four tired kids on Saturday morning, happy for the longest time drawing on the ipad together

Adara's First Haircut

I've been thinking Adara needed a haircut, but stalling because I didn't want to lose her curls.  She forced the issue this week taking a few snips of her own, so I took her for a trim.

 The receptionist offered her a glass of water, just like they do for the adults.

 same spot where we took Emily's picture after her first (professional) hair cut.

Celebrate the Season, year 2

One of our favorite Christmas season traditions is the Hanover tree lighting celebration.  We went again with the Swans this year, and had a great time decorating gingerbread men at Lou's, making bookmarks at Left Behind Books, bracelets at the jewelry store, and ornaments at the hardware store, riding the "animals" and eating popcorn, drinking cocoa and watching the tree lights come on, roasting marshmallows outside Ramuntos, and riding a horse drawn wagon around town.  We ran into friends as we walked around town, and by the end of the evening it was snowing lightly.  

  

 where else can you ride a mechanical Christmas tiger?

Seven Months

Alden continues to eat well and smile often.  His sisters adore him, and other children like to play with and hold him because he's so easy going.  He is babbling and has the most infectious giggle. (more videos up from October & November, use the link on the right of the page)   He still spends a lot of time in the Ergo, but sits up pretty well now and is starting to lean forward to reach for things.  He's struggling with teething and not sleeping well at the moment, especially when not at home.   I'm too tired to choose the best pictures for this month, so here are lots!

 from a little photo shoot we had done of the kids

 favorite activity: gnawing on faces or fingers

 sweet Dominic (age 5) loves Alden

 loves his bathtime!

 captivated at the ball exhibit at the Montshire with his sisters

Six Months

 

This easy-going charmer is six months old!  He's taken to solid foods like a fish to water, has loved it from the first taste (which was avocado).   He's just barely sitting up on his own, starting to babble, still loves to gnaw on fingers.  He's quick to smile and laugh, and very tolerant of the aggressive love of his older sisters.  I can't imagine our family without this sweet boy.

 

 

 

Halloween

This was the first year that the girls were really aware of and excited about Halloween (thank you school:), and they were counting down the days all week.  They'd have still been content to pull costumes out of the dress up box, but Alasdair was a softie and let them order Frozen costumes.  So, we had some of the many Elsa's, Anna's and Olaf's.  This is the first movie they've loved, and it could kind of be written about them.  (A few days before Halloween, Dori Willeman invited the girls over to her house for dinner and to watch Frozen, and they were in heaven.)

 

We had dinner at the Willeman's with a bunch of friends from church and then came back to our neighborhood to trick or treat.  The girls went to about 10 houses, and then we came back and handed out candy.  The big house to visit in our neighborhood is "Miss Vicky's" - the well-loved elementary school secretary.  She and her husband go all-out for Halloween, and this year they had a whole dark circus theme in their yard.  One of my favorite things about Halloween is how outgoing Emily is every year.  She walked right up to strange houses and talked to people about her costume and her siblings.  At home, she calls to the children in the street and happily hands out candy.  So funny.

 I think Adara's favorite treat was this juicebox.

 

 There may have been 1000 Elsa's, but Emily was the only "Elsa cat"

Our happy little Olaf was a big hit