I invited Rowan to open the box of ornaments for the tree this year. He sat next to the container and pulled ornament after ornament. It was like unpacking surprise after surprise of goodies. He would turn it this-way-and-that, and name it, and then inquire to me what any odd items were. It was one of the first moments I read Christmas joy in his eyes. Here he has two favorites working together; the toy soldier is running the chainsaw. Rowan gladly helped with the lights, balls, and non-fragile ornaments. Evangeline assisted in the rolling of balls, climbing of the ladder, and still enjoys taking the ornaments off the tree to admire them.

Our family tradition is to cut down our Christmas Tree. After Thanksgiving Alan soaks it, and puts in up in the family room for the first week of Advent. This year we were once again successful! It was another year of seasonably cold weather and there were snow flurries to add to the wintry mood. We bundled up and headed to Bob's Tree Farm in Galway and with a little searching we found a patch of trees surrounded by a wooded area to shield us from the days' whipping wind. Evangeline and Rowan enjoyed the excursion with big smiles and giggles as we traipsed past tree after tree until we found the right one. Rowan was sad at first to learn we were cutting trees down but his fears were eased after scoping out the new trees the farmer planted this season.

On to the trimming!

Do not adjust your screen. This photo is not a mirror image.
Left, Evangeline, 16 Months and Right, Ellie (Eleanor) 2 years.

Our most recent trip was an adventure to see my girlfriends and their families in PA while Alan attended meetings nearby. There was a lot of good family time on the road trip there and back but for the duration of our stay I had the pleasure of observing, entertaining, and caring for the children. The "free" time of the visit was mostly "Mommy and Me" time with glimpses of helping our hostess Leah, trying to have adult conversations with the group, and some little jaunts around town.

Walking the streets of Chestnut Hill was so sweet and a great time was had at The Little Treehouse.
The Please Touch Museum was a treat for both the children and us grown ups. I love watching wondrous awe in the eyes of Rowan and Evangeline!And this is just a little glimpse of what the week in transit looked like.
Thanks for the fun!!

A Festive Weekend for All!
Evangeline very much enjoyed picking out pumpkins for Jack-O-Lanterns and the cupcakes that were around all weekend!Rowan loved the outings and always wanted to know where we were going next, what's next, and who's coming to celebrate! He even found some fun running through the pergola at Memme's Garden (Yaddo)!and Alan and his mom, Phyllis, celebrated 30 yrs of being Mom and Son!

Halloween week was a success for Firefighter Rowan and Ballerina Evangeline!

Warm weather days let us enjoy wearing our costumes without jackets during the week,
the kids looked forward to dressing up for a playtime Costume Party,
and for attending a Halloween Party,An eager to be pushed Evangeline and an eager to run Rowan were ready to hit the pavement to trick-or-treat,and the aftermath candy sort seemed to be instinctive to both Rowan and Evangeline. M&M's, good choice Evangeline!

A few shots from a stop at Sunnyside Gardens here in Saratoga Springs. We're making the most of beautiful days and the energetic spirit of these two little ones!

Playgrounds are very exciting with Rowan and Evangeline. Rowan just runs off and can climb, slide, and scale the equipment all by himself. Evangeline now loves to swing and has been recently named a slide addict. It's all good timing since visiting the playgrounds is our most popular fall activity!

Rowan and Evangeline are pictured here at Lions Park in Upper Saddle River. I grew up playing on this playground although it most certainly looked different then since my memories are of splinters from the wood construction and hot metal from the reflective slides!

Our fall adventures are already double those that we got in last year. It's a new experience to be a little more flexible with the children and their schedules. They are both very eager about getting in the car and going for an adventure. Yippee!

On this excursion we traveled a long dusty road to Gardenworks at MacClan's Family Farm in Salem, NY. Driving on Mosquito Swamp Road was either a highlight or lowlight of the trip! With our successful arrival to the family farm we met Lolly, Pops, and PopPop, who also made the trip down from the lake, to Raspberry pick, meet the animals, and shop their little market. It was also a trip down memory lane as PopPop spent some of his time in Salem with his friend Norm on the farm and we were able to talk with the MacClans about mutual friends.

Flashback Frame

Spring 2009
Fall 2010

Fall is a favorite season of mine, especially with beautiful fall days like we've been having. The weather is perfect here for walking, running, playing - you name it! We pass our days with acorn collecting and acorn crafting, digging, passing the lacrosse ball, playing catch, and pretty soon we'll be raking (a lot) too.

Labor Day 2010

was cooler and breezier than ideal but we made the most of it at the lake,

Evangeline enjoyed breakfast lakeside,Rowan discovered sticky "tails" out walking with Pops and then showed Great Pop Pop all about his discovery by giving him a "tail" too,
and we all spent time hanging and relaxing anchored at Log Bay, these babes know how to do it!