How to attend the 2011 Winter Carnival at Lake George.

First, layer, bundle, line, and blanket the adults and children.
Second, plan for walking and sliding on all sorts of terrain such as dry pavement, wet roads, slushy sidewalks, ice slush, snow, and of course, the frozen lake.
Third, watch out below and above for scuba divers, animals, ATVs, snowmobiles, dog-sleds, helicopters, and parachuters on display.Fourth, after seeing all the sites (including the polar bear swimmers) and roasting s'mores be prepared that your son's favorite memory will be getting to go in the Water Rescue Unit of the Firetrucks.

Rowan's first swim lesson!Rowan's thoughts:
-my favorite part was: "the red frog" (a floating frog they use for encouragement)
-"I want one more swim class and then one more" (he wants to go every day and not just once a week)

Mommy's thoughts:
Good thing he's taking to formal training! We have 6 weeks of swim lessons to start. I'd love to go through till the summer when our lake swimming begins. He has no fear of the water and a couple of the other bleacher moms commented "is that your son? He has no hesitation about this! Yeah, no fear."
I love having the time with him and watching him succeed in learning and meeting new friends!

It was finally time to meet my niece Jenna face-to-face. And, what a joy it was! The children took to her immediately with care and love. Rowan would lay with her (below), sing to her, and bring a multitude of toys to her whether she wanted them or not. Evangeline and Rowan were always near her, always asking if she was awake yet, if they could hold her,.....it was endless! What a joy to watch them play beside her knowing that they will spend so many more moments like this together as they grow!

I'm sure you all know it has been snowing, is snowing, and will continue to snow up here in NY. We love making the best of it. I hope you all are too. The kids and I are still very active with Rowan in nursery school, our regular schedule at the Y, errands, and lots of play excursions. We go and go until the snow or illness slows us down. Today, it happens to be a fever for the little guy so instead of social activity for the next 24 - 48 hours we'll continue our good times right here with each other inside. I love that too!

"R" says "Rrrrrr". Rowan, Red, Row, Rescue. It's all about the alphabet, phonics, and whose name starts with each letter. So, it was only fitting that we paint and hang the decorative R that Rowan chose from the craft store.

Spending time with our family in Virginia is always a treat. We traveled to Leesburg to visit them on their turf and it provided a glamorous respite for all of us!

There was the awesomeness:
A quick trip to the National Air and Space Museum (you can do that when you live around the corner!) Watching the planes come in and listening to the pilots and air traffic control!Enjoying the time, and sharing in his love of aviation, with Grandpa on his birthday!
At there was the Activity:
Countless play dates with the cousins. Busy with bikes, games, pretend, parks and play centers. When the five of them are together it's fast and furious (pictured here during slide time). "Robin, when we're with you we fit in. We're usually the loudest, most busy, and energetic children at any activity. Here, Tyler, Kyle, and Connor are just like Rowan and Evangeline. How refreshing!" And lastly the Average:
How nice it is to just "be" with family. Cereal breakfast, naps, toys, and an ice cream treat are just better at Memme and Grandpas!

Epiphany is behind us and Valentines Day is fast approaching. Even so I am only just getting to posting Christmas blogs. The events of the last few weeks can't pass without note!

We celebrated a beautiful Christmas on Greenwood Drive with Lolly, Pops, and Great PopPop. Christmas services, beautiful meals, splendid desserts, sincere gifts, and rejoicing in Christs' birth.


Crazy Christmas morning sillyness was a joy with Rowan and Evangeline. Caps, Boots, Hats, and Belts were all the craze!

It's a great tradition; to capture your family in a photograph each Christmas. So, set aside are the "Summer Action!" shots, "Messy & Funny Faced Smile" shots and "Bath time-Bubble" shots in place of the Christmas "Our-Beautiful-Family" shot. So, yes, it's a great tradition. But, it never goes as planned.


I declare this my (unofficial) Family Christmas photo. There are no children. They have already fleeted the scene. The moment though still exists. The Christmas dress is hanging, the felt Christmas tree is tilting, and the winter scene rocking chair is still swinging. The children are so quick that by the time the shutter changed they are just out of the frame. So even though this, and a hundred other shots, did not go as planned it's still perfectly captures the family.

Evangeline Christine is 17 months old this week and is loving every minutes of it. And to be honest, so are we! She eats great and is an awesome sleeper. We know these days won't necessarily last forever.She is excited for whatever comes her way. She loves being out and about and asks to have her coat and shoes put on at the first mention of going anywhere. She also thrives in rediscovering the house and her toys daily. She plays very well on her own and loves stealing/playing with everything her brother has too. Her nickname is "Me Too" and is close behind everything Rowan is doing (including her very own rendition of "Go, tell it on the mountain"). and wants to participate in just about everything that Mom or Dad is into as well (applying makeup, running the blender). Her words are forming on the tip of her tongue and anxiously looks to watch the sign for what she wants to communicate too. Somehow, Rowan remains "De De".How blessed we are to have this little one in our life and to watch her grow in love!

The Canadian Pacific Holiday train came through Saratoga Springs earlier this month to spread holiday cheer and raise money for local food banks. We were glad to participate! Rowan got up close and personal to the rail cars, experienced the train station, danced to some fun holiday music and went home one candy cane richer! (Note Santa and a hit Canadian band in the rail car above.)After, Rowan got to watch them roll out! For those lucky enough to be at a station with a night stop all the train cars are adorned with lights.

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!