Snow Day!

We are getting our first real snow of the season today! It has been snowing since about 5:30 this morning and we have 3 inches as of 1 pm! It is supposed to get worse throughout the evening and into tomorrow!! Yeah!! The only downside of this is Aidan doesn't have school but we get to spend some time relaxing and baking together while Emmy is sleeping. We made blueberry scones!
After spending 30 minutes trying to locate all of our winter gear and get it all on we went outside into the snow. Aidan loved it and could have spent all day out there but Emmy HATED it! Right after this picture was taken she started crying and wouldn't stop until we went in. I think her hands were cold, although she refused to wear her mittens. Here is a picture taken from last January - either last year was unseasonably warm or this year has been really cold. I have lots of pictures of us outside playing at the park from January and it hasn't been warm enough this year to even think about playing outside for more than 5 minutes!

Our Trip to Florida

We went on a very short vacation to Fort Myers Beach with Brendan's parents last week. It was really nice to get away - even if it was only for a few days. The weather was really nice - it's great not to wear a coat. The kids loved the beach - here are a few pictures - enjoy!It was a short walk to the beach from the house but long for little legs on sand - Emmy insisted on walking the entire way and carrying her own pail.The sandcastle that Brendan and Aidan built:Destroying the sandcastleBrendan caught a crab - by hand - while kayaking - Aidan wasn't too sure about it!Aidan getting the hang of paddlingThe water was FREEZING!See Emmy, this is how you fill a pail with mud:Emmy was very happy when her cousin Murphy arrived - someone her age to run around with!

Emmy's Baby

Emmy got a baby doll and carriage for Christmas from Mimi. She LOVES it and puts the baby in and out, making sure the blanket is covering the baby. Maybe she does have some maternal instincts after all...

Baltimore Children's Museum

We went to the Baltimore Children's Museum over the weekend. We needed something to do that was inside and was a place where the kids could run around. Since DC doesn't have a children's museum, we made the trek up to Baltimore. The museum was pretty good sized and the kids had a lot of fun. We can never last all that long - whatever we can get in before lunch is our limit. We got there right when it opened and played for a little over 2 hours. The kids were exhausted and, after lunch, fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Drumming is always a fun time:Emmy on the climbing wall:Aidan on the climbing wall:Checkin' stuff out:Aidan and Emmy in the giant climbing structure:

Cabin Fever

The weather for the past few days has been cold and rainy - although today is sunny. The kids and I have had cabin fever and we've all had to readjust back to our pre-holiday schedule - No Daddy until right before (or sometimes after) bedtime. Last night after dinner Emmy climbed up on the chair in the living room and started hamming it up and screaming "cheese". I guess she wanted me to take her picture! I grabbed the camera and got a few cute shots:

Another BIg Step!

Aidan can write his name! I think he is the last kid in his class to master this but I think he's doing a great job! He was so proud of himself - he came upstairs and showed me this:So adorable and he worked so hard to fit all of the letters!
This is just a cute picture I had to post!

Seeing the Sights

When my parents were here we did a little site seeing in DC. One day we went to the DC aquarium and then walked over to the White House to see the National Tree. It was a nice sunny day - can't get much better in December! The aquarium was nice but small. There were a few tanks that the kids could get right up to so that was nice. Here is a picture of George Bush - upper left window, I think:It was really bright!Emmy really liked this tank - it was supposed to be one Nemo and one Dory fish but we never saw the clown fish! Dory:Emmy loved this little alligator - she has even taken to sleeping with a plastic alligator!