The Christmas spirit

Both kids were really into Christmas, as expected, this year. We did a lot of looking at decorations and even attended the tree lighting at our church. But their favorite thing, undoubtedly, was a Groupon-inspired trip to Sesame Place for their holiday extravaganza. It was a pretty grim day weather-wise, but it never did more than drizzle which was enough to keep the crowds away, so it was kind of perfect! The kids loved all the Christmas-y things and seeing their favorite characters. (On a side note, I've always been hesitant to go to Sesame Place because the kids have NEVER liked Sesame Street. But a few months ago, they started watching it almost daily, so this was the perfect opportunity.)

 

 

 

Mommy doesn't do teacups...at least not while pregnant. My equilibrium is off enough, thank you.

The last week of school before winter break was very fun for Gianna. Parents were invited to the writers' celebration where the children shared their "published" stories. It was adorable. The kids were SO excited to share their stories with anyone who would listen. Gianna's story was about Aunt Jenny and Uncle Steve's wedding. So that's them on the cover of her book.

 

It's a...

BOY! We found out just after Thanksgiving. I said I didn't have a feeling either way, but the morning of the ultrasound I could have sworn it was a girl. So I was actually quite surprised by the news. It just didn't seem possible that we would have the same sex baby as Doug's brother a third time! But, turns out, it is possible and true! I don't have any pictures to share, but he looks cute, well as cute as a black and white fuzzy blob can look. And he was so busy moving around in there that the ultrasound tech couldn't get all the measurements she needed. It's such a miracle to see...every time!

Thanksgiving

We don't have many Thanksgiving pictures, but it was a lovely day. My parents were in town. We watched the parade and had a delicious meal. Our neighbor joined us for dinner too, so it was nice to share our abundance with others too. We are very blessed indeed.


We've stuck with our tradition of putting up the tree on Thanksgiving weekend. The kids were so excited about the start of the Christmas season. It makes me excited too!

Enjoying the first Christmas cookies of the year!

 

Mark's 3rd birthday

Mark had a great birthday. Grandma and Grandpa were already in town for Thanksgiving, so they took him out to lunch (one of his favorite activities) and added to his already too large pile of gifts. But he loved every single one of them.
 

 

 

Mark's three year stats are: 37.5 pounds and ? inches. All I remember is they were both the 90th percentile. Ever the big boy!

On their birthdays, I want to try and write something about what the kids are like so I guess I'll start now. Mark, at 3, you are sweet and charming most of the time. You love to make people laugh and to laugh yourself. In fact, your silliness gets you in trouble sometimes because you can't turn it off! You love super heroes, horses, nights, weapons, and football. You can throw a ball, sing some songs, and you never have pee-pee accidents. We love your smile, your laugh, and your energy!

Baker-man

Based on my photos, it looks like Mark spent a lot of time in the kitchen in November. I have to say, he is actually helpful and has much more patience for it than most other things. Doug and I are already hoping he'll go to culinary school :)
 

The tasting is, of course, his favorite part.

 

My boys making pasta!

 

Wild weather

As with everyone in the northeast, the end of October and early November brought some crazy weather. It started, of course, with Hurricane Sandy. We were extremely lucky to have suffered no damage and only lost power for 2 days. It was a long two days, but after we realized what others went through, we saw it as a blessing. This time also made us realize what truly wonderful neighbors we have and how lucky we ar to live here. Our next door neighbors saved us both nights during the dreaded hours from darkness to bedtime...especially before the kids went to bed! The only good candles we had were our advent candles, so we set up the "wreath" and put it next to our jack-o-lantern.


Of course, actual halloween was postponed. So Gianna dressed up in a costume, a ballerina, for school after her week off. And wore her real costume on the day of trick-or-treating. My princess and night were super cute, if I do say so myself.

 

 

And just after "Halloween" we had our first snowfall. Hopefully we'll have one more good one for the kids to play in this year, but at least they got this little bit of playtime in it. I had to drag them in the house, I think they would have stayed out there till dark they were having so much fun!

 

 

Luke's baptism

At the end of October, our nephew Luke was baptized. I was so glad we could be there. He is such a doll. Being with him makes me very excited about our new baby!
 

Isn't this adorable? The kids with Pop-pop watching Luke get baptized. My kids just adore him. So cute!