Dec 09 Snowstorm

Well, we got a foot or so this weekend and took the kids outside to play. After warning Kurt, "They may not like it, be prepared to have to come right back in the house" - I was proven wrong!! Yes, there were tantrums while getting them into their winter gear - but the second their tiny little feet hit the snow, they were in heaven!!




They became obsessed with helping us shovel! A much more productive activity than say...LOCKING MOMMY OUT OF THE HOUSE (ask if you want to hear THAT story)...

And yes, we did encounter many more tantrums once Aidan realized it was hard to pick up snow, bucket, shovel, etc while wearing mittens. But was it all worth it to see how much they love the snow??? YES!

Just this morning Maddie looked out the window and asked "Play in snow? So pretty!". Uh oh, I think we've created snow bunnies!

We Survived...

Well, we did it! We survived all by ourselves while Daddy was on a week long business trip in Germany. Thanks goes out to Mimi, Buppy, Grandma & Peepa for all of their extra help throughout the week! And for Daddy's part, he had an excellent time in Germany - really enjoyed the people, scenery & had very successful meetings. (He could have done w/out some of the food, the strange bed/bathroom in the hotel, and the long, cramped flights). Needless to say we're SOOO glad he's home and are hoping he stays put for the forseeable future :-)

Some of the goings-on in Daddy's absence...

(Aidan falling asleep on the couch at a highly inappropirate hour after REFUSING to nap in his crib during the allotted nap time)



(Maddie chillin' in her "rooster" (booster chair) with her stuffed cow 'moo moo')

Wild and Zany...

O' Christmas Tree...

Last year we purchased our first ever artificial Christmas Tree. So of course we put it up in November!! Kurt set up the tree after the kids went to bed one night and we planned to decorate it with M&A the next morning. Here's their first view:

Christmas Trees are fun to look at on display in Target, but apprently they're a bit overwhelming inside the house. Here's Kurt easing Aidan into the idea...

Maddie was less cautious and began naming the various colors of the lights on the tree:

M: "Um Mommy, are you sure all of our presents will fit under there??"

A: "TREE!"

The finished product! Gotta love the gate - but we're not taking any chances :-)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Thanksgiving 2009...

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and we really enjoyed ourselves. It's still a bit chaotic since M&A are not quite at an age where they can play completely unsupervised - but I've been assured that in a couple more years, I'll be able to sit back and chat with the rest of the adults!!

We spent Thanksgiving Day at Auntie Deb's house and then went to Mimi & Buppy's the day after for leftovers. M&A were able to see all of their cousins over the course of the weekend and to them, there's nothing better than that!!

Here's Maddie playing with the canned foods I was trying to donate to the local food pantry. She was in hog heaven since the cranberry cans were "PINK":



I love they way she's started learning how to pose for pictures:




And we debuted our new "pig tail" look on Thanksgiving! How was I able to get her to sit still long enough to create this 'do? I told her they were "PIG tails". The girl loves her piggy!!!

Here's Aidan during the photo shoot with the Willner cousins. Unfortnately Maddie was having a "moment" and refused to participate.

Happy Thanksgiving! As always, we're so grateful for all that we've been blessed with. Especially our healthy, happy children!

Nature Lovers...

We know our kids are nature lovers, but this is getting a bit ridiculous. Besides, isn't the term supposed to be TREE huggers?? haha




Note to self: Buy the kids some rain boots.

They're in the Army now!

It's an undeniable fact. Aidan inherrited Kurt's hair. There's ALOT of it, but it's very fine and therefore sticks up on end quite easily. So months ago we realized the only solution for a toddler boy who does NOT like his hair combed, is a buzz cut! We think it suits him quite well actually.

Of course the frequent haircuts needed to maintain his look are a bit of a problem. It's usually a pretty traumatic event since he truly doesn't want anyone (especially a stranger) near his head. SO, once we discovered that the children's salon does Daddy and Me haircuts, we thought we had our answer. Perhaps if Aidan sees Kurt in "the chair", he'd realize it's no big deal.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Daddy got the exact same haircut as Aidan (#3 blade on sides, #4 on top) and it was by far our least traumatic haircut to date. There was some whining (Aidan, not Daddy) - but he stayed completely still and did not shed a tear! WHEW!

Only downside is Kurt looks like he joined the Army. I think we realized just how extreme the choice was as we saw the oodles of hair falling to the floor. Of course at that point, it was too late. It'll grow back, right! Plus, I can't wait to hear about the ribbing he'll get from his co-workers on Monday.

Upside is Daddy & Aidan look even more like twins now (if that was possible).

Always an adventure...

(Maddie says "pink")

P-I-N-K pink

Maddie adores the color pink. In fact, I'd say it is a borderline obesession. Sometimes in the morning when she is wrestling with me as I try to get her dressed for the day, all I have to say is, "But Maddie, it's a pink shirt today" and she calms right down. She hoards pink crayons, prompting me to google how to purchase pink crayons in bulk. The other day at the grocery store, as the items were going by on the belt, she started screaming "PINK PINK" at the top of her lungs until I let her hold the items that had pink packaging. She even goes so far as to sometimes claim something is pink even when it isn't (balloon from Friendly's).

I'm not certain how the obsession started and really I find it rather comical considering I'm not much of a girly girl myself and can't recall ever encouraging her fascination. I guess some things are just undeniably in our nature!

(Aidan is non-discriminating when it comes to his colors - though he does show a slight preference for yellow and green).

Here are some photos from the weekend just to keep you up to date. Below they are playing peekabo with each other from opposite sides of the door to their dollhouse. I often hear "Peekabo, I SEE YOU!" while they giggle wildly. So cute :-)

Halloween Galore

This was Maddie & Aidan's first Halloween where they are at an age to really participate in the festivities. And they had a blast! Maddie dressed up as Snow White (hand me down from cousin Vivi) and Aidan was a NASA Astronaut (we won't mention the giraffe costume debacle).


Here they are doing crafts at the Mother's Club Halloween Party:



Our music teacher, Stacy Lake, performed at the party. M&A were a bit shy, but found a corner where they could dance to the music unnoticed:

We attended the Littleton town parade and marched with cousins Morgan (witch) & Vivi (bunny):

And here is our own little neighborhood parade on the big day. Followed by a pizza party, scavenger hunt (M&A preferred to collect acorns than to hunt), and trick or treating (no photos since they were pretty tired at that point):

Daddy & Aidan lagging a little bit behind the parade:

Our own little nature girl! She is Snow White after all...

"Helping" to pass out the treats (as per usual, Maddie collected all of the 'pink' ones):

HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all of our family & friends. Hope yours was as great as ours!

He's a Music Man...

For those of us who see Aidan on a regular basis, it is a well known fact that the boy is pretty much ALWAYS singing a song. For whatever reason, as soon as we venture into any public places (like storytime or music class - both venues where it's highly appropriate to be singing), he clams up. Our beloved Katie (speech therapist) thinks that he's still a bit self conscious and unsure about his speech, so it's only natural that he only sings in front of those he's VERY comfortable with. Sometimes I feel a little sad that the rest of the world doesn't get to see his amusing, sweet and zany personality. Hopefully someday he'll be more comfortable in groups, but in the meantime I will revel in being one of the select few that he feels safe enough to be himself with!! Love you buddy!

And for any doubters - here he is in action! (Sorry for the grainy quality of the videos - despite spending $$$ on a fabulous video camera, I only ever seem to have our crappy digital camera handy)...

"Twinkle Twinkle" followed by "The Alphabet Song":

His all time favorite "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee" (aka "I was a Baby Bumblebee"):

Music Class

We've known for quite a while now that our kids are really into music. They love to sing, dance and play instruments. So we take a music class to broaden their horizons and learn some new songs. Maddie is very active at music class and sings and dances to all of the songs. Aidan is very quiet during class and prefers to be an observer, BUT as soon as we get home he belts out all of the new tunes we learned that week. His current favorite is "Bringing home a Baby Bumblebee" (or "I was a baby bumblebee" is how he likes to sing it). Here's a couple of pictures of M&A during the "Jam Session" at music class!!!

Tickling those ivories...



Ready to drum...

Moving Up (or down really)...

Now that Maddie & Aidan are officially two years old, we figure it's time to start transitioning away from their high chairs. Turns out (thanks Mimi), that the high chairs can be lowered and pulled right up to the table. Our first few attempts at this have gone remarkably well. Mostly I think M&A are really excited to be able to look at each other during their meals!!! The only downside seems to be that Maddie misses being able to put her "uckas" directly on Aidan's tray.

So cute :)

Sneak Peek...

Here's a sneak peek into Maddie's Halloween costume. Looks like we don't exactly have a girly-girl on our hands (at least not yet)!!




(Aidan's going to be an astronaut)

Second Birthday Gala!!

Maddie & Aidan had an absolutely fabulous 2nd birthday! Kurt took the big day off of work and we took them for their 2 year pediatrican appointment (probably not the highlight of their day). We celebrated as a foursome by opening some gifts, blowing out candles on our blueberry muffins and going out to dinner at Friendly's!

Then Saturday we had a family party and M&A couldn't possibly have had a better time. They love all of their cousins and are always so excited to see them. We had a bouncy house, pizza & cake - what more could they need???

Thank you to all of our family for making it such a wonderful celebration!

Hodge Podge

Another post without a specific topic - just some cute recent pics!

Based on a suggestion from a twin mommy friend, we decided to dip our toes into the water that is crafting with toddlers! Here is our attempt to make edible necklaces with Maddie & Aidan (fruit loops on yarn)...

Aidan crafting (mostly he just ate them):




Maddie did manage to actually get a few on her yarn - which we were impressed by! Here she is modeling Mommy's handiwork (which she promptly ate - while it was still around her neck):

No trip to the mall is complete without a stop at the candy store!! Here's Maddie eating her first ever lollipop!

Aidan had one too - but he immediately bit his (just like Mommy used to) and gobbled it up!

Of course it wouldn't be a Mansfield Willners weekend w/out a venture to a new playground. Here they are at Pirateship Playground in Sharon (highly recommended for the toddler crowd)!

Maddie has begun showing some interest in the potty. She really likes to talk potty - though she's less interested in actually using it! (Excuse the hair - Maddie is growing out her bangs)

Yes - that's her Elmo chair that she's using the potty ring on. She's afraid of the big people toilet unfortunately! And YES, she has a diaper on :)

For those of you who wonder what it's like when we take them out to run errands - here we are at Walmart. Our own little cavalcade marching through the store!

Happy Labor Day to all!