Life of the Party

We often joke that Graeme can literally fall asleep anywhere! Must have been the 3 week stay in the NICU with all the monitors and alarms that allows him to tune things out and drift off into a happy sleep! In fact, we have found that the louder the party the longer the nap! These photos were taken at our neighborhood playgroup Christmas Party and Cookie Exchange. With 17 kids (3 and under) and all hyped up on sugar, it was quite a wild event! But sweet Graeme proved once again to be the "Life of the Party" as he drifted off to sleep 5 minutes into the festivities and even slept through our mini photo shoot!!

Gage, Emma and Graeme


We silly Moms are finally realizing that once these little ones hit two it is a lot harder to line them up for a smiling photo on the couch. They sure did look cute in person and the all have so much fun playing together. Wouldn't know it from the picture, but it's true! We feel so blessed to have such fun kids in our neighborhood!

Mariana and Friends

Graeme - 14 weeks

It is hard to believe that Graeme is already almost 4 months old. His new favorite activities include rolling from his tummy to his back, blowing bubbles and giggling. He is such a happy baby!

Visit with Gran and Pop at the Beach - November 2010

In November, Mommy finally gathered enough courage to attempt travelling solo with two. What an adventure! Mariana got sick with the stomach bug the first night we arrived...ugggh! Luckily she recovered quickly and we were able to enjoy some time with Gran and Pop. The pet-me-zoo was a definite highlight of the trip until the duck pictured below decided to nibble on Mariana's ear - poor thing!! She didn' t find this very amusing and needless to say the fun ended there. Other highlights included wagon rides to the beach, playing in the sand, jumping in the ocean, going to the "cool playground" and, of course, celebrating Pop's Birthday!

"Mommy, look at me!"

Happy Birthday Pop!

Feeding the Pigs at Sidi's Farm

"I'm not so sure about this duck..."

Family Picture



"Look at all this sand!"

Hours of Entertainment

Mariana loves the ocean....

....could you see this coming?

Halloween - October 31, 2010

We had so much fun with the kids on Halloween this year. I must say, I think Graeme is the only infant in history who actually enjoyed being in his costume! He certainly fit the role of "Chunky Monkey" and Mariana really impressed us with her endurance for trick-or-treating. "Okay, Daddy, just one more house..." she kept saying. Here are a few pictures of the kids in costume.

Chunky Monkey

Happy Little Puppy

Pumpkin Carving - October 29, 2010

Mariana loved pumpkin carving with Daddy this year. She was amazed at how many seeds where inside a pumpkin and loved the process of getting them out. Here are a few pictures taken throughout the process (in reverse order-oops)...

The Final Product

Helping with the "scooper"

"I'm stuck"

"Look, Daddy, seeds!"

"This hat is heavy, Daddy"

Daddy, Mari and ONE BIG PUMPKIN

Me and My Little Pumpkin

Waking up Smiles - Graeme 11 weeks

Here is our "happy" boy! He honestly smiles all the time. What a blessing!! His favorite activities include cooing, smiling and giggling at his sister!! Daddy has officially nick-named him Winston Churchill, due to his big cheeks and numerous chins. All he needs is a top-hat and cigar to complete the picture.

Trip to Cradle of Forestry - Brevard,NC - October 2010

This fall we were able to enjoy the "peak week" of fall colors with a trip to the Cradle of Forestry in Brevard, NC. Mariana had so much fun learning about all of the animals and their habitats. She was quite proud of herself when she was given a Smokey the Bear sticker by one of the park rangers. She and Daddy really loved riding in the helicopter simulator and collecting leaves during our hike. Our day hike ended with a climb aboard the train. This was totally cool for a two year old who has been reading about Thomas and Friends. A great day was had by all, even Graeme enjoyed a few naps along the way.

A family hike

All Aboard


Eatting Lunch in my pack