HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween from Sam the Fire Chief and Caroline the Dalmatian (aka "Fire Doggie", according to her big brother, the Chief).

And an extra-special Happy Halloween from Bear-Bear the...Witch!  Yes, Sam decided that Bear-Bear needed a costume, so we put this little get-up together. It's been a big day for Bear-Bear!

We all set out for some trick or treating tonight with Sam's buddy Liza and her brand new baby sister, Malloy. The kids were so cute - riding in the wagon, trekking up and down streets (Sam in his slightly-too-big fireboots!), and announcing "TRICK OR TREAT!!!!!!" at every door.  They had such a blast!

 One picture of the whole fam together!

And one picture of our whole motley crew.

 Caroline and Malloy didn't quite make it...

...and Bear-Bear is beat too. :)

Night-night to all, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Kiddos

Some recent pics of my two snugglers, including a few from our trip to the zoo this morning!

ELMO!!!!

Yesterday may very well have been the best day of Sam's life. We went with his buddies Kailyn, Connor, and Millie to see ELMO and all his friends from SESAME STREET on stage! Sam has been looking forward to this for weeks and weeks (almost every day, he would say, "Momma, I get to see Elmo in justa coupla weeks?"). Well, yesterday was the day, and it lived up to all his wildest expectations.

At 10:30 on a Saturday morning, the Moran Theater at the local Times Union Center was SOLD OUT and full of preschool-age kids signing and clapping and all decked out in their favorite character's t-shirt. And I have to give props to the Sesame Street folks... they totally understand kids. Imagine literally HUNDREDS of kids aged 1 to 5, all sitting still in their seats, totally engrossed, and not a single kids melting down or acting out! This is how much they love Elmo - they forgot to throw tantrums for a whole hour and a half!

Here are a few pics of sweet Sam getting excited for the big event, then hangin out with his buds after the show.

The show was all about learning how to be a super hero, including eating healthy foods, taking good naps, and getting lots of exercise outdoors. They also talked a lot about super heroes wearing capes. So, as you can imagine, Sam came home wanting to wear a cape and much more excited than usual for a healthy lunch and his nap (thank you, Sesame Street!). He wore a SuperSam cape all afternoon. So cute!

While Sam and I went to Sesame Street, Caroline and Dad chilled at home and ran a few errands - a sweet little father-daughter morning! She's growing amazingly fast, rolling all over the place, and babbling and laughing at us. I cannot believe how fast time is flying with her. Just tonight I got a few more pics of her doing artwork at school, so I had to share this silly one with everyone.

A good week

We've had a fun week and weekend! The kiddos (and parents) are finally over the never-ending cold we all passed around the family...unfortunately, Nana has it now. Sorry Nana!

Here are Sam and Caroline all dressed for school last week. They were too cute, so I had to take a picture (or two...or three!)

We had a fun weekend too. After our usual Friday night meal at "The Restaurant" - i.e., Biscotti's - Sam and Caroline went to Chip and Phy's house Saturday while Mom and Dad took a trip up to Amelia Island. We sat by the pool, had a nice dinner, watched a movie, and slept until 8:00 a.m. for the first time in almost a year! It was wonderful, but we were very happy to see our kiddos again on Sunday.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Sam's buddy Liza's house to play on her new swingset. They had so much fun on the "airplane swings" and the slide! Sam is super happy to have Liza right down the street, and I bet we'll be doing lots of swinging in the next few weeks and months!

Our final bit of big news -- Miss Caroline started rice cereal this week! After two days, I'm happy to report that she LOVES the cereal -- can't get enough of it! -- but disappointed to report that, old wives' tales to the contrary, rice cereal has not helped her sleep through the night any better. Alas, we were blessed with two very sweet snugglers who just don't like to sleep. :)

And lastly, we want to send a hug out to Nana and Papa who are cleaning up from Hurricane Irene this week. Their beautiful yard and garden were pretty thoroughly beaten, and they have spent the week sawing up fallen trees, hauling them off, and cleaning up. The great news, of course, is that everyone is healthy, the house is fine, and the power is back on -- so we're very grateful for that. Sorry we're not there to help you, Nana and Papa, but we love you!

A few days in the life...

I just transferred some photos from my phone and wanted to share them!

Here are my two sweet kiddos!


Miss Caroline doing some art at school, courtesy of her very sweet and thoughtful teacher, Ms. Amparo!


Mr. Sam playing with the new race track toy Nana brought him. He has played with this nonstop since Saturday!

And finally, a few pictures from the pool, where we spend a lot of our time on the weekends. It's too hot to do much else! Caroline can't exactly swim, but she likes to get her feet wet, and she sure looks cute in her bathing suit!

Sam does swim, with a little help from his water wings! He splits his time between the baby pool, where he can walk around and play with his boats, and the big pool, where he tries to swim and loves being thrown in the air.

On Saturdays, they have a big waterslide! Sam loves this...and is terrified of it...all at the same time :)

Caroline Hits the Holy Water!

Sweet Miss Caroline had a big day today. With lots of family watching, and Mom, Dad, and big brother Sam by her side, she was baptized! It was a very special day for her and for us all. Thanks to Nana, Papa, Chip, Phy, Mere-Mere, Carol, and Vic for being there to share this wonderful day.

Today also marks the end of a great week with Nana! She came to town last Sunday to watch the kiddos while their school was closed this week, and we all had a great week with her. She was amazing, doing double-duty with both kids for a whole week, and she even cured Sam's nap-itis! We are awed and inspired. Papa came to town on Friday, and we had a great weekend with both of them...but we know that, while they will miss their grandkids, they are happy to be returning to North Carolina and escaping this absurdly hot and humid Florida weather!

And, finally, tomorrow marks Miss Caroline's 4-month birthday. In a way, I can't believe it's been 4 months already. And in another way, I can't believe it's ONLY been 4 months, because it's already hard to imagine life without her and I feel like we've known her for years! Her big brother Sam continues to be adorably sweet with her, and she continues to blossom...cooing and babbling more every day, laughing and giggling, and rolling over all by herself for the first time today! Happy 4 month birthday, Sweet-Pea-Sugar-Plum-Rosebud!