Lots to be thanksful for...

We have several posts to catch up on but here are some visuals from our Thanksgiving celebration. We started the day with the Turkey Trot 5K in New Paltz. Sydney did the 1/2 mile Mashed Potato Kids Fun Run. We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner, enjoyed some time on the rail trail, and welcomed my parents on the weekend.

Joshua's own edible arrangement

Snowstorm and Halloween...together at last!

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that we survived the October 29th snowstorm...and the subsequent 2-day power outage. Thankfully our power (and heat!) came back on in time for Halloween. These Halloween photos are from Sydney's party at the Children's Center. We did go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and the girls had a great time in their costumes. Sydney made her blue bear costume at school and Evelyn is wearing the adorable giraffe costume on loan from the McGarrah Sharps (thanks!)

The Ocean State

We had a nice visit with Julie and Matt in Newport. Here are the photos to prove it! (Thanks, Jules for the photos!)

Living the Dream

One of the great epiphanies of parenthood is realizing how much work it was for your own parents to raise you (let alone you and your siblings!). One of the great joys of parenting is giving your children stuff you wished you had when you were a kid. Please note: I included the first sentence to ensure the second sentence doesn't sound like a complaint about the woes of our own childhoods (because it's not!). Joshua secured a free Barbie motorized jeep from our local transfer station and then took it to get a safety recall completed and get some fresh batteries. Below are some videos and photos of the jeep in action along with some photos of the girls after the Tillson Fire Department Fall Festival.

In the first video, Sydney is testing it out for the first time. In the second, she is getting some driving lessons. In the third video,  Evelyn goes along for the ride. In the final video, Sydney shows off the two gears (reverse and forward). Pretty fun stuff all the way around with no damage to the girls, the landscape edging, the neighbor's fence or any other yard fixtures or living creatures!

pulling up to the gas station

pumping some gas...near the headlight

Evelyn got a blue flower on her hand and Sydney opted for the pink and purple butterfly

checking herself out!

Like Mother and Father, Like Daughter

Evelyn is using 2 popper push toys simultaneously in this video. Either she is trying to multi-task like her father, or she is trying to make as much noise as possible (and may end up being a drummer) like her mother. Either way, it's quite impressive.

Nana and Papa visit the Blue House

Sydney and Evelyn enjoyed a visit from their Nana and Papa. Evelyn dazzled them with her mobility and her "oh ee oh ee oh" utterances (I will try to capture this on video). Sydney dazzled them with her command of the English language "Papa, we need to finish the tower before Evezilla brings the mayhem." Thanks for a great visit!

Start of School

Here's a photo of Sydney and I on the first day of school/work. This has been a very unusual start to the semester. We started on a Thursday and then the following Mon and Tues classes were canceled due to Hurricane and the extensive flooding in the area (and on campus). The next week included Labor day so here we are in week 4 with our first full week of the semester. The other photos include icecream fest 2011 (aka we have no power and don't want to waste icecream!) and basic around the house hijinx.