The Dancy Diaries

Aidan Turns Three!

2011-11-12T14:15:00.001-05:00

That's right, he's 3!

The years have flown by, and our little peanut is already 3! We had a shark-themed family party while my parents were in town. Aidan requested chocolate frosting, so it was a cute brown shark. I also made him a shark shirt and hats for everyone too.

As always, a video and photos to show the fun:

Topless cake eating

Aidan wore out his little car and needed something faster, so we went in with Gummy and PopPop on a new PowerWheels. It's been awesome!

Aidan and Sierra drive this car around and around!

PopPop and Gummy here in Boylston.

Real life Angry Birds has been a bit hit.

The whole family loves playing this!

Columbus Day was our 3rd annual trip to Mt. Wachusett with the Dancy Clan, and this year Aidan hiked most of the way all by himself! We went on the back side, which was even longer. Leigh took lots of great Infra-Red photos :-)

Aidan loved hiking!

This section was pretty scary with a kid on my back!

At the summit.

Aidan continues to amaze us with what he can do and the things he says. He's counting past 10, sings the alphabet, can identify about 10 letters and write a few, knows months, rides a bike really well... the list goes on. And pretty soon he's going to learn to ski too - I can't wait!!

2011-09-10T22:35:00.000-04:00

Aidan had his first sports class on Friday - the first in a series to introduce the little guys to basic sports. We started off with soccer, and I think there's also baseball, hockey, football, and maybe even more. I was proud that he got right into it and listened to the coach.

So excited to get his own membership card!

Somehow, all the 2.5 to 3.5 year olds lined up!

So cute to watch them run back and forth.

Aidan always seemed to be near this little boy!

We're excited for next week's class!

Adventures Out West

2011-09-01T21:29:00.012-04:00

I'm back from a blogging hiatus! July and August absolutely flew by, and I feel like we've been busier than ever traveling and being out and about. We had an amazing 2 week excursion to Colorado and California, so I pulled together some of my favorites photos to show a little variety of the places we went and the people we saw.

First, we went to Longmont to stay with Kevin and Jennifer. The kids had a blast together! Sierra and Nola were still best pals, chasing each other around and playing kitchen together. We took all the kids to a great kiddie pool, with a slide that Aidan loved. He did laps and laps of going down the slide and swimming to to the other side. Sierra and Nola happened to have the same bathing suit!

Aidan and Derrick loved riding and striding together.

Jennifer hosted a wonderful party on my 27th birthday, and we enjoyed catching up with old friends and eating lots of hawaiian food and chocolate gelato cake.

After a trip to the mountains to visit Sean and Erin (where my camera refused to work and the gondola wasn't actually open when they said it would be....) we were back for a dinner out at our favorite restaurant, then Friday it was time to head to San Jose!

The kids were so excited to see Gummy and PopPop! They loved having Gummy do the turtle song.

Every day with my parents starts off with some sort of donut, pastry, or bagel - it's lots of fun but not good for my diet! On Saturday, we picked up Psycho Donuts on the way to Vasona Park to ride the steam engine train. Aidan isn't usually much of an eater but he always finds room for a whole chocolate donut!

Sunday was our day at Great America, where we rented a cabana by the wave pool. Unfortunately Aidan was too little to go down the water slides, but he loved swimming in the pools and going on the kiddie rides and he just made it on the Log Flume!

On Monday we headed to Yosemite to stay in a rustic-yet-modern log cabin and bunkhouse with lots of Dancies, and just a few miles away was another house of extended family!

We took a short hike with Leah in the valley on our first day in the park, and saw Half Dome, and Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls.

Thomas and Aidan loved playing together, and they happened to have the same PJ's!

We spent Wednesday morning swimming at a lake and relaxing a bit, and on Thursday drove out to Glacier Point to get a beautiful view of Half Dome. It was totally worth the drive and I was so excited to actually the famous Yosemite sites!

We spent the day with Chris, Monica, Sophia, and Mateo - which was awesome since they also had a toddler and a baby and were on the same schedule. On the way back we stopped at Tunnel View and Bridalveil Falls, and got to feel the spray of the waterfall and walk in the glacial water.

We took a big group photo on the last night there.

We headed back to San Jose for the second weekend, and on Saturday we went to the Monteray Bay Aquarium. Aidan loved the penguins and sharks, and we saw a fantastic jelly fish display and a creepy octopus!

On Sunday Dave and Jimena had a big pool party! Again we got to catch up with lots of old friends - this time mostly Isaac's college friends who are now in the bay area. I like Isaac's caption for this super cute picture: "A little old lady, and Grandma".

For our last full day, we took the kids to Happy Hollow - a kids' amusement park in San Jose. Aidan got to ride a real rollercoaster!

We were supposed to fly out Tuesday morning, but they kept delaying our flight little-by-little, until they eventually cancelled it completely! The kids held up amazing well but I was really stressed out. After spending the whole day at San Francisco airport, we ended up back in San Jose, on a red-eye that of course got delayed. We did get to have one last meal with my parents, albeit in the airport...

The kids were totally wiped! So were we!

It was absolutely amazing to spend 2 weeks with honey and the kids and see friends and family. It was crazy and hectic and full of fun adventures - I wouldn't want it any other way.

Friday in the city

2011-07-08T21:41:00.002-04:00

The kids and I went to Boston today for a playdate! A big storm changed our original plans to meet at the park, but we ended up having lots of fun playing inside instead.

Sierra being Sierra.

Aidan loved helping Jack with the puzzles.

Lindsey loves her little guy!

And Chase still loves Sierra.

How To Paint a Basketball Court (at someone else's house!)

2011-06-23T10:43:00.006-04:00

Jenna came up with the idea that for Abram & Leigh's anniversary we should clandestinely paint a basketball court on their driveway. It's something they always talk about doing, but it just takes time -- something they don't have between flying, cycling, kid taxiing, overly-aggressive adult soccer leagues, etc.

I was totally game. The best kind of home-improvement project -- when you're learning on the job -- is at someone else's house!

The weekend of their anniversary, Abram & Leigh were off in upstate New York, but unfortunately, it rained all weekend. Luckily the following weekend they were once again in New York (at a wedding), and the weather was perfect.

Finding all the online basketball-court templates wanting, we decided to just do it ourselves with the power of geometry and duct tape. Here's how you do it:

1. Drop a plumb from the hoop to determine points A, B, C and D. Draw lines AB and CD. The intersection is K, the origin.
2. Extend line CD to EF with segments EK and FK each being 5'10". If I were doing this again, I'd also drop the plumb from the ends of the backboard to ensure that EF is in parallel.
3. Geometry baby! Triangles EFT and EFU both have right-angles and two dimensions are known. Use this info to make arcs G, H, I and J. The arc intersections give you points T and U. Note that each painted line has a width of 2" and the inner foul line should be at 13'7".
4. LE = 21", LM = 12", MN = 36", NO = 2", OP = 36", PQ = 2", QR = 36", RS = 2". All blocks have an 8" depth but we decided to offset them 2" and have a 6" depth.
5. To make the three-point arc, measure 19'7" from K with a non-stretchy line. We just used the tape-measure and rotated in sync.
6. To make the foul-line arc, measure 5'10" from the center of the foul line.

We were originally hoping the A&L Dancy kids would be around to help entertain the little ones. Fortunately, Aidan had fun with the lawn mower and Sierra could be corralled for minutes at a time.

All our measurements were to the inside of the line, then we used masking tape of the correct width (2") to create a placeholder for the line. Then we used duct tape to mark the outside of the line. I was sore for 4 days from all this bending over -- that's what she said! Topic for discussion: when did I get so old?

We couldn't NOT do the semi-circle at the top of the lane. This tight circle was a little too much for the duct tape, as it kept folding and occasionally not bending well enough. I used a knife to create the intersection between the two arcs.

We originally intended to paint with rollers, but it bled. Instead we used my paint sprayer. For paint we're using latex zone-marking paint.

Even though it looked like we had enough buffer around the lines, there was a clear halo of paint from the sprayer. We tried scrubbing it off, but our kids woke up from their naps. We'll correct this in v2.0.

Still, it looks pretty good!

Sierra @ 1 Year

2011-06-22T22:10:00.004-04:00

Ooops - 10 days late on Sierra's last monthly update! I feel like I'm behind on everything right now! Anyway, now that Isaac got our computer working again, here's what Sierra is up to:

- still only takes 3-4 steps!
- loves playing the binkie game and puckering up for kisses, and does it with the cutest look on her face
- says "cat" and "AJ" and does some signs
- loves to play catch with balls and cars on the floor
- always wants to eat with a utensil
- is a real mommy's girl
- She's 22lbs, and about 2'5". She eats twice as much as Aidan does, so she's catching up quickly on weight!

Hiatus

2011-06-21T21:47:00.002-04:00

Our 3-year-old Dell computer just died. Blogging will be on hiatus until I can get it running again.

Sierra's Birthday

2011-06-16T21:40:00.004-04:00

After the big Luau party the week before, Sierra's birthday itself was a fun, low-key day. Carmen and Rachel were staying over, and Sierra opened a few presents first thing in the morning.

The kids were so excited to climb into the wagon, it was almost impossible to put it together! There seems to be a theme for my parents - Cozy Coupe, PowerWheels, RollerCoaster, Radio Flyer...

Later on I took the kids strawberry picking at the local farm - but Sierra fell asleep on the 5 minute drive there! So, Aidan and I picked while she snoozed in her new wagon.

Sierra woke up and enjoyed some strawberries while Aidan fed the goats.

Later on, we played at Abram and Leigh's house and made strawberry shortcake.

Sarai said it was the best ever! She was hungry after playing 7 basketball games in 2 days!

Family Weekend

2011-06-13T21:00:00.013-04:00

My parents and my great aunt Kathleen flew in for the weekend when we had the party. The kids loved the extra company, and it was great to have some help too!

Aidan loved having the bouncy castle all weekend.

We all had fun jumping!

Sierra figured out how to drive Aidan's car.

But she decided she loved riding on the front even better.

"What are these things Kathleen put on my feet?"

Isaac got a Tesla hat and shirt for his 30th - he can buy himself the actual Tesla for his 40th!

Another great shark shirt for AJ!

I'm not sure how we missed getting pictures of Kathleen with the kids, but here she is with my dad!

Gummy playing "turtle" with Aidan.

Thanks Gummy, PopPop, and AK!

Aidan riding solo - at 2.5 years!

2011-06-12T10:01:00.002-04:00

Aidan continues to amaze us with his riding skills. I don't even need to chase him anymore!

http://youtu.be/NxkN1U8PEEM

The Big One & The Big Thirty Birthday Luau

2011-06-11T14:39:00.002-04:00

Last weekend was the big Luau I'd been planning for ages! As soon as I realized Sierra would be turning One and Isaac would be turning Thirty only a week apart, I knew we'd have to have a big party. I decided to make it Luau themed, so we had Leis and Hawaiian food and lots of tropical decorations, plus a bouncy castle just for fun. Luckily the weather cooperated and we had a wonderful day with family and friends.

It's hard to choose just a few photos, so there are more in this album, and even more on my computer! But, here are some of my favorites:

Posing with my beautiful little girl. It's so much fun dressing her up - crazy tutu, personalized shirt, lei, bow... I loved it!

The birthday Duo.

My mom and great aunt posing near the bar - Mai Tai's, girlie drinks, and a keg!

Dolphins in the fruit platter!

Isaac was happy to see some old friends too.

Aidan loved the bouncy castle - I think everyone did! People of all ages were in there at some point.

So cute in his Hawaiian outfit!

Sierra loved being in the castle too.

Sierra was excited t clap at the end of her song.

Cutting the cake.

I made her a doll cake to match her outfit!

Cake face!

Even after eating Sierra's cake, Aidan couldn't wait to try Daddy's ice cream cake!

Can't believe my honey is 30!

Sierra tried on some new shoes.

And then smiled for all the cameras.

Such a sweet little face.

Sierra and her little boyfriend Josh. Sierra loves boys!!

I'll miss my baby, but it sure is fun watching Sierra become more of a little girl every day.

Happy Birthday Isaac and Sierra! Thanks to everyone who shared the day with us - especially those that traveled far!

Long Long Weekend

2011-05-30T22:58:00.006-04:00

We had a really long Memorial Day Weekend - spent almost entirely at the hospital! Aidan woke up Saturday morning complaining of a belly ache, but it seemed like much more than that, so I took him to the doctor. She noticed right away that it must be his diaphragm that hurt, because he was working so hard to breathe and wasn't getting enough oxygen. After the first treatment didn't bring his levels up enough, they took us to the ER by ambulance. We had more drugs and more tests, and ended up getting transferred to the PICU! After a long night in intensive care, the meds seemed to kick in and he was doing much better by Sunday morning. They weaned him off the high flow oxygen and IV by the afternoon, and he was getting back to himself. This morning (Monday), he was able to come home. The ultimate conclusion was that he just had a major allergic reaction to all the pollen and super humid day, so that'll be easy to treat with some daily medication.

After being stuck in a bed for ages, and then confined to a room, he was ready to come out and play! After a not-so-successful trip to the Boylston Common to see the bouncy castle (too many big kids) we took him to the park to ride and play.

Thanks for all the well wishes and the help with Sierra!

Ride On, Aidan

2011-05-22T13:14:00.002-04:00

Aidan has been riding a strider (2-wheeler minus pedals) for some time, but he's recently been interested in his trike because it has pedals. Jenna and I figured he was ready for a real 2-wheeler.

We went to Target and of course had to get him the "Lightning McQueen" model. Aidan accessorizes with McQueen bike gloves and elbow pads. Aidan calls his elbow pads, "iPads" :)

Day 1 was a struggle for Aidan because there's very little level ground near our house, so today we took him to Assabet Park. That's all he needed:

Standing and Pedaling

2011-05-21T23:16:00.003-04:00

Sierra can stand almost indefinitely now! Still only takes 3-4 steps, but she's getting there.

Aidan got a real pedal bike today, and for now we're skipping the training wheels since he knows how to balance from his strider bike. He was already riding totally by himself for little stretches!

While Aidan rode, Sierra worked on his other bike for him.

I LOVE it; my little princess, wearing a tutu and fixing a bike. Maybe she'll be a mechanical engineer like her mom!

Sierra @ Eleven Months

2011-05-15T08:16:00.005-04:00

I'm 3 days late! For blogging Sierra's monthly update, that is. Crazy, when Aidan was 11 months, I got pregnant with Sierra!!

Anyway, here's what Sierra is up to at 11 months:
- has 11 teeth! she just got 3 molars over the last week (which none of us enjoyed)
- takes a couple of steps at a time
- loves playing peek-a-boo. She covers up her eyes or peeks around/over things, and says "a-baa" or "a-ahh"
- asks "what's that?" while pointing at things. Sounds like "w'zat?"

Isaac is sitting here too, he adds:
- furniture walks
- is one with her binky
- can conjure up tears in a second
- loves her walker
- can take 1-2 steps, but is too stubborn to walk
- loves playing catch

Easter and a Good Friday

2011-05-11T07:58:00.002-04:00

Aidan's Easter-egg hunt, Sierra's crawling and furniture standing, lumberjack Ike, fun at Assabet Park, Dean Park, and Abram & Leigh's house.
YouTube Link

Sushi!

2011-05-08T22:05:00.005-04:00

Julius came over on Saturday to ride with Isaac and show us how to make Sushi. He also happened to bring an absolutely amazing camera and lens - so we got a lot of photos . As soon as he got it out, Sierra walked from me to Isaac! It was only the second time she's taken 3 steps! She'll often do 1-2, but 3 is tough.

First steps on camera!

Playing chase with the cats.

While they went on a bike ride, I tried out the lens on my camera. WOW! Now I know exactly what I want for my birthday this year.

Watching the guys leave.

Happily playing "doggie" (Talking Ben).

The 30mm lens is perfect for getting kids in the shot, even up close. I could hold Sierra and take her picture!

Silly Sierra

"Helicopter"

Self-portrait with my sleeping baby. I'll miss this!

Once Sierra was asleep, Aidan was ready to go outside and ride.

New shark helmet!

Then it was time for the cooking demo.

Nigiri!

Salmon cucumber roll.

Slicing the tuna.

Snack time for Sierra.

Thanks so much Julius for lunch, the lessons, and the photos!

Sunny Day

2011-05-07T20:37:00.003-04:00

It was a beautiful day on Tuesday and the kids were wearing cute new outfits from my grandmother, so I ended up with a bunch of photos I really like. The kids were both up super early that day, so we had some morning play time before work.

Sierra has been working on balancing and taking some steps!

After dinner we played in the backyard for ages. Aidan is our little athlete!

Sierra's first pigtails! We always know when the kids are tired, their cheeks turn bright red!

Easter Weekend

2011-05-03T22:21:00.005-04:00

Easter was really low-key this year since we were recovering from Disney, so we just had a little egg hunt, colored some eggs, and saw family for dessert.

Aidan loved dumping out his candy. Daddy "helped" him eat it all.

Enjoying some chocolate while posing with his colored eggs.

Sierra, being a little "doll-phin"

Florida Highlights

2011-05-01T23:15:00.001-04:00

We went to Florida a couple of weeks ago to meet some old friends and take the kids to the parks, and we had an absolutely amazing time. I posted a ton of photos on FB, but wanted to include it on the blog too.

Since it was April vacation week for Massachusetts and N.H., we flew out of JFK. It was nice that it extended the vacation an extra day, and on the way we got to visit an awesome children's museum that was geared towards really young kids. Aidan loved all the ball activities, especially this ball sucker!

Aidan put balls in over and over, waiting for it to fill up and "explode".

We spent ages watching the Rube Goldberg ball contraption - I always love these!

Entertaining the kids in a tiny hotel room with almost no toys turned out fun - we got creative and they were happy. Sierra loved pulling these big beads apart, and Aidan kept putting them back together for her.

On Sunday morning we headed to the airport - though we were staying half a mile from the terminals it turned out the parking was 15 minutes away then it took forever to get back to the actual airport, through check-in (had to wait since we had an infant) and security. We eventually got the kids and all the stuff through the airport with Sierra wrapped on, Aidan in a car seat attached to wheels, and lots of rolling luggage.

We were so happy to see Kevin, Jennifer, Derrick, and Nola when we got there! Nola was so excited to finally meet "Baby Sierra" and they played together the whole week.

On Monday morning it was time to head to Magic Kingdom. We were impressed with how efficiently Disney got everyone into the park.

On the ferry going to Magic Kingdom.

Posing in front of the big Castle!

Riding the Dumbo ride with Aidan.

Aidan got to drive with Isaac.

After some much-needed naps we headed out for a nice dinner. I had Isaac take a picture of Sierra and me to match the one with Aidan from 2009.

Just peachy!

On Tuesday we went to Animal Kingdom. With just one Safari ride, we saw just about every animal you could imagine seeing at a regular Zoo - pretty cool!

In the afternoon we went swimming at the huge pool complex.

Bathing suit from Gummy.

Aidan, Sierra, Nola, and Derrick in front of the kiddie pool.

Wednesday was SeaWorld - Aidan had been talking for weeks about seeing sharks so we were super excited! We all loved the Dolphin show too - it was crazy what they could do!

Clapping for the Dolphins.

Posing with Great-Grandad Len & Sue.

We were able to get reservations at the shark restaurant, so we dined right next to the big shark tank! Aidan loved watching them swim by - except for the big ugly fish.

He loves his new shark!

We spent Thursday morning at the pool again before heading to the airport.

Smiley Sierra on the plane ride back - with Aidan happily entertained with his new iPod in the background.

What a fun week with old friends - we're already thinking about what to do next time!

Been Busy...

2011-04-30T16:20:00.004-04:00

I'm behind on blogging, but I'm hoping to get caught up in the next couple of days. The kids have been keeping us busy, as always. Here's a cute one from this morning:

Sierra is so quick to stand up now and can walk with one hand holding on. I love going to get her in the crib and finding her standing there looking so cute :-)

The real reason I haven't gotten to blog at night is I was working on this window seat cushion this week. I ordered the custom foam for inside, then sewed the cover from scratch, including making the piping first! I'm excited to have a real window seat, it's in the dormer window right next to our computer area.

Sierra @ Ten Months

2011-04-13T20:32:00.007-04:00

I forgot to post last night - Sierra turned 10 months, and Aidan is officially two and a half!

Right now, Sierra:
- can do a little furniture walking, and is just starting to pull up to standing on her own
- eats anything and everything!
- loves to blow kisses!
- wants to play with whatever her brother is playing with, of course, and chase him around
- is over 20 pounds, 29.5inches, and has 7 teeth

Spring is in the air!

2011-04-10T13:58:00.007-04:00

It's been one of those amazingly fun family weekends, even without anything super eventful. We've spent most of the time outside riding, driving, and playing. Aidan rode over to his friend's house yesterday morning, and to the neighbor's house in the afternoon. This morning we went to a pancake breakfast (though Aidan was definitely NOT happy to see the Easter Bunny), and then played at a playground with some other friends. After a jog with me, it was time for lunch and naps, and then when they're up we're going to see the Dancy Clan for dinner.

Things are definitely getting easier again with the kids on the same sleep/nap schedule, Aidan out of diapers, Sierra eating all real food. I love the age they're at right now; it's awesome to see them playing together.

As always, some photos!

Hugs while watching "The Little Mermaid".

Showing Paige his tricks (she then tried hanging too).

Soccer with Daddy

Sierra's turn!

I'm sure this will be a common sight this summer!

We enjoyed our first dinner on the deck of the season.

Aidan showed Sierra how to do the puzzle.

Chasing Aidan - part two! We made him crawl to make it more even.

And then gave him the walker!

My Cuties

2011-04-03T21:58:00.001-04:00

I'm such a lucky mom and wife!

Marching On

2011-03-30T21:13:00.001-04:00

It's almost the end of March - just when the snow is mostly gone, we're expecting more! But, we have had occasional nice days to enjoy. Sierra has been wanting to walk with us all the time lately, even outside. She's pretty wobbly but really strong, I'm sure she'll be pulling up on her own and walking around the furniture soon.

Aidan continues to love riding his bike on the pavement, the grass, or the snow. It's hard to tell but look at the shadow, he's just picking up his feet going down the edge!

March is also a busy birthday month, so we had another fun trip to NH for a family party.

Sierra has been crawling all over the place, often carrying an envelope - just like her brother used to do!

Chasing Aidan

2011-03-30T20:38:00.003-04:00

It's been funny seeing what happens now that Sierra can crawl after Aidan and chase him in her walker. Of course there is some interfering and toy-stealing (both ways), but for the most part they're really cute together.

Aidan LOVES running up and down the long hallway upstairs, he'll often say "Chase me, Mommy!" and then giggle and giggle while he runs. The other night Sierra was trying her best to keep up with him, but then gladly got Daddy's help going really fast.

I loved these photos - I already posted them on FB but want to include them here too for our yearly book.

A little bit of Spring

2011-03-20T21:12:00.009-04:00

We finally had some warm weather last week, so we were able to enjoy some time outside without snow gear. We've been taking family walks with the double stroller most nights, but on Friday we decided to let Aidan ride since it was so nice out. We couldn't believe he made it around the whole neighborhood - 1.5+ miles - by himself! Isaac obviously had to walk/run alongside, but we were still impressed. And when we got home he went up and down the hill in front of our house for a while too!

On Friday morning I took the kids to the park for the first time this year. It was fun with Sierra being able to play some too.

We had another family birthday party on Saturday, and the weekend flew by just keeping the kids entertained. Sierra enjoyed some fruit from PopPop...

and her dolly's binky.

She's been crawling all over the place, and can stand for ages now too.

We were so happy to get a glimpse of Spring, I hope we don't go back to the cold weather! Sierra sure does pull off the cold-weather look though, I'll miss this.

AJ and a Day Trip to NH

2011-03-13T14:23:00.015-04:00

Sierra has been making more headlines on the blog lately, but Aidan deserves some love too! He's been amazing - talking up a storm, being a great big brother, and getting potty trained! It's been a few weeks now since he wore diapers at all. He's been perfect at playgrounds, going shopping, at daycare, in the car - the only thing we're still working on is night-time, so he has pull-ups just for then. He's funny, after he says "Chocolate chips???" and excitedly goes to collect his prize.

He still loves taking pictures with the "lights" (self-timer). Here's a couple of cute ones from yesterday:

On Friday we spent the day in NH, and it couldn't have worked out better. I was a little nervous trying to do two things in one day, including over 3 hours of driving, but figured it could work - we'd see Grandma and Grandpa in the morning, and then Brittany, Brian, and Baby Lucas in the afternoon. The kids were amazing and it was so much fun!!

Grandpa and Grandma and I took turns helping Aidan through the new indoor playground in Merrimack - we had a blast! I think it had been a while since they got to crawl around and go down a slide, but they loved it. With a big family it's nice when the kids occasionally get one-on-one grandparent time.

After a while at the playground, we headed back to the house for a little more playing, some lunch, and nap time.

Aidan loved singing and dancing along with the keyboard, it's so cute what he does!

We got a new travel bed for Aidan to use at Disney, and figured we'd give it a try here first - he went right to sleep.

And Sierra too!

Then it was time to head to Brittany's house in Concord to meet Lucas, who was just a week old! He was super cute, and they're all doing great. We brought a Dream Dinner with us, and the kids were well-behaved the whole time we were there. They usually are, but it's not fun at all when they're not!

Brittany and Lucas

Another picture by Aidan.

Then it was 90 minutes home, just in time for bed for the kids. What a wonderful day!

Sierra @ Nine Months

2011-03-12T22:19:00.005-05:00

My sweet baby girl is 9 months today!

As always, a few little notes on what she's up to:

Sierra is starting to really crawl now! She's been getting around pretty well spinning and sliding, especially backwards, but just over the last few days she's been taking some crawling "steps" forward too. She's ready to really take off with it.

She loves eating real food and barely wants bottles anymore (we're hoping she'll enjoy sippy cups).

She loves to play with Aidan and try to do whatever he's doing. Luckily he's pretty good at sharing too.

Sierra is getting to be one of the big kids at daycare - she's no longer the baby! She's eating lunch and napping upstairs with Aidan and the other big kids, and doing great. She's getting more on his schedule at night too, which is nice for us to have some more time in the evenings!

3/13/11 update: I forgot one of her favorite things is to clap now! She still waves all the time too, but LOVES to clap.

Video: Christmas 2010

2011-03-02T22:25:00.006-05:00

Here is Christmas morning in 4 minutes! Sierra had a fun first Christmas, and Aidan was old enough to really enjoy getting presents. Gummy and Pop Pop were here too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4XU-ExMdVs

Good times

2011-03-01T20:55:00.004-05:00

More photos from this past week!

Aidan repeatedly set these up for her, and she pushed them down. He looks so proud of her!

Sierra and Aidan enjoyed an evening with Chase while we celebrated Kristen's birthday on Friday. Sierra's awesome hairstyle is courtesy of Lindsey!

Sassy!

She loves this toy.

AJ flew his "copper" until the batteries ran out, twice!

hmm, I wonder where he gets this look from?

My Goofy Girl

2011-02-20T15:01:00.004-05:00

Sierra has the goofiest grin - I love it!

It's her cheese face!

Classic Sierra.

Daddy has been working with her on crawling!

Knees! All by herself.

Last weekend I took a bunch of photos too when she was cheesing for me.

Perfect for my desktop baby cut-out I think.

Can't quite see it but she just got her 5th tooth! It's the next top left one.

SuperGirl.

Ready to snuggle.

Sierra @ Eight Months

2011-02-12T21:46:00.007-05:00

Where did my baby go? Sierra is already getting to be a little girl! She's cute and cuddly, sassy and sweet, and giggly and goofy. She's the best girl I could have hoped for!

Her latest thing is waving, all the time! You just have to say "Hi Sierra!" and she'll give you a big smile and wave to you for ages! She also loves to clap.

She's not crawling but she gets around pretty well just spinning and sliding.

We've been helping her practice getting up on her knees. Smokey came to help!

She loves her daddy, and stopped by for a quick hello on our snow day last week.

Daddy's turn for the wrap! She loves to be part of the action.

Playing with Grandma last weekend:

She eats a ton, entirely by herself. She loves peas and green beans and carrots and rice and cheese. At this point I've lost the battle and she won't be spoon-fed at all. So, her first trial with yogurt was rather messy but she did get a little in. I need to get creative with the finger food. We're just happy to see her eating though, I think she eats more than Aidan. She's going to be bigger than him pretty soon!

Video: Music Class!

2011-02-07T20:01:00.002-05:00

AJ is a little cutie dancing and singing at music class!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3BXXKmB3is

Thanks to Kristen for bringing the camera and taking all the footage! I really enjoy doing this stuff with the kids but can't usually take photos with my hands so full!

Playdate with Chase

2011-02-04T18:49:00.008-05:00

We were so excited to see Chase and Kristen today, it had been way too long! Sierra wasn't quite herself with a bit of a cold, but the kids still had a great time playing at home and then singing and dancing at music class. We took some video so I'll post that once I cut it down.

Self-portrait on a timer. I love AJ's pose!

Poor Sierra...

Aidan tried to kiss her better, and I think it helped! What a good big brother.

The kids had fun each playing with one side of this toy.

Cutie pie!

Thanks for visiting us, KP!

Video: Aidan Turns Two + Halloween

2011-02-04T16:51:00.003-05:00

Here's another video of my boy, for my boy! He loves watching home videos before bed, so it's nice to keep making new ones for him. This one has been done for a few days but not saved and posted, so he's been asking to watch "Cake" each night.

It's got Aidan's family birthday party and birthday morning, plus Halloween and Sierra giggling a lot!

I'm working on catching up on videos again, we have footage from September, December, Christmas, and January to post!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPM3N4sWk3I

Latest Adventures of the Princess and the Peanut

2011-01-23T13:49:00.007-05:00

This week, we got into the adventures of Potty Training!! Last Sunday we decided to get a jump start by buying Aidan some underwear and just letting him try it out all day. After a lot of accidents the first day, he definitely figured out to try not to wet himself. We've been having to watch for the little pee dance so we can get him on the potty quick enough, but now he's starting to tell us when he needs to go too. This weekend he's had no diapers during the day, and no accidents! It's tough with him at daycare but he made a lot of progress there too, and I bet tomorrow he'll be even better. I'm so proud of my little peanut!

My little princess has decided that she's not a baby and doesn't need to be spoon-fed - she flails her arms when I try! See how well she's doing today on her own??

Oh yeah - about 75% ends up on her bib! But she's happy to try. And don't worry Gummy, after she has a turn I make sure I get some in to!

Almost every day, Aidan pushes Sierra around in her walker and plays "A-Boo!" with her, which makes her giggle and giggle. She's lucky to have a great big brother!

Aidan loves sending Ducky down his roller-coaster, and he always makes sure he's wearing a helmet.

His latest game is to start the roller-coaster (with Ducky in it) and then run as fast as he can to stay ahead of it. He did this over and over and over this morning.

He loves his Ducky - thanks Jessie and Christine!

I've never thought he looked like Isaac before, but I totally see it here.

Playing Dance Central with Mommy.

Sierra sporting her British "Mum" shirt from Lindsey.

Aidan's been doing more painting and crafts with me - I probably love it even more than he does! He's working on two more butterflies here after completing the one below and asking to make more.

I'm taking this one to work!

Aidan @ Twenty-Seven Months

2011-01-13T00:31:00.003-05:00

Jenna claims that I'm not pulling my blog weight around here, so without further ado, here is the Aidan 27-month update!

At 27 months,
- He knows how to work all the loop holes in the system. Today at dinner (after repeated stone-walling), I pierced a meatball with a fork and took out an ice cream bar, and Aidan immediately ate the meatball and awaited his ice cream reward.
- He knows how to take the smallest possible bite of food when he's trying to walk the tightrope between not eating something and not getting in trouble.
- He likes to drink "coffee". His coffee is hot chocolate ... but he won't drink it unless he gets to get the water, put the water in the microwave, press all the buttons on the microwave, scoop the chocolate powder, pour the hot water and stir. By the way, he won't stir with a spoon, he requires a whisk.
- He has an independent streak. "I do it!" If I take a shoe off, he makes me put the shoe back on so he can take it off. If I close the garage door we have to open it up completely so he can do it.
- He gives lots of kisses and hugs. We enjoy these while they last!
- He's gotten over his fear of the potty. He's still in diapers, but every now and then we put him on the potty and he takes care of business.
- His favorite movie is "Guys 4". "Toy Story" is synonymous with "Guys" because that's what Woody always says. The "4" comes from the fact that we're teaching him numbers and he knows 4 comes after 3 -- so it all started when I said, "Do you want to watch Guys 1, Guys 2 or Guys 3?" His response: "I want Guys 4!"
- He knows how to use an iPhone. He swipes to unlock it. He swipes to go through the apps and find the page with the games that he likes. He knows how to push the button to switch out of an app and back to the main screen.
- He's discovered video games! He likes to play "kick!" which is a mini-game within Kinect Sports where you kick a soccer ball at targets. His high score is 6, mine is 93. And so begins the long road of trying to kick Dad's butt.
- He can repeat pretty much any word.
- He talks on the phone. For the longest time he would freeze, but now he talks on the phone.
- He's putting together sentences instead of just saying words. "I want to do this" or "Dad come with me" or "it needs batteries".
- And finally, he's adapted to life as a big brother. He'll bring Sierra toys or play peak-a-boo with her, or tell us when he thinks it's time to put her in the jumparoo.

Sierra @ Seven Months

2011-01-12T22:11:00.009-05:00

It's the 12th again already, which means I have another Sierra update to do. I've got to keep up on it so I can make her baby book (which I just finally started). I'm sure with Aidan at this age I was all caught up on his, but oh well, I'll get hers done before she's old enough to notice!

At 7 months,
- She's still more interested in trying to stand than trying to crawl.
- She has 4 cute little teeth.
- She likes feeding herself baby rice crackers and cheerios.
- She's almost as big as her brother.
- She still smiles and giggles all the time.

Sierra and I went up to Concord on Sunday for Brittany's baby shower. She was happy to be passed around by all the lovely ladies.

First Tracks

2011-01-09T10:40:00.005-05:00

(Basketball analogies herein)

When you've got one kid the parents can switch off and play a zone. When you've got two kids the parents have to play man-on-man. The only way either parent can get any rest and relaxation is to hope that one or both of the kids take a nap. Naturally, the children conspire against this strategy.

The only response is to adopt the Rick Pitino 40-minute-of-hell game plan. Essentially, play at a breakneck pace that they can't keep up with. Tire 'em out!

With a few inches of fresh snow, today was a perfect chance for Team Mommy-Daddy to wear out the kids.

Here's Sierra all suited up and ready for action.

Aidan shoveled and tried to work on a snowman, but then decided it was time for a Sunday drive. Here he's wondering if he needs chains.

Great form here! He's looking through the turn to where he wants to go.

All smiles.

Backpack baby. She was asleep 10 minutes later.

Jenna took Aidan down a short hill next to the house on his sled. Later, Aidan decided to go for a bike ride but then had other ideas...

He's headed to the hill...

Who needs a sled when you can snow cross?

Looping around for more.

More snow cross.

Every snow adventure finishes with hot chocolate. But don't tell Aidan ... he thinks it's "my coffee!"

Yum!

Aidan Playing and Fun with Books

2011-01-08T10:09:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ0N2EYwp28

Getting Back

2011-01-07T22:54:00.007-05:00

It's been a while! We've been busy with the holidays and visitors of course, but we had a wonderful time. Now I'm just getting back into the routine again with a fun Friday off, at home with the kiddies. We played all morning and then went to a great music class this afternoon with some friends. Aidan kept up with the bigger kids, doing the gestures, playing instruments, and trying to sing the songs, and Sierra was totally enthralled! She was so happy to watch and listen, I'm glad they both enjoyed it.

Sierra is sitting up pretty well now, and has 4 teeth! She's my little princess. Aidan is talking up a storm, repeating everything and saying new words constantly. He's figured out how to play Xbox Kinect Soccer and iPhone games, and he loves playing with all his new toys from Christmas.

So, some photos from today:

And, a few from one night last week:

In my effort to catch up I made a video tonight that I'll post once it renders and uploads. I also need to go back and blog from Christmas, though there is a photo album on facebook, and a great post on the Blake Blog: http://blog.theblakes.com/

Done!

2010-12-19T16:01:00.004-05:00

I've been obsessed with getting Sierra's stocking done before Christmas, and I finally hung it up today! It's such a relief, I've been spending countless hours and many late nights trying to knit it in time. Now I can stay up getting everything else ready for Christmas!

It looks great hanging up with all the rest. It matches Aidan's argyle pattern. We have GB and Ol' Pa too since my parents are coming for Christmas.

I hope my little princess loves it when she's older!

The Not-So-Terrible Two's

2010-12-16T21:48:00.001-05:00

I was a little concerned that when Aidan turned two it would be like a like someone flipped a switch, and my little cutie would turn into a little monster. But, after a couple of questionable weeks in September and October, he's actually super sweet and hilarious right now.

He's an amazing big brother; always asking about Sierra, talking to her, playing with her, and helping take care of her. He gives her things and says "Here you go, baby". Today he wanted to make "Sierra's dinner" - he opened up a banana and broke it up to help mash it.

I think he was playing the "I've got your nose!" game with her.

During our at-home photo shoot he gave Sierra her binkie to make her feel better.

I know I'm biased, but he does countless cute things that really make me smile. He gives the best running hugs when I go pick him up, and I always get lots of kisses. The other night I took him Christmas shopping, and he carried Sierra's fluffy white cat around in stroller the whole time. When we all went to Ben & Jerry's on another shopping trip he got his ice cream and said, "Daddy, don't help me." He saw a picture of my mom and said "That's Gummie!" He asks for "dog-dogs" (hot dogs) at all times of the day, and always wants "Choc" (chocolate milk). He loves reading books and getting tucked in at night, and we'll often find him awake and reading in bed when we go get him in the morning. I love when he asks for a "Mommy hug," and I'm really going to miss that when he's older!

He LOVES to help make things in the kitchen. He even cracks the eggs on his own.

In other news - Aidan got his first ever buzz cut! Well, I didn't actually cut it short, I just used clippers instead of scissors.

What a good boy!

Watching Elmo on YouTube with Daddy, sporting the new 'do.

Sierra @ Six Months

2010-12-12T23:16:00.003-05:00

Happy half-birthday Sierra!

At six months, Sierra

- Can almost sit by herself
- Likes to stand and use the walker
- Loves to bounce
- Rolls, but doesn't try to crawl or scoot yet
- Loves her big brother
- Laughs a lot, and is usually very content
- Just had her 3rd tooth break through

She's been such a happy, easy baby, but when she needs to be she can suddenly be loud! She had a few tough days early last week, so we were happy when she was feeling better and acting like herself again. I love that she's been such a good eater and sleeper!

Her first painting!

Happy at mealtime.

Aidan loves to push her around in the walker. She looks a little worried here but she loves it really!

They have a great time together already. I really hope Aidan stays like this, he's so nice to her.

Sierra bounces like crazy! Crazy hair here too, she'd just had a bath.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-01T22:25:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the Dancy Clan's house again this year. It's great for us - we get to see everyone, yet we don't have to host or drive far!

Sierra enjoyed a game of peek-a-boo with Sarai.

The kids both fell asleep on me, but then got back up for round 2. Aidan had skipped his regular nap, so this was much-needed early evening snooze.

Aidan loved movie time with his cousins!

Sierra is always happy with Russ carrying her around.

The next day, Jacinta and Rachel slept over our house. We worked on putting up the tree and making ornaments - so much fun!

Sierra watched from her walker while we put up the tree.

She can only go backwards right now, so she ended up under the table!

Craft time! AJ and the girls made beaded snowflake ornaments.

Aidan put some more beads on his the next day. He points to it now and says "I made that!"

We also put up outdoor Christmas lights for the first time! I'll have to get a photo. The days flew by of course and it was back to work without feeling very rested. Oh well, at least it was a fun weekend.

Video: Two-Twenty-Two

2010-11-18T22:31:00.004-05:00

Here's another video to add to our home movie collection. This one is from August and the beginning of September. Enjoy!

Oh, and here's the link for Facebook readers who don't see it on the blog:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieW_GZrjLoI

Standing up!

2010-11-16T22:35:00.002-05:00

Sierra has been amazing me with how much she wants to stand up over the last few weeks. Look how big she looks! Where did my little baby go??

My favorite outfit.

Wanting to play trains with everyone!

Laughing on the couch.

Trains + Lego = lots of fun!

Sierra @ Five Months

2010-11-12T21:50:00.005-05:00

It's that time again already - the 12th. Sierra is getting more and more personality, and I just love seeing this big silly smile all the time!

At five months, Sierra:
- Loves to stand up in your arms, supporting her own weight
- Jumps for ages at a time
- Eats lots of orange veggies (all homemade!) as well as rice and bananas
- Has a hilariously cute, throaty giggle
- Still has a bald spot on the back of her head
- Has two bottom teeth
- Loves chewing on her Sophie Giraffe

And, we've made it 5 months with no formula yet!

November Happenings

2010-11-12T20:06:00.004-05:00

Life is busy with two kids! I don't think I have the conditioning to keep playing man defense like this. The joke around here is that the weekend doesn't start until Monday morning :) Here's a few pics from the last few weeks.

Clipping Smokey's nails. Smokey is on name #3, so maybe this one'll stick.

Helping Aidan drink his first hot chocolate. Or as he would say, "Choc!"

Sierra showing some sass.

Then obliging Daddy with a nap.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-06T16:55:00.003-04:00

Halloween was so much fun this year! Aidan absolutely loved getting pulled around in a wagon and eating candy. Who wouldn't? We went over a friend's house for food, football, and trick-or-treating, and had a blast.

Amazingly, we eventually got all the kids together for a photo!

The penguin is Brad - AJ's playmate at daycare.

Our little monkey loved running around in the leaves.

Sierra was the cutest ever cat!

Speed Monkey!

Aidan happily sat in the wagon and ate candy.

And then he loved running up to the door to get more!

Cat-nap.

On Saturday, we carved pumpkins with Aidan.

What a great Halloween we had. Thanks to Brad and Cole and Paige for trick-or-treating with us!

Video from late June

2010-10-30T23:21:00.004-04:00

I'm trying to catch up on editing the video that I skipped over, so here's a movie from the end of June. It's amazing to see how much Sierra has already changed in just 4 months!

Baptism and other fun

2010-10-27T20:26:00.006-04:00

On Saturday we went to NH for Myles Lamb's baptism, and actually got a nice family photo! Aidan and Sierra aren't smiling their big smiles that we see so much, but at least they're looking up and looking nice.

After unsuccessfully trying to entertain Aidan quietly at church, we eventually gave in and set him up with a movie on my iPhone... it worked wonders. Maybe he needs an iTouch? Or maybe an iPad??? After that we had a nice time at the Lamb's house with all the babies and little kids!

Sierra got to wear a handmade knit top that my grandmother sent, and she looked so cute!

Aidan also got to enjoy a handmade knit top last weekend - this one from Auntie Cora. I'm amazed that she just learned to knit in June, and this was her first ever sweater! Some people just pick things up fast I guess - all those different stitches and different colors and seams are not easy! Aidan looked adorable in it, especially with the pointy hood up.

And even with a pouty lip...

His car now has a license plate too!

Aidan has really been into stickers lately, so we've made lots of cards.

Sierra is getting old enough to play more, and finds lots of things hilarious. We're starting to be able to play with them together.

Sierra took her first bath sitting in the ring instead of in the infant tub, and got to hang out with AJ. They're having lots of fun together!

First Food, Another Tooth, and Giggling!

2010-10-18T20:47:00.003-04:00

Sierra had a busy weekend - she had her first rice cereal, and her second tooth appeared! She was all smiles and giggles again, and enjoyed meeting Adam and Ashley on Saturday.

Tonight she was laughing and laughing with me, so I got some iPhone video. Enjoy!

Aidan's Second Birthday

2010-10-15T23:56:00.002-04:00

On Monday we went on our second annual hike up Mt. Wachusett, with both kids in carriers. It's a fun little hike, and we chose the shortest (but steepest) trail to the top. The Dancy Clan came too!

On Monday night we had a family party, complete with 3 cakes. It was a mixed theme party; we had Cars and Toy Story decorations, and then at the last minute I made an Elmo cake. This year Aidan loved having everyone singing to him. He was beaming!

AJ was excited for his Mater Duplo truck - they know him so well that both the James Family and Dancy Clan picked out the same set! We ended up swapping so now he has Mater, Lightning, Doc, Sally, and Sheriff.

Grandma Marie made him a driver's license and license plate. The license is hilarious!! We love that his height is 2'9"! It's laminated and looks so realistic.

On Tuesday morning, we had family present time. Aidan's a pro at opening gifts now! He loves Woody and his new powered train.

Last Saturday, Lindsey and Heather and Sohrab came over for dinner. Sohrab picked out an awesome drill for Aidan. We only had to show him once how to change the drill direction so he could screw in and out, and then he kept doing it himself. New cute monkey hat too, and the shirt above, from Lindsey!

Lots of pictures, so I'm keeping the text short. What a fun weekend for our big boy!

New Beginnings

2010-10-13T22:47:00.005-04:00

Sierra's first tooth appeared today! Right at 4 months and 1 day old - it's her bottom front right tooth. I guess now that we're finally done with Aidan's 20 teeth, we get to start all over again! I just looked back and Aidan got his first one just 2 days before turning 4 months.

Aidan wouldn't nap yesterday or today, but we're hoping it was just the cake and not actually the end of napping for good. We don't want his last nap to be at 1 year and 364 days old! Yesterday he sat on his bed playing with Woody for more than 2 hours, never complaining, but never sleeping. And today at daycare he was just talking instead of sleeping. But we all need nap time!

Sierra @ Four Months

2010-10-12T23:14:00.001-04:00

Today, Sierra is 4 months old. She:
- Now has brown eyes!
- Loves playing on her activity mat, pulling on the hanging toys
- Likes to face outwards in the Bjorn so she can see everything that's going on
- Giggles when you tickle her, play peek-a-boo, or tap her nose
- Sits in the bouncer and spins things
- Weighs 14.5lbs and is 26 inches long (75th/95th percentile)
- Has been on the 6 feedings per day schedule for a while now, but is going to try food soon.
- Is still happy and easy going, but can definitely make noise when she needs to!

Tummy time on her mat.

After being super tired, she slept until 10am on Saturday and woke up with the biggest smile. By the time I got the camera it wasn't quite as big, but still super cute.

Aidan @ Two

2010-10-10T23:51:00.001-04:00

Our amazing little guy is going to be two on Tuesday!

We're in the midst of a busy long weekend with visitors, hiking, and a party, so I wanted to get his update done tonight. I'll have lots more blogging to do!

At two years old, Aidan:
- Is an absolute bundle of energy; he goes and goes and goes when he's up, and then luckily he takes a long nap and sleeps really well at night.
- Learns new things amazingly fast, and wants to do everything himself. He gets in and out of his highchair by himself (and puts the buckle on). He'll put his hands up and triumphantly exclaim "I did it!" whenever he does something new.
- Seems super coordinated for a kid who's just turning two!
- Takes good care of his little sister and gives her kisses.
He loves to:
- Ride his bike and drive his car every day
- Play with trains, cars, Legos, and the cats
- Watch movies (currently Guys, Cars, and Rat)

We're so lucky to have such a happy, friendly, and smart little boy. Two years have flown by, and time just keeps going faster. I really like to record what the kids are up to and what they're like so I can look back on it. It's already crazy going through baby photos and notes about Aidan and seeing how much he's changed.

And a few photos:

Yep, my kid is the one at the playground with the helmet on. And I'm fine with that! Add "play in the sandbox" and "go down the slide" to the list of things AJ does with his helmet on.

Joker face! Jelly-on-toast is one of the five or so things he'll actually sit down and eat.

He's a typical boy - climbs and hangs on everything he can!

He loves playing peek-a-boo, and can just now reach the handle to open the door himself.

When we get things out of Sierra, he always wants his turn too!

Visit from Grandad Len & Sue

2010-10-03T17:13:00.001-04:00

As I said in the video post, my grandparents stayed with us for a few days last weekend, and it was a relaxing, enjoyable weekend. They met both kids for the first time! We played a lot in and out of the house, had some great meals, went toy shopping, and went to the park.

Grandad Len & Sue meet Sierra!

The boys.

The girls.

My grandad and me.

Sierra loves her new caterpillar they got her! It's so cute - still a little big, but she'll have so much fun on it in the future.

Aidan tried it out for her.

He LOVES his trains right now, so the new train station with real railroad crossing sounds has been a big hit.

We spent a lot of time just playing around the house.

Eel-coming-out-of-the-mailbox still amuses AJ to no end!

And Sierra is still our little smiley girl.

On Sunday night the Dancys came over so that great-aunt Cathy could meet the kids while she was here from North Carolina.

Grandma Marie loved Sierra's zebra pants! It's exactly like an outfit Marita and Sarai used to wear!

Cathy was happy to hold Sierra.

Video: Great-Grandparents' Visit

2010-09-27T23:19:00.001-04:00

It's been a couple of months since I posted a video, so I stayed up late tonight to make this one from over the weekend. My grandparents came up from Florida and met the kids for the first time. Aidan was excited to play and show them his tricks (including his awesome driving skills), and Sierra had lots of smiles for them.

I'll try the HD version later, but here's the basic one for now:

Our Boy is Back!

2010-09-21T15:13:00.005-04:00

Aidan was back to himself yesterday and today, and it's much more fun!

Giggling with Daddy and his new blanket.

I recently finished Aidan's baby clothes blanket (well, mostly). It's a big quilt of my favorite onesies and t-shirts, up to about 18 months. It's so fun to look at and remember him wearing all the shirts. He's got personalized ones, lots of monkeys and sharks, Boulder, CU, plus lots of cute animals and sayings. It's got super soft minky dot fabric on the front, and a thick, soft blue fabric on the back. All that's left is adding a zipper so he can also use it as a duvet. He seems to like it a lot, although he's not actually willing to trade it for his brown blanket just yet. It took about a month to make it, finding an hour or so here and there.

Aidan's baby clothes blanket - a quilt of his old shirts!

I also took a class with Leigh a few weeks ago where we each made one of these totes. It was tons of fun, and really cool to see how to sew with interfacing and lining and make pockets.

Hand-made!

Next up is a stocking for Sierra. I've got the yarn and the pattern, and I hope to cast-on this week! It'll give me 3 months to have it ready for Christmas.

My little cutie - always smiling at me!

Weekend with GB

2010-09-19T21:57:00.007-04:00

My mom spent the weekend here with us, and although it's always easier and more fun with her around, Aidan made it a pretty tough weekend. He just wasn't feeling right, so he was whining a lot and needing a ton of attention. It's hard when he's like that; hard not to get frustrated, hard to know how much to give in since he's feeling bad vs how much to still try to work on his behavior so he doesn't turn into a Terrible Two who gets everything he wants! Normally he's so easy and happy, and just has occasional moments like this - unfortunately this weekend it seemed to be the other way around!

Still, there was a lot of good times mixed in. My mom and I got to see some of my friends in New Hampshire on Friday night, we had another clothing shopping spree on Saturday (for the kids), and had a nice Dancy family dinner.

Now, onto some photos:
My mom took the red-eye Thursday night, so Sierra was still in her jammies when we got back from the airport.

Abram and Leigh had us over for dinner on Saturday night, and Aidan was distracted for a while with Lego trains, so he had some smiles for me then.

This morning we let him open his birthday gift from GB and Ol' Pa - a Lightning McQueen mini Power-wheels! After a little initial hesitation, Aidan really got in to it! I was amazed he could figure out the steering already. It's so cute and I'm sure we'll end up with lots of photos and videos of him in it. It goes 2mph and can drive on grass and pavement, and it's just his size!

Thanks GB for the visiting for the weekend, sorry AJ wasn't as fun as usual. At least Sierra was happy!

Kids say the Darndest Things: Vol 1

2010-09-13T22:06:00.004-04:00

Aidan has been making us laugh so much lately with the things that he says, so we figured it was time to jot some down before we forgot them all. He's doing well with pretty long sentences, and adds new words all the time. Btw, we're stealing the title from cousin Janine over at Keirabean.blogspot.com.

Here's a few funny recent ones:

Arrive at Best Buy and open the door
Aidan: "What are we doing here?"
Isaac: "We're looking for movies."
Aidan: "Yesssss!"
~~~
Us: "Aidan, we're going to Pennsylvania tomorrow and we can go swimming."
Aidan: "Is 'Rai coming?"
Us: "No, Sarai isn't coming."
Aidan: "Why isn't 'Rai coming?
~~~
Ready to leave for PA
Jenna: "Isaac, we're getting in the car."
Aidan: "DADDY!!!! CAR!!!"
~~~
Every time the elevator dinged between floors
"Beep"
~~~
Getting to the top of the stairs before bed time, when we often play hide'n'seek
"Mommy, Hide!"
~~
Looking in the DVD player
"What did you do with Cars, Mommy?"
~~~
Opening up the mailbox
"There's mail in there!"
~~~
Every time I give him food he really likes
"Thanks mommy"
~~~
Chasing the cats
"Where's the kitties?.... There they are!"

He has the cutest "BYE!" whenever we leave anywhere or anyone, like "Bye Daddy!" in the mornings and "Bye Robbie" when we leave daycare.

Tonight he did really well actually hiding during our hide'n'seek game. Usually he looks for us, but when it's his turn to hide he gets so excited that he just jumps right out. Tonight, he climbed into Sierra's crib, opened the closet door, got in, and closed it, and hid on his bed with the covers on top.

It's a fun age - at certain times he definitely reminds us that he's almost a Terrible Two, but most of the time he's a good boy. We've got him trained well at bed time, and in the morning we often find him sitting in bed reading a book or a cycling magazine!

Heading out, AJ needed his monkey, brown blanket, and pillow for bed time!

Sierra @ Three Months

2010-09-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

Sierra is a quarter of a year old today!

At 3 months, Sierra:
- Giggles
- Loves to sit on your lap and talk to you
- Loves being on the move in the Bjorn
- Can roll both ways
- Seems to be intrigued by TV
- Often sucks on her fingers and thumbs
- Has a good-sized bald spot on the back of her head!
- Weighs about 14.5 pounds
- Sleeps from about 10 - 6:30, then snoozes some more

She has been an amazing baby so far; she is very content and super strong.

Heather & Sohrab's Wedding

2010-09-10T22:37:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we drove to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to attend Heather and Sohrab's wedding. Heather and I were roommates for 2 years at BU, and Sorhab lived on our floor freshman year. We met Sorhab on the first day and he and Heather have been together ever since! I have so many great memories of hanging out with them - whenever I wasn't over at Chi Phi, I was likely with them. I cannot believe it's been 8 years already since we all met!

Just married!

Aidan looked like such a big boy!

And Sierra looked so pretty - even without pink!

Her dress (mostly) matched mine!

Mr. Potato Head entertained Aidan at the reception.

Congratulations, Heather and Sohrab!

Overall we had a fun and pretty relaxing Labor Day weekend - the kids were both amazing during the drive there and back, they slept well at the hotel, and they were happy and cute at the wedding. We got to sleep in a little, go swimming twice, and watch Toy Story 3! It was really a fun family weekend, like a mini-vacation!

A Day at the Air Show

2010-09-03T22:47:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we took the kids up to the Air Show in Portsmouth with Abram, Leigh, and Carmen. It was really cool to see so many different planes on the ground and to see the crazy acrobatic and synchronized flying overhead.

Aidan like being able to touch the planes!

Aidan loved most of it, but HATED when the jets flew by. We got him some ear plugs but they were still just too loud and scary for him this time. I'm sure if we go back in a few years the loud jets will be his favorite!

One of my favorite parts was the smoke trails that the planes left - it was just amazing to see what the pilots were able to do!

More fun with 2 kids

2010-08-27T21:16:00.001-04:00

It's been another fun week - more photos to share!

AJ loved the playground at the Ecotarium today. We also rode the train and checked out the exhibits.

He's getting good at blowing bubbles!

Sierra is all smiles! She enjoyed the Ecotarium too, mostly in the Bjorn.

She holds her head really high and can almost roll over from back to front now!

Monday was rainy so we played inside all day - Aidan likes to climb up and say "Hi Mommy!" It's his version of "Look, Ma, Look!"

Since he loves Woody and the "guys" so much, we had to get him a Mr. Potato Head. I think Woody and Buzz will be birthday presents!

The kids spent Tuesday through Thursday at Bright Horizons this week, and Aidan did amazingly well playing and eating and napping like he'd never left. He came home with elephant ears that he painted! Sierra had a great time there too.

Sierra really has been "purr-fect".

Here she is taking a morning swing in her PJ's.

Cat Girl

2010-08-23T14:58:00.005-04:00

Sierra's cousins have been wondering what her animal would be (like Aidan and his monkeys), and right now it seems like it may be cats. Sierra got a cute white kitty from Auntie Nettie before we even got our kittens. Lexi likes to spend a lot of time with Sierra! We'll have to see what Sierra decides on her own, but for now she can be my little cat girl.

Today it was finally cool enough to put Sierra in her adorable cat outfit from Auntie Kathleen, complete with a white cat on her butt!

She was doing really well holding her head way up for ages - and you'll notice her hair has been coming back in instead of falling out!

We also played dress up recently with Sierra's awesome shiny pants. They're even more hilarious on that I thought they'd be! Thanks Lindsey!

And then after doing laundry today I was amazed how much pink there was, so I took a quick picture. This is only her 3 month and a few 6 month+ clothes - all the Newborn has been packed away already. It is so much from shopping for a baby girl!

Random Sierra Photos

2010-08-19T21:30:00.002-04:00

There's no special milestone or event to blog about, just a bunch of cute photos from the last week or so that I want to share with everyone and include in our blog book.

First off we have a few from tonight - Isaac can always make a baby smile!

A couple from the other day, smiling at me on her changing table:

One "Mom, I'm really bored with you taking photos of me...":

And then a couple from a night last week, swinging and sitting in the Bumbo:

Can't forget about AJ! This photo cracks me up - he looks like a big boy sitting at the table in his new chair with a nice polo shirt on, pondering something, but then he has jelly all around his lips!

Playing with AJ

2010-08-16T22:23:00.003-04:00

AJ has been a lot of fun lately, but I haven't gotten a chance to blog much so I've got a ton of new photos. He loves to ride his bike, watch "Cars" and "Woody" and "Memo", chase the cats, and of course just run around and play with toys.

He can glide all the way down the little hill next to our house with his feet up. I love the big smile he has on his face - and I was amazed to actually get this picture with an iPhone!

Feet up and a big smile!

Aidan and Sierra have spent a few weekdays with the Dancy Clan, as their usual daycare provider was on vacation. Aidan loved having cousins to entertain him! We set up their basketball hoop like this a while back so that he could reach it, and it has stayed that way, always ready for him!

Great shot!

Tobin catching him on the slide.

Swinging with the girls - so high he's almost horizontal!

Sierra and her Godmother.

Scootin' with Carmen.

I've enjoyed working just 3 days a week in August, getting extra time with the kids. They definitely keep me busy, but they've both been generally happy and easy.

Stomp rocket courtesy of Grandma - AJ loves it!

Coming down the big slide.

High on the see-saw with me.

Playing peek-a-boo.

Looking for the cats in their favorite place to nap.

Sierra @ Two Months

2010-08-12T22:22:00.005-04:00

Time to celebrate Sierra's 2 month birthday! At 2 months, Sierra:

- Smiles a lot and coos a little
- Can pick up something and put it in her mouth (well, I saw her do it twice!)
- Sleeps amazingly well; I'm still excited every day when I don't get woken up until 5 or 6
- Is getting huge! She's already outgrowing 3 month clothes. We'll get the official weigh-in tomorrow.
- Loves her big brother; Leigh noticed her smile today whenever Aidan came to see her.
- Likes being in the wrap/Bjorn, swing, and vibrating seat. She does nap in her crib and fall asleep in there on her own at night, but during the day she loves being in motion.
- Has the sweetest little milky smell, I can't get enough of it.
- She's happy and funny and we just love her so much!
[8/13/10 update: She weighs 12lbs, 4oz, and is 24inches long (75th/90th percentiles]

Hanging out with the Dancy Clan today (photo courtesy of Leigh).

She tried out Aidan's Bumbo this morning. She's almost ready for it!

Playing with AJ.

Chilling with Daddy.

Smiles for daddy the other night.

Loves sleeping like a Blake - arms up!

Cute little face, at 7 weeks.

Sierra's Baptism

2010-08-07T22:11:00.002-04:00

Sierra was baptized on July 25th, and many people shared the wonderful day with us. As always, we have lots of pictures, so I'll just tell the story with photos and captions.

She looked so pretty in her beautiful dress!

She was introduced at the beginning of the 11:30 mass at St. Rose of Lima in Northborough.

As luck would have it, we happened to schedule her baptism on the exact mass where Abram was the Lector and Tobin and Carmen were Altar Servers!

Sierra didn't make a peep during the actual baptism.

Aidan was entertained in the pews for a while before deciding that the steps were really fun.

Family photo - AJ looked cute even though he'd been feeling terrible!

Sierra with her new GodParents.

Another attempt at a family photo - Sierra is wearing the Baptismal Garment that Grandma Marie made.

Hugs for Carmen!

Sierra was wiped out afterward, so she snoozed on Grandma.

And then on Daddy.

AJ watched Cars with his cousins, and Abram and Sylvester watched some too!

We enjoyed the deck and had a barbeque dinner.

Mmmmm... Chocolate Mousse Torte. It was so chocolately I think Sierra got chocolate milk later that night!

Chase and Kristen hung out with us.

"This is heaven - baby and cake." -Lindsey C.

Since it was hard to see the detail in the photos from the baptism, I had Sierra pose in her Baptismal Garment. Marie embroidered it beautifully!

My Birthday Re-Do

2010-08-04T22:31:00.005-04:00

I was so sick last week that I canceled my birthday lunch with Isaac, my birthday dessert with the family, and my birthday dinner with friends. I got strep and then some severe cold, so I was miserable all week, and I'm only just recovering now on day 10. On top of that, Aidan had been teething and was not in a good mood at all. I told Isaac we should re-do my birthday, and he took it seriously! So, yesterday was my new birthday (and also my first day back at work), and it was much better. Unfortunately the flowers he had ordered never got delivered before I left work, but I did get my new IPhone today!

So, I've been totally out of commission for a while and obviously haven't blogged. I need to write up Sierra's Baptism blog, but for tonight I figured I'd post some photos of the kids. They looked so cute in their matching outfits on Monday.

I noticed as I flipped through them that they ended up in sync! Look how they moved their arms and tipped over together:

Kittens!

2010-07-24T22:55:00.004-04:00

That's right - we got cats! We've been talking about it basically since we moved in, and were just waiting for the right opportunity once Sierra arrived. Well, Leigh discovered the kittens at her vet and knew they'd be perfect for us, so I took the kids to meet them on Wednesday and we brought them home with us. Thanks Leigh!

Sylvester is named after my all-time favorite Sylvester stuffed animal, Puddy, since she has the perfect black body and white belly. It's a boy name, but oh well! The gray one is Mercedes but as we've been deciding on her name Isaac keeps calling her "the gray cat".

Sylvester and Puddy - about the same size!

Mercedes on her first day at home.

Showing Mercedes some love.

Rubbing Sylvester's belly.

I found her in Sierra's boppy!

One morning I put Sierra down on Aidan's bed while getting Aidan changed and dressed, and he got back in bed with her and hugged her! It was the cutest thing and I was super excited to get this picture of them together.

We resealed the driveway on Monday/Tuesday and it was quite an ordeal. Thanks Tobin for all the help - it looks great!

Sierra's baptism is tomorrow so Lindsey came down yesterday to help me out a bit. It was great having a hand so I could get ready for the party!

Video: Aidan Striding, Sierra Smiling

2010-07-23T15:20:00.003-04:00

The latest video is ready! Last weekend we took some footage of Aidan riding at the park, and on Monday morning Sierra was smiling at me and I couldn't resist taking some photos and video. I've actually jumped ahead to edit this one, I need to go back and do Cape Cod and my parents' visit - but this was fun to do first!

Balding Beauty

2010-07-21T06:35:00.006-04:00

Our little cutie is losing some of her hair! She's been shedding all over the place, and now you can see it around the front. We never experienced that with Aidan since he was born almost bald. She's still so beautiful though! Here she is over the last couple of days:

And here she is back at 2 weeks old:

We've had a fun week so far - on Monday we played with Aidan's friend Brad again at his house. They have a warm water outdoor faucet for filling up the kiddie pool - what a great idea!

Life with two kids

2010-07-17T23:41:00.002-04:00

Overall, it's exhausting! The days are basically non-stop toddler entertaining mixed with feeding, changing, and caring for the baby. Thankfully, I'm actually not that sleep deprived because most nights I pass out on the couch pretty early and Sierra lets me sleep most of the night. But I'm just exhausted from busy days!

But of course it's worth it with a little cutie like this:

Sierra spends a lot of time attached to me so I can still chase after Aidan or get housework done.

This past week seems to have been particularly busy in terms of activities, especially now that I'm looking at the photos and writing about it!

Last Friday we spent some time at a neighbors' house on their big blow up water toy. Aidan was a little young to truly appreciate it, but he still had fun on the small slide. He rode his bike over there of course!

On Monday morning we went on a playdate to Davis Family Farm, where they have a huge water sprinkler park.

On Monday night we went to a local minor league baseball game. Sierra basically slept through it, and Aidan ate popcorn. He lasted about an hour and a half, which was only the third inning!

On Thursday we went to our weekly toddler music class in the morning, and Brittany visited in the afternoon. We ended up at the doctor's office at night for ages - Aidan was amazingly patient for almost 2 hours there, and luckily Sierra slept through it.

Yesterday morning the three of us went to the doctor's office and then the mall without any issues (although getting out the door took forever). Last night we went to Bertucci's with Isaac and the Dancy Clan for Carmen's 12th birthday, and followed it up with ice cream cake at their house.

Today I took Aidan on a bike ride this morning, then took both kids up to Kristen's house this afternoon to see baby Chase. Aidan was a little difficult - not really naughty but just super needy! He did enjoy the walk though, and I've been enjoying my new double jogging stroller!

I'm no good at taking it easy, and honestly I'm much happier busy than bored. Every day I have grand ideas of getting the house totally cleaned up and crossing things off my to-do list as soon as the kids are asleep, but then by the time Sierra falls asleep for the night I end up passing out on the couch! So, I'm working on not stressing about the fact that the house isn't as clean as I'd like, reminding myself it's much more important to play with the kids while I can. Tonight I'm staying up a bit late to blog - blogging at least gives me a chance to sort through my pictures and think about all the good, fun things we get to do as a family.

Aidan @ 21 Months

2010-07-16T15:37:00.004-04:00

I've had a request for a little AJ summary since he's the all-important age of 1 3/4 years! So, here it is, Ma :-)

At 21 months, Aidan:
- Loves the movie Cars! He's recently converted from wanting to watch home movies on the computer all the time to watching Cars in the basement over and over.
- Can identify lots of family members, and just finally started saying "Aidan" and pointing to himself. He can also point to all his body parts!
- Has amazing comprehension - you can tell him to go get his blue sandals from the kitchen and he'll come back with the right ones. I can tell him he's putting his helmet on backwards and he'll fix it!
- Likes to ask "What is that?" all the time when we're reading books or out somewhere new.
- Loves and takes care of his little sister; if he hears her crying he'll say "Baby!" and try to find a pacifier and stick in in her mouth, or a bottle if we had one out. He's good about coming inside from playing when it's time to feed the baby.
- Loves all things bike and ball related. We ride 2-3 times every day, and he can now glide on his strider for ages, just balancing and steering.
- Likes pushing cars and trains around on the ground.
- Sleeps from about 8:30pm to 7am, and naps from 12:30 to 3:30 every day, without any fuss about getting in bed. The 3 hour nap every day is AWESOME! We'll have to move up bed time a little once I go back to work.
- Doesn't usually eat much at dinner (especially meat), and it's hard to get him to sit still in certain situations, like going out to eat and Church, but overall he's an amazing kid!

Next official one at 2 years, but of course there will be plenty of blogging about him between now and then.

Sierra @ One Month

2010-07-12T14:17:00.009-04:00

It's not the first time I've said it, and I'm sure it won't be the last, but I can't believe how fast time is flying! My baby girl is already a month old and I don't know where the time went. I really enjoy Aidan's baby book, so I'm going to do the same thing for Sierra using the blog to record what she's up to each month.

First off, here are a few of my favorite photos of Sierra at 3 weeks old - I was trying to get the perfect shot for the birth announcement! I didn't keep changing outfits, these are actually from 3 different occasions.

At One Month, Sierra:
- Can roll over! Rolled from front to back a few days ago.
- Has been holding her head up since she was a couple of days old
- Loves the vibrating seat
- Spends a lot of time wrapped on me

- Likes sucking on a pacifier, but we try to limit it
- Started losing some of the thick hair she had at birth :-(
- Has had a few tough evenings, but overall has been easy and content
- Sleeps really well at night; sleeps from 10 until 3 or 4, eats quickly, then sleeps some more.
- Weighs about 10 pounds
- Has really long feet!

- Smiles at us!

Video: Sierra's First Days at Home

2010-07-11T07:15:00.002-04:00

Here's some footage starting with Sierra's first morning at home - Aidan gave her lots of great kisses! He also shows us his striding skills after having his bike for one month. He's even better now but that'll be on another video!

5th Anniversary Weekend

2010-07-09T13:15:00.007-04:00

Last Saturday was our 5th Wedding Anniversary! Kevin flew in from Colorado to do the Fitchburg Stage Race, so we were happy to spend the morning watching the road race stage. Abram and Leigh came too, and Aidan absolutely loved seeing the bikes go by.

It's hard to believe it's been 5 years already, but they've been amazing. I'm so lucky to have the best hubby and 2 perfect children! We're looking forward to Aruba for our 10 year anniversary!

My honey, getting ready to pass Kevin a bottle.

Leigh got some Sierra time.

Aidan watched with Uncle Abram.

What am I supposed to do up here?

I went out for my first ride when we got home! 3 weeks postpartum :-) Since then I've also taken Aidan for a couple of trailer rides with the mountain bike (so I have a granny gear for all the hills around here).

On Monday we watched Stage 4, the criterium, in downtown Fitchburg. Aidan was even more excited because he got to see the cyclists twice per 1 mile lap. He'd point and say "bikes" when they came by, and then say "more" and run to the other side to see them go the other way.

Bikes!

He liked to watch crouched down.

Obviously, Aidan loves all things bikes right now. He often wears his helmet for ages after riding, he won't let us take it off! We could do a whole blog of all the different things he does while wearing it, but for now here are a couple of cute ones:

He reads VeloNews and flips through the Excel Sports Boulder catalog, pointing out the bikes and then pointing to other stuff and asking "what's this" and "what's that?"

Safety First at dinner!

Finally, a couple quick Sierra pics so we don't leave her out.

Sierra and Daddy, last weekend.

Sarai was happy to get some baby time!

Happy 40th Chip and Marie!

2010-07-04T22:59:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in the Cape Cod post - we all went out for a great dinner reception last Saturday to celebrate Chip and Marie's 40th wedding anniversary. Congratulations!

All of Chip and Marie's children, spouses/significant others of children, and grandchildren, plus Marie's parents and her sister's family were there (except Jacob). Maybe we should Photoshop him in? He did visit the remaining family in the Cape later in the week.

The Guests of Honor!

Grandma and Grandpa Arcifa (Aidan and Sierra's great grandparents).

Sierra with her soon-to-be Godparents.

Sarai and Marita looking cute.

The Seven Sisters!

Max enjoyed lots of baby time.

And we had a nice family dinner.

Our cool little AJ.

Weekend in Cape Cod

2010-07-01T14:17:00.007-04:00

We had an awesome weekend in Cape Cod with the Dancy, Arcifa, Leibig, and James families, as well as some significant others. Chip, Marie, and Marita stayed at a house on the Cape for 2 weeks, and we all met up over the weekend to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Aidan and Sierra did amazingly well driving there and back (about 2 hours each way), and were happy to hang out with so much family all weekend.

With so many photos, I'm splitting it up into a 2 posts. So, I'll begin with the fun we had at the house and on the beach.

My little cuties! They totally look like they belong on the Cape.

We gave up on our attempt at a nice family photo, Aidan was just too interested in getting in the pool (that's what he's pointing at and crying about).

My of my all-time favorite pics! Out for ice cream at Ben & Jerry's.

Fun in the sand.

Daddy was in charge of getting Aidan changed after swimming, but he forgot pants! Aidan didn't seem to mind riding without them.

Then Aidan got back in his kiddie pool with a regular diaper and onesie, and stayed in until he was shivering!

Everyone was happy to meet and hold Sierra.

Auntie Zoe

Cousin Theresa

Great Grandma

My turn! I missed her!

She occasionally woke up!

Almost everyone went swimming in the hotel pool, and Aidan enjoyed jumping in with Daddy.

And, since the blog turns into our family album, I want to include these cute photos too even though I'm sure they'll be on the DancyClan blog soon.

Jacinta and Rachel

Sarai, Carmen, and Tobin

Sierra's Two Week Check-up

2010-06-29T15:18:00.004-04:00

Sierra had another appointment today and she's doing awesome - she already weighs over 9 pounds and is 22 inches long. We had a fun little photo shoot yesterday while Aidan napped, so here are a few cute ones to go with the update.

Her first video is on Facebook! Let me know if you can't find it there. We've also got great photos from our weekend in Cape Cod, which I'll post soon too.

Visit from GB and Ol' Pa

2010-06-25T02:31:00.002-04:00

We had a great weekend with my parents in town and ended up with a ton of photos. I'm finally getting to type up a blog one-handed during a night-time feeding! I used up all my free time making Sierra's birth video, which now I can't post because I used a song from WMG :-/ Anyway, onto the photos...

So happy to meet Sierra!

With Ol' Pa.

First family-of-four photo!

Posing with my baby girl.

Grandpa helped AJ climb the rock wall.

And daddy helped him go down the slides face first.

Grandma got some more baby time at the park.

Aidan loved riding through the puddles after a sudden storm! My mom and I came home from a clothing shopping spree and he was totally soaked :-) I'm glad the boys had some fun guy time together.

Grandma showed AJ some fun iPad Apps.

And Sierra whistled to her.

"oh, what's going on over there?"

AJ showed grandpa his golf ball pipes.

Batting practice.

Evening movie time with Daddy.

Another cute AJ pose.

AJ mowed the lawn with Grandma and showed off his rocking calf muscles!

We had such a fun weekend and miss them already!

AJ and his Baby 'Erra

2010-06-19T17:08:00.003-04:00

Aidan has really taken to Sierra now, and gives hers lots of kisses! He went right to her room the last couple of mornings to see her and give her a kiss when he woke up, and when she's sitting in her bouncy seat he gives her hugs and kisses. He now calls her Baby 'Erra too - it's so cute!

Kiss for Sierra!

Proud of his little sister!

Going in for another!

I got a wrap for the baby that has been fun for walking around, and it'll come in really handy for chasing Aidan all day once Isaac's back at work!

So nice to hold the baby close!

Riding with Daddy

2010-06-18T14:40:00.005-04:00

Ever since Aidan's first ride in the bike trailer, he'll go and get Isaac's cycling shoes and helmet and hand them to him when he wants to go for a ride! It's so cute that he knows exactly what's needed, so he figures if he wants to go he just needs to get that stuff together. Isaac says whenever they stop he'll turn around and Aidan will point forward to make him keep going.

Onwards!

Making his sign for "more!"

And they're off!

Aidan loves his daddy time! I can't wait until I can take Aidan for rides too.

The many faces of Sierra

2010-06-18T14:33:00.003-04:00

Sierra was just sitting next to me making the cutest faces, so I couldn't help but take a bunch of photos!

a cute little smile...

this is usually accompanied by a grunt!

hi mom!

big yawn

dreaming of good things!

More Baby

2010-06-17T06:27:00.004-04:00

Sierra definitely looks like her brother as a baby! And it's funny how she makes Aidan feel like an absolute giant now - Isaac and I just can't believe how big Aidan seems all of a sudden.

Sierra loves daddy time - this was at 3 days old.

We had a nice lunch out on the porch yesterday.

Leah stopped by to meet Sierra after taking the Boards!

Heather came by for dinner too.

Auntie Leigh got some Sierra time last night!

Sierra had her first doctor's visit today; she has already re-gained back past her birth weight, her bilirubin had dropped as of yesterday, and everything else looked perfect!

Aidan's Great Cousins Weekend

2010-06-16T09:42:00.003-04:00

Aidan spent the weekend at his counsins' house. It looks like he had lots of fun with Uncle Abram, Auntie Leigh and the rest of the clan!

Aidan's Weekend with the Dancy Clan

Day 3 for Sierra

2010-06-15T20:48:00.002-04:00

After a check-up this morning, Sierra had some more visitors today - including Chase who's just 3 weeks older than she is! Lindsey was excited to see her again, and Kristen and TJ both got to meet her for the first time too.

Interesting pose; "I'm not talking to you right now"

I had just put Sierra in her Little Sister onesie again in hopes to get a photo with Aidan in his matching shirt, but that didn't happen yet. Another day!

A true cat nap! More sunning to try to bring her bilirubin down - the levels were low enough that she didn't require treatment, but we have to go back for another test tomorrow.

Aidan has his good moments and his tough moments adjusting. We took him out for ice cream to give him some extra love and attention. Sierra came too of course, so it was our first family-of-four ice cream outing!

mmm chocolate ice cream!

Big Brother AJ!

Other than that, Sierra has been eating and pooping like a champ, and she's pretty strong already. She makes cute faces and sounds. Let's hope tonight she can go a little longer between eating since that there's more milk available!