Playtime

I know most of you were probably holding your breath waiting for me to post a picture of Ali's new doll house. Well you need not wait any longer. My sister and I were talking about some of the differences between our daughters, meaning Ali versus Madeline.One of the differences we discovered was in the way they play. Madeline enjoys things to be pretty orderly and even. She would never have, say, a Mr. Potato head in the dinning room. She most certainly would never let the "Loving Family" mother sleep in a shoe. If you click on the picture to enlarge there are a whole assortment of random toys thrown in with her Loving Family (which is the name of the doll brand that actually goes with the house). I guess in her mind, her Farmer Joe (of Little People) could do just fine feeding the elephant (baby toy) and kitty and it doesn't matter size or shape because everyone is welcome. Moral of the story, she just has a BIG imagination.

Temple trip

Ali and I are both feeling better today, so thanks to all those who wished us good health. Since we are feeling better I decided to share an extra post. Nick and I took the girls to the temple here in Boston with our friend Matt and his little boy Emmett. The kids had a lot of fun exploring the grounds, and we felt good introducing the girls to such a beautiful place. If you look closely you can see the new hat and gloves set we got for Ali. For some reason the gloves were made for a teenager and the hat was made for a two-year old.


Kat tried to smile for the picture, but the wind was blowing in her face. I have a feeling that her cheeks will be pink in most pictures for the next few months. She did enjoy watching the older kids running around.



Here are my two beautiful girls together. I had to bribe Ali to get her to sit next to Kat. Her love for her sister is slowly wearing out except when she want to maul her with the "binky," which she does with enthusiasm.

LOOK AT ME!!!!

Both Ali and I have been sick this last week, but our little one is making up for our lack of activity by learning how to do cool things like roll over. She did it for the first time today and the second time I caught it on camera. Enjoy

First Snow

The first snow fell here in Boston yesterday, but since I was sick we did not go outside to play in it. It was just as well because the snow did not stick on the ground. Alicia did, however, get her first playing in the snow experience this season. In Rochester it was neither too warm or too dry to snow, so we sent her out to play and we took pictures from the window.


I did venture out after about an hour when her hands were freezing and I told her to come inside. She did not want to go in, but when she felt how warm the house was, she changed her mind.


Kat stayed bundled up, and the only way you can tell we were outside is by the pink in her cheeks.

Thanksgiving Pulham style

This has taken awhile to post, but we have been out of town for the last week, so in reality we are almost on top of the game. On Thursday(Thanksgiving), Nick's parents came down from Philly. We had a wonderful time with them here. Really, I think Ali died and went to heaven. It started out with a chocolate turkey from Reading market (A family tradition that I hope will never die). Next came the yummy dinner.

I had never made turkey before, but Nick said it tasted good. Maybe he was just being nice, but I liked it.


I don't know if I have seen Ali that excited to see other people as she was when she picked up "Abuelito and Abuelita" from the airport. I understand the meaning of "jumping off the walls" now.


It ended with presents, as it should. Los Abuelitos got Ali this beautiful doll house which she LOVES! Maybe later I will post a picture of the actual house and not the box, but for now this is her opening it with Nick's help.


Just because, here is a picture of Kat. She is getting so strong, look at that head holding skill.

Obama interview

I know that this is really a family blog, but with recent events, the economy in the crapper, and the new president being sworn in a few months, I can not help but give my opinion. I am not sure how many people got the chance to see Barbara Walter's interview the other day, but I did get a chance to see some of it. Most of the interview was pointless, and during most of it I would alter between yelling "What the...?" and "Are you serious?" I mean, really who cares what kind of dog will be in the White house when we have yet to figure out the policies that will guide this country. As my husband so adequately stated, "It was cutesy during the campaign, but now I want to know what he is going to do." Obama may be a type of celebrity. I can understand why this would be, as he is the first African-American president. That is a great thing for this country, but what would be even better, is if we had a competent president (especially after a not so competent one). I think that he can be competent if he would stop playing these games. On ABC.com they have a story about his interview, and they say he, "touched on a broad range of topics from the economy and troop deployments in Afghanistan, to Thanksgiving plans with his family." In reality, I think he touched on the subject of the economy and the war but, more than half of the interview consisted of them talking about their family and mindless other topics. The fact of the matter is, I don't care that much about which of the rooms his girls are going to sleep in when there are thousands of people losing their jobs RIGHT now. President-elect, I DON'T CARE about how your Thanksgiving turkey will be cooked or how your girls are not going to be spoiled, I want to know what you are doing about the war, or about Wall st, or unemployment, or the loan crisis. Please stop avoiding questions because you don't want to lose popularity. I am tired of it, and I am sure I am not the only one.
ps I really do like Obama and I think he will make an good president, I am just frustrated by the fact that he seems to be under the impression that he is still campaigning. He is after all NOT a celebrity. He is going to be our president and he should realize that.

I always forget

Everytime someone discusses the east coast cold I think I understand what they mean. I have, after all, been here for over 6 years. I wonder then, why each and every winter I get hit with the thought, "I cannot believe it is this cold." This year has been no different. This week has been especially cold for it not even being winter yet. As I get ready to go out, I think,"Oh this jacket will be just fine and maybe a pair of gloves," and then I freeze. I am nicer to my girls.
Two days ago I took the girls out to play in the nearby park. (Really it was just for Ali to play in the huge pile of leaves that the gardeners piled up). While Ali had loads of fun, and we stayed out far longer than I would have had I been alone, after about an hour we headed inside because it was just too cold. The girls both had on gloves, hats and jackets, along with warm underclothes and shoes, but this is what the babies cheeks looked like even after about a 15 minute warm-up. She has gotten to the point where she likes to face outward in the baby Bjorn. Nick, of course, as the hypochondriatic med student, thought she had frost bite. She did not. Though, from now on I think I will cover her face somehow when we go out for long periods.


I finally took out Alicia's warm jacket from the winter closet. Luckily, it still fits; I hope it does all winter.


We bought this really cute bunting yesterday. I think it will work better to keep our little one a bit warmer, plus it is really soft.
I really should amend this before I post it. When I mean that it was cold, I mean it is in the 40's and high 30's which to me is frightfully cold. Give it a month and I will think, "I can't wait for it to hit 40 again." If we had this weather in February or even March, sorority girls would be out in our park in their bikinis, but I don't even want to think of that now. I guess if we all remembered, New England would be empty.

Kat Talking and Smiling

The title pretty much explains it all.

Because it's cold

There are lots of things that I like about Boston. There is one thing that I don't. If I ever leave this city, I will not miss the cold. No matter how much I love the fall, its one downfall is that it is a preview of winter. One benefit of living in a city that is used to the cold is that people make adjustments. I have a playgroup that I take the girls to. While it normally meets at parks and such, this week we met at a fire station. It was rainy and yucky, so it was a great way to escape from the house without getting too cold. Alicia was very shy at first, and she did not want to come near the firemen, but by the end she was touching things and talking almost as much as the other children. The thing she enjoyed most was driving the firetruck, (though no driving was actually involved). I only know it was her favorite because she talked nonstop about it later. Kat slept the whole time. if you zoom in you can see her snoring.

Here she is in the driver's seat. Watch out fires her she comes!


This is her in front of Engine 1. This was her expression for the first half hour of the tour. "Where is momma, where is she? I cannot be more than one inch away because a person is looking at me." *sigh* I hope she outgrows this stage, but if she is anything like her daddy, she will not.


One thing, not the only thing but a big one, that I like about the beginning of winter is that it's the season for clementines. Sweet and delicious.


I had meant to showcase this in a blog about a month ago when I received it, but as the procrastinator that I am... Well here it is. When Alicia was born I asked my sister Adele, a talented artist, to paint something for the nursery (ie our bedroom wall at the time). I told her she had artistic freedom, but that I wanted the colors to be bright and cheerful. August 27th "The Tulip" came in the mail. I was shocked, because, first of all, I had forgotten about it, and second my sister is in a PhD program now so I thought she would never have time to paint anything. I loved it right away because it is sweet, like both my girls. I hung it on the wall in the girls room. Another of my sisters, Jen helped me to pick the perfect spot. Normally there are no girls in the pile of stuffed animals.

What happened this week again?

I think that there are some weeks that kind of go by with a blur and after the week is over, I feel like I made no mark on the world. This week was one of those weeks. Quite a lot actually went on this week, but I feel like this week was just another week that will long be forgotten. Those are times when I am grateful for a camera. I looked back at the pictures this week and realized that there were some times that now can never be forgotten. This is the longest bike trip that she ever took. She rode all the way to the library to help me vote. She was still upset that she couldn't vote, but the sticker that she got at the end made it better. Stickers often do that. Of course I had her wear her helmet so that she could be safe, but really she only wore it because she loves it. Look at that concentration!


Kat first laughed out loud this week. I did not get a picture of her actual first laugh, but since I figured out how to make her laugh, we did get this cute picture of her. At the beginning of the week she was cooing loudly so I figured I should play with her. I put her hands above her head and "ate" her tummy. She thought it was pretty funny so she smiled. Since she smiled at it I did it again. That time she actually had a little giggle burst out unexpectedly. Since then, now all I have to do is put her arms above her head and she immediately giggles. It is a really cute giggle too. Maybe I she make a video of it...maybe next week.


There is no story behind this picture, it is just to show how much she is growing which kind of makes me sad and happy at the same time. To conclude, I am glad that we have a camera handy because then maybe my weeks will all be full of something that make it memorable.

Where do I vote?

This morning, I tried to explain to Ali the duty of a good citizen of the USA is to vote. I told her she could not vote yet, which really upset her. It prompted shouts of, "I want to vote." Well, she was pacified when I told her she could come with me to vote. I told her to get dressed while I got ready. As you can see, she obeyed. What amazed me the most was that not a single article of clothing was inside out or backwards. She doesn't have much of a fashion sense, but at least she can do it right.


Alicia has never really been into dressing up. She does play make believe, but it has never before involved changing her clothes at all. I think that Halloween really made a difference in her outlook. If she can be a butterfly, then she can be anything. This is her outfit. I helped her put on the dress, but everything else was her doing.
ps For those who noticed that these pictures look similar, ie Kat sleeping in the swing in the background, this is why as a Mom I can complain about repetition. The bottom picture was taken yesterday and the top was this morning... It might as well be tomorrow or the day after that, since all days seem to just blend.

Happy Halloween!

This year we had a great Halloween. Ali was old enough to enjoy it and Kat, well, she was just cute.

Our little caterpillar.


Too much candy!


Our little butterfly. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her flying. She really would just jump with her hands out, but in her mind she was probably miles up in the air.


Sisters. What fun it is to have two girls.


Trick-or-treating was loads of fun. Once Ali got the idea of getting candy at each door, she was ready to go.


Pumpkin carving with daddy is always a treat. The best part for Ali was taking out the pumpkin guts. Each time she got a handful she would say, "oooh pumpkin guts" which was very entertaining for us too.

Rochester

This last week we stayed with my sister in Rochester. My niece was getting baptized, and since it is a short 6 hour drive, I thought, "why not?" The drive was not at all fun, but it was great to hang out with my sister. It is nice to finally have my family close by, or close enough to drive to their house. Since my sister and her children had visited me earlier, Alicia remembered her children, and becasue of that, Ali ended up loving her kids in no time. Kat did not really care one way or another about them, but I think that they liked her. They have this really cute house in a nice neighborhood, and so we had a good time. Ali mostly just liked the huge amount of space to just play. I think that their backyard is as big as our closest park.

They have this great pile of rocks that Alicia thought were the best. (My sister is doing home repairs that require small rocks). She like to climb on them, throw them, and dig in them. If only I knew where I could fit a big pile of rocks in my apartment.

Kat was great the whole trip, even on the drives there and back she slept almost the whole time. I only stopped once for gas and I fed her then, but she hardly cried at all. I hope she is as good on a plane.


Since they have so much space they got a trampoline. Ali was in heaven. Superheroes on a trampoline, how could it get better?

Apple Tradition

One of the benefits of living in New England is the chance to go apple picking. Since Nick had the weekend off we decided to take the trip to Peabody and it was great. The guy who was helping to run the farm told us there were only a few apples left on the trees since it was so late in the season, but we managed to find quite a few. We also got some great pictures, I wish I could post them all, but then our blog would be too full.

Nick and Ali walking down an apple lane.


We got to take a hayride out to the fields which was quite fun but dusty. Kat, of course, slept for most of the time.


She did, however, wake up when I tried to get Ali to hold her for a picture. She is a fan of Ali holding her, but not when it is pretty chilly outside. She just wanted back in the Bjorn.


Ali, so proud of her apple. She really had fun picking apples. Last year she was still too little to have much fun, but this year she really got into it. She would run to a tree when she saw lower apples and yell, "look an apple, momma I see an apple." Needless to say, she said it a lot.

Professional Pics

Our friend, Rebecca came and took some sweet pics. Check out the link below, but it will expire in 1 week (i.e. Weds Oct 22)

http://www.darling-art.com/darkroom/share/?client/pulham


Nick

Ringling Bros and a hay ride

This week was a fun one. On Wednesday a bunch of us got together to go on a spooky hayride at Wilson Farm. We had a lot of fun. They decorated their fields with Halloween paraphernalia, ghost and witches and such like that. I wasn't sure Ali really took it too seriously, or even understood that it was supposed to be scary. This was confirmed this morning while driving Ali said from the backseat of our car, "Mommy there is lots of ghosts." As I often do I said(not paying too much attention), "oh un-huh and what are they doing." I was surprised when she said, "Just walkin' around." I slowed the car a bit and looked back. Much to my surprise there was not a load of ghosts walking around but a gaggle of geese. Maybe next year she will get it...who knows.

On Saturday Nick and Ali got to go on a daddy-daughter day to the circus, thanks to our good friend Jim. Ali loved it, but she is spoiled by it too, since she now told me it is my turn to take her to see the elephants. :)

Nick bought her some popcorn and she loved it. I guess it was pretty salty, because that night she drank about 10 glasses of liquid.

Just because...here is a picture of Kat this morning. She was in a good mood, so I took out the camera.

First of many

For those who don't know me too well, I don't enjoy the company of stuffed animals. I never really have. I always thought that they were really a pointless toy. They don't do anything, and they most often lose all cuteness after a few months of play. If you don't agree, just look at the post with Alicia's stuffed bunny. Well, when I was pregnant with Ali, some people gave us stuffed animals, and like the naive mother I gave away the toys because, since I don't like stuffed animals my daughter would not like them either. Long story short, stuffed animals of all varieties are her favorite toys. She hugs each one as if they were long lost friends. While I am still a naive mother sometimes, I learned my lesson, so here is Katherine's first stuffed animal. We got it in Vermont, and if drool marks are any indication, it is a hit!

Of course, we got Ali one too. She got the black bear, while Kat got the moose. One day I will take a picture of her with all the stuffed animals, but we need a wider lens first.
PS At Kat's 2 month appointment she weighed 11 lbs 13 oz and she is 23 inches tall.

Nick's Post

FYI, Steph was against this post, but I couldn't resist. A true picture of Ali (snot and all) was too good to pass up.
Enjoy.

Vermont

Saturday we drove to Vermont to witness the changing of the leaves. It was a little early in the season here in Boston, but Vermont was absolutely beautiful. We decided to go visit Joseph Smith's birthplace in Sharon. Really the trip was just to enjoy the drive. Some of the views from the road were amazing, but it is hard to take a picture from the car, so all I got was Nick's profile.

This is a picture of the 3 of us in front of the memorial. (Kat is in the Bjorn)

This year Ali was not afraid to walk on the leaves, so that is a good sign of growing up. Last year, if her foot touched a leaf she would start to shake with fear. They should make a horror movie about how leaves attack, she would relate.

Smile?

Rebecca Mudrick, an awesome photographer that we know, came to Boston. We were one of the lucky ones who got to have a session with her. Now, Ali is pretty camera shy, so we were kind of nervous that we wouldn't get any good pictures. In anticipation of the photo session we decided that Alicia might be more comfortable in front of a camera if she learned to control the situation...ie learn to smile on purpose. Well this is the result.
This specific smile is the show your teeth smile. If you notice she is actually looking at the camera! Also I dyed my hair black which was fun. It turned out pretty blue, but the lighting is not right to see the color properly. I have never been good enough at photography to know anything about lighting.

This is her smile if we just tell her to smile. She wanted to take the picture with Kat, so we let her.

Yea! for Fall! It has been raining this last week, and since Alicia loves to carry an umbrella and wear her rain boots. I decided we should document it.