Another 'What we do' sort of post

Below is a shot of what Ella does when she does not feel like sleeping. If you look at the end of the crib, you'll see the bookshelf. She stands in her crib and, one by one, brings books into her crib. Since I'm not in the room when she does this, I'm not sure if she flips through the books or just accumulates them. In any case, I regularly find piles of books in her crib.

Once Ella knocks all the books off the shelf, Noah enjoys swimming in them. They have a symbiotic relationship, Ella and Noah.

Christmas Eve

"Is something going to happen with this tree?" says Ella. "I'm really digging all the shiny ornaments. If only they were a little lower, I could reach them."

"I don't know, Ella, I heard something about wrapped presents under the tree but it seems improbable to me. Wrapped presents under a tree? Who does that?"

"I know, Noah, it seems a bit odd to me as well. On another note, don't I look pretty in my Christmas dress?"

"Yes, sis, you do look nice. As far as the tree, we'll just have to keep watching."

Q & A with E & N

Question:
What do you do if you've just finished your lunch of tofu squares, grilled cheese, artichoke hearts and fig bars?

Answer:
Play peek-a-boo, of course!

Horton Hoopla

We've been back for over almost a week and I am still reveling in the good time that we had in Connecticut. It was fabulous! In keeping with our previous foibles, the trip started with a flat tire on the way to the airport. At 5:45 AM. In the snow and 5 inches of slush. Thankfully, Pish saved the day and had the tire changed in 25 minutes flat. After that, it was smooth sailing.

In an effort to keep babies content and quiet on the airplane, Ella ate a few too many on Gerber Puffs and Cheerios, and was looking a bit overstuffed.

The kids LOVED exploring Papa and Nini's house. They have a two story foyer which was perfect for playing peek-a-boo.

The Achmoodys arrived shortly after we did. Ben, almost 3, is quite the active little fellow and he immediately took to wrestling with Papa.

Micah, age 5, and Ella got to know one another. Actually, I think that Ella just wanted his apple slices.

Attempted pictures of the cousins...of course, we forgot to get a picture of the entire family, but that just means that we'll all have to get together again sometime soon!

Relishing the fact that they are in REAL high chairs with trays.

Doesn't Noah look tiny in this chiar?

Thrilled by the massive whirlpool tub and the water pouring out of the faucet.

Giggles with Papa and Nini

Learning to climb stairs

Best dad ever

Noah loves being pulled (or rather zoomed) around the house in this little cart. Ella gets a kick out of watching Noah.

Coming clean

Lest you think that we have our T's crossed and our I's dotted...This story almost competes with locking the kids in the car in the departures lane at the airport. Thanks to Skippy and Boomer of Chicago Police Department (yes, that is what their name tags said), we were able to get back in the car without breaking the window. The only casualty of that incident is that the passenger side door that has to be opened from inside the car. But I digress.

We had snow last night and Pish had some extra items to carry into work this morning so he asked me to drive him to the train station. It is just a few blocks, but I was game for getting out of the house. Even though it is a multi step process to get the kids in their car seats and out to the car, it seemed worth it. We put Noah in his coat and stuffed a blanket around Ella in her car seat. Never mind that it was 13 degrees outside, we were just going on a quick trip. Rather than taking the time to get dressed in real clothes, I stepped out in my PJ pants, plastic gardening clogs, and coat. After living in NC for two years and being on bedrest/nursing round the clock last year, I had no boots. You can see where this is going...

As soon as we crossed over the train tracks, the warning chimes on the car started going off and it flashed 'STOP CAR IMMEDIATELY' along with the oil pressure light on the dash. Thanks to someone who shall remain nameless, I knew that this was not a 'pull over when you feel like it' sort of warning light. We parked the car and came up with a game plan: put Matt's ear muffs on Ella and stick her in the Baby Bjorn inside Matt's coat, tuck Ella's blanket around Noah and high tail it back home through the snow. To say that I was cold would be an understatement but we made it home in about 5 minutes with minimal vocalizations from the kids. The car is now at the mechanic and I promptly ordered a pair of the warmest snow boots that I could find. The mechanic just called and here is the irony...all that was because I forgot to get the oil changed.

Moral of the story: there are no 'quick little trips' with kids. Prepare for the worst and dress for the weather. And get your oil changed every 5,000 miles.

Has anyone seen my cracker?

I just had a cracker and I can't seem to find it anywhere. When I eat I get excited, wave my hands above my head, and usually I can find my food again. But this time...seriously, where is my cracker?
--Noah

I think that the cracker had just enough drool on it that when he set/dropped it on his head, it stuck there. He was quite happy when I 'found' it for him and gave it back.

Autumn

Examining the leaves:

So excited that she can hardly contain herself:

I love it.

I was getting ready to write a post about some other stuff, but this picture totally cracked me up and I wanted to get it up right away. Last night Ella was in a terrible mood. I think that she is getting another tooth. Anyhow, Pish got her out of her chair and was trying to cheer her up. When she saw herself in the mirror and started to giggle. Pish then started the super-Ella routine with zooming her toward the mirror. She loved it! I love the pic.

What the babies do with the trash can when mom looks away

Yahoo!

A very elated Liz Potoshnick called me last night. She is naturally a joyful person, but this was the most joy I've ever head in her voice. Pure giddiness, actually. As of yesterday afternoon, she is engaged to marry Stephan Leman. For all you Wheaton Academy alums out there, Stephan is the grandson of the ping-pong playing, math teaching Dr. Leman. Aside from all the great things that come with the impending marriage, I particularly like her new name: Liz Leman. Nice ring to it, huh?

Congratulations to you both --we are so excited for you. We love you!

What we do now

For Ella and Noah, most of the day is spent doing one of three activities: eating, sleeping or playing. Sleeping does not make for great pictures. Eating generally consists of very messy faces that are wanting (guess what?) more Cheerios. I think that we go through a box a week, though not all of them make it into the tummies of my children. Noah has started holding a fistful of them over the side of his chair, opening his fist, and then looking down at them. They both enjoy watching Moses doing his janitorial duties. As for playtime, they are very busy little people.

Empty diaper box turned car... First it was a drum, then it was a prop for standing and then it found its most popular use.

This tunnel and tent is a HIT! Sometimes they just sit in the tent section, flap their arms, and laugh at each other. I've noticed that they completely crawl over each other while passing in the tunnel. They don't seem to even notice that they are crawling over another person, or being crawled on.

Both E&N have taken to flipping through books and looking at the pictures. I've noticed that Ella especially likes faces of other little kids. She always reaches over with her pointer finger and 'feels' the face in the book.

Up the mountain

Another post about our trip south...for more pics, you can hop over to Ginny's blog. The posts are here, and here, and here.

In front of Carter Hall

Chatting with the Wycoffs in front of the chapel

We stopped in on Pish's soccer coach, Brian Crossman. He immediately took Noah out of my hands and started entertaining.

Chatty Revisited

These are three of my (Pish's) favorite pictures from our trip to Chattanooga. I just love the kids' faces in these pics. For some reason, they were absolutely excited to see the camera...

Ella Bean:
Noah:
The Twins:

From a friendly bumble bee and fierce dragon

Happy Halloween!

With Nana P. and cousin Annika, a delightful ballerina.

Ella did not mind her costume, though I did notice that other kids were quite taken with her wings.

The tail that gave us endless laughs.