In like a Lion

The second day of March brought yet another foot of snow. Claire was raring to help shovel.

3 shots of Claire

H-man

More of Haven...

The Mush Man

Just a few pictures of Haven at a super cute stage. We can't stop mushing those cheeks. He'll be 9 months in March.

The Artist as a Young Girl

This easel is easily one of Claire's favorite Christmas presents. So far, whenever we have asked her what she is painting the answer has always been the same: a snake.

Christmas Eve Dress

I missed church on Christmas Eve to pick up Missy, but I was around long enough to see Claire get ready to head off with Kris in this little getup.

Haven

As you can see from this picture, the kid really should get a lot more air time on this blog than he does.

Hiding

Claire is really into hiding on us these days. She actually does have a few decent places (under her covers, in her closet, etc...), but, every now and then, she falls back to the old standby depicted here.

Ollie's Birthday

For her birthday party this year, Ollie chose a leotard/cooking theme. The pinata just topped it all off. Here's claire's shot:

Thanksgiving in VT / Picking out a Tree

We spent Thanksgiving in VT again this year, which has become a tradition that we intend to keep. Another tradition that we might add to the mix for the day after Thanksgiving is going to pick out a tree at the farm that my dad has always relied on... These are a few shots from that trip. Instead of getting a tree that afternoon, however, we picked ours up at a streetside collection of pre-wrapped trees just before the place closed down on a Sunday evening. Not quite the same idyllic scene...

The Princess and the Tiger

Because we were still between homes, we did Halloween up in Lainesville, and went trick or treating with the Sauders and the Browns. Claire was a Princess... More specifically, Princess Presto from SuperWhy (a show on PBS). Haven, the Tiger, tagged along in the Baby Bjorn, while everyone else ran from door to door, tripping over one another and rushing to be the first up the next front walk or set of stairs. There were even sparklers for everyone at the end of the evening. A great time before the big move.

Drinkin' Buddies

This picture is screaming for a lucrative licensing deal with Horizon Organics Chocolate Milk. (And yes, that is a rolling pin slide behind Claire.) Leaning casually next to the slide is Claire's adorable friend Anya.

Russell Orchards

Apple-picking and cider donuts at Russell Orchards is a highlight of every fall. It only gets better with Claire in on the picking and eating. Haven slept most of the time, but woke up long enough for us to catch him looking just as he always looks when he's up: perfectly content.

The Kite Runner

One of our labor day weekend activities was to attempt to fly a kite at Lynch Park on an utterly windless day. Claire stayed positive by running constantly and refusing to look back and realize that she was merely dragging the kite through the sand.

New Bathtime Tradition

Once this feat is accomplished, the next required step is to lift her soaked and slippery body out of the tub so that she can see herself in the mirror.

Brother and Sister

Yankees v. Red Sox

Here's hoping Claire and Ollie's friendship will manage to bridge the massive divide depicted in this picture.

S'mores

One more catch-up post. We finally started to make use of the fire-pit at Kris's parents' house on lake wentworth this summer. This shot is of Claire and Ollie while enjoying their s'mores...

The Boy

These are some of the very few shots we've taken of the boy. Not great... We will improve.

Lion Sweater

Kris won this sweater through a blog she follows - juniorsociety.com. It was hand-knit by women in Kenya. You can see them, and more, here:
www.totoknits.com. Claire loves hers.