Halloween 2014

As usual, Finley was excited to trick or treat on Halloween so I took a different approach.  We carved our little pumpkins that I got from my class' pumpkin patch field trip.  Dagny wanted a happy pumpkin and Finley claimed he wanted a spooky one, but lucky for me "spooky" just meant a toothy grin.  Well, it was supposed to be two teeth in the grin but I cut one all the way out and left the smile with just one. 

Finley slipped on his pirate costume and Dagny her beloved, Grammy-made Elsa dress.  We were ready!

 

Then, we took our pumpkins down the driveway with a card table, some chairs, and our bowl of candy to hand out.

And when it got dark enough, we lit our jack-o-lanterns and waited for trick or treaters.

Sadly, we didn't get many trick or treaters but both kids did get the nerve to go trick or treating to a few of our neighbors and eagerly brought the candy back to eat in their chairs in the driveway. Happy Halloween!

The Scarecrow 5K

After doing the mud run with some friends this summer, one of my friends who was covered in mud alongside me suggested we sign up for a regular 5K road race so we could keep training.  I readily agreed and found a way to run the distance without dying and almost enjoying it this fall. 

I headed off to the race early with Dan planning to bring the kids for the finish.  Megan and I had signed up pretty early for this race, you can tell by our bib numbers! Others were in the 200s!! I love having other Type-A friends :)

 It was a good race, though not easy, and knowing my family was waiting for me near the finish was excellent motivation.  I loved giving them high fives as a jogged to the finish line :)

Next up - The Wellesley Turkey Trot before we head down to NY for Thanksgiving!!

Two Birthday Sous Chefs

We love birthdays around here.  Well, wait, I love birthdays and therefore the kids now LOVE birthdays and Dan basically tolerates them :) Finley loves going to his friends' parties, shopping for their gifts, and he sure had a blast at Dagny's last birthday party so birthdays are pretty awesome.  Dan's birthday was last month and it was fun to work with the kids to plan Dan's family party.

But first things first, the kids posed for a "Happy Birthday, Daddy" photo before school so we could email it to him at work.

The "party" consisted of cake and a couple of presents, but not just any cake -- a homemade, chocolate chip cookie cake!  (Dan's request for a birthday blueberry pie was unilaterally rejected since he's the only one in the house that likes that dessert, sorry buddy).  I found a simple recipe on the web and we shopped for the ingredients (though I'll proudly say I've turned into a decent kitchen-keeper and already had 75% of what we needed in stock at home!).  We rushed home after school and Finley donned his apron, while Dagny opted for a pirate costume for the occasion.

 And it was time to begin!

 Both kids were excellent sous chefs and shared the whisk like pros.  Finley even held the bowl for his sister without prompting from me :)

 We popped it into the oven and watched it through the oven's glass window.  Then, we took it out to cool and even put it out on the porch to cool faster in case Dan walked in early! We iced a big D on it for Daddy (and Dan) and soon enough, there he was!   The kids had just finished shoving their dinner into their mouths and were ready to debut their cake creation.  We sang and Dan made a wish before blowing out the four candles on the cake (a pink one for Dagny, a green one for Finley, a blue one for Dan, and a yellow one for me).

 It was delicious!

  And a few days later, I picked up a small blueberry pie for Dan to enjoy all by himself :) Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Preschool Fall Fun

I sometimes dread next fall when Finley and Dagny will not be in the same school, but I am trying to live in the moment and just enjoy the fun they are having together now - and there is plenty of it!

Pajama Shabbat was a big hit last week.

Both kids built delicious sukkot earlier this month at the evening Sukkot party.

Dagny in all her GLORY

Well into the age of 2, Dagny has really become a force to be reckoned with...and also quite the little creative genius.  She makes fun out of most anything and genuinely loves doing just about anything (as long as one of us isn't too far).

Exhibit A: Turning blue sidewalk chalk into a paste using a "stream" of water from a drained hose on the driveway.

 She was in heaven and totally impressed with herself...and that blue just would not wash off!

 She has her own fashion sense, always looking for that perfect accessory.

Dagny LOVES stuffed animals, the bigger the better.  Thank goodness we did not have to leave the store with this toddler sized penguin!

 

But a small stuffed animal is no less lovable in Dagny's eyes.

 

She loves taking care of her stuffed animals (feeding them, changing them, reading them books, etc.) but has lately become interested in building things for them like she did in the basement last week.

 And who doesn't love to get free samples while shopping?

 

Dagny got an early Hanukkah book in the mail this week and has really enjoyed reading it to herself.

 Have you noticed what color Dagny is wearing in most of these photos? Blue. We're pretty sure she's settled on it as her favorite color and by no coincidence, her favorite shirt is her blue Eli Manning Giants Jersey.  She wears it to bed, to school, and everywhere in between.

And don't think we've forgotten about Dagny's big brother, Finley is almost five (gulp!) and while he doesn't stop to pose for photos as much anymore - I am able to snap a gem like this one every once in a while!

Happy New Year!

This year's Rosh Hashanah was wonderful (back in September!).  GG and Grandpa hosted a full house.  We got to mingle with friends and family out on the patio before dinner and then enjoyed a tasty meal together.  Finley and his second cousin Mia had fun being the "big" kids on the scene.

 

The second night there were more friends and family to celebrate with.  Second cousin Elliot from DC (same age as Dags) had fun with our two and he even showed them his dad's iPhone after dinner.

 While waiting for dessert, Dagny serenaded everyone with a song she learned at school.

http://youtu.be/emC6ODPlE4c

Instead of going to temple for a second day of services, we took a more outdoorsy approach and celebrated the new year at the Croton Dam with books, prayers, songs, and Grandpa even blew the shofar!

 

Then we hiked up to the top of the dam for a gorgeous view and a family photo op!

 Dagny probably could have walked, but for efficiency we put her in the backpack and she enjoyed the ride and debuting her new NYYs hat from Aunt Caitlin.

 

We hiked back down and then drove a few minutes away to eat a picnic lunch on the water.

 What a great way to ring in 5775!