January 2017

We embraced the New England winter and had a lot of fun out in the snow! We visited Keith and Nerissa in NH for New Years and they have a perfect hill for kiddos in their backyard. Elle lasted longer than Jayne, but they both liked it. It was the cutest thing to hear Elle squeal as she sled down the hill!

We got our fair share of snow back home too and Jayne could not wait to get out in it. She'd been waiting all "winter" :) So when it was snowing right before bed time one night, she was still super excited to gear up and go out! She had tons of fun with Daddy out on our little patio - I love how she giggles away in the video when she throws snowballs...here's the video of our snow fun!

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kt36Ml64kjU?rel=0&ecver=2" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

My mom came to visit us early in the month. We went out in the snow storm to enjoy some Shake Shack. YUUM!

We also visited the Boston Children's Museum with my mom. We stayed all day which meant Elle missed her nap. The girls had a ton of fun, but it wore this sweet one out!

I gave Phil Celtics tickets for Christmas so we took advantage of having a babysitter staying with us and headed out to dinner and a game in the city.

Elle has a nice mullet going on so I tried to figure out a way to tame it. It turned out cute and it was new to see her hair all the way up.

Elle had her 18m doctors appointment and in the waiting room I gave Jayne a pen and some paper because she asked to draw. Then she was asking me how to spell Elle's name. I didn't think anything of it and told her as I did something else. After she excitedly showed me this on her paper, her first tie writing her name without any help from me. And Elle's too for that matter. She is so smart!

Elsa came to visit the library and my two cute Elsas loved it! She read to them, danced with them and gave them wands.

There was a miracle day this month where it was over 50 degrees with the sun shining beautifully. We couldn't believe it and headed straight to the park!

A few random moments at home with my cuties...

Koda love!

 

To top off the month, we potty-trained Elle and she did well! My favorite part was how she decided to go all in (nights included!) from the get-go. YAY!

Undies on babies are the cutest!

December Activities - 2016

We braved the cold and got out of the house to explore our new city. We hopped on the train and met Phil at work, then we headed to historic Faneuil Hall. They have great holiday lights, choreographed to music and are near the harbor. It was a great way to start getting our bearings of Boston.

The girls were such troopers, super excited about every little light. Elle loved touching them :)

Jayne's favorite was the trellis that is lit up on the North End. The blue was so vibrant, she just looked up and walked in awe.

It was the perfect little adventure for our family!

We've been settling in at home as well, unpacking, rearranging etc. We're so blessed that these two have each other.  They're so cute!

Plus this cute pup - the girls love Koda!

Our little librarian :) This cutie is great at keeping us entertained.

We baked Christmas gingerbread cookies and decorated them together. Jayne was in her element!

Our local library has great programs for the kids. This month the Sugarplum Fairy came to visit, bringing stories, crafts and necklaces. The girls loved it!

Another favorite is the Walpole Mall. They have a small indoor play area plus little rides that keep the girls entertained and out of the cold.

Christmas dresses!

Christmas came quickly and was magical with our two little angels.

Christmas PJs!

Elle's face in this photo is my favorite, pure Christmas joy! We had a great holiday season here in Massachusetts.

NYC - December 2016

NYC during the holidays always sounded magical so when our friends who live in NYC were going to be away for the holidays and offered us their vacant apartment, we happily obliged. NYC is within driving distance from us so we packed up on a Thursday night and headed out. The girls were great on the drive and settled into bed once we arrived.

On Friday we got up and headed straight to Macy's department store on 34th street to visit Santa in his wonderland. We wore every piece of clothing because it was freeeeeeezing! But these two happy faces made it all worth it :)

Heart melter!

After walking through the winter wonderland we made our way to the real deal, the big guy himself! Jayne was a little timid but did alright. Little Elle was scared, but let Phil step away briefly for a photo.

The Christmas shop area was beautifully decorated as well. Jayne loved all the snowflakes. She and Elle just danced around on the red carpet, in pure Christmas bliss.

Next we made our way to Times Square, chasing birds along the way :)

The Disney store was the perfect place to get inside, explore and warm up. Needless to say, our little princess was in heaven!

As a reward for being such a happy trooper in the freezing cold, Jayne got her very own bag of "PINK!" m&m's at the M&M store.

After naptime and dinner at home we headed back out to see Rockefeller Center in all its holiday glory.

The next day we headed out (in the falling snow!) to the financial district. The 9/11 memorial pools are beautiful and sobering.

Our September 11th baby

We visited Eataly (and happened upon the besssssst hot chocolate ever!) and then got our frozen-selves back inside for the night. We went to church the next morning and then headed home from our quick NYC trip. Until next time NYC!

November in Norwood

Phil (& Koda) arrived in Massachusetts November 17th while the girls and I flew in with my mom early on the 18th.  Mom stayed for a few days before heading back in time for Thanksgiving. We've had fun exploring our new home and its surroundings. The girls are enjoying seeing their toys again after having them packed away for a little bit. Jayne was excited that we "brought everything with us!" :) Here's a few snapshots of our first couple of weeks here.

Always a happy camper and loving princess "shooooz" lately!

Her voice goes up really high and she squeals in delight when she puts on princess shooooz

We went to the Norwood Christmas Parade/celebration, held in the center of town. They had a small (I mean tiny!) parade which was mostly girl scouts and Santa on a fire truck haha.

It was fun to get out together though and for the girls to see Santa. Jayne was ok about it, Elle was terrified! Bring on the Christmas season!