Happy Holidays!

What's so funny?
"Say cheese!"
My friend Stephanie and her two boys came over to play and make "gingerbread houses" out of graham crackers. As we predicted - the kids decorated for about 5 minutes then burst off to go play and we sat at the table and "finished" the job! It was fun anyway!
Did I mention she is pregnant too? And due just a few weeks after me . . .
Look at those bellies!
hanging out with the crew . . .

Florida and Atlanta

After Hilton Head we went south to visit my aunt Liz, uncle Curt and cousin Hannah. One morning we went to Disney village where we shopped around, played with toys, road some rides and ate lunch. Basically got to experience as much of Disney as a 3 year old and 1 year old can handle - and it's free!

Eli was quite taken with Hannah and is busy pointing out the train.

Minnie and Mickey stop for a photo op.

All this talk of princesses had our little gal (and her mom) in the mood for dress up. So we went home and had our own little beauty parlor! With special glitter make-up, nail polish, and a new "Belle" dress from Aunt Liz she was looking pretty fancy.

Next stop was Aunt Jane's house. She and Aunt Ger graciously hosted us for a week. They golfed with Daniel, we swam in their club's pool, and (the highlight) Ger lent us her golf cart to go cruising. Elijah was in HEAVEN!

We also spent a day at Busch Gardens. It was perfect because we got to see all of their Christmas shows as well as the Sesame Street characters and show in the children's park.
Notice Eli's reaction in this picture . . . he's not such a fan of costumed creatures.

Analise was practicing her ballet moves from the back of a book when Daniel snuck in with the camera.
the little guy -
Last stop - Eloise's house! (sorry Beth, but Eloise was the real highlight here :) Our friends from Paris, now in Atlanta who have children the same ages as ours - and one more on the way! The girls enjoyed doing everything girly - including a tea party with some delicious Christmas cookies.
the gang - snuggling under a blanket to watch some shows

playing on the tire swing at the park . . .

H.I. are for . . .

Hilton Head Island!

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with our Mueller family on the beach at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Time in the warm weather will hopefully make the winter more bearable here in N.H. - right?

snuggle time with blankie and Grandma. This was down time for Grandma who had been busy preparing a Thanksgiving dinner and taking Eli downstairs to play pool . . . well, his version of pool anyway
loving the sand!
Christmas at Thanksgiving with the Warrens. Analise has been a little confused by this and now calls her "Christmas list" her "Thanksgiving list" - ironic isn't it? Making a list of all your wants and calling them your Thanksgiving list - ah, out of the mouths of children . . .
tired out! After walking around Savannah all day the kiddos crashed in the stroller.
The beach house at Hilton Head.
waves crashing at night made sleeping like a baby easy - even for an 8.5 month preggo
Analise and Hannah help Grandma by cleaning off the beaters after making whipped cream.
little friends -

G is for . . .

G is for Green - mixing blue and yellow paint makes green. This was a super fast experiment because what I really wanted were handprints to make Grandparents Day cards - which requires speed on mom's part! slip the paper on the table, smack those hands down, lift up straight, swoosh the paper away and insert a new one - all in one fluid motion!
G is for Gifts. We got a toy catalogue from a friend and both kids have already poured over it's pages.
G is for Gift from Grandma! Thanks Grandma J for getting into the G thing with a package filled with gifts - a princess puzzle for Analise, truck for Eli, and fleecy jammies for baby Mueller.G is for Green, Gold, Glitter and Green bay Packers! Also in Grandma's package were all the makings for these glittery signs. Go Pack Go!

the Guys . . . enjoying the last of the warm sunshine that November has to offer. Now that daylight savings has hit the afternoons slip away far too quickly. Let me clarify - the "outdoor" portion of the afternoon slips away. The "indoor" and dark but not quite dinner portion stretches to eternity.

Green Goo!! What was I thinking!?!?! Corn starch, water and a pinch of flour made this goopy, gluey substance absolutely great for touching, squeezing, dripping, and smearing.
While Eli got the goo all over, Analise kept fairly contained - but played with it for much longer. SO fun :)

Analise is showing my how she drew a C and made a C with her fingers. The picture is of her with chicken pox and of the "baby in your tummy" - shown by his very short arms and legs.

F is for . . .

Not too many pictures this week, although we have been enjoying all that F has to offer!

F is for Fan! This week Daniel had a few Fans as he played drums in the Tuck band. They did a really great job and surprised quite a few of their peers and maybe even themselves! At one point a number of his friends in the crowd started to chant "Mue-ller, Mue-ller." It took them doing it three different times for him to realize they were talking about him. It was pretty hillarious.

One day I took the kids to the pet store to just look at the fish (appropriate for F). It brought me back to the magical days of my childhood when we were first allowed to bike to the fish store on the corner near our house and just look around. Before I knew it I was suggesting that we pick out a fish to bring home! It started out as a 99 cent goldfish - but Analise was unwilling to accept that there were no pink goldfish and couldn't understand why we couldn't just get the $29.99 tropical pink fish in the tank next door. We compromised on a pink Beta - whom she appropriately named Pinkie. Pinkie is now living in a bowl on our dining room table and bringing all kinds of entertainment.

Here's an encore performance . . .

Halloween

The pink princess and the cowboy . . .
Free!! from the photo op ;)
"It's really cold out here, this had better be worth it . . . "
The finished products - Eli freaked out touching the "goo." Kind of funny for a guy who spends most of his time covered in it in one form or another.
Analise however didn't mind digging right in and even shared some with her brother -
First was the trick-or-treat party at Tuck. Our friends Zachy and Van got in on the photo booth.

wrangling 4 sugar loaded kids and getting them to stand still, let alone look at the same thing is darn near impossible - but it was fun!
After tricks and treats we had a fire in the fire pit at our house and a few friends came over. Analise is sharing some cider with Zachy - cheers!

E is for . . .

E is for escape! Last weekend we traveled to Portland to visit the Maine coast for a few days over the weekend. The highlights were a train ride, a boat ride, and a cafe called "Mornings in Paris" - owned and operated by a French lady. So there was a little something for everyone!
Eagerly waiting for the train to come to the station . . .

throwing rocks in the water on a little island off of Portland. We took the ferry and weren't quite sure what to expect, but after lots of walking and a stop at the market for a picnic lunch - it turned out to be worth the work.

one afternoon we drove to the lighthouse in Portland
Fish and chips for lunch at a little outdoor restaurant on the marina
E is for Elijah!

Analise with her "make-ups." This includes about 5 different chapsticks and one heart compact with sparkly eye shadow. She managed to put the eye shadow all over her forehead - just like mommy!?? She was very sparkly. She's very generous with her make-ups and shares very nicely with Eli. Eli calls them "gac" - his little work for snack . . . umm, not quite buddy.
A street in old Portland . . .
Eli found a little seat.