In honor of President's Day...

Lincoln has been interested in money lately - saving it, counting it, and asking who is on each coin/bill. I think he is particularly enamored with the fact that he shares a name with a President.

Lincoln: Can I have a coin? (He raids my little coin holder in the car)

Me: Which one do you want?

Lincoln: A penny.

Me: Who is on the penny?

Lincoln: Hmmm...Abraham Linc!

So this holiday weekend, be sure to think about some of the great Presidents over the years...and don't forget our favorite, Abraham Linc!

Lots to Love

We've been celebrating Valentine's Day all weekend long. It began with a party at Church playgroup -


Ellie making her valentine holder





(Notice the amount of glue Lincoln is using)

Then making Valentines for Family Home Evening:


Ryan and I enjoyed a nice date (ie: alone!) to Cheesecake Factory on Saturday - Yum!

I just love these little sweeties! (and my big sweetie too - not pictured)

Yes, we still have TONS of snow on the ground...but today was 50 degrees, so there is hope for Spring! We are loving it!

Cutest PJs Ever

Aren't these pj's so cute??! I call them the "50s housewife pj's". (Courtesy of Ellie's Nana from Pottery Barn Kids)



I think Ellie looks so grown up in this picture.

She is now 18 months old which means:
* Nursery!! She loves it and is doing great - no tears!
* Talking more every day. She really likes to exhibit her skills by grabbing a picture book and pointing to all the pictures and saying the ones she knows. The best is when she says "door" and then knocks on the picture of a door or tries to open it with all her might :)
* Plenty of opinions on everything from what to eat, where to go (she will point in a direction when I am carrying her - yesterday she pointed me to the potty treats stash in my closet. What a surprise...my kids like candy??!), to what to wear (she likes to pick out her shoes).
* Figuring out that crying gets attention; and has been caught fake crying several times. Not good.
* Following Lincoln around and imitating what he does.
* Discovering a love for dancing. If she hears a rockin' song, she will dance...in the car, at home, at the doctor's office. Also sings along to her favorite tv shows - Dora, Little Einsteins, and Bubble Guppies.
* Being quite large, apparently. 25 lb 13.5oz, 33.25 in (90-95 percentile...no wonder everyone tells me she looks big! :) )

Snow days

We've had a LOT of snow here in New Jersey...accuweather.com tells me that this most recent storm resulted in 18 inches, bringing the total snowfall in January to 37+ inches. Incredible! I have never seen so much snow in my life.

We have enjoyed some time outdoors in the snow - playing, exploring, digging, and shoveling...lots and lots of shoveling!









And plenty of time inside where it is warm!

Here Lincoln is saying "Ladies and benjamin, boys and girls..." haha :)

Christmas 2010: Recap

We spent Christmas here at home in New Jersey, and it was really fun to start some of our own traditions with our little family.

We decorated cookies to leave for Santa:



Thanks to the Wieners, we have some great costumes for the Nativity play. Since we are a little short on actors, Lincoln doubled as Joseph/Wise Man and Ellie was Mary (and also felt like she needed to be IN the manger with the baby). It was very short, but very sweet.




Then some Christmas carols, opening of Christmas pj's and leaving cookies, carrots, and milk for Santa and the reindeer. I don't know if it was excitement, countless warnings about Santa not coming until you are asleep, or being worn-out from all the festivities, but Lincoln went right to sleep and didn't come out of his room once (which he never does).

****Christmas Morning!****

Santa was very generous to bring a fancy Retro Kitchen for the kids.


"The stockings are filled!"


Ellie with her baby and stroller from Santa, and trying out her new binkys:


Lincoln's #1 request for Christmas was a TRAIN...luckily he got one!


The aftermath...


Lincoln picked out this little ladybug to give to Ellie and was so excited about giving it to her.


We spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing, and eating. It was the first Christmas where Linc was really into it and "got it", so it was especially fun to see him enjoying everything so much. He has been asking "Is it almost Christmas again?" and we tell him "Well, in 11 months" :)

Happy BDay to Ryan!

We celebrated Ryan's birthday this weekend - Happy Birthday to Ryan!! Smashburger + presents + cupcakes + Redbox movie + babysitter + date to NYC + Broadway show = FUN!

I would gush about Ryan here, but I know that would just embarrass him. :) I'll just say that WE LOVE THIS GUY and he deserves to be celebrated year-round for all he does. Here's to another great year, sweetie!

Resolution 2011

Oops! It's been almost a month since I posted. One of my resolutions for 2011 is to update the blog more often. [Now it's written down - so I have to do it!] Since my scrapbooking has fallen by the wayside, this is all we have right now. We have pictures from Christmas, our trip to Kansas City and lots of snow to catch up on.

Here are some *teaser* pictures (for those who have been begging for more posts...you know who you are) from our first snowfall this season - I've never seen so much snow! It snowed/rained again last night - we are in for a long winter, I'm afraid.