Photo of the Week

Halloween Aftermath

Pretty as a Princess

We had a great Halloween last night. Elizabeth was Belle - who she has wanted to be for months, and months, and months....she also decided that Emily would be Sleeping Beauty (although if you asked Emily, she said that she was going to be Ariel). They had a great time trick or treating and then had fun giving out treats to all of the neighborhood kids (although Emily dove into my lap at the first sign of a scary costume). More Halloween pictures here.

Sleeping Beauty and Belle

Heading to the first house of the night.

Elizabeth, Tavio and Emily

Waiting for Trick or Treaters with Daddy.

Bumm, Bumm, Bee, Daam, Bumm, Bumm

So, every time Elizabeth hears "Disturbia" on the radio, she stops whatever she's doing and starts doing what she calls her "jazz dance." Only Miss Jen knows for sure, but I have a feeling that this might be very small preview of what we can expect in June....God help us.....

Dancing Girls

I've received a few "complaints" that I don't post as many videos as I used to. Here's one of the girls from last week, when Elizabeth asked me to "take a movie" of them dancing...could the two of them be any funnier?

More Cousins!!

Congratulations to Josh and Natalia on the arrival of their beautiful and healthy daughter Lucia and special congratulations to Nolan as he assumes the all important role of big brother! We wish Natalia a speedy recovery and look forward to meeting the latest addition to the family!

Photo of the Week*

*Idea "stolen" from Kerry, who takes some amazing photographs!

Pumpkin Carving

A Friendly Visit

Yesterday, we had a much anticipated visit with the Boucher boys.  As we announced a few weeks ago, Elizabeth's friend Ethan became a big brother - and the girls were very excited to meet Owen and spend some time playing with Ethan.  As usual, the parents (Janet, Kevin, Lee and I) shooed the kids away and enjoyed some much needed down time - although I did manage to spend the entire time holding Owen who managed to spend the entire time sleeping, so things worked out just perfect!  One of best parts about being friends with Janet and Kevin is that they are pretty much the only people with whom we can talk honestly about our kids - and usually, Lee and I end up being relieved to find out that we aren't the only parents being driven out of our minds by our children (because it sure feels like that some days!).  It was a great visit, but too short, as always.

Ethan, Emily and Elizabeth, completely engrossed in Ethan's computer.

Janet and Owen

I love this one - Elizabeth and Ethan sharing the responsibility of holding Owen.

Simultaneous Swimming

We got lucky and were able to switch the girls' swimming classes around so that they are now both in the pool at the same time - Elizabeth in the big kid class by herself and Emily in the under-36 month class with Lee.  Although they largely seem to not notice each other, every once in a while one of them would catch a glimpse of the other and it was pretty cute.  Here are some pictures from this past Sunday.

When she's in the pool, I don't have to remind her to smile - this is a perma-grin!!

Greatest Husband (and Father!) in the World: Part II

As you already know, Lee encouraged me to go to game three of the ALCS at Fenway. What you don't know is that the game was on the eve of a three-business trip for me, so his encouragement was actually even more selfless because basically, I left the house on Monday morning and didn't really return until Thursday night. After the Sox game, I flew down to Bermuda to speak at a conference about emerging trends in reinsurance. Although Bermuda is a beautiful place, it might as well have been Des Moine for all that I saw of it! Not surprisingly, Lee was completely unruffled by my absence - the only issue was the girls' hair, but I lined up some friends to fill in for me while I was away. Considering that he already picks out their clothes, there was no outward evidence that the girls were mother-less for four days - which just goes to show what a great father Lee is.

Greatest Husband in the World: Part I

If you know Lee, the title of this post needs no further explanation. But if you know me, you know that you'll get one anyway. Last Monday, I was given the opportunity to attend Game 3 of the ALCS at Fenway Park with some friends (with awesome seats, no less). Without hesitating, Lee told me that I should go - and not wanting to pass up such an amazing opportunity, I did. Even though my beloved Rox Sox lost (okay, they got blown away), it was so incredible to be a part of a playoff game in Boston. Click here to see more pictures from the game.

John Lester

Fall Swimming Begins

Emily started fall swim classes on Sunday morning.  After a summer spent clinging to mom and dad in the pool and dashing away from the waves at the beach, Lee and I were pleasantly surprised at how well she did.  There was absolutely no clinging - indeed, Emily put on a show of strong kicking, reaching and bubble blowing.  We were duly impressed.

Pumpkin Seed Hill

On Satruday, we made our annual trip to Pumpkin Seed Hill for pumpkins. Emily is a bit under the weather so she didn't really enjoy herself until the end of our visit. We checked out the farm animals - pigs, roosters and turkeys - enjoyed a hay ride, played in the child-sized "houses," snacked on apples and cider, and picked out some pumpkins. Click here to see more pictures from our pumpkin trip.

Elizabeth was totally hamming it up for the camera (which is unusual, believe me!).

The girls enjoy the hayride to no where.

Emily