Happy Easter!

Early Spring

No, not here in Maine. We had a snowstorm yesterday. However, last week Ben and I were in Florida, enjoying the mild weather and blooming azaleas. Here are a few shots I took with my dad's camera of Ben enjoying one of the excellent playgrounds in their neighborhood. My favorite is Ben's version of 007.

Puddle Stomping

It's a pretty big event when it's February in Maine and it actually gets warm enough to melt some of the snow and ice! Of course, it'll all freeze again tonight when it's 5 degrees, but it may get up to a whopping 33 again tomorrow. And really, one can't complain too much when there's a bright blue sky to go with that, and you're well-stocked in puddle-stomping boots.

And here's our little miniseries with the lightsaber.

Puddle: "Give in the Dark Side, Ben."
Ben: "Never!"

Stroller: "Join us, Young Puddlejumper."
Ben: "Never!"

Digital Camera: "Smile for the camera, Ben."
Ben: "Never!"

The Glorious Letter U and My Private Fort

Ben actually sounded out the word "hot" the other night, so I'm going on record saying he is officially literate at age 2. The last few days, he has spent hours transferring his alphabet magnets from their board to his easel and then back to their board, sounding them out and getting especially excited about the letter U (I have no idea why) and letter pairs ("Two Ts!" "Two Ps!").




He's also keen on a good couch fort, just like I am...uh, I mean, just like I was at his age.

"Welcome to my fort!"

"Get away from my fort!"
"I'm currently taking into consideration your request to visit my fort."

Indoor Fun

What with all the recent snowstorms and cold temps, it's been hard to spend more than 15 minutes outside with a toddler. We've been going to inside play places (these range from spaces designed for this purpose to the automatic doors at Lowe's) and having indoor play dates with friends. Here are a few shots I took of Ben and his buddy E hanging out on Monday morning. E later took a nap on our couch and went home to throw up--I think he probably was just overwhelmed by the fun, right?

Hanging out on the carpet:


Here's ecstatic E riding his favorite toy. Ben is opening up a huge chess set in the background--we're encouraging nerdy behavior early.


Ok, this one is so random and just makes me laugh:


Here's The Mommy looked happy but slightly frazzled with hair in her face:

White Christmas

Well, it's not exactly Christmas Day, but it's close enough. Pretty, right?


First order of business is getting dressed. That's kind of hard.


Then we go for a walk with the sled. Mommy and Daddy try hard not to slip and fall.


At last, we arrive at the park! Snow is exponentially more interesting at the park.

Perpetual Motion Machines

This sequence of photos was taken at this morning's Toddler Craft and Cookie Exchange Party. It raises the question: Is it possible to keep five toddlers on a couch long enough to snap their picture?
I've got to hand it to Sven and Shane, who in life are two of the fastest balls of energy I've ever met, but sat still and made eye contact throughout the attempt (Shane, ever the professional model, even waved merrily at the camera). The usually-mellow Ezra had a slight meltdown, Sophia lost patience with and abandoned all the boys, and Ben departed with an air of stoic independence. We five parents with three cameras stood around laughing hysterically, and our children glared at us as though we were ruining their lives.