Happy Easter!

We had a fantastic week. Sure, it began with 7.1 inches of rain and the experience of having the Canoe River kissing the back fence, when it's normally 1.4 mile away...BUT we didn't have any flooding in or around our house, like many of our neighbors, so we are so grateful.

This weekend we hosted Jim, Leslie and Josh Warner from Endicott, NY, Daddy's friends from growing up and we had such a great time!!! We went to the New England Aquarium, a first for the girls, and then walked around Fanueil Hall, ending up at Cheer's for lunch. Annabelle also taught Josh a few signs, like "more."

The girls enjoyed their Easter baskets for the first time this year, though Mommy and Daddy learned to hide the candy since Belle wouldn't stop eating it and Claire wanted to try too many pieces - foil and all - so there's chocolate drool all over the house now - yuck!

A Fresh Start...

Mommy thought that in kicking her life off to a fresh start, that it was about time she picked up the blog so you could all stay informed on the latest and greatest in our lives.

This week Daddy was in Raleigh, N.C. (or Lina as Belle calls it) so Mommy had two girls with colds to contend with. It led to little sleep (especially since her colitis is flairing up), but it was also fun to hang out - and Daddy did call us twice a day.

We can tell that preschool is helping Belle because her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. She's also stringing several words together. For example, upon Mommy asking her what she wanted for dinner this week and her replying "Cuckoo" (chicken), Mommy then asked if she'd like to eat now, to which she replied, "No, don't be silly!" Excuse me! I think we're in for some trouble ahead.

Claire, for her part, is walking up a storm and is getting more and more steady - which would explain why she's holding her own a bit better with her sister.

We were supposed to go to Binghamton to see Great Grandma Fiorelli who was having surgery for thyroid cancer, but Daddy decided that with all of us sick, we should just stay home. Instead, we tried out Burpee's seed greenhouse to see if it helps with the first vegetable garden we're going to attempt this year. Mommy also hard-boiled some eggs and today we decorated them. Claire and Belle didn't really like the taste of the eggs but they did feel neat.

Belle's 2nd birthday week

Annabelle Reese turned 2 on December 28. While we're still not sure how it's possible that two years has gone by so far, we sure had fun celebrating.

Gaga, Grandma Janice and Uncle Ben - with Coco the Dog - came to visit December 26 so we got to spend Belle's actual birthday with them.

Bubbe came on December 29 so that Mommy and Daddy could have their first overnight without the kids for New Year's - we had a blast in Providence - and then helped prepare for Belle's birthday party on January 2. In between, we shared many laughs, lots of good food, a little shopping and plenty of movies and books.

The whole family is looking forward to starting 2010 with a clean slate and hoping for a year that's a little smoother along the way.

A Month of Firsts

What a month of firsts:

1. First snow for Claire - first time both girls "played" in the snow together and by "play" I mean taking them both for a ride in the wagon before Claire's nose started running and her eyes watering from the cold and the wind.

2. First time Belle ate snow - she didn't immediately want to play in 16 inches of snow but asked Mommy FOUR times to fill a sippy cup with snow so she could touch and eat it.

3. First time Claire stood by herself - she's so ready to walk and boy are we in trouble...But what can we expect from the girl who's in a hurry to grow up - I mean, she's already cut TWO one-year molars and she's only 9 months old...

4. First time Belle pooped in the potty - she had to call Bubbe and Gaga, and was so excited that she couldn't settle enough to nap that day. I couldn't bring myself to take pictures but here are a few from earlier in the day when Belle and Daddy were cuddling/getting ready to go to Gymboree :-)

5. First Christmas for Claire - she wasn't too into it but we loved having her with us this year. She loved her Little Sister doll and Belle had a blast with her tricycle - and Georgie had to ride too!

It was a busy month and will get even busier as Gaga, Grandma Janice and Ben visit for Belle's 2nd birthday, followed by Bubbe visiting so Mommy and Daddy can take their first overnight away from both kids (just in Providence, RI) and then for Belle's birthday party. Stay tuned for more!

9 Months Gone By

It's hard to believe but our little Claire is 9 months old already! "Little" may not be the right word, though, as she's now bigger than Belle was at 15 months - 19 pounds 2 ounces and 29.5 inches! She's growing so much that we switched her to a convertible car seat this week because she outgrew her infant carrier.

This week, we really started to get into the holiday season. Belle made a gingerbread tree with "E" (Audrey), we lit the candles for Hanukkah and we got the tree up - at least until Claire takes down the gate and the tree :-)

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a great week with Daddy home for Wednesday through Sunday for Thanksgiving! Thanks to the Kondrat family, we had a fantastic holiday and are still raving about the amazing feast from Boston Market - Belle was especially enamored with the cranberry walnut dressing.

Yesterday we attended the christening of Andrew Gallagher. Belle wasn't too sure what to make of church but both girls looked adorable in their dresses and had a ball playing with some new toys at the house afterward.

Both girls continue to grow and change by leaps and bounds, much to our astonishment. Annabelle loves watching Curious George Christmas and has begun to say "tree," "happy" and "ball" as a result. She also learned "me" and uses it to her advantage. For instance, on Saturday Mommy tried to get milk by herself but as she was ready to leave, Annabelle came up to her and said, "Me Car?" How could she resist?

Claire now stands on her own for a few seconds, pulls herself up on everything in sight - including her sister-, loves to do high-fives and blow kisses and has just started to wave. If only we could get her to sleep at night!

Adventures in Potty Training

I'm not sure why we have so many toys for the girls when their favorite rooms to play in these days are the guest room and the bathroom. Claire loves to crawl onto the middle of the floor and look around - "Do I hit my head on the potty, play with the toilet paper, try to splash in Reilly's bowl? So many choices!" And while Belle's only peed once and had one near-success with #2 (don't ask!), she loves to sit - fully clothed or naked, with Georgie or without - and hang out on the potty. She has to have toilet paper and now likes to pose. She'd sit there all day if she could but since her routine also requires Claire and me to sit on the lid of the big potty and watch her, it gets a little old after awhile...

Claire's having her own adventures. She pulls herself up to standing on everything and can stand next to you with just one hand. We think she'll be walking in no time and we have to buy gates, something we didn't need with Belle, because she's very curious about the steps. This kid has no fear and every day it's a miracle that she doesn't dive off the bed or the couch.

This Thanksgiving, we're grateful for the two beautiful cuties we have in our lives and are trying to appreciate that while it may not always be easy, it's always a gift, a blessing!