A visit

Chris is in Tahoe for the week and we hope he's enjoying all of that powder he's been tracking on the internet at 6:00am every morning for the last two months. He deserves it! Before he left, Creston and Ivy  got into the snowboarding spirit.

Ivy

Creston

Cousin Arthur, Cousin Elsie, and Aunt Kathy came over to say hello which was a real treat. Elsie was a massive hit with Creston and Ivy and she was extremely good natured about it all. She kept bringing them toys to play with. What a sweet kid.

We'll be hanging out in our tent until Papa gets back.

Upping our Ping Pong Game

We discovered the wonder of the ping-pong ball because it was recommended in a Dr. Sears book. No chance of choking! But thank you for your concern.

This contains the best final seconds of any movie I've ever seen. Creston is PSYCHED. Enjoy!

Ping Pong

At 10 months old, Creston and Ivy have found each other at last! In this thrilling movie, witness Ivy trying to put a ping pong ball (we promise it's not a choking hazard) into Creston's mouth over and over again. What a game! They also play hide and seek a little bit with each other, to be documented and shared at a later date.

Diaper Free Zone

A new routine has developed - before the nighttime bath, it's a diaper free party in the rug-less hallway. Creston and Ivy love it and it seems to be the time of day when they interact with each other the most. There's a lot of laughter and general chubby cuteness.

Caught on film, just by chance...

Creston has hair (not much) but no teeth. Ivy has teeth (not many) but no hair. All's fair.

Cousin Rylee and a Dip in the Pool

Cousin Rylee came over for a visit - you might remember that she is 3 weeks younger than Creston and Ivy. She makes adorable lion-like roaring noises. It's very sweet to see them all together.

And Ivy showed off a little and did some standing up on her own.

The next day we went to our first swim class. We were very glad that neither Creston nor Ivy were that one baby screaming the whole time. The water was a little colder than we expected, but all around Creston and Ivy were good sports. They weren't totally thrilled, but we think they'll come around.

Snowy Northern New England Holidays

We had a nice long vacation up in New Hampshire and Vermont where we were treated to a big snowstorm and everything felt very holiday-ish. Creston and Ivy gained a new cousin over the holidays, too. Welcome, Baby Arthur!

Here is Ivy on Christmas, in her Christmas dress from Gran Leah.

Paphanh Sithavady, who helped throw our baby shower and is a dear friend, came over to meet Creston and Ivy for the first time. They loved her, of course.

Grandma Carola is always trying to get us to pose for a family photograph. Here you see us trying our best.

And Grandma Carola.

Grandpa Syd.

Creston perfected his lower-himself-to-the-ground-without-falling skills with the help of these chairs in Vermont. He spent a fair bit of time practicing.

Auntie Catherine

Grandma Robin

Auntie Sydney. And Santa Claus.
The holidays were excellent, but we drove home a day early because Ivy got a cold and we wanted to get home before Creston caught his share. Hey, it's not all fun and games around here. Here's what Ivy looks like when she wakes up at 5:00am to remind us that she's sick.

She's back to her sweet self now though...and Creston never caught the cold which was a serious Christmas miracle.

Happy New Year!

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Holiday Race video

More NH/VT pictures to follow. For now, here is our very first video on the blog! Enjoy.