Jane and Malcolm

valentines party

2012-02-11T16:48:00.000-05:00

My children spent close to an hour eating cookies, cupcakes, fruit and other treats!

Here's our friend Hannah!

Malcolm got a lot of comments, like: "that guy knows how to party," and: "he looks like a blueberry!"

Cleaning up in the bathroom:

Craft time:

knitted hayride

2012-02-11T16:45:00.000-05:00

Per Leigh's request, here are a couple photos with all the knitted farmyard pieces I have so far.

I used fleecy yarn that Nana mailed me for the sheep!

This isn't part of the book, but I decided we needed a bale of hay. No, it doesn't look much like hay, but if it's next to a horse I think it will be clear.

playground in winter

2012-02-09T09:17:00.004-05:00

This winter has been very warm and not snowy. I can't say I like it, although it's nice to still go to the playground. We went with our friends Rosalie and Nolan last week, and these are from their mom's phone!

Tower Hill Botanic Garden

2012-02-09T09:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we did a workshop at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden. We had never been there before, so it was a nice adventure. The kids had a snack in this gazebo.

We went outside to explore evidence of animals in the wintertime.

Another snack in the Orangerie:

Jane really loved the place but Malcolm wasn't so excited about it. So maybe a girls' excursion in the spring?

science museum

2012-02-09T09:03:00.003-05:00

The first thing we did was to check out the geckos. This was the cutest little guy!

Build a gecko:

Then we went to the moon:

"I'm learning about birds!"

superbowl

2012-02-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Not that it ended well for us, but it was fun to have some team spirit on Sunday. Jane woke up, put on her Patriots shirt and made this sign without us saying anything to her!

We put a table and chairs in the living room so we could eat pizza and watch the beginning of the game. Can you tell the kids liked it?

Malcolm doesn't have a Patriots shirt so he picked the next best thing to wear.

at home

2012-02-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

I haven't been bringing the camera out with us lately, so here are some photos of what we've been doing at home.

I babysat Cassidy last week and we did some crafts:

I love how Westie is in the top of the box!

Jane loves to play in her room:

I finished the pigs to go with the farm!

visitors

2012-01-29T11:22:00.000-05:00

Nana and grandpa came to visit yesterday and Grandpa took some great photos.

mother robin

2012-01-29T11:20:00.000-05:00

Here's another toy I made for Jane. (Free pattern available here!) Malcolm's trying to decide between a snake and a blue whale for my next project.

gymnastics

2012-01-29T11:18:00.000-05:00

I got to join the kids in their class last week!

knit cats

2012-01-23T08:59:00.002-05:00

I made some more progress on the knitted farmyard over the weekend. Now the cats are done!

skating lessons

2012-01-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

Our town has a free outdoor skating rink, so I thought it would be a good idea to have the kids take lessons. I wasn't sure how to teach both of them at the same time! Malcolm seemed kind of stunned and took it slow, and Jane kept falling and getting up and not wanting help. She wasn't upset at all, though.

Here's a quick video:

sledding!

2012-01-21T11:33:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun sledding with Jacob and Eliana!

snuggling

2012-01-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

Jane holding her (40 pound) "baby"

playtime!

2012-01-21T11:26:00.000-05:00

This winter the kids are taking an art class at the local playspace, so that means we get to go whenever we want to play without paying extra. We found after lunch is the best time to go because most other children are taking naps. :)

Jane's in a fire truck and coat way too small for her, but she still had fun!

They have legos different from ours, so that's fun!

Here they are at art class on a different day.

(I didn't really change Jane's name to Maura, the name tag was stuck!)

"Mommy never lets me do this at home!"

playgroup

2012-01-17T13:25:00.004-05:00

Since there was no school today I think everyone forgot to go to playgroup. So we were all alone, but we still had fun!

more snow!

2012-01-17T13:24:00.001-05:00

This winter has been so un-snowy that whenever it snows we all stop what we're doing to go play outside. Jane and Malcolm were working on a "snow slide" that they climbed up and rolled down.

it actually works!

2012-01-17T13:22:00.000-05:00

We were having a problem getting out the door on time. I felt like I had to stand there and dictate: "Put on your hat, put on your mittens," etc. every time we had to leave the house. I wanted to take myself and my frustration out of the equation, so I made a chart for the kids to use.

It's actually working! We've cut down our getting-ready time from about 20 minutes to 10 minutes.

what we did today

2012-01-14T18:14:00.000-05:00

This morning we visited our new friend Rhys!

Then saw a train in Waltham:

Later Jane and Malcolm helped make tortillas.

snow!

2012-01-14T18:12:00.000-05:00

It finally snowed! I didn't get any photos of the kids playing outside, but here you can see our snowman snack and craft.

We also read "Mousekin's Frosty Friend" and the "Snowman Storybook."

thanks, Nana!

2012-01-14T18:10:00.000-05:00

Nana bought this book for Jane when she was a baby and had it autographed. We read it and watched the accompanying DVD the other day and Jane couldn't wait to build her own fairy house.

We gathered all natural materials from the yard.

Almost done:

Waiting to see if any fairies came:

A few additions: birch bark blankets, a swimming pool, some dried crab apples and chives for a snack!

Later Jane made an indoor fairy house in her room. Our kitty Westie actually took a nap in it!

The swimming pool:

thanks, Grandpa!

2012-01-14T18:04:00.003-05:00

Jane and Malcolm painted fish pictures from a coloring book from Grandpa with the foam brushes he gave them.

still fall-like!

2012-01-14T18:03:00.000-05:00

go to jail

2012-01-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what this was all about, but I got a good laugh!

Ecotarium

2012-01-07T12:12:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we were at the Ecotarium with our friends Lily and Nate. The girls had fun climbing the rock wall!

The model train was a big hit also.

The animal encounter was with a corn snake which we had already met during another visit.

final gifts

2012-01-01T11:18:00.003-05:00

After our trip away for Hanukkah and Christmas, it took Jane and Malcolm many days to catch up on sleep. Their behavior was less than ideal, so unfortunately we didn't give them their final gifts until Hanukkah had been over for a few days. The timing worked out well because they got to open them in the morning and play with them all day.

Jane got a cardboard dollhouse to decorate and furnish. She literally spent the entire day working on it! The family is named Mommy, Daddy, Jane, Malcolm and the baby is named Allie. The dog is Spot and the cat is Meow.

Malcolm got a camera just like Jane's, so she was helping him figure it out.

Salem

2012-01-01T11:15:00.004-05:00

We met our friends in Salem at the Peabody Essex Museum last week. Lily, Jane and Tyler are composing a water molecule.

This was a conundrum: Lily wanted to do the puzzle together but Jane wanted to do it by herself. I wonder how sharing at school is going to go for Jane.

Malcolm went fishing.

Rosalie became a witch on our way back from lunch!

We had a great time visiting the galleries.

extended fall

2012-01-01T11:14:00.002-05:00

It still seems like fall here in Massachusetts, so the kids rode their bikes at the park the other day!

Pretending to be trains coupled up:

Harry Potter

2012-01-01T11:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Angie's suggestion, we've been reading the first Harry Potter book. The other day I thought it would be fun to make them glasses to wear. They often hold their wands and we listen to the soundtrack while we read!

more Hanukkah at home

2011-12-27T08:37:00.001-05:00

Playing dreidel with all our gelt:

Our menorah:

L.L.Bean

2011-12-27T08:36:00.002-05:00

We went to L.L.Bean the next morning. The kids loved watching the fish!

Christmas night in the hotel

2011-12-27T08:35:00.003-05:00

Can you tell Jane is tired?

I have a tip for anyone who wants to alleviate a tantrum. Take a video of the tantrum, then show it to the tantrum-thrower. It works every time!

Malcolm's all ready for bed!

Christmas

2011-12-27T08:33:00.003-05:00

We spent Christmas at Grammy's house. She had breakfast for us when we arrived.

Since Ben and Amy were travelling, their dog Maggie was staying with Grammy. Jane was happy about that!

Hanukkah in Maine

2011-12-27T08:29:00.004-05:00

About an hour before we were going to depart, Jane got herself all ready to leave. When I told her we still needed to eat breakfast, she said: "No, we're going out for breakfast."

Grandpa peeling potatoes:

Malcolm looking at a book:

Latkes!

Funny face:

Nana and Jane:

Rayna's new slippers:

Jane got a Jane-sized giraffe towel!

Nana's new cowl:

Samara's and Jake's new hats:

Menorah time:

Hanukkah gifts

2011-12-27T08:26:00.007-05:00

I love that at Hanukkah the kids only get one present a day (or sometimes we skip a day) and they have a whole day or two to play with it before getting another.

Here's Jane's new Cinderella dress. I had gotten her a cheapo one last year but it fell apart!

Cash register/calculator:

Malcolm's new favorite toy:

Of course some new books!

sugar igloo

2011-12-27T08:26:00.006-05:00

Grammy gave us all the supplies to make an igloo out of sugar cubes, plus some cute penguins.

Thanksgiving part 2

2011-12-27T08:24:00.001-05:00

Nana and Grandpa had a lot of snow, so we brought the kids' snowsuits!

I love how the sun looks in this photo.

Snow snack:

Thanksgiving part 1

2011-12-27T08:23:00.001-05:00

First we stopped at Uncle Ben and Aunt Amy's house to visit. Look at Reagan's eyes!

Malcolm not liking his snack?

children's museum

2011-12-27T08:21:00.002-05:00

We went back to the Children's Museum during Thanksgiving week. The reason I'm late posting this is because I had left our point-and-shoot camera in Maine and I just got it back.

We stopped at Central Square in Waltham on the way home. It was really nice out!

Jane's baby bird

2011-12-17T14:43:00.004-05:00

Now Jane can pretend the eggs I knit her previously are hatching into a baby bird.

(Free pattern found here)

gingerbread men (and women)

2011-12-17T14:43:00.001-05:00

sewing project

2011-12-17T14:42:00.001-05:00

Jane made a dress for... can you guess? Susie! And Malcolm made a sleeping bag for his dragon.

Susie with her birthday candle

2011-12-17T14:41:00.002-05:00

During her previous birthday party we had neglected to have a real dessert with a candle on top, so we put one in a cookie I made for a cookie swap.

eye drops

2011-12-17T14:33:00.001-05:00

Jane had a strange look when she got home from the eye doctor!

craft room

2011-12-04T11:50:00.001-05:00

I had been wanting to do this for years. I converted the "office" into a craft room.

Previously, our art supplies were scattered throughout the house. Pipe cleaners, stamps and stickers in the living room:

Crayons and coloring books in the dining room:

Chalk and paint on a shelf with games and puzzles:

Here's how the bookshelf looked before:

Now all the art supplies are together, and easier for the kids to get to!

And now the easel is out full-time.

Jane has declared that the craft room is the best room in the house.

tree trimming

2011-12-04T11:49:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed some homemade eggnog while decorating the tree.

The tree early in the morning:

cat book

2011-12-04T11:48:00.000-05:00

Malcolm is showing Eddie the book we have that looks like him.

camping

2011-12-04T11:47:00.002-05:00

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the kids were pretending to sleep by the (youtube-supplied) campfire in the dark living room!

trouble

2011-12-04T11:47:00.001-05:00

Jane and Malcolm love playing with their new game from Ben and Amy!

new fowl

2011-12-04T11:44:00.000-05:00

I had made the dolls a while ago but I finally knitted the chickens and ducks to go along with them. The final product is meant to be a whole farmyard complete with buildings, animals, trees, fields and flowers. We'll see how long that takes! The kids love playing with these.

snuggle time

2011-11-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

Malcolm wonders why this book isn't called "Malcolm and Jane."

Susie's birthday

2011-11-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

Jane decided that yesterday was her doll Susie's birthday, so she had a tea party for her.

All her gifts:

photos for Dad

2011-11-15T08:23:00.000-05:00

As requested, here are a few random photos from the last week or two.

Lettuce Head:

New exhibit at the Science Museum:

Storytime at the museum:

Naptime after the museum:

An artistic Jane and a curious cat:

no more TV

2011-11-07T08:22:00.000-05:00

A couple months ago I removed TV from our daily routine. I also stopped letting Jane use the computer. The kids were whining before and after the show was over. It seemed like a crazy idea to take it away, being a full-time stay-at-home mom with two young kids who don't go to school or daycare, have any sort of quiet or nap time. The results really surprised me!

The first few weeks were tough. I felt like I never got a break and they still whined a lot about wanting to watch TV. But now that it's been two months, things are so much better. They're getting along better and I find myself having more breaks because they play well together.

Within days of no TV, Jane began tying shoes and reading books out loud to us. She's now very interested in math and has me quiz her frequently.

We still watch a show or two if one of us is sick and sometimes we watch a movie as a family on the weekend, but overall we're mostly TV-free and it's working so well!

baby shower

2011-11-06T08:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon Jane and I went to Boston for my friend Amy's baby shower. We arrived early so Jane played on the playground for a while.

Jane said her favorite part was helping to open presents!

soccer

2011-11-06T08:04:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of soccer and thankfully I remembered the camera!

I can't say Malcolm enjoys standing around in the cold. He could've played with the ball I brought for him, but maybe he was even too cold for that.

I think everyone likes playing at the playground afterwards even more than playing soccer!

hiking

2011-11-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go walking in the woods. Luckily our kids enjoyed it the other day also.

Jacob, Jane and Eliana:

At the end of the trail we get to pretend to "fish" off a dock. A couple weeks ago we actually saw a guy catch a fish there!

farm in the fall

2011-11-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

We went to the farm last week with our friends Ella and Olivia. It was such a nice fall day! The littler kids got a bit grumpy, but Jane and Ella had a great time!

Halloween

2011-11-01T09:38:00.000-04:00

Jane and Malcolm dressed up as pumpkins for gymnastics class.

(That costume couldn't have been easier!)

Our town cancelled trick-or-treating because of all the power lines that are down, so the kids trick-or-treated at home. We hid in different rooms and they knocked on the doors and asked for candy. It was a lot of fun! Malcolm wasn't in the mood for a picture but you can see his farmer costume in an earlier post.

pumpkin carving

2011-11-01T09:37:00.000-04:00

October snowstorm

2011-11-01T09:34:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we got about four inches of wet, heavy snow. Because most of the trees still had leaves, it was so much weight on the branches that a lot of them broke. Thankfully nobody got hurt, we didn't lose power, and only some trees were damaged.

Our magnolia has seen better days:

A big maple that lost lots of branches:

At least Jane gets to ride on the birch that was uprooted!

The snow was just right for making our snow cat:

another halloween party

2011-10-29T15:50:00.000-04:00

Here we are at our parent network halloween party. This time Malcolm wanted to be a bunny again, and Jane was a pumpkin. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend enough time here. Both parents went to a blood drive at different times during the morning and Jane had soccer first. Next year we'll try to spend more time here.

At least Malcolm got enough to eat!

Jane and her friend Cinderella (Ella)

gymnastics halloween party

2011-10-29T15:49:00.000-04:00

For the second time dressing up this year, Malcolm was a farmer and Jane was a ballerina.

Discovery Museum

2011-10-29T15:47:00.000-04:00

We spent a rainy afternoon last week at the Discovery Museum.

pumpkin boy

2011-10-29T15:46:00.000-04:00

Malcolm posed outside for some pictures in his new sweater.

boo at the zoo

2011-10-23T14:49:00.000-04:00

It was fun for the kids to dress up as animals at the zoo. Plus the costumes kept them warm.

swingin'

2011-10-23T14:47:00.000-04:00

At our visit to the orchard the other day, Jane and Lily spent the whole time swinging!

deer

2011-10-23T14:46:00.000-04:00

Check out who's been visiting our crab apple tree!

Pompeii

2011-10-23T14:45:00.000-04:00

It was exciting for Jane and Malcolm to see the Pompeii exhibit since they're so fond of volcanos.

"Applefest"

2011-10-17T19:30:00.000-04:00

Our family's applefest we had back in September was a lot more apple-y than this one that we attended at Mount Wachusset yesterday. It was a lot of fun, though!

Giant pumpkin:

Pony rides:

On top of the mountain:

Riding the ski lift back down:

Malcolm slept on the way home, so it must've been a good time!

treasure hunt

2011-10-17T19:29:00.000-04:00

We went to a harvest festival on Saturday where the kids hunted for "treasure" in the hay.

They later took their tokens and redeemed them for prizes. It was a lot of fun, except it started pouring so we didn't stay too long!

trucks in the rain

2011-10-17T19:28:00.001-04:00

After a week of unsatisfactory behavior, I knew I needed the kids to get some more outside time. So here they are watching some trucks out in the rain near our house.

Oktoberfest/Malcolm's birthday

2011-10-17T19:24:00.000-04:00

We went up to Grammy's barn to have Oktoberfest on Malcolm's birthday.

Jane and Malcolm wanted to bob for apples. I remembered how last year Jane's clothes got soaked so I made them take off their shirts! Luckily it was about 85 degrees out.

Eating the apples!

Here's Aunt Amy and cousin Reagan.

Reagan again:

(Sort of) carving her own pumpkin:

new shirts

2011-10-08T12:29:00.001-04:00

Too bad I didn't get a shot of these before they got food on them! Nana got the kids new Halloween shirts that glow in the dark. You can also see Malcolm's new coat here.

carrot cake

2011-10-08T12:27:00.000-04:00

Jane asked for carrot cake for her birthday!

This might be the last time you see Malcolm with a bib since I told him he doesn't have to wear one anymore when he's 3!

birthday party

2011-10-08T12:24:00.000-04:00

We met our friends at an orchard to have a snack and pick apples. It was cool out, but very sunny!

Waiting for our friends:

Yummy donuts and cider

hayride!

apple picking (and eating):

birthday time!

2011-10-08T12:22:00.000-04:00

Jane's birthday was on Thursday. Malcolm's is on Sunday so we decided to have them both open their presents.

We went to Davis Farmland.

farm visit

2011-10-08T12:20:00.000-04:00

I love how they have the same expression here!

welcome, fall!

2011-09-30T19:36:00.000-04:00

You can't see the hay, but it's a hayride!

pony rides

2011-09-26T19:48:00.001-04:00

We went to a fall festival a couple weeks ago and both kids rode a pony. It seemed awfully big to me but they assured me that it was a pony.

Jane at Fenway

2011-09-26T19:45:00.000-04:00

I took Jane, along with a couple of my friends, to her first Red Sox game a couple weeks ago. We had a great time! We were a little late but otherwise she lasted the whole game. The snacks didn't hurt. We lost and Jane said: "but we win sometimes."

Waiting for the train:

It's big!

Buy me some peanuts and...

real swift

2011-09-13T20:17:00.001-04:00

Nana gave me her old swift she wasn't using anymore. How nice not to have to roll balls of yarn from a tangled mess on my lap! Jane was very eager to help me.

fun out back

2011-09-13T20:15:00.000-04:00

It's still summer for us! Jane has another year before kindergarten and I wouldn't say that I'm homeschooling either. Jane is a very independent learner and we read enough books and visit enough museums that I don't feel like we need a strict schedule. We'll most likely start art class and gymnastics in a few weeks. For now we get to enjoy the nice weather!

Jane is eating her favorite backyard snack: a chive.

art day

2011-09-13T20:14:00.000-04:00

We briefly visited the Boston arts festival on Sunday, then came home and painted some more.

Applefest 2011

2011-09-13T20:12:00.000-04:00

Back to the cottage for Applefest!

Reagan in her apple hat (that I didn't make!)

Jane did most of this herself!

Boston children's museum

2011-09-13T20:06:00.000-04:00

We're visiting a lot of museums in September because everyone is back in school, yet the dreaded school trips haven't started yet. I was right and we lucked out at the children's museum... it wasn't crowded at all! We had never been there before because I was intimidated by being around thousands of loud children, so we caught it at the right time.

Turtles!

You can see on their faces how thrilled they were to find Quack. He's on their favorite show!

If you've ever been here, then you understand that this is the scariest thing ever. It's three stories high and once your child is in there, you can't get them out. It's all enclosed so I wasn't afraid of Jane falling, but I was afraid Malcolm would have to use the bathroom and I couldn't take him! Thankfully that didn't happen!

another beach day

2011-09-13T20:05:00.000-04:00

Labor Day barbecue

2011-09-13T20:03:00.000-04:00

visiting the new park again

2011-09-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

Jane and Duncan

Cassidy and Malcolm

last blueberry picking

2011-09-13T19:59:00.000-04:00

After sweating in the 85 degree, humid air, being bitten by hundreds of mosquitoes and dealing with my son's potty accident, I was happy to have them play on the tractor for a few minutes with Jacob and Eliana before we went home.

I suppose I don't mind waiting 10 months for the next blueberry season.

dressup time!

2011-09-13T19:58:00.001-04:00

Practicing for Halloween is Malcolm as a bunny, Jane as Cinderella, Rosalie as a kangaroo and Nolan as Superman.

outdoor playdoh

2011-09-13T19:56:00.000-04:00

I have my friend Leigh to thank for this idea. Once I realized we could do playdoh outside, I became a much happier mother. If you've ever tried to clean playdoh, you understand.

playing indoors at the cottage

2011-08-30T15:31:00.001-04:00

Tickling Jane in her room

Jane and Reagan's eyes match!

A lantern craft:

Making cookies with Nana, Grandpa and Grammy

Eating the cookies!

Samara and Malcolm

outings in Maine

2011-08-30T15:24:00.000-04:00

Malcolm had a butter nose when we went out to dinner to celebrate Nana and Grandpa's anniversary.

"Eartha" was neat to look at, but had temporarily stopped spinning!

L.L. Bean

outdoors at the cottage

2011-08-30T15:20:00.000-04:00

I was knitting a scarf!

Um... I don't know about this...

Really don't like it!!!

All done!

Jane wanted to float by herself

Malcolm just wanted to hang out with Grammy

Exploring:

Taking a walk

It's called Sunset Point for a reason!

Creating a bird's nest

vacation at the cottage

2011-08-30T15:17:00.000-04:00

We spent last week at the cottage. It was amazing we lasted a whole week! The weather was mostly good and we had a lot of visitors. The sleeping situation was less than ideal, but we kept pretty busy so the kids acted okay.

Reading all the books at the cottage was a real treat for the kids!

splash park

2011-08-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

Jane had fun splashing with Rosalie and Nolan! Malcolm seems to be afraid of the water, but it's cute that his bathing suit matched Nolan's!

the fair

2011-08-15T06:57:00.000-04:00

Malcolm was brave about going on rides!

beach day

2011-08-15T06:54:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to have two families meet us at the beach last week. It was so much fun for the kids to play together, and we had enough adults that whoever wanted to be in the water could, and everyone else could play on the sand.

Jacob, Jane, Malcolm and I were working on a sand castle:

Jane and Clare made big holes in the sand to sit in!

Malcolm and I found some shells and we plan to decorate a picture frame with them.

fun with friends

2011-08-15T06:50:00.000-04:00

We met Rosalie and Nolan at the EcoTarium and we had such a fun time!