December!

We, of course, had a home celebration for Dani's 6th birthday.  So much fun.

 School Christmas concert...our fearless Tori had a case of stage fright!

 Not Dani!  She had a blast!

 For the first time we went to the Schenectady PBA Breakfast with Santa.  (Wes never mentioned it before this year, but it is, apparently an annual event.)  Dani meets an elf.

 Tommy was in awe of Santa!

 Another Tori oddity...she wanted no part of Santa.

 Until she got a present, then he got a hug.

 Celebrating Great-Aunt Virginia's 99th birthday at Teresian House.

 Tori had a haircut and asked for a blowout.  She loved it!

 And CHRISTMAS!

Of course, Grandma and Grandpa came!

We hosted a Christmas Eve party and the kids wanted to dress up!

 Posing with Grandma.

 Christmas morning! 

What a smart Santa!  He wrapped each kid's present in different wrapping paper!  Way to go Santa!

 Santa is apparently unfazed by the term "some assembly required".  It took Grandpa and Mommy about 45 minutes to put the trampoline together!  (So worth it, though!)

 No, it's  not KISS or the Insane Clown Posse, Grandma bought facepaints for the kids.  All Grandpa needs is a black star on his eye, and we'd have KISS.

 A balloon animal kit from Grandma.  (She didn't realize we were already pros at these types of balloons!  She tried to get Grandpa to blow them up, and then I broke out the pump!)

 New Years!  We rang the new year in at 8:00pm so the kiddos could participate!  (We also did it at midnight too!)

What a super fun December!

First day of school!

Days before kindergarten started for Dani, we got the call:  our city would offer full-day Pre-K...but since the funding was new, the pre-k students would not start for a week or two while the district figured out the logistics.

 

So, Dani started kindergarten!  Tori was a bit bummed that she could not yet RIDE. THE. BUS. TO SCHOOL.

 

But Dani was stoked...with her light up Mario back pack.

Ten days later, it was time for Tori to go to school too!  A whole day means that she rides the bus with Dani and gets to do big kid things, like pack a lunch and forego naps!  Tommy looks excited in this picture but is woefully lost without the girls around.

 Dani was so excited for Tori's first day, that they agreed to dress the same!  And, every day that week they wanted to be "twinsies", wearing the same clothes to school. Dani was lecturing Tori about the importance of listening to the teacher, and behaving on the bus.

 Tori, meanwhile, had been dreaming about riding the school bus since she saw Dani do it a year ago!

 She mounted the stairs of the bus, with nary a look back.

 Peeked outside the window, and started her journey.

Trip of a lifetime.

 I've got really cool parents.

They're fun.  Super fun.

And they've blossomed as grandparents.  They are so engaged with our kids.

Mom recently retired and they planned the trip of a lifetime.  They bought an RV, and headed east.  Their trip will ultimately take them across the country before heading back to NC.

They spent six days at the house, enjoying the pool and the sunshine.

Motorcycle rides.

 This is what the folks will call home for the next three months.

They left on a Monday with the girls, headed to Rhode Island.

Each of us have a special place--a place that holds memories, that we long for when we are not there.

For me, and my parents, it's the Charlestown Breachway in Rhode Island.

I spent the better part of every summer in a camper, just yards from the beach, playing on the beach, roasting marshmallows, making summertime friends that we'd see every year, and as I got older, flirting with the college park rangers and lifeguards.

There is no place that I would rather spend my time than this sleepy little beach town.

 I was so excited to get there, I convinced Wes that we should leave a day early.

This is the first picture of Tommy's first day at the ocean.  Dani and Tori, having arrived before us were happy to show us around.

 I didn't turn on my laptop once.

The kids didn't miss the lack of electronics.

They were too busy running in the surf and looking for hermit crabs in the breachway.

 Dancing in the ocean.

 Enjoying the glow of the evening sun, showing Grandma their hermit crabs.

 It was dinners out, and the freshest seafood.

Pleasantly wonderful manners too.

 The nightly post-dinner trip back to the beach, just to enjoy the sounds and the sand.

 Maybe the taste of the sand too?

 The smiles never left their faces.

 Ice cream at the end of a hot day.

 And the beginning of sunset while the waves crashed.

Chasing sea gulls.

 Throwing rocks.

 Beautiful sunsets.

 Family.

 The excitement of a door with a Tommy-sized window.

 Snacks at the picnic table.

 The feel of the sand between your toes.

 And just enjoying the love of family.

 Pretending to drive.

 Enjoying the sun.

 And back, for more hermit crabs.

 And then it was time to go, but it felt like we had just arrived.

Because time just kind of stops there.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a trip of a lifetime.

We love you.