More fun at Grandma's

The day after Thanksgiving, we headed over to visit Dave's grandmother, who everyone calls Memire,  Mim has faced a lot of health problems recently so it was great to see her doing well.  The kids were a little shy and grouchy at first, but then they saw that Mim had a Christmas tree and some goldfish crackers, so everything was fine after that!  They had fun running around and on each lap, they ran by Mim and stopped to get a hug.  It is very special that our kids have great grandparents in their lives!

When we got back, Grandma had a fun project set up for us.  We used peanut butter and pine cones to make birdfeeders and then decorated a tree with our projects.  The girls really loved it, and the boys actually did, too!  Mostly, they liked scooping the birdseed and dumping it over the pine cones.  Also, they love doing anything that Rachael does.

The weather this November has been unbelievably cooperative, so it was great to spend time outside!  At Grandma's house, there is plenty of room to run and the air is crisp and clean.

Because it was so nice out, the kids were able to explore a bit.  Daddy took the boys down to check out the pond on Grandma's property.

 The boys loved having so much space to run.  They are sort of like dogs, that way.

For the record, this vehicle was not running or even on.  She just wanted to climb up and sit on it for a minute.

Thanks to all of our NY family for a great visit.  The kids had fun and made some great memories!

Over the river and through the woods...

To Grandma's house we go!  We packed up the car and the kids and headed to NY for Thanksgiving this past week.  The kids were so excited to visit Grandam and Grandpa and to see Rachael.  They were also looking forward to seeing Rosie (the dog) and And Ry... that's what Mairead calls Aunt Ry.  The kids were really great in the car- thanks to the dvd player that Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids last year.  It was a lifesaver!  We did watch They Might Be Giants... Here come the ABCs about 20 times, but they loved it!  It's actually a great dvd for helping kids learn letters.

When we got to Grandma's house, the kids were instantly energized and had a great time running around and playing with their cousin.  They pretty much worship Rachael and she was so great and so patient with them.  It was so nice to see the cousins playing together... especially Mairead and Rachael.  If Mairead can't have a big sister, I am glad she looks up to her cousin so much! 

The boys had fun running all over the place, playing trains, and jumping on the air mattress that would be Mairead's bed.  They chased Rosie and Ava (the cat) around a bit, too.  At one point, Jack looked at Rosie and then at me and said, "Um, Mommy?  I think Rosie is feeling a little jealous."  Where does he come up with this stuff???

Grandma and 'AndRy' had some great gifts waiting for the kids so they spent some time coloring with their aunt and cousin.  Jack and Ben kept their bowties and suspenders on for about five minutes.  "No necklace!  I don't want to be beautiful anymore!"

Ben's tie is blue.  Also, we got the boys hair cut last week and for the first time, they have different styles.  Jack's is pretty short while Ben's still has some length.  Maybe this will make it easier to tell them apart?

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner and enjoyed the afternoon with the family.  We hope that the boys' whining about who had what train wasn't too bad!  For the first time ever, they did not nap at all, so they were a little, um, challenging, from about 5-7pm.  Then, they stayed awake laughing their heads off in their pack n' plays until 11pm!

That late night didn't bother them, though, we had a very busy and fun day the next day!