Max and Esme

The kids got to visit with six new puppies this evening at Great-Grandpa's house, courtesy of some visiting friends. They gave and received puppy love in equal measures.

The kids and I enjoyed a day off on Friday as we received about 8 inches of snow over the course of the afternoon. We spent the morning making gingerbread houses by the Christmas tree, and the afternoon making snow angels in the back yard and a kangaroo rat snow sculpture in the front. Friday evening we all put on our snow gear and walked the short mile to a friends' open house through the pristine streets of white. By Saturday morning the town crews had the roads down to bare and the small banks alongside were brown and slushy. But people's yards and bushes still looked lovely all weekend long. Pete tooks Max out on his cc-skis yesterday while Esme hopped along in her boots. I do have a couple of pictures and will aim to get them posted before the Christmas ones are due!

The kids and I made cut-out and gingerbread cookies yesterday, then had the neighbor girls over for some decorating. Colored icing and sprinkles were frequently licked from fingers and then dipped back into the bowl, leaving most of the cookies inedible from an adult perspective. Here's a picture of Max's masterpiece - Santa and Rudolph made from the left over gingerbread scraps. Mommy helped a little bit with the form and the baking, and all four kids helped to decorate it. And since Rob asked - here's a close up of Max's whale shaped tree-topper. He was inspired by the many fish and ocean inspired ornaments that we have on our tree which were mostly given to Peter over the years.

I was in London for a few days last week, leaving the kids in the care of their dad and their paternal grandparents. Max and Esme enjoyed the extra attention. We put up our Christmas tree on Sunday and the kids get excited about turning the lights on each evening when we arrive home. Max wrote out a plan for our tree decorating days which included: put up lights and decorations, hot cocoa, make a star, and Christmas cookies. We did the first two as a family, and Max created a paper whale to use a tree-topper this year. We've posponed the cookie making to this weekend's activity.

We upheld two Merrill traditions over the Thanksgiving break. The first tradition was honored on Saturday night when our family dinner consisted primarily of popcorn (with some gingerbread and cheese and apples thrown in) while viewing the original Star Wars movie on television. The kids thought that was a great dinner by the way. The second came on Sunday morning when we awoke to "the big surprise" - our first snowfall of the year. In this instance it was the kids informing the parents who were snug in bed that it was snowing and it was beautiful.

Peter and I were both able to attend the elementary school concert this morning. Each grade took their turn on the risers and the kids sang beautifully for a full house of proud parents, siblings and grandparents. Max's class got to stand in the first row of the 1st graders - '"cause weare the loudest class and so it's an honor." Many of the songs were about being Thankful - and I am every day for my beautiful children and our family.

We went into the city yesterday along with Peter's parents to visit an old friend of the family. To turn the trip into a bigger outing we decided to take the kids to a museum for an hour. Luckily for us, the Morgan Library was hosting an exhibit called "Drawing Babar" featuring watercolors and first editions from the beloved Babar the elephant books. It was a perfect introduction to an art museum for the kids. Each of the sketches and final plates were accompanied by the text from the story, so I was able to walk Esme through the exhibit and read her the book at the same time. Max was most intrigued by the interarctive monitors that let him turn digital pages of an original manuscript and then magnify sections of the page to look at more closely. We also wandered through J.P. Morgans foyer and study where Esme is convinced a prince must have lived. And through his library where Max was hugely impresed by the floor to ceiling book shelves.

For those of you who wouldn't otherwise see them, here are a couple recent pictures of my nephew in Colorado. Keaton is 8+ months old now - with winter coming on will we see him on skis before he begins to walk?

A few pictures with our new British friends: hanging out at home, on the train, and at the aquarium. The kids took to each other immediately and had a great time playing. Hopefully we'll be able to return the visit someday and take a family trip to London.

Despite last weeks election results, there are still some barriers of inequality to overcome. My mom asked Esme this weekend if she was going to be president someday. Esme looked back and her and responded, "No Grandma, I can't be president because I'm a girl." Wanna bet?

I've been home sick for most of the week with a truly nasty virus, but the family is taking very good care of me. Last night Esme snuggled with me in bed during story time and this morning she told Max to snuggle with me because "Mommy is cold and we will warm her up." Thanks, sweetie.

I shouldn't have been so nervous watching the returns last night. After all, the kids knew how to pick the winning side, and with all the political discussion in our home in recent months, both were favoring Obama. Max's shool held it's own election on Monday and Max voted for the school winner, Obama. Esme's preschool held an election on Monday and Esme also voted for the winner, Potato Chips (which beat out Cookies by 18 votes!) Yesterday morning our family went together to our local polling place to cast our votes. This was Esme's first Presidential election and Max's second. Esme went into the booth with me, and Max helped Peter pull the lever. While the kids were asleep long before the electoral counts were in, Peter and I went to bed more confident in our children's future than we had been feeling. I am so much prouder to be an American this morning than I was yesterday.

We had a fun filled Halloween this year. My friend Becky was visiting from England with her husband and two boys (Callum age 6, and Finn age 4) so we went all out. The front porch was decorated with spiderwebs and bats, each kid got to carve a pumpkin, we all watched the parade at Max's school and had cupcakes in his classroom. In the late afternoon we visited a friends house for some social time - they had a parade for the kids in their neighborhood and everyone's houses were highly decorated. We waited until dusk (and for Pete to get home from work) to go trick-or-treating, and then the kids collapsed in front of a movie while the parents shared a beer or two. Headed home around 8pm with Esme asleep on my shoulder for half-mile walk home. Here are a few snaps of the kids who were too excited to sit still, and one of someone's front yard!

Max lost his first tooth this weekend. He came home from school on Friday saying that one of his front bottom teeth was loose, and by Sunday evening it came right out. He left it under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy along with a note that read: "Dear Tooth Fairy, I lost my first tooth by pulling it out. Love Max to the Tooth Fairy." He was very pleased to find the tooth replaced by a crisp dollar bill in the morning.

Saturday was Peter's birthday. When asked by Max what he wanted for a present, Pete told him that he wanted a soccer goal. And of course Max, being Max, delivered. Max was thrilled with his first game goal ever. And he also had a terrific save during his turn in goal - diving into the corner to block a ball. Max's team won handily, and both father and son were very proud.

The usual round of ballet, soccer, birthday parties and boating this weekend. Max did great on the soccer field and Esme fell asleep on the boat ride Sunday afternoon. Not much else to report - a normal weekend all around.

Took a nice day off yesterday and some time to myself. The kids took me to breakfast in the morning where Esme informed our waiter that it was my birthday and Max told everyone that I was now older than Daddy! Esme and Max drew pictures to decorate the dining room and we had a nice family dinner along with birthday cake. The evening ended with some games that Max designed ('cause you have to have games at a birthday party!) including Snako (similar to the limbo but using a stuffed snake) and Lizard, Cat, Dog (otherwise known as duck, duck, goose.) Max made me a birthday card that said "Happy Birthday Mommy. You're 39. Isn't it fine!" Thanks guys - love you.

While I usually only post about the kids, I thought I'd share this photo with you. Caught while fishing in NY harbor, this Striped Bass will be my dinner this evening!

A welcome back to myself after being in London for a week... Here are some pictures of Esme at her first ballet class - taken the day before I left on my trip. Currently it's only Esme and our neighbor Rachel who are in the class on Saturday mornings, so she's getting lots of one-on-one attention. So far she doesn't show any particular aptitude, but she loves the costumes!

After a day of heavy rain on Saturday we had a beautiful summer Sunday to play. The kids and I spent the morning in the backyard with Max inventing 'tours' for Esme and I to take. He narrated our NY City Site Seeing trip along with a Safari adventure. Both were capped off by a visit to the imaginary "Benny's" restaurant where we were allowed to order anything we wanted. After a picnic lunch (a real one) we took a family boat ride and spent some time floating on the calm sound while a bluefish ate Peter's squishy fish lure without actually getting hooked. In the late afternoon the boys took the canoe up the brook to see what wildlife they could find - several species of wading birds and crabs from what I understand. Esme and I weren't quick enough with the camera when they returned to get a good action shot - but here's a glimpse of the afternoon.

A friend sent me this picture from the first day of school. A much better shot than I manged to get!

Max started 1st grade this morning. He's happy to be seeing his friends on a regular basis again. The line up at school this morning was chaotic, but unlike last year when everything was new Max acted like he owned the place. The boys were running around like a herd of wild animals (Max would probably say hyenas or kangaroos) while the girls stood in a cluster near their new teacher. I didn't manage to get any decent pictures at school this morning.. the boys just wouldn't stay still long enough... but here's a few shots from the Max and Esme photo shoot this morning.

Max got to stay home today after running a high fever all day yesterday. It seems to be a 24 hr type bug as he's much improved already. This morning he was happy in the 'nest' we made for him on the daybed and he read several chapters of his books aloud to the listening menagerie.

After six weeks of traveling or having company every weekend, we spent this past weekend as a family. Boat rides, fishing trips, playgrounds, Scooby-Doo and a visit to Playland. A nicely full but fully relaxing weekend was had by all.

Max celebrated his 6th birthday on August 12th with a picnic of cake and pizza, and a boat ride for a few of his friends. While neither the fishing nor the group photo was successful, the boys had a great time trying for both!

Naps. Take them where they fall, part 4 Esme grabbed hers on my shoulder during the ferry ride to Nantucket.

Nantucket Some pictures from our Nantucket trip, playing at the beach and catching crabs.

Dress up Esme is a girly girl. She only wears dresses (she calls them 'princess dresses' of course), she likes to paint her toenails pink, and she prefers to sport 7 barrettes (she calls them hairclips) at at time instead of just two. Last night before bed I was sheparding Max through the pajamas, toilet and toothbrushing routine while Esme was waiting in her room. When I walked in, she proudly displayed Wee Emma, her three foot long stuffed Newfoundland dog, all decked out with beads around her neck, bracelets around her paws, and several hairclips clinging to the fur on top of her head. Truly a dog fit for a princess.

Not fair Life isn't, but try telling that to a not-quite-three-year-old. One of our new routines involves Pete and the kids picking me up from the train station in the evening. I then drive the car home while Peter rides the bike that he left there during the morning commute. Since there is a child seat on the back of the bike, Max has been bringing his helmet along and catching a ride home with Daddy. Esme got her first turn on Monday, and was thrilled. Max and I were stopped at one of the many lights along the way when Pete and Esme passed us on the bike. Esme waved frantically from her rear seat yelling "Hi Mommy! Hi Max!" while Max was encouraging me to run the red light so they wouldn't beat us home... Last night was Max's turn. As soon as Max got out of the car Esme started in with the "It's not fair, I want it to be my turn" rhetoric. In an effort to distract her from whining I asked her if she had had a nice day. "No," she a...

Beating the heat It's been well over 90 degrees and humid for several days now. Yesterday we spent some time outside in the morning before it became too hot to play. Then a trip to the Y for some indoor swimming to cool off. We had the shallow end of the pool to ourselves, so there was lots of room to play. Esme insists that she can 'do it myself' and paddles around with the help of a bubble around her waist. After lunch and naptime we took the boat out for a ride. The breeze on the water made it quite comfortable, but there were too many waves to go far. We borrowed a mooring in the harbor and the kids took turns jumping off the back of the boat to be caught by Peter. I stayed onboard to lift them out again after each turn. Aside from the temperature, it was a lovely day.

A Barbaric Yawp

Different approaches These two pictures illustrate the difference in how each of the children approached swimming in the lake. Although I expect the difference is based more on age and experience than temperament. I fully expect Esme to surpass her brother in feats of 'dare-devilry' sometime soon!

South Lake Photos will have to wait until Dad emails some, for while I did carry my camera to South Lake this weekend, I never did get it out of my purse... We arrived in time for bedtime on Friday with much excitment. As we drove down the last stretch of maccadam Esme was calling out from the back seat "I'm coming Grandpa! Don't worry about me - I'm coming!" We had the most gorgeous Saturday imaginable at camp. Perfect weather and bugs only found in the deep woods. We took a lovely cruise around the lake and the kids enjoyed playing on the new swing set that Grandma and Grandpa had erected on Friday. But the big draw was the lake. Max spent hours playing in the shallows, hunting for treasure, and escaping from sand tiger sharks. Esme made up her own games in the water, spreading muddy sand on her legs and then wading in to wash them off. The kids went to bed exhausted and everyone had a great time.

Summer Camp Max is attending Ecology Camp this week at a local nature conservancy. The property includes woodland, meadow, and shoreline habitats. The kids seem to be having a great time exploring and learning about the flora and fauna. They have also made such useful items as ink from grasses and balls from clay. Max is in his element, and we have already signed him up for another week in August. This weekend he'll get to put his new knowledge to the test, as we're headed to South Lake for an extended visit with Grandma and Grandpa.

Happy Birthday America We spent our 4th of July weekend upstate with Colleen, Jim, Liam and Molly. On the ride up Peter and I discussed with Max the significance of the 4th of July date. Max explained to us that he understood what the Revolutionary War was about - "America wanted to be its own island, previously it belonged to Europe. George Washington crossed the Delaware and we beat the British." Yep, that pretty much sums it up. We had some disagreement though when it came to talking about age as Max refused to differentiate between the age of the country and the age of the earth. Colleen and I took Max and Liam to see the town's firework display on Saturday night - a first for both of them. We were invited to view them from a friend's property, High Goal Farm , which turned out to be a small mountain with a 30 mile view that also looked directly across to the fireworks. Before heading up the mountain for the main event our hosts treated their guests to an exhibiti...