Little Cowles News

Wesley's first joke

2012-02-12T21:22:00.002-05:00

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Aren't you glad I didn't say octopus?

Juggling show

2012-01-30T13:00:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, we took Claire and Wesley to see the Truly Marvelous Loon (juggling and comedy act) at the Kids in the Rotunda at the Overture Center in downtown Madison. Wesley has always been interested in juggling, so we thought he’d enjoy it and we were right. He LOVED it. The Loon juggled the typical bowlings pins (which he hit himself in the head with to show the audience that no one would get hurt even if he dropped one), and he did a plate spinning act where he balanced 10 plates on pointy sticks at once. Then, he handed out stuffed monkeys that people could sling-shot at the plates to knock them off when he was done. Wesley loved that part. At the end of the act, he showed everyone that juggling scarves (or plastic bags) was a good way to learn how to juggle because they float down and then he ended the show by juggling three full sized bean bag chairs. One landed on his head at the end, which Wesley also loved.

After the show (and ever since), Wesley has used plastic bags and his bowling pin set to put on his own shows at home. He always starts each show from behind the couch, shouting “Attention Everyone. The show is about to start.” Then, he will hit himself in the head with the bowling pins (not juggling them, just showing that it didn’t hurt; which it actually does because his bowling pins are harder than the Loon’s). Then, he’ll juggle two plastic bags. Sometimes even adding flair like putting them under his leg or behind his back. It is super cute.

This morning, he asked to bring ~20 plastic bags to school to teach his friends how to juggle. I can't wait to hear about it when I pick him tonight.

Christmas photos

2012-01-12T13:02:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure how this happened, but I thought I'd already posted our photos from Christmas. I know I put them on Facebook, but must have forgotten to upload them here too. Anyway, sorry for the delay, but here are some of the best photos from Christmas Eve and morning.

Enjoying a fire with Daddy on Christmas Eve (Claire is blowing to indicate that the fire is hot).

By the fire with Mommy on Christmas Eve.

Before bed on Christmas Eve.

Claire trying on the bracelets that Santa brought her in her stocking.

Morgan playing with her new reindeer toy.

Wesley opening his dump truck and 'scooper' from Santa while Claire plays with his slinky.

Claire playing with her new kitchen.

Mommy and Claire.

Covering up "baby" for "nigh nigh" time

Cheese!

Trying out his new rocket from Aunt Emily

More Cheeses!

Playing on the slide from Grandma and Grandpa Pataky

"Weeeee" (Claire's favorite new word)

Showing off his monkey skills.

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful gifts. We had a great holiday and hope you did too!

Wesley's art

2012-01-12T09:30:00.002-05:00

When Wesley comes to work with me, he often entertains himself by drawing a picture on the dry erase boards we have in the lab. Here's his latest work of art, entitled "Man with recorder". (He recently got a recorder and has loved playing it so much that he wanted to draw a picture of it)

Santa's visit photos (finally)

2011-12-18T21:31:00.004-05:00

As promised, pictures from Santa's visit to our house

Wesley, pre-visit, completely unaware that Santa will be there soon.

"Um... are you sure he's ok?" (He really wasn't acting unsure of Santa, but he sure looks it in this shot)

Merry Christmas!

Again, another serious face from Wesley, and our attempt to get Claire in the photos (even though she didn't want anything to do with Santa)

Wesley with the gingerbread house that we made together (from a kit)

I want THIS one. (Talking about what piece he wanted to eat first)

Cheese!

He really wanted to taste one of the peppermint candies.

Yum!!

Santa's visit

2011-12-09T15:39:00.002-05:00

Last night, we had a surprise visitor stop by the house. Well, it was a surprise for the kids. Charles and I knew he was coming. Our neighborhood organizes an event where volunteer Santas and sometimes their elf or Mrs. Claus helpers come visit the kids at their homes. All we have to do is sign up via email. Super easy and so cute to watch.

So, I was keeping an eye out for Santa at the front window last night before dinner (he was scheduled to arrive at 6:00) when Wesley noticed me. He stopped what he was doing and started watching out the window. Funny enough, that's when Santa drove by (he was riding in the passenger seat of a minivan) with the lights on in the car. Wesley saw him, shrieked that he saw Santa, and then started getting really upset when Santa kept going. (I think the driver wasn't totally sure where our house was) Wesley was very upset that Santa hadn't come to his house because he really wanted to talk to him about Christmas gift ideas. I convinced him that Santa was probably going to another child's house first and would be back later or that his driver was lost (NOT Santa, of course, because he knows where everyone lives).

Sure enough, the car came back within seconds and Wesley started jumping up and down when he saw Santa get out and start walking up our driveway. He ran to the front door and whipped it open. Santa yells out "Why, hello Wesley!" At this point, Wesley goes still, opens his eyes as far as they can go, and has this look on his face like "Santa knows my name!!!" He lets Santa in and after some coaxing proceeds to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas. (Santa wants snow for Christmas if anyone was wondering) Wesley told him that he wanted a garbage truck, a dump truck, and a scooper (our slang for excavator). (Two out of three are in our closet; the garbage truck was a new addition to the list).

Claire was being super shy, hiding her head in my shoulder, and even started to cry when Santa got too close. She eventually warmed up (some) when she saw Wesley was ok with him, but still didn't want to get too close. Wesley informed Santa that Claire wants a baby for Christmas. (And, to clarify for some people, that's a baby DOLL, not another baby sibling. Don't get any ideas from that statement.)

We were able to get some pictures of Wesley with Santa and some with Wesley, Santa, and Daddy holding Claire nearby. I haven't gotten them off my camera yet, but will upload them along with a short video I took of Santa's arrival soon.

Wesley couldn't stop talking about Santa's visit for the rest of the evening. He was very excited to tell his friends about the visit today at school and had all kinds of questions about how Santa got in the chimney, how his gift would possibly fit into a stocking (which is where he thought all gifts from Santa had to go), why Santa's reindeer had to wait at the elementary school down the street while he was visiting us (that was Santa's explanation for where they were), etc. It was a very fun evening and we're happy to be part of such a great neighborhood tradition.

Thanksgiving weekend

2011-12-01T12:54:00.002-05:00

Here are some more pictures from Thanksgiving weekend.

Claire and Wesley loved building towers and knocking them down (or, said another, more accurate way, having Grandpa Snook build towers and then they got to knock them down)

A cute demolition crew

Domino blocks

Ribbon dancing

Uncle Mark introduced Wesley to Angry Birds, which he now loves.

One of Claire's new favorite things to do is to sit down next to Morgan's bowl and hand feed her her food, piece by piece.

No, Mommy, I promise that I'm not eating it. (crunch, crunch, crunch)

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T17:14:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving morning, Aunt Ann and Grandpa Snook ran in the Berbee Derby in Fitchburg, along with a huge number of other people. Here we are waiting for the race to start.

With Uncle Mark.

Playing "jump the crack" when we got bored waiting for the race to start (we got there too early)

The runners, post-race

Wesley helped me stuff the turkey this year.

And loved putting the ingredients inside the bird himself.

Helping Uncle Mark with the mashed potatoes

On a completely unrelated note, Wesley was asking the other day about what it was like to eat coconuts, so we bought him one.

Daddy cut it open and they poured out the milk. Wesley was very apprehensive about trying it but watched curiously as Aunt Ann and Daddy drank it.

Mmmm, good. Ok, so maybe it's not bad.

I'll try it too.

OH! Yuck!!!!

First Thanksgiving at the new house. What a great visit with family!

Halloween!

2011-11-01T13:19:00.002-04:00

Wesley in his skeleton costume. He didn't want to wear the mask last night but I put it next to him on the steps so everyone could see it. He'd worn it so many times to scare people in the days before Halloween, that I think he was tired of it.

Claire in her Little Red Riding Hood costume. She wouldn't stand still, and this was the best shot I could get.

Wesley with his friend Maddox leaving the first house while Claire goes up with Daddy to see what the boys had been doing.

Checking out the loot from the first house. She pulled out both pieces and tried to leave them there on the sidewalk.

Keeping up with the boys.

Giggling and screeching as she ran to catch up.

"Trick-or-treat!" (Wesley and Maddox had lots of fun together, when they weren't arguing about whose turn it was to ring the bell)

Claire picking out something good (and probably something she won't be allowed to eat)

Wesley trying out Maddox's costume after they were done trick-or-treating.

Pumpkin carving

2011-11-01T13:13:00.003-04:00

A few days before Halloween, Grammy and I helped the kids carve some pumpkins. Wesley liked pulling out all the goop and Claire liked pulling goop and seeds out and trying to eat them. Messy, but fun.

Claire trying to see what's inside the pumpkin (and why we're all making a big fuss about it)

Getting ready to taste the scoop after it's been in the pumpkin.

Wesley making sure we got all the goop (and copying Claire).

Off to the next pumpkin (and a good shot of how much she managed to get on her shirt).

And on her face.

Carving with Grammy and making an "Ewwww" face

What's in here?

Taking another look in the pumpkin to see if there was any good stuff left.

October Cowles visit

2011-11-01T12:59:00.002-04:00

Grammy and Papa Cowles came for a visit of the long Halloween weekend. They helped us accomplish many of the things we wanted to get done around the house (stripping wallpaper, installing smoke detectors, etc.) and enjoyed spending time with Wesley and Claire. (Thank you for all the help!) They also rented a full-sized van to bring up some things from Kansas to furnish the house. Wesley was fascinated by the van and wanted to go for a ride. We pacified him with some trips up and down the driveway. These are some pictures of his first trip with Papa.

Papa wearing his favorite hat and Wesley wearing the kid's version he received from Papa and Grammy as a gift.

Happy to be getting to ride in the van.

Putting on his worker gloves (not sure why, but it was funny)

Smile for the camera!

What a cutie! (And, yes, his shirt is on backwards. He wanted to see the ball and couldn't see it when it was on his back.)

Getting ready to go.

Helping Grammy strip wallpaper in the family room. Grammy and Papa did practically the whole room while they were here. What a huge help! We're hoping to have it cleaned, primed, and painted by Thanksgiving and will give an "after" picture then.

Halloween bonfire

2011-10-27T16:25:00.002-04:00

Last night, our neighborhood had their annual Halloween bonfire in Everglade Park behind our house. Our neighborhood representative came over before dinner, gave us a welcome basket, and invited us to join in the fun. So, after dinner, Wesley put on his Halloween costume and all four of us went over the backyard fence to the park. The bonfire was fun for the kids to watch and there were hot chocolate and donut holes (which even Claire enjoyed). Wesley was fascinated by all of the other neighborhood kids in their costumes. He also had lots of questions about how the fire was burning the wood and why a man (also in costume) was spraying the surrounding grass with a hose. He also wanted to know about how the pile of wood kept getting smaller and how the fire would turn the wood to ash. It was a fun discussion.

At one point in the evening, a group of teenage boys were playing soccer at the goal that’s permanently set up at the park. Wesley was avidly watching them play (and I’m sure he wanted to join in but knew he would be too little). One boy saw Wesley watching, came over, and said “Hey little dude. Your costume is sweet.” Wesley didn’t say anything, but he had this look of utter joy on his face. A big kid had talked to him and had told him that his costume was ‘sweet’. (He didn’t know what that meant, but when I explained that the boy liked his costume and thought it was really cool, his smile only got bigger.)

He also managed to come across someone else’s wand (from a wizard costume) in the dark using his flashlight. We found the boy who was searching the grass for it and Wesley was extremely proud that he had helped this boy find part of his costume.

Claire wanted to play soccer too and kept trying to run into the group of boys as they were kicking the ball around. And, she ‘chased’ (followed) a squealing group of girls in fairy and princess costumes for a while and was screeching away to join in the fun. All in all, a great first neighborhood event for the family.

Wesley introduces his family

2011-10-24T15:57:00.000-04:00

When Wesley started school a few months ago, they were asked to bring in a family picture. They've been spending part of the art time making frames for the photos. Now that they're all done, the kids have been taking turns describing their families and answering any questions the other kids have. The teachers send out transcripts for each kid's discussion, which are hilarious. It was finally Wesley's turn to go today, and the transcript is below. Surprisingly, no one asked him if he had an iPad or how many couches he has (those have been common questions over the past few weeks).

Enjoy!

Kim

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joyce Erickson

Greetings,

Today Wesley introduced us to his family:

Wesley: This is Charles, and that’s me, and that’s Clare (sp?) and that’s mommy, Kim. Charles is my dad. Clare is the baby. I like to play hide and seek with my mommy. I like to play baseball with my mom and dad.

Megan: What do you like to do with your whole family?

Wesley: I like playing with my baby, Clare baby.

Bailey: Do you have computers?

Wesley: Yes, we have 2. Actually we have 3.

Addie: Do you have a dog or a cat?

Wesley: I have a dog, Morgan. I don’t have a cat because Morgan likes to chase cats.

Grant: Do you have a pumpkin at your house?

Wesley: I actually have 5 pumpkins, because I have my school one. Mike gave me a big one.

Cecily: How many calculators do you have at your house?

Wesley: I don’t have a calculator.

Dafna: Do you have the book, “Ducks Don’t Wear Socks?”

Wesley: No, I don’t.

Maya: How old are your mom and dad?

Wesley: I think my dad is 7. I think my mom is 8.

Marika: Do you have a computer?

Wesley: Yes, 3.

Alex: What color is your room?

Wesley: White. It’s my own room.

Paula: Have you always lived in Madison?

Wesley: No, I lived in Chicago and New Jersey. And then the moving truck came.

Thank you, Wesley.

Paula, Samantha (Joyce is out today) and Rosemary

Family Photo

2011-10-24T09:43:00.003-04:00

We used the tripod yesterday and took a few family photos to have a record of our family around the time we moved into the new house. Here's one of the best shots.

Fall photos

2011-10-09T22:03:00.004-04:00

On the front porch, enjoying the beautiful fall day.

Cheese!

Showing off his pumpkin choices

Watching her brother ham it up.

Mommy, my pumpkin fell down! Help me, I can't pick it up.

Helping Mommy rake the leaves.

Running through the leaf pile.

Daddy showing the kids how to jump in the leaves

Claire's hair

2011-10-09T22:01:00.001-04:00

Look how long her hair is getting!

She loves her pigtail, even though it goes straight up in the air. Super cute.

Random Sept pictures

2011-09-11T21:15:00.002-04:00

Claire's hair is getting close to being long enough for pigtails and other fun stuff. Here, she's sporting one of her first hair clips. She usually leaves them alone for a while but ends up pulling them out.

Wesley wanted in on the hair clip action.

On a recent trip to the grocery store, I let Wesley pick out a box of cereal. He chose Rice Crispies (which he's never had before). He loved that it was "talking" cereal and kept trying to listen to it talk to him. He got so into it, that he didn't notice when he dipped his head into the cereal. Check out the cereal in his hair and on his cheek.

Super happy with his new cereal (and wearing it too).

Not sure why Claire looks so shocked in this picture. I think she was probably just babbling at me and I caught her in an awkward pose. I thought it was cute to picture her saying "OMG!"

Trying out the carpet sample to make sure it will be soft enough for napping.

Claire's birthday cake

2011-08-23T14:05:00.003-04:00

Here's a video of Claire eating her first birthday cake. Although she didn't face plant into the cake like Wesley did with his first cake, she definitely seemed to like it. She ate it fairly slowly, so this video is only of her eating part of the cake.

Claire walking

2011-08-23T14:02:00.002-04:00

A short video of Claire walking. She's been getting better and better and can now walk across the room and back without falling or holding on to anything.

More Beach trip 2011

2011-08-23T13:52:00.002-04:00

Another video from the beach trip. The cousins are at it again, playing in the water together.

Beach trip 2011

2011-08-23T13:39:00.003-04:00

Here is one of the videos from our trip to Emerald Isle, NC in July. Wesley is playing with his cousins Annika and Kelan, running back and forth on the beach between Grandma and Grandpa Pataky.

Pre-fireworks

2011-08-23T13:29:00.002-04:00

I downloaded a bunch of videos from our camera yesterday and picked out a few to share. This one is super cute, so even though it's older, I couldn't resist putting it up. For the 4th of July, Daddy took Wesley to watch the fireworks (for the very first time). This video is of the two of them sitting in the back of the CRV, waiting for the fireworks to start.

Birthday presents

2011-08-23T10:41:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of Claire's birthday presents.

Making an apple pie with Wesley.

See Mama. A spatula!

Cutting the pie.

Actively describing how good the pie is going to taste.

Playing (eating) with the fish game (not a present, just a new hobby of Claire's)

Sporting his new Jayhawks hat

Claire wanted to try it on too.

It's a little bit big for her.

Although, she can see if it's backwards.

Eating another favorite present (the ribbons)

Brithday cake

2011-08-21T22:29:00.002-04:00

Even though Claire's birthday isn't until Tuesday, we decided to celebrate with cake today. I made a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and we sang Happy Birthday before giving her a piece of her own. There was no face-plant, like with Wesley's first birthday, but she definitely liked the cake. (We took a video, but I have to find the cords to upload it to my computer; so it's coming soon)

With a big mouth full of cake.

Want some?

Yummy!

Check out these hands, Daddy!

About to toss the rest of the floor (which Daddy catches)

Claire - August

2011-08-21T22:24:00.004-04:00

Here are some random pictures of Claire, playing around the apartment from this weekend.

Munching on her brother's tools.

My little imp

Playing peek-a-boo around the furniture while cruising around the room.

She's walking on her own now and can walk back and forth across a room without falling.

She has to stop to rebalance herself occasionally, but she doesn't fall.

Made it!

Henry Vilas Zoo (Madison)

2011-08-05T22:52:00.003-04:00

This morning, Wesley, Claire, and I celebrated finding a daycare for them by going to the Madison zoo. Here are some pictures from the Children's zoo.

Little Joey Wesley.

Wesley wouldn't stick his head and arms out of the turtle shell, and this look he's giving me is because I made him take a picture when other kids were trying to get in the shell with him. The picture taking wasn't bugging him, but he does not like to be in small places with kids he doesn't know.

Sliding down one of the slides.

Climbing up the tree house net.

The treehouse from the outside.

Claire, watching her brother play.

Outside the giraffe pen. (We had to take this picture because Claire was wearing her giraffe-print pants)

Cheese!

Wesley the lion.

IL stop on the way to Madison

2011-08-05T21:27:00.009-04:00

In the drive to Madison, we stopped in Columbus, OH and Champaign, IL to help break up the trip. On the way, Wesley asked if he could "go in the deep corn with Grandpa". So, when we arrived, Grandpa Pataky took us to his corn fields.

Grandpa and Wesley checking out the corn.

Harvesting his first ear.

Oops! Pulled a little too hard.

Grandpa kept encouraging Wesley to try some, but Wesley was hesitant. Here, he finally tried some called Obsession.

When Grandpa tries corn in his fields, he often spits it out (because eating too much raw corn can do things to your digestive system). Wesley saw him spit it out and thought that that's what you were supposed to do. So, after one bite, he bent over and spit it out.

Picking corn with Grandpa and Daddy.

See Mommy!

Ready, set, pull ...

After the corn field trip, Wesley wanted to run in the sprinkler(s).

He loved getting sprayed in the face.

And had a great time.

Look at him go!

Claire liked crawling around in the grass after wiffle balls

She also liked trying to touch the sprinkler. She and Mommy ran up to the sprinkler, she reached out to touch it, and then we would run away before getting wet.

Claire thought this was hilarious.

Practicing her walking.

Checking out the 'bin' for the balls.

Toddling over to Mommy. (She can take 8-10 steps on her own now. We're trying to catch this on the video camera to share soon.)

The busy Cowles family

2011-08-05T21:23:00.002-04:00

Sorry for not posting anything in a while. We've been a little on the busy side. As of last Saturday evening, we have officially relocated to Madison, WI. Charles started his new job at Epic on Monday (and I start my new job at UW in Plant Pathology on September 1st). The kids and I spent the week finding them a daycare (which we can know say that we've been successful). They start their next Tuesday and I start looking at houses with our realtor. Needless to say, it's been a very busy July and start to August.

I have pictures to post from our beach trip to Emerald Isle, NC, which we managed to squeeze in between leaving our old jobs and moving to WI. However, they are on Charles' computer and will have to be put up here later.

In the meantime, enjoy some pictures from our stop in Champaign, IL as we drove to Madison. And, our second trip to the Henry Vilas Zoo (Wesley's new favorite zoo).

Grandparents Cowles visit 2

2011-06-30T11:52:00.004-04:00

Grammy, Wesley, Claire, and I went to Grounds for Sculpture on the last day of their visit (while Poppa and Daddy went to the Princeton Art Museum). We had a good time checking out the different sculptures and Wesley especially liked checking each one for the red or green sign. Red means stay off and green means that you can touch the art.

There are these very realistic sculptures of people all over the grounds. Some are set up to look like they're looking at the art and you have to do a double take before you realize it's not a real person standing there. Wesley liked this couple that's relaxing under an evergreen tree.

He wanted to take their sunglasses off, but they were glued on.

Roooarrrrrrr!

ROOARRRRRR!!!!! (This one was louder.)

Seeing if the bamboo will fall down when you shake it. (It didn't)

A tree tunnel path.

Posing with Grammy and Claire by the rock man.

Wesley took the green signs a little too literally for this sculpture and wanted to try out the stairs. In his defense, he saw other kids doing it first and wanted to try it himself.

I have no excuse for why I didn't stop him. He was being careful and it seemed like the sculpture could take it.

"Look Mommy! A circle and a triangle!"

This snake sculpture was really cool. Wesley walked from its head to its tail and back again. I especially like the bulge in the middle like he's just eaten something.

There are peacocks (and peahens) walking all over the grounds and the first one we saw let Wesley actually touch its tail. (It was facing away from us and I don't think it even noticed he was there.) Wesley loved that and wanted to touch all of them. He tried to sneak up behind this guy, but the bird saw him and got up and walked away before he could touch it.

Another farm trip

2011-06-30T11:47:00.002-04:00

Since I hadn't posted pictures in a while, I have some old ones to share too. These are from a different trip to the farm.

Guinea fowl. Wesley liked this gals because they let him get pretty close before they ran away. And, they didn't try to chase him like the regular hens.

Wesley's favorite farm activity: riding the tractor tricycles.

Claire watching Wesley ride.

Not sure what he was yelling about. I think he was just being silly about something.

Walking to the tractor ride (a real tractor pulling a wagon) with our friends.

Grandparents Cowles visit

2011-06-29T21:56:00.007-04:00

It's been awhile since I last posted pictures (sorry! I've been really busy). In early June, Grandma and Grandpa Cowles came for a visit before their trip to Scotland. Here are some quick snapshots of their visit.

On day 1, we went to Terhune Orchard (the "farm") to see the animals and ride the tractors.

Feeding the goats with Grammy.

Riding the tractor (or lawn mower, like Grandpa's, as Wesley says)

Our happy camper afterwards. He really did NOT want his picture taken. Can you tell?

On day 2, we took Grandma and Grandpa to the Adventure Aquarium. Wesley is a little happier in this picture.

After the aquarium, the boys went to see the Battleship New Jersey. Unfortunately, there lots of ladders that Wesley couldn't climb, so this is as close as they got.

On day 3, we went to the Jersey shore for a beach trip. Here, we're walking on the boardwalk next to the beach.

Building castles with Mommy.

The shore has lots of carnival rides. Here, Daddy and Wesley are riding on the train (which had an engine that looked a little like Thomas the Tank Engine). Wesley also rode on the flying elephants (like Dumbo at Disney World), a fire engine ride, and another car ride. Not surprisingly, he didn't want to leave.

IL visit 4

2011-05-23T11:16:00.004-04:00

Second trip to the castle park. Hugging the "kissing hammers" sculpture.

Rope climbing with Grandpa

Swinging with Grandma.

Grandma, Mommy, Aunt Ann with Claire.

Swinging with Grandpa.

Wheeee!

Claire wasn't so sure of the swing at first. We quickly had her laughing.

Mommy and Claire at the park.

We went to see the horses after the park visit.

Watching the mommy and baby horses.

"Whoa! That's a big horse! Don't let him bite your fingers!" (Grandpa was feeding him some grass).

Eyeing up the horse.

IL visit 3

2011-05-23T11:03:00.006-04:00

Mommy and Claire, ready for the graduation ceremony.

The whole clan after the ceremony.

Three U of I grad siblings and one more in the works.

Watermelon!

Claire's first watermelon.

Oh! It's cold!

Playing pool on Grandpa and Grandma's table.

Future pool shark.

Who me?

Post-bath cuteness.

IL visit 2

2011-05-23T10:57:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, we took the kids for a ride on the train in Monticello. It was about a 10-15 minute ride each way, and the kids loved it.

Checking out the caboose with his cousins.

On the train.

Sitting with cousin Kelan.

All the older cousins: Annika, Wesley, and Kelan.

All five kids together.

Mommy and Claire.

Checking out the engine.

Posing with Daddy.

On the train again.

Claire: "I want your bottle!"
Grady: "Trade you for your pacifier."

The boys (sans Kelan) on the train.

Wesley with Grandpa Pataky.

IL visit 1

2011-05-23T10:50:00.004-04:00

We drove back to IL for Aunt Ann's graduation last week and spent a few days fun days with family while we were there. Here are some pictures from the "castle" park near Grandma and Grandpa Pataky's house. (That's not really the park's name, but the play structure looks like a huge castle, so the kids call it that.)

Mommy and Wesley up on the castle.

Getting ready to go down the slide.

Climbing the spider web.

Making sure we stay on the tires so the alligators don't get us.

Getting braver!

Not so sure of the tire swing.

Monkey bar time!

Riding Grandpa's tractor (aka lawn mower). Wesley LOVED this.

Claire and Mommy watching the tractor ride.

Meeting cousin Grady for the first time.

All the little kids at breakfast. Cousins Kelan, Annika, and Grady. Uncle Andy. Claire, Mommy, and Wesley.

Mother's Day photo fun

2011-05-09T12:13:00.002-04:00

Wesley and I had fun playing around with the computer's photo booth application yesterday. He loved it.

Cheeese!

This was the effect that Wesley liked the best.

Mother's Day weekend

2011-05-09T12:04:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, we took the kids to the sandbox park. The weather was beautiful and we had a nice picnic lunch while watching a t-ball game going on nearby.

Exploring the grass and flowers.

Trying out her new found ability to crawl (She just started on Friday).

Still not sure about that grass stuff.

Thinking about it...

Skating down the slide.

Zoo trip

2011-05-02T09:31:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, we took another trip to the Philadelphia zoo to use our membership one more time (before it expired). We went with some friends from work, which included Wesley's friend Mya and another little boy named Alex. The weather was great and the kids had a lot of fun.

Looking at tigers with Daddy.

Claire liked the zoo too!

Wesley riding George, the camel. Daddy was supposed to ride with him, but even though the woman selling the tickets said that he could, the man at the actual ride wouldn't let him ride. Fortunately, Wesley was ok with riding with this girl (whom we don't know).

He didn't crack a smile the whole time, but wanted to do it again, so he must have liked it.

Wesley and Mya checking out the ferrets at the children's zoo.

Say Cheeese!

Driving the tractor.

We also let Wesley ride one of the little ponies on this trip.

Again, he wouldn't smile at all. And, he even refused to look at me when I wanted to take his picture. But, he couldn't stop talking about Tanner, the pony later. I think the woman walking with him freaked him out because he also kept asking me about her (What's her name?, Who is she? etc.)

Wesley and Mya brushing the goats.

Checking out the ducks and geese.

Running with Mya, Alex, and his mom over to see the swan boats.

Watching the swan boats.

We got them to hold hands for some cuteness overload pictures.

Easter pictures

2011-04-26T10:52:00.006-04:00

Claire had fun playing with the Easter baskets and eggs on Saturday before the big day.

She really liked it when I filled up the basket with eggs and then let her empty it back out. Either all at once like here, or one egg at a time.

The basket must have tasted fairly interesting because she kept trying to eat it. I think it was actually the texture that she liked.

Wesley, on Easter morning, wearing his bunny ears.

Cheese. I like this one even though Claire's not smiling. She's at least looking at the camera.

"What is on your head, Wesley?"

"I want it!"

"Sure, Claire. I can share with you." ("Sure" is one of Wesley's new favorite words.)

"I changed my mind. I don't want it! Get it off!"

Sneak attack second attempt.

The Easter Bunny hid eggs on our playground again this year and Wesley got to find them with his two friends Maxim and Tatum. Here he is afterward waiting to have his picture taken with his friends. Maxim wasn't actually very interested in looking for eggs, so Wesley filled both baskets.

Wesley and Tatum examining the eggs.

Cheese!

Maxim, Wesley, and Tatum with an animated "Cheeeeesssse!"

Oops! There goes the basket of eggs!

Oh no! (Don't worry, Daddy helped him pick them up.)

Mommy with Claire and her maraca egg. She loved shaking this one because it was full of jelly beans.

Wesley, the genius

2011-04-18T12:28:00.002-04:00

Wesley had his 3 year well visit doctor's appointment this morning. He's in great health, has grown an inch since his last visit 6 months ago, and gained about 2.5 lbs. He did really well at the visit and didn't have any trouble with the doctor's exam. The PCV shot was a stinger, but he was ok by the time we got him back to school.

The best part of the visit was the eye test performed by the nurse. They had four shapes for him to identify from a distance. Before starting, she asked Wesley to tell her what the four shapes were while he was still up close to the pictures. He correctly identified them all: a heart, a circle, a square (which he called a rectangle), and a pentagon. Of course, the nurse was a little taken aback that our genius 3 year old called the picture of a house a pentagon, but he was definitely right. It was awesome. :) (A big thanks to his teachers at school for teaching him all of his shapes.) (He passed the eye exam too, if you were wondering.)

Birthday Video

2011-04-14T11:17:00.002-04:00

I took several videos of Wesley's birthday celebration and combined some of the better ones into this one video. I hope it gives you a feel for how much fun he had on Sunday.

Wesley is 3! (#2)

2011-04-11T16:34:00.004-04:00

A family portrait!

Wesley next to his huge birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa Pataky.

Hurry, take the picture! I want to open this! Cheese!

Inside was a basketball hoop. He LOVES it!

"hooking" mommy with his new pirate costume, including hook.

Checking things out with his pirate telescope. (I love Claire eating the block in the background)

In full pirate costume.

Arrggh!

Claire, sporting the cyclops pirate look.

Playing with his Winnie the Pooh blocks set from Aunt Bev and Uncle Lanny.

Snack time for Claire during the gift opening.

She's getting really good at picking up the puffs.

Happy girl!

Wesley checking out the dinosaurs in 3D in his new viewmaster from Grandpa Nicol.

Wesley is 3!

2011-04-10T15:01:00.008-04:00

Claire, Mommy, and Wesley at work after showing Princeton campus to Grandpa Pataky and Aunt Bev (who are visiting for Wesley's birthday weekend)

Daddy, Wesley, Mommy, and Aunt Bev on campus.

Grandpa Pataky with Claire playing basketball.

Reading books with Aunt Bev.

"Watching" Winnie the Pooh with Grandpa.

We reserved the Little Gym for Wesley's birthday party. Here he's playing basketball.

Bouncing the soccer ball (he LOVES to dribble this ball)

Wesley, as the birthday boy, got to sit on the air track as it inflated.

Almost done!

Bouncing on the air track!

On the air track while it deflates with friend Mya.

Claire was due for a nap but held out until she couldn't stay awake any longer and passed out in Aunt Bev's arms.

Wesley's pirate ship birthday cake.

At the party, blowing out the candles on his cake.

The birthday boy in the center of the parachute while we all moved it around him and sang to him.

Under the birthday parachute tent.

Eating pizza after playing hard in the gym.

Claire playing after we were back home from the party.

Whoa!

Claire - 7 months

2011-04-02T20:56:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures I took of Claire this afternoon. What a great smile!

This morning, we took Claire and Wesley to JCPenney to get a portrait of the two of them together. This is the outfit that Claire wore.

Playing with the toys on her high chair.

Yum yum!

Say ahhhhhh!

Diaper Change

2011-03-31T13:44:00.002-04:00

I caught this video of Wesley giving his stuffed animals a diaper change last night. Super cute.

"Video" of Wesley reading

2011-03-29T09:15:00.002-04:00

After we had turned out the lights last night for bedtime, Wesley wanted to read me a story. He knew I wouldn't turn the lights back on because he's tried this procrastination technique before, but decided he could read just fine without the lights. The book he chose was the Hungry Little Caterpillar. You can't see a thing in the video, but his audio is pretty cute.

Saturday trip to the Care-ium

2011-03-28T13:41:00.004-04:00

We went back to the Adventure Aquarium (or Care-ium as Wesley pronounces it) on Saturday morning this past weekend. We got there early enough that it didn't start getting too crowded until we'd had a chance to look at most exhibits.

Daddy, Claire, and Wesley in front of the hippo tank.

"Is it going to eat me?" Wesley was convinced that the fake shark that he's crawling in was going to eat or bite him. It took some coaxing to get him to actually crawl inside the mouth for a picture.

In the shark tunnel, making scared faces at my request.

"Ahhh! A shark!"

Claire, in the shark tunnel, unimpressed by the sharks.

After several visits, Wesley has overcome his fear of touching the animals and was completely ready and willing to touch the stingrays with Daddy on this trip.

His favorite is this huge one that liked to hang around our side of the tank. And yes, his sleeve did slide down and get soaked. Oops.

The big guy (or gal) must have been hungry and was pushing up out of the water in search of some fish.

Daddy trying to get Wesley to touch the anemones. Wesley didn't want to for some reason, but would touch everything else in this tank, including some starfish and a sea cucumber.

In the diving bell lookout. One of his favorite places in the aquarium.

Not sure who the boy in front is, but Wesley and Claire in the bell together.

Mommy and Claire.

Sitting and Siblings

2011-03-22T11:13:00.002-04:00

Here's a couple of pictures of Claire sitting up by herself from last week. She's getting really good at it now and doesn't hardly ever tip over anymore.

Wesley wanted me to take some pictures of him sitting with Claire. Here's what we took.

(he's just patting her head here, not actually hitting her)

Blah blah blah

2011-03-17T13:52:00.002-04:00

Claire has just recently started babbling at us with her new favorite sound being "blah". Here's a video I took from my iPod the other day. (I've been trying to get it on our video camera, but I keep forgetting to charge the battery.)

Museum visit

2011-03-07T19:31:00.005-05:00

Grandpa Nicol came for a visit the past few days. Here he is with Claire.

Our silly monkey hiding behind the chair.

We took the kids to the Academy of Natural History (in Philadelphia) for Wesley to see his first dinosaurs

"They're not real, Mommy. They're stinct." (And I'm pretty sure he knows that extinct is different than stinky.)

Wesley didn't really know what to make of the dinosaurs. He looked at the bones but kept asking to go see the dinosaurs, regardless of how much explaining we did. Maybe another visit will help him understand a little better.

Braving the T-rex to touch it's tongue.

No fear with little Claire who practically climbed down its throat.

Wesley (and all of us) really enjoyed the butterfly house. He was supremely jealous when one landed on Grandpa's hand.

After this picture, Wesley followed the butterflies around with his hand out, hoping that they would land on him. Despite his wanting them to, he did a great job of not grabbing them out of the air or off the ground.

The little fingers off to one side are Wesley's.

I love the rolled up tongue on this one.

Getting gobbled by Daddy. The next picture is much cuter, but in this one, if you look closely, you can see Claire's new tooth. It's just barely poking through the gums on the upper left side of her mouth.

Family photo after the butterfly house.

Latest pictures of Claire (6 months old)

2011-03-07T19:24:00.003-05:00

I thought everyone could use a Claire-fix, so I've put some recent pictures of her on this post.

Lounging on the couch (I love how the sun coming in the window behind her makes all the floaties in the air stand out) while laughing at Wesley (as usual).

More laughing at her brother.

Close-up

Playing on the floor, drooling away.

These may be some of the last photos of Claire that you see where she's toothless. She had a tooth poke through on Saturday (see photo at bottom of next post about the museum)

Making a very serious face while concentrating on something.

Practicing her sitting. She can also sit up on her own now without support. (Although, she still topples over at times, so we have to stay close by)

Oops.

Like mother, like daughter

2011-02-14T13:32:00.003-05:00

Just got this photo from my parents. This is a picture of me as a baby (being held by my grandmother). If you didn't think Claire looks like me before, I think this will probably convince you.

And, a photo of Claire for comparison (from a similar angle and similar facial expression)

Photo shoot

2011-02-13T20:25:00.002-05:00

Here's a couple of pictures of Wesley in his snow fort with his friend Swara (from school).

And... Here's Claire's photo shoot from this morning. We think she'd make an awesome Thing One or Thing Two for Halloween. Hilarious!

Claire laughing

2011-02-09T13:44:00.002-05:00

This is, by far, one of my favorite videos of Claire. Wesley can make her laugh at the drop of a hat and she completely (at least for now) worships him. We've been trying to catch it on camera and finally did it just the other night. Her laugh is awesome.

Claire trying out the exersaucer

2011-02-09T13:38:00.002-05:00

Claire recently started using the exersaucer. This is the same one that Wesley used (that we originally got from friends at work) and that another work friend used in between them. We're planning on passing it on to other friends when we're finished. Now that's what I call recycling!

Claire starting solids

2011-02-09T13:34:00.002-05:00

This video isn't very exciting, but we started Claire on cereals recently. Here's a video of her getting her first tastes of rice cereal.

Feeding Daddy

2011-02-09T13:17:00.002-05:00

I didn't even know Daddy had taken this video (he propped the camera up on the table), but this one is pretty funny. Wesley is feeding Daddy spoonful by spoonful some venison barley soup. Their conversation throughout made me laugh.

Singing in the Bath

2011-02-09T13:08:00.002-05:00

Here's a video of Wesley singing some of his favorite songs in the bath from early January. (I just uploaded a bunch of videos from the camera last night, so I'm posting a bunch today).

Ice storm

2011-02-02T11:11:00.002-05:00

We got some freezing rain last night. By this morning, the branches were all covered with ice, but the roads were clear. Daycare opened at 10:00 and things are starting to melt because the weather is headed up to 40 degrees today. So, if you're wondering, we're fine. Here's a picture of a tree next to our building at work to give you an idea of how much ice we got.

Wesley quote of the day

2011-02-02T11:10:00.000-05:00

Wesley looks up at me this morning from his cup of water with a concerned look on his face and says "This tastes like beer!"

My response: "When have you tasted beer?"

Wesley: "all the time".

Me: "Who gave you the beer?".

Wesley: "Daddy!"

In reality, Wesley has never tasted beer and has only smelled it. He's such a clown these days.
(I wonder where he got that from: Daddy!!!)

Reading to Claire

2011-01-31T09:55:00.002-05:00

So, my iPod doesn't take the greatest images in terms of picture resolution, but the ability to record spontaneously cute events is awesome. Wesley decided he wanted to read Claire a story this morning. Here are the pictures I took while he tried to show her the book and she tried to grab him and/or the book. If you can't tell, she was MUCH more interested in him than the story. It was really fun to watch.

Misc pictures of the kids

2011-01-27T11:48:00.004-05:00

"I want to hold her!"

"I love my baby!"

"I want to play too"

She's getting really good at pushing with her legs and playing on the exersaucer.

Showing Claire how to play with the toys.

Drool face. :)

Watching Wesley (as usual)

Snow Day 2011

2011-01-27T11:43:00.004-05:00

We got dumped on last night. There was even a period where it was snowing, thundering, and lightning all at the same time. I'm not sure how much we got, but they were calling for 9-12 inches, and it looks like we got about that, based on the back porch (see above). Daycare was closed today, so Wesley got to build another snow fort with Daddy in the front yard. The weather is perfect for it, with temps in the low 30s with the sun shining.

The tree that kept dropping snow down my neck while I was taking pictures.

Wesley trying out the shovel.

Handing it back to Daddy so he can dig out more of the fort.

Say Cheese!

Trying to repeat last February's picture.

I'm a bear! I'm hibernating! (We just learned about that on Cat in the Hat this morning)

Cheese!

Playing on the floor

2011-01-17T09:02:00.003-05:00

Here are some recent pictures I took of the kids (from yesterday).

Claire has recently started playing with her feet and even sucking on her big toe when she's barefoot.

Wesley joining in.

Laughing at something Wesley is doing.

Laughing at Mommy making silly faces.

Aquarium trip

2011-01-08T16:37:00.003-05:00

We took the kids to Adventure Aquarium in Camden when some friends were visiting. It was Wesley's first trip there and he LOVED it. As an added bonus, we went on a Friday and it was almost completely empty of people. A great time to visit.

Watching the fish in the hippo tank.

Here comes the hippo! (one of two in the tank)

This hippo kept swimming around and around the tank. It was awesome and definitely Wesley's favorite part of the aquarium.

Standing in the shark tunnel. There's one in the upper right hand corner, but it's hard to see here.

Daddy, Wesley, Claire, Mommy with friends Norah (the baby), Kim, Derek, and Aidan. Aidan and Wesley are about three months apart and had a lot of fun playing together.

Daddy feeding a big sting ray.

Wesley wouldn't touch the rays, but enjoyed watching other people feed them.

There was a penguin and seal exhibit, but it was outdoors and a little too cold for a January trip.

Aidan and Wesley.

Roar!

Wesley as Nemo.

Wesley as an octopus.

Snow Fun

2011-01-01T13:46:00.004-05:00

We got all of that snow last Monday, but it was way too cold and windy to play in it for very long. And, the snow was definitely not packing snow for making a snowman. We've had some warmer temperatures since then and Wesley and Daddy were able to build a snowman yesterday.

Helping Daddy pack on the snow.

Showing Mommy how tall the snowman is (compared to him).

Bringing some snow to Mommy.

Deciding it was a better idea to put the snow on the table than to throw it at Mommy with her camera (after some convincing down by Mommy).

Putting the nose on the snowman. (And yes, his snowpants are WAY too short. They're size 2T when he's almost wearing 4T now. They still managed to keep him fairly dry and warm)

"What should we call him?"

"Clark!" (He says that every time we ask him about naming things. It comes from the Dr. Seuss book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.)

Picking up his mini snowman.

Bringing him over to show Mommy.

Trying to set him up on the table. (He was already gone this morning, presumably melted by the even warmer temperatures today.)

Christmas photos

2011-01-01T13:33:00.007-05:00

Here are some still photos from Christmas (and a few others).

Claire, a few days before Christmas, enjoying her swing time during dinner.

My little goofball wanted to wear some of Mommy's ponytail holders in his hair. And, yes, he's getting his hair cut tomorrow. :)

Making cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Wearing his "baker man's hat" as he calls it.

In the same outfit, last year at Christmas for a comparison.

Playing with his new police man car (from Santa)

Showing Mommy his car.

Claire sitting in her seat watching the present-opening on Christmas morning.

Watching Wesley race after something.

Sucking on her fist and still very camera-shy. She won't smile hardly at all if she sees the camera, but cracks up as soon as I put it down.

Wesley at the exact same age. Another comparison photo for you.

Loving her new bumblebee toy.

I know the picture quality isn't great on this one, but I took this with my Christmas present (an iPod Touch) and thought it was a cute on of Morgan by the tree.

Snow Day 3

2010-12-28T11:11:00.002-05:00

Last video of this batch. Here Wesley has decided it would be fun to throw snow at Daddy. I love his face (red cheeks included) at the end.

Snow Day 2

2010-12-28T11:08:00.001-05:00

More fun in the snow.

Snow Day 1

2010-12-28T11:06:00.001-05:00

We got a ton of snow on Sunday and Monday. The winds were blowing really hard all day too, so we ended up with a snow day (daycare was closed) on Monday. Despite the cold, Wesley was able to go out and play a little bit. Here's the first of a couple of videos that I took from the warmth of the kitchen with Claire (who wants her pacifier back later in the video).

Christmas Video 6

2010-12-28T11:04:00.001-05:00

Charles got a remote controlled helicopter for Christmas (I guess that was our theme this year). Here's a video of Charles (and Wesley) flying the helicopter.

Christmas Video 5

2010-12-28T11:01:00.001-05:00

Claire really enjoys watching the snowman ornament change colors and gets some practice reaching for things at the same time.

Christmas Video 4

2010-12-28T10:55:00.002-05:00

Wesley watched Morgan open her gifts with her teeth and decided that that was the way to go. So, here's a video of him attempting to open a present with his teeth (he only tried this once since it didn't seem to work very well).

This video also has some footage of Claire enjoying her new bumblebee teether.

Christmas Video 3

2010-12-28T10:52:00.001-05:00

Here's Wesley enjoying his new remote controlled police car.

Christmas Video 2

2010-12-28T10:50:00.001-05:00

Here's the video of Wesley opening his gift from Santa. He asked for a "police man car with doors that open". The doors don't open on this one, but he likes it anyway.

Christmas Video 1

2010-12-28T10:47:00.001-05:00

Here's the first of several videos from Christmas morning. This is the one I have been anticipating with Wesley's first sight of the Christmas tree after Santa's visit. He didn't have quite the vocal reaction I expected, but he still seemed impressed with all the gifts.

2010-12-23T09:48:00.002-05:00

Claire was cracking up before we started the video camera to make this movie. She was super ticklish when Daddy was gobbling her but stopped giggling when the camera came on (typical). I decided to post this one anyone so you can see her pretty smile and to give you an idea of what she's doing these days.

Wesley's new favorite toy

2010-12-23T09:41:00.002-05:00

Wesley's new favorite toy is the attachment to our Dirt Devil vacuum. He walks around the house cleaning with his vacuum impression going strong. I love the "suck it up" comment he makes too. Hilarious.

Big News of the Day

2010-12-23T09:04:00.001-05:00

Claire rolled over for the first time this morning! 4 months, right on the nose. (Which was earlier than Wesley by about half a month).

She rolled from her back to her stomach twice (just to prove it wasn't an accident the first time). Big girl!

Trip to see Santa

2010-12-18T12:05:00.004-05:00

Wesley went to go see Santa today at the mall. Here's the picture they managed to get after some coaxing, a cookie bribe, and a little tickling from the big man himself.

More Claire photos

2010-12-13T14:15:00.002-05:00

Watching Mommy from the floor and wondering what it is she's supposed to be doing.

Watching her brother's antics from the bouncy seat.

Yes, I can hold rings now AND put them in mouth by myself.

Holding her head high on the boppy pillow. She won't do anything like this on the flat floor, but holds her head like a champ on the pillow.

She loves to watch her brother play from this vantage point.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-10T12:19:00.005-05:00

For Thanksgiving, we braved the drive over to Columbus, OH to spend time with family. Although it took a while, the weather and (for the most part) the traffic cooperated for the drive. Both Wesley and Claire did well too (until the last hour of each leg). Here are some pictures from our visit to the Rhodes' house.

Uncle Mark and Aunt Ann finally getting to see Claire.

Wesley and Aunt Emily playing with his new wind-up toys. He is so enamored with this toys that he frequently asks to take them to school to show the other kids. We can't leave them there because they fight over them, but they enjoy seeing them for the few minutes we're there in the morning to drop-off Wesley.

Grandma Pataky with Claire.

Mommy and baby.

Doing puzzles with Grandpa Pataky.

The Thanksgiving chefs. (Emily, Bev, and Charles)

Cheese!

Done!

Dinnertime!

Waiting for his pie.

Claire with Uncle Lanny.

Watching hockey (maybe?) with Uncle Lanny.

Madeline, Wesley, and Mommy.

Yes, Wesley is picking his nose. A habit that's really hard to break.

Holding Baby Claire.

Playing on the couch.

Laughing at something funny.

All bundled up to go for a ride in the car.

The girls.

Claire - 3 months

2010-12-02T10:50:00.004-05:00

I've been really bad about putting up images of Claire. Here are some pictures I took last night. She's wearing her "I'm as cute as my aunt" shirt (if you can't see it because it's all bunched up).

There's the smile!!

Picture time is officially over.

Visit to Dover

2010-12-02T10:46:00.003-05:00

Two weekends ago, Wesley got to go to Dover Air Force base museum to see planes with Daddy and our friend Conrad. Here are some pictures from their trip.

Wesley examining the Air Force museum token given to him by a man that worked there.

Sitting in a cockpit with Daddy.

Pushing all the buttons and flipping all the switches.

Flying a plane just his size.

Wanting to fly a plane that's a little too big for him.

In the cargo hold.

Sitting up high with Conrad.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T13:33:00.003-04:00

Finally caught some smiles from the littlest pumpkin on camera.

Carving pumpkins with Mommy.

Ewwww....

Cheeeese! (I forgot to get a picture of the final product and will try to remember to post it later)

Ready to go trick-or-treating.

Posing for pictures with his trick-or-treating buddy Mya (dressed as Super Why).

Excited to go knock on doors.

They didn't hold hands the whole time, but it was super cute while they were.

Sleepy little pumpkin head. (It ended up being pretty cold last night, so Claire didn't last too long outside. She was happy to wait inside with Daddy while Wesley trick-or-treated.)

October Zoo Visits

2010-10-25T10:03:00.006-04:00

We've taken Wesley to the zoo for the past two weekends in a row. With the weather being so hot this summer and me being pregnant, we didn't have many opportunities to go this summer. So, we're taking advantage of the beautiful fall weather. The Philly zoo was celebrating Boo at the Zoo both weekends, so we had fun trick-or-treating there as well.

Checking out the hippos with Daddy.

Waiting in line for the zoo train.

Wave hi to Mommy.

Hi Mommy!!!!! Hi Baby Claire!!!!

Skipping after the train. Yes, he LOVES it.

Driving the tractor at the children's zoo.

Claire at the zoo. She slept the whole time, both times.

Brushing the goats.

Playing on the rail while watching the baby giraffe.

On the second trip, we took Wesley's cowboy costume. Thank you Grandma Pataky! It turned out perfectly. (There's a bandanna and sheriff star too, but we didn't want to lose the accessories at the zoo)

Hey! Look at THAT Mommy!

Checking out the other costumes.

Action shot of Wesley goofing around.

Back at the rail for the baby giraffe.

Feeding the ducks through the boards.

Throwing the food over the rail for the ducks.

Riding the train with our friend Karolinka.

Zooommm!

Claire - 1 month

2010-10-12T13:52:00.002-04:00

My little pumpkin.

The hat is a little big, but she's a super cute squash.

Almost caught the smile on camera. It's really hard to get her to smile unless she can see your face, and then, it's really hard to get a good picture of it yourself in the process.

Loving the activity mat, just like her brother did.

Telling Mommy something important.

Nope, not going to smile for the camera yet. Hopefully we'll catch it soon. It's absolutely adorable.

Sleeping while Mommy posts pictures online.

Claire - 6.5 weeks video

2010-10-07T15:57:00.003-04:00

Kind of a boring video in itself, but it does give you an idea of what Claire looks like today.

Hungry hungry hippos

2010-10-07T15:27:00.003-04:00

We recently bought Wesley this game after he fell in love with it this summer playing with Uncle Lanny. Here he is playing with Aunt Emily and Daddy, who also seem to enjoy it.

Big Brother holding Claire

2010-10-07T14:13:00.002-04:00

Wesley LOVES holding Claire. Unfortunately, she doesn't cooperate very often. Here's a video where she was sleeping. It's hard to hear Wesley at some points because he's trying to be quiet so he doesn't wake her up.

Claire - 2 weeks old

2010-10-07T14:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a video of Claire at 2 weeks old.

Wesley - Mr. Potatohead

2010-10-07T13:49:00.002-04:00

In early August, we got Wesley a Mr. Potatohead set. He played with it non-stop for a couple of weeks and used to like to sing the Potatohead song while he played. Check out this link for the actual song from a commercial and see how he does in comparison. He used to run around saying, "I like you, you funny guy."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ana-6CJ-GI

Wesley - Buddha belly

2010-10-07T13:45:00.002-04:00

I discovered that I had a bunch of videos on the camera waiting to be downloading. I'm posting a bunch of them today. This video is from July and Wesley's showing us his Buddha belly.

Claire - 6.5 weeks

2010-10-07T13:37:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures of Claire from this morning. I have some new (and old) videos to post and should have them up soon too.