water babes.

Maisie had her first swim lesson and Natalie cheered her on. I'm happy to report that she can kick, blow bubbles and she's starting the paddling motion with her hands.

a merry christmas for all.

Christmas was a blast. Maisie showed Natalie how to unwrap gifts. Note her special technique of throwing the paper over head.



Here's the day in photos.









And, no, Kona didn't get coal in her stocking.

a happy halloween.

We may have not had power, but that didn't stop us from enjoying Halloween at our temporary residence. The Chester's neighbors were thrilled to see us on their doorstep in costume. Maisie was having a blast ringing doorbells and getting candy. Here's the wild pair looking ready to call it a night.

just when you thought life couldn't get crazier.

It does! We're loving our little angels but they sure keep us on our toes! Since our last post, we celebrated a 2nd birthday, took our first family vacation to the outer banks and went back to work full-time. Life is flying by but we do stop to snuggle with our girls as much as we can because there's really nothing better in life.

nothing beats a sister

The only scary thing about this photo is the fact that Natalie looks about the size of Maisie (I assure you though, it's an optical illusion).

sleeping beauty

Maybe I was boring her ...

making room for little sis.

Maisie really enjoys seeing (and playing) with familiar toys. Here's a pic from this morning when Maisie made Natalie move over so she could join her for some fun in her gym.



She also enjoys tight spaces like her infant car seat!

the bookworm.

Nothing stops Maisie's love for books.

the sweetest thing.

a salute to our troops.

This year we celebrated Memorial Day at the Flemington parade. Afterwards we had a little party back at our house. Festivities included eating, swinging, watermelon and swimming.

A Day at the Farm

Last Friday we visited the animals of Alstede Farm. At first Maisie didn't know what to make of the close interaction with these animals but she quickly warmed up to them. By the end of our visit she was feeding them, hugging the baby goats through the fence and shrieking in excitement. I highly recommend a trip to this farm. It's clean and kid-friendly!

Party Girl

We had a lovely time at Kate's first birthday celebration! Here's Maisie testing out the sliding board. Once she got the other kids interested in it she immediately stole all of their sidewalk chalk. The picture of innocence, right?

Happy Birthday, Natalie!

Today marks Natalie's one month birthday. We celebrated with a mini photo session.



And, in the spirit of catching up, we celebrated Easter Sunday in Yardley where Maisie and her cousins hunted eggs and we enjoyed the beautiful day.



Dad keeps telling Maisie how he's going to put her to work around the house, so here's a picture of her second training session. This weekend warrior loves outdoor work. Her first training session was how to wrestle Kona for sticks in the yard.

More Blue Eyes

Natalie is changing everyday! She's topping the charts in the 90th percentile for weight and height. Can't decide who she looks like.

Maisie Being Maisie

Bringing Baby Home

Baby Natalie came into the world on April 3. After an easy labor, a shower and a couple hours of sleep we had all sorts of visitors. Big sister Maisie was among them. She was sure to give her a warm welcome with lots of kisses. She even wanted to share her snacks but we had to explain that it's a little early for solids.

We're home and Maisie loves her new role! She wants to know where she is at all times and she always wants to help out by bringing burp clothes, diapers and a brush for all that hair!

Big Girl Bedroom

Maisie's big girl bedroom is officially done! Her room went from gender neutral baby nursery to a pink woodland big girl room. She hasn't figured out how to get out of her bed yet on her own so we're enjoying a bed bound toddler.

Photo Update

I'm back from my blog hiatus! Here's a brief update in photos on what we've been up to, besides trying to rest and get ready for BR2, only 2.5 weeks left!

How to eat quiche

Maisie is full of personality these days and her table manners resemble those of a truck driver. Friends tell me stories of their little girls burping and changing their dolls while Maisie feeds hers to Kona.

Here's a clip of Maisie eating quiche and showing off one of our favorite tricks - batting her eyelashes.

Is it too soon to enroll her in finishing school?