Two Little Teeth

Elliot got his first tooth on August 1st and his second tooth on August 5th. I was worried that I would miss his big, gummy smile, but now I've fallen in love with his two little teeth.

Sand Harbor

We've found another beach on Lake Tahoe that we love. We usually go to the beach in the mornings, because by the afternoon, we don't have enough motivation to squeeze the babies into swimsuits, slather on sunscreen as they scream (okay, while Delaney screams) and pack up the car, but the last week or so has been really, quite hot in Carson City and our little air conditioner-less house is HOT by the late afternoon, so we made a late afternoon / early evening trip to the beach and it was absolutely perfect. The water at Tahoe actually felt really refreshing and Delaney and Elliot had a great time swimming in the water. Elliot is at a tough stage to take to the beach-he can wiggle and creep off of the blanket and from there, it's just mouth-sand-mouth-rocks-mouth-sand-mouth-rocks....

Mommy, Elliot and Laney on the beach.

Daddy and Elliot cool off.

Laney loves everything about the sand.

Snow White

This is what happens when an agreeable little boy has a bossy older sister who LOVES to play dress-up!

Look Who's Two!

Two years ago, this little girl made me a mommy, and it's the most wonderful thing that anyone has ever done for me. She's been nothing that I expected, but probably everything that I need.

I know that as her mother I'm terribly biased, but she really is a beautiful little girl. And she's as mighty as she is tiny. She makes me laugh more than anyone else.

Her daddy describes her as 'mercurial' and Grandma D describes her as 'spirited'; she certainly is both. She can be absolutely exhausting-from the moment that she wakes up until she falls asleep at night. And demanding. She's relentless, and so strongwilled; it can be hard for me, but I hope that these characteristics stay with her as she grows.

We had our first argument before she could utter a word. She probably tells me 'no' a few hundred times before noon. But then, just when I'm about to go absolutely insane, she'll rub my back, give me a hug, and kiss the 'boo boo' on my forehead (a freckle), and all is forgotten. Even on a bad day, there is nothing that I would rather do and no one that I would rather be than this little girl's mommy.

She notices and imitates everything-absolutely everything. If I wear a new shirt, she notices in a second. She's been running around our family room, pretending that she's an Olympic gymnast, demanding applause! She's hilarious. She has an amazing imagination and loves to play pretend and dress-up.

When she says, 'icka, ickles, icka', I'm never sure if she wants pickles or tickles.

She sleeps curled up on her belly, on a blanket (that is carefully folded the 'right' way) made by her Aunt Sarmita. She holds a binky in each hand and sucks on a third. Each and every nite.

We love her to pieces. Happy birthday baby girl.

Birthday Celebration

We decided to celebrate Delaney's birthday a couple of days early, so both Daddy and Grandma B could be there for pizza and cupcakes. Delaney LOVES to cook, so she helped me make the cupcakes. She loved it when we sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. She was a little 'on edge' all day, but we managed to make it through the evening without a tantrum. Phew. I really didn't want to have to put the birthday girl in time-out-that would definitely qualify me as the meanest-mom-ever.

Since we live so far away from our families, it meant so much to me that my mom was able to celebrate Laney's birthday with us.


Mommy and Laney make cupcakes.


Three candles!-One for good luck!


Delaney takes a bite.

One happy girl!

Beach Girl

We showed Grandma B our beach at Lake Tahoe. It was a little windy and cool, but Delaney was delighted to be on the beach. Of course, she had a complete meltdown when it was time to leave and screamed in the car the ENTIRE way home. She certainly does have good stamina.

And We're Back.....

As my older sister Julie explained to me a couple of weeks ago, 'family travel' is very, very different from a 'vacation'. She is certainly correct. Family travel means packing, unpacking and more packing and unpacking, changing diapers on the plane, attempting to entertain a tempermental almost-2-year-old on a 7 hour flight (not to mention the hours in the car and waiting at the airport) and having two cranky babies that are on no type of schedule. However, that being said, I am so glad that we made the 3 1/2 week odyssey to the east coast. Along with all of the traveling hassles (and several mishaps!), we had a wonderful time with our families, and had many loving, helping hands. For better (or for worse), we had a complete break from our daily routines and had a total change of scenery. And, most importantly, Delaney and Elliot were able to enjoy their extended families.

While we were experiencing 'family travel', Elliot got his first two teeth and had his first bites of ice cream and pizza-two essentials; Delaney learned how to blow bubbles and do somersaults.

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Long Island.

And a few pictures from our trip to the Hemlock Lodge and Pittsburgh-