On Columbus Day, the kids had the day off school so I convinced Matt to take the day off work as well so we could all do something fun together. We headed into New York to try something new: walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. How Matt and I lived in Manhattan for two years and…

Signs of fall. Adorable two-year-old mispronunciation of the week: “apple spider” (instead of apple cider). Love notes from Claire, left for Matt on his nightstand. Claire is constantly at work making little drawings and notes to give away. She usually makes them in multiples of five; one for each member of the family. Her favorite…

Claire, striking her favorite pose, and Ella, annoyed that I am taking a picture and trying really hard not to smile (but failing miserably). I took a few (very few) other random photos during this week, but mostly I just wanted to share those from our annual apple picking outing. This seems to be how…

Playing at the Nature Center after school. New sparkle sneakers. Paper necklaces made by Claire at school… one for herself and each of her sisters (red for Claire, blue for Ella, yellow for Lucy). The first half of the week was mostly about finally settling into the rhythm and routine of the school year. Then…

This was the week my girls got to be flower girls in our babysitter Diana’s wedding. Diana – or “Nina” as Lucy calls her – has been watching my kids for three years, starting back when Ella was still in preschool, Claire was just barely a toddler, and before there even was a Lucy. In…

Labor Day in New Jersey. With the Shontz cousins’ recent move to the area, the East Coast contingency of cousins now outnumbers those out west 12 to 7 (Ryan, Lauren, & Lily are not pictured here). These water bottles go pretty much everywhere with my girls. I love that they keep drinks super cold so…

First day of second grade. We were all very happy that the start of school was not delayed by a hurricane this year. Traditional first day of school cookies. The cookies are a very calculated tool to help get Ella talking so that I can get the low down on the first day. If you…

Our bedtime stories ritual always seems to be changing and evolving. Lately we have started taking turns picking out books to read aloud at night (yes, Mom and Dad get a turn too). When it is her turn, Ella likes to read the books aloud herself, which of course means Claire wants to do the…

Have I ever told you that I have a thing for biscuits? I’m not sure why; maybe it has something to do with my dad’s Southern roots. Or my affinity for carbs. All I know is that I love biscuits. I still remember a completely unmemorable trip to San Diego that I took 10 years…

While we were in Oregon, the girls mostly just wanted to stay at Grandma’s house and play. My mom had out all of my childhood toys and my kids absolutely could not get enough of them. We are talking about an entire collection of vintage Fisher Price Little People, my American Girl doll Samantha (which…