october 30th - story time parade

The kids went to story time today and were encouraged to wear their costumes to join in the pre-Halloween parade.  Both kids had a great time and Alex played the maracas in the parade, which he was very proud of...before they left, Katherine gave Alex a cookie the size of his face.  Not exactly within his meal plan, but went great with his costume.

october 29th - festive preparation

Alex and Mommy carved "Alex's big pumpkin" tonight.  He was very excited to carve it, but less excited to actually carve it.  Once we put the candles in, he loved the pumpkin...and we HAD to turn the light off.  Alex also baked cookies with Jackie this afternoon, which he informed Jackie she was not allowed to take any home.

october 28th - play time

Gemma is growing up and into the mix of play time with the big kids.  Alex and his friend Sydney pushed her on the swing today and she only vomited once.  She is even getting into art and crafts during story time.

october 27th - hutchinson bike club

Gemma broke out her bike today and did a little drafting behind Alex down some alleyways.  He had plenty of energy after pounding two full glasses of smoothie with Daddy this morning at breakfast time.  Gemma tried whole milk for the first time today, so she had a little extra to give as well.  Daddy was tired and napping, but that didn't stop Alex from building a parking lot around him on the couch.

october 26th - sunday funday

Daddy took Alex and Gemma to the park this morning for a little fun on a beautiful day.  Gemma spent a lot of time in the swings, which she LOVES.  Alex filled her crib with toys while he was supposed to be keeping an eye on her...thankfully she doesn't have more or he would have buried her.  Mommy came home this evening in time for dinner and bedtime.

october 25th - meals are a full contact sport

No mommy, less discipline, no cleaning.  Daddy and the kids went down to Headhouse Square for a fall festival and had lunch at an outside table at Stella, where we ate pizza and Alex was able to watch the horse drawn hayrides.  A long bike ride in the afternoon was enough to knock Alex's shoe off..literally fell off when he took a spill.  His incessant organizing of cars into a parking lot has apparently begun bleeding into all activities.  The neatly piled grocery items on the TV were actually a surprise that he did while alone in the basement.  Daddy went down to watch a movie at night and found it...cause for smile.

october 24th - mommy go on plair plane

Mommy headed up to Boston this morning for the annual weekend event at Harvard.  Daddy and the kids had a quiet evening at home in preparation for middle of the night Gemma feedings and 6am Mickey Mouse screenings from the master bedroom.

october 23rd - ben stone joins the human race

While Aunt Amy was in the worst pain of her life, Alex was taking it easy doing some finger painting in his favorite smock.  His work is becoming slightly more advanced, with exception of not using a brush.  Immaturity or Innovation?

We got the call from Uncle Mike that Alex and Gemma's newest cousin, Benjamin, was born at some time, weighed something, and was at least an inch long.  Details are not Uncle Mike's strong suit...unless its related to long division.

october 22nd - a day under the sea

Jackie had jury duty today so we had an impromptu, rainy day with the kids.  What better way to spend an afternoon than in Camden, New Jersey?  Took advantage of our season pass at the aquarium.  We were the only people in the entire underwater shark tunnel, so we sat and watched them swim for a while.  Alex loves sharks...Gemma LOVES sharks.  Hippos smell.

october 21st - nine month checkup

Gemma will officially be shopping in the petite section when she is older.  She is in 30% for her weight and 17% for her height.  Even her head it not quite as gargantuan (70%) as we would have expected after Alex.  She had to get blood taken from her toe and a shot in the leg.  Not happy.

Height: 26 5/8 inches
Weight: 17 lbs 1.5 oz
Head: 17 1/2 inches

october 20th - citizen of the us and a

Gemma's officially ready to cross international borders...her passport arrived today and it is full of blank pages ready to be stamped.  She is growing up so fast.

october 19th - chilly day for outdoor pictures

Mommy packed us all up to go over to the museum area and take some Fall pictures of the kids.  It was pretty frigid outside, but they were really good sports.  It only took a bag of m&m's....but they were mostly cooperative.  Until the point when Gemma ate a leaf, choked on it, and almost needed CPR.

october 18th - spooktacular saturday

Off to Sesame Place for the annual Halloween festivities with Alex's favorite monsters.  We met up with Uncle Ryan, Aunt Erin, and cousin Ryleigh.  Alex was a wild man, going on all the rides and giggling his way through.  We saw the musical show and all of the kids were loving seeing the characters...Ryleigh was dancing her heart out.  We had lunch afterward and all the kids got balloons attached to hazardous sticks.

october 17th - pops

Gramps and Grandmum came into the city this evening to see the Philly POPS with Mommy and Daddy, so Jackie got a little extra time with the kids.  She went home a little early and Daddy took Alex and Gemma to get coffee in the italian market.  Both of them were all smiles...enjoying the beautiful weather...and chocolate chip banana bread.

october 16th - mommy in dc

Mommy went down to Washington DC bright and early this morning, so Daddy was on breakfast duty.  After our late night, Gemma slept until almost nine o'clock.  The kids must have been well rested because Jackie said they were absolutely amazing today.

october 15th - being neighborly

Tonight was our Hutchinson Street gathering at Spitalieri's italian restaurant.  This was the second dinner at our neighbor's restaurant to celebrate living on our street with some good people.  Gemma loved the gnocchi and Alex couldn't eat enough bread.  The kids were amazing and behaved better than some of the adults.  Alex played with his buddy Reed from around the corner and Gemma got a kick out of watching them drive cars.  We got caught in the rain on the way home and our 10 block walk became a controlled jog with the kids.  Gemma thought it was hysterical.

october 14th - what goes in must come out

Daddy finally got a chance to check out the new boardwalk on his run today.  It seemed like they have been building it forever, but it is finally over and a nice addition to a long run.  Grandmom Burger came down tonight for a visit and we went out to dinner at Tres Jalapenos.  Alex shared very little of the guacamole and Gemma was eating tortilla chips like she was born south of the border.  Alex played ball in the basement with Daddy when we got home and ran around like a maniac.  The Mexican food must have gone right through Gemma because she let loose a numero dos in the bathtub.

october 13th - guys

Alex and Daddy had a man day.  We went to Honey's for a pancake breakfast (Alex's favorite).  Alex got a little impatient while paying the bill because we had places to be and messes to make.  After breakfast, we went down to Race Street Pier near the Ben Franklin Bridge so we could watch boats and see trains go over the bridge.  Then, we went to Franklin Square in Old City...Alex was super excited to ride the carousel, but showed his originality by specifically selecting to ride the zebra....horses are so mainstream.  We went for snacks at Reading Terminal Market and Alex insisted we bring back Chocolate Chip Cookies for Mommy.

october 12th - johnson's farm

It wouldn't be Fall without going to Johnson's Farm in South Jersey to navigate through a maze of people, overpay for pumpkins, and stuff our faces with cider donuts.  Alex was super pumped about going to see his friends and cousins.  If you asked Alex where we were going he would say "farm, tractor, donuts."  We met up with Cousin Farrah, Cousin Ashlyn, Drew, and Charlotte....and their parents since they can't drive.

We went on a hayride (tractor ride to Alex), picked apples, picked pumpkins, and played in the kids area on all of the toys.  All of the kids were amazingly well-behaved, which is why Alex got all-you-can-eat access to the cider donuts.  After he consumed all the sugar he must have gone down the slide 100 times.  He was asleep in about 2 minutes when he got into the car.

october 11th - rainy saturdays are bogus

The overnight rain did not let up until the afternoon, so Mommy dragged the whole family to IKEA to investigate a slim-style sink for our bathroom.  Alex and Gemma were both very good while we made our way (or got lost) in the huge store.  By the time we finally found the bathroom section, Alex thought we lived there, so he started washing the mirrors.

Since we couldn't go outside, Daddy spent the day making an italian meal...complete with hand-filled cannolis procured at the very soggy Christopher Columbus Festival in the Italian Market.  Alex's two week long passion for being Cookie Monster for Halloween was fulfilled today when we found (an he tried on) his costume.  We have to get him a bigger size so he doesn't look like the poor kid wearing a costume that's too small....but it was HILARIOUS...

october 10th - balls and babes

Alex and Gemma went out to the park and then to Alex's tumbling class with his main squeeze Lucy this morning.  They always have a lot of fun running around and Alex always says he is going to "do a big jump in the ball pit, run on the racetrack, and bounce....all the time."

This evening, Beeps and Grandpa Mike joined us at our house for dinner.  They had lots of fun playing and looking out the window.  Alex was telling Beeps and Grandpa the story about how a truck came down our street and broke a branch off of the tree out front.  In-depth, wildly out of order, a lot of panting, but a comical storyteller.

october 9th - channeling the masters

Alex and Gemma went to a special story time today at the Barnes Museum.  After they listened to some stories, they got to paint their own easels...Alex created what some would call a fresh, original style.  Gemma played with some of the toys to strengthen her wits, while the less accomplished children listened to stories about fictitious animals.

Alex also flexed his mechanical muscles today by helping Daddy build his buddy Kyle's birthday present.  He attached the seat all by himself and pumped air in the tires.  At Mommy's wine night, he took Kyle on a demonstration run through the living room.

october 8th - peaceful coexistence

Now that Gemma is mobile, all she wants to do is play with Alex's stuff, and all Alex wants to do is tell Gemma that she cannot play with Alex's stuff.  Every once in a while we get a few blissful moments of quiet, where Alex relaxes his possessive nature and Gemma is not being scolded.  The lollipop helps.

october 7th - mobility

Gemma is a nomad, camping out around the house for brief periods of time until her inner voice tells her its time to move on...which averages around 35 seconds (+/-).  We think she is secretly searching for the best vantage point from which to enjoy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in its true glory.

october 6th - sleeping off the weekend

After a long weekend of entertaining all of the family, late nights, and early Mickey Mouse mornings before sunrise....everyone in 704 S Hutchinson is moving a little slower...at least those above 2 years of age.

october 5th - tooth + tooth = teeth

Baby Gemma officially has her first two teeth poking through her tiny little gums.  Until yesterday, you could feel one and just about make out the other coming through...now she has actual teeth.  Just like her brother, her bottom two teeth are the first to see daylight.

october 4th - alex rides a bus...gramps gets a surprise

Alex has been looking forward to going on a tour bus ride all week because we have been talking about it to get him pumped.  We finally made it on the bus this morning to give the family a tour around Philly and Alex was not disappointed.  He had a grin on his face from ear to ear the entire time and he saw "horsies, doggies, people, buildings, and cars..."  Gemma played for a bit, ate a snack, and passed out on Daddy for the duration.

This evening, the kids stayed with Jackie and we all went for Gramps' retirement celebration at Fork in Old City.

october 3rd - gemma's passport...and family descends on philly

Mommy and Daddy had the day off today, so we went to get Gemma's passport documents sent out.  We went to the same Post Office where we took Alex and it felt like we had just been there not too long ago....

Everyone began arriving this afternoon for Gramps' surprise retirement dinner.  Aunt Karen was the first to arrive, followed by Kyle, Uncle Larry, Aunt Jill, and Bridget. We had dinner at our house which lasted until about 2am.  The kids played all night and Aunt Karen gave Alex "bones" pajamas that he was really excited about and had to put on immediately.

october 2nd - alex's big day

Alex started his day living like a king, with a bed full of pillows and his favorite Mickey Mouse...Donald of the Desert.  He had several different breakfasts, including half of Daddy's cereal.  Both of the kids went with Jackie to The Franklin Institute to see an Elmo exhibit, and then he got to help Mommy bake (and eat) pumpkin cookies.  He waited very patiently for Mommy to eat dinner and clean up, so they could sit on the stairs (their ritual) and eat cookies.

october 1st - matchbox cars and flank steak

Alex and Gemma played very nicely tonight...she helped him construct his multi-level "parking lot" for all of his cars that ends up taking up our first three stairs.  Gemma now has a thing for books, which is really awesome because she will sit down and listen to us read.  Alex had his own little steak dinner tonight...ate most of it with his hands, but still hilarious.  Alex and Daddy had some hysterical moments putting Alex down for bed tonight...some happened to get caught on video....

september 30th - hanging in the lounge

Lately, Alex likes to get cozy in his pajamas after bath time.  Before he agrees to go upstairs, he seeks confirmation that he will, in fact, be returning to the "blibbin' room."  Most nights he asks to watch Curious George, but he will settle for Seinfeld re-runs.

september 29th - gemma "montgomery wick" burger

Gemma is on the verge of reaching the summit of our living room couch.  She climbs without a harness and the aid of a sherpa...she thrives on the pure adrenaline rush...living on the edge.  After she descends to base camp, she takes her doll around the house for a spin.

september 28th - mmm....chocolate

Alex was a good boy this morning and sat in front of the electrical outlet that Gemma is currently obsessed with to keep her away from danger.  We ran errands in the city today and had lunch at a chocolate inspired restaurant.  Alex had a chocolate milkshake that he requested and was bigger than his head.  Nasty, nasty poop.