Tessie turns 2

 To get into the holiday spirit we splurged on a gingerbread decorating workshop at Wilson Farm

 Tessie turned 2! It's been amazing to look back on how much she has changed this year.

 Yes, those are Necco wafers on the roof. Looks like some nasty flavors like clove and licorice, too. Here's a fun link about Boston's most infamous confection.

Caroline and Erin learned two important life lessons: #1: hacksaws have many uses, #2: gingerbread houses never taste as good as they look

 Lately Caroline has been leaving Dad comment notes in her lunchbox. Some of them are just complaints, but a couple of kiwis inspired this one.

 This one appeared in her Sudoku book, and we sent it off to Mr. Will Shortz at the NYT. We'll see if he replies to the fan mail.

 Fears about Tessie wrecking the Christmas decorations proved unjustified. She did of course try to decorate herself.

 Low tide at Wingaersheek beach in Gloucester

 Tessie braved the cold and kept trying to dunk her legs in the tide pools

Erin could have stayed out there for hours

Mom is getting tired of the girls wearing her gowns as dress-up clothes, so for a treat we took the kids to a second-hand clothing shop for them to load up on a new wardrobe

This place had a room where everything went for $1.50 a pound. $12 dollars later... 

... and mission accomplished

Tessie's antics at the breakfast table: Take one

Take two



Erin turns 6

 This year all Erin wanted to do on her birthday was eat the giant volcano dessert at the Rainforest Café. She invited a couple of friends - what an easy birthday party!

 

 Meanwhile it was Heather's concert weekend and Caroline had her first piano recital

 

Grandma Joan and Grampa Ed came up early to help with the busy weekend

 

Turkey Day was not stressful with Grandma there to help prep

 

Bevil and Alex came over with their 3 year-olds and their friend Rosa

 

While Tessie was not being watched she decorated her face
 

 A few inches of slush fell and then froze, making for fast sledding over at the Rec Center

 

 We timed it to go from the slopeside to the poolside

 

On Black Friday we braved the newly opened Wegman's and Heather ran into her college roommate Fatma - what a coincidence

 

Tessie at the piano

 

Caroline reading

 



Dave's 40th

 

 To celebrate the end of their 30s, Dave and Katy booked a special trip to the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. Heather was a good sport and stayed home with Tessie while the older girls got their first hiking experience.

 

But first, Bevil, Dave, Alex, and Heather went out for a birthday meal on Nov. 4th. 

 

Then Dave had his birthday cake on the 5th.

 

Mohonk is famous for its rock scrambling trails and at first the kids were gung-ho to tackle the Labyrinth trail

 

But when the scrambling got serious we bailed for safer terrain

 

We made it to Sky Top just as a brief sleet squall broke out.

 

Back to the hotel for tea time. The kids were so excited that they raced around the halls. Even though it was a kids weekend, we received plenty of frowns from the New Yorkey fogeys that fill the place.

 

 The new pool was huge and heated and a hit

 

Meals were included in the package and served in a huge dining room with views of the mountains

 

 Dave and Katy had a special dinner away from the kids

 

 The after dinner entertainment was a surprise success: a square dance. Lyla and Caroline closed the place down at 10:45 PM!

 

The next morning the kids stayed at the kids camp while the grown-ups went on a real hike 

 

 The weather was beautiful up on Eagle Cliff

 

There's the postcard view



 Giant's workshop

 

One final trek to Sky Top before heading home

 

Blizzard on Sky Top 

 

Birthday songs



Halloween and high Fall

 

 

The biggest carrot of the garden! Maybe we kept them in the ground too long, but the carrots this year all tasted too "carroty" and were mostly given away to Wilma the horse.

 

Behind that guy in the orange shirt are Mom, Caroline, and Erin, who ran in the Bowman Fun Run

 

 Tessie decided to join the fun. She'll have to wait 4 more years for her turn.

 

 

Dad finished the 5K run with a new PR of 28+ min. He still hates running.

 

 Start of the crazy hair season

 

 Not quite up to the Topsfield Fair standards, but our big pumpkin this year weighed in at 22.8 lb

 

 Tessie is in a lovey accumulation phase. New to her crib: Elmo and Cookie Monster

 

 Messie Tessie

 

 Caroline is finished with "unhelpful princesses", but Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, was a satisfactory costume. Mom's home-made clown costume fit Erin perfectly.

 

Tessie tolerated the peacock costume

 

 We made a trip to NY to see Aunt Claire's family. Grampa Ed made a roaring fire to warm them up.

 

We made an outing to the John Jay historic homestead

 

Rowan, what are you doing with those leaves?

 

You wouldn't, would you?

 

 Yes, you would

 

 Erin's favorite doctor, Dr. Pickle!

 

 Which of these statements about John Jay is true?

a. Along with Franklin and Adams, he negotiated the Treaty of Paris to end the Revolutionary War.

b. He served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

c. Along with Madison and Hamilton, he authored the Federalist Papers to support the Constitution.

d. You know he's a Founding Father, but you have no idea what he did.

e. All of the above 

 

 The visitor center had an awesome play area with colonial toys. This is a vintage governess carriage.

 

 Farmer Erin

 

Tessie's gymnastics move

 

More Tessie dancing