James Sits Up!

As of today, James is sitting independently. He enjoyed showing off this new trick at music class this afternoon. He's such a good little Buster boy, he even giggles when he tips over.

Halloween Preview

We went to the zoo yesterday to celebrate Halloween a little early. Ellie did a trial run of trick or treating and made an elephant mask (see last photo). Both Ellie and James looked pretty cute in their Halloween costumes.

James is 6 Months Old!

James is now 6 months old! It's hard to believe that half a year has passed since April 24th. We were fortunate to have Alexis and Mark visiting us from Chicago on Friday night; we loved having them here and we're so glad James got to meet our friends and Ellie got to see them again. We took Ellie and James to Johnny Rockets for dinner last night (big Saturday night out!) and James sat in a high chair like a big boy. He's now eating apples, pears, rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, sweet peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash and avocados. This morning I realized that
James had cut his first tooth (it will be awhile before it's noticeable in photos). He continues to be a joy - he's quick to smile and laughs and shrieks with excitement often... and he's big - 20 pounds, 4 ounces as of last Monday!

Swinging Sibs

Ellie and James spent some of Thursday afternoon at the playground. They both love the swings!

Bridget and Mimi Visit

Bridget and Mimi came to visit last weekend. Ellie and James loved having them here and we all had a great time together. We did many things in the short time they were here and we're all looking forward to seeing them (and Papa) in a month.

Happiest Baby Boy

James is all smiles and frequently lets out belly laughs. We're so lucky to have such a happy baby!

Vermont: Friends

It was really fun to be away with friends last weekend. Ellie and James both loved having people to play with first thing in the morning. A highlight for Ellie was decorating Halloween cookies on Sunday.

Vermont: Down on the Farm

We spent last Sunday at a farm in Wilmington, Vermont. I highly recommend Adams Farm to anyone who is visiting Southern Vermont with children. We were able to get up close and personal with many animals, we went for a tractor ride and Ellie had her first-ever pony ride. I couldn't believe she actually got on the pony, she barely wanted to see the animals upon our arrival. I asked Ellie if she wanted a pony ride after she had warmed up to the whole farm concept and she said yes. It probably didn't hurt that the pony's name was Maggie (the same name as her favorite cousin). I was so proud of her riding that little pony and I'm pretty sure she was proud of herself, too.

Vermont: Oktoberfest

We traveled to Vermont with our friends last weekend and we all had a great time. We spent Saturday at the Oktoberfest at Mount Snow. It was a bit chilly but lots of fun.

Fun Filled Weekend

Ellie and Buster with Buster the Bunny

The wannabe member of the Read (Arthur's) family

We had a fun-filled weekend with Ellie and James. On the spur of the moment, we took them to the Boston Children's Museum yesterday. It was pouring here which left us very few options and we probably won't get back there for awhile so it was the perfect day to go. Ellie wanted to spent most (all) of our time there in the Arthur section. The BCM is where she first fell in love with everyone's favorite aardvark. Today we went apple and pumpkin picking. Both of the children loved being pulled in the wagon and they also both loved checking out the animals at the farm. Ellie especially loved "driving" the ancient tractor they had there.

To see more photos of our weekend, go here.