Goodbye to Ms. Bunny

We entered phase one of orthodontia today. Maddie has a very small palate and no room for any permanent teeth. She's already had 8 baby teeth pulled (she loves to tell people she's only "lost" 2 teeth!). The two teeth on either side of her top front teeth came in behind her baby teeth and were affecting her bite. So enter phase one of braces!

The pre-smile

One last look at the bunny teeth (Theo thinks they are hysterical!).

I really like Dr. Sonis, the orthodontist. He's funny and kind. We had to pick out Maddie's back to school outfit before her appointment so she could chose the bands that would match - pink and silver. She actually has all of her bands picked out through December! What a fun treat at each appointment. They didn't have that option when I was in braces.

Hooray! She made it. She was so very brave.

She had a lot of pain the first two days. And no wonder...

Look at how her teeth were before braces.

And two days later - the movement of the side and front teeth!

He's Our Underwear Guy!

It's such a big deal to say goodbye to diapers. After five successful days, we decided to have an special party for Gabriel. How lucky to celebrate this milestone with Nana. Gabriel was very tickled to be the center of attention.

A few thoughts -

• I cannot believe we are at this stage already. Though when I think about 8 1/2 years of diapers, I can believe it.
• Gabriel has done an amazing job with potty training - very few accidents. Of course, one was about an hour after his party...
• He just loves all of his special underwear and is so good at running to the potty or giving me a bit of notice when he needs to go. Hooray!!!

International Cliff Divers

Nana's here and it means adventure. Aside from the usual museum, shopping and beach trip (even a date with Nathan!), we took advantage of the International Cliff Diving event and headed into Boston, where there are no cliffs.

It was a spectacular day! And if you know me, you understand that I was a bit concerned about the crowds - how to get into town, find parking, deal with all the people, etc. But, our adventure went off without a hitch. Parking - check, crowds - manageable, cliff diving - amazing.

The "cliff" was a platform extended off the top of the Institute of Contemporary Art. So the divers plummeted into Boston Harbor. It was truly amazing. We had a great view and oohed and ahed at these athletes. Nathan and I had seen cliff divers on our honeymoon in Acapulco (how sad that we wouldn't even consider going to Acapulco today with the crime in Mexico). Interestingly, diving off of this building was more difficult for the divers than a cliff because they use the contours of the cliff to judge the distance to the water (the building juts out over the harbor so you lose your visual about 1/3 of the way down).

We loved our Nana time and wish it were more frequent!

From China with Love

Our dear friends the Roths sent these darling PJs to the kids. In China they are special dress up clothes. The kids love them. And to see both boys running around in their navy outfits - just darling!

A Very Local Farm

I was just thrilled this year to have a spot to plant a vegetable garden. I knew it would be a bit of a challenge as we have a fairly shady backyard and let's face it, a very short growing season. I made a few critical errors in the beginning - not watering with enough frequency and not fertilizing. That said we had some successes - greens and well, greens. Nathan deemed it a fantastic salad! Our beets and carrots didn't take off. I do need to give credit to our tomatoes and they may fall into the success category if I can get another batch to ripen, though our plants weren't dripping with toms like they should be. The kids loved tending the garden and we're already making big plans for next year!

He's Three!

Our little angel! A boy who loves balls, sports, music, kiss attacks, his sister and brother and playing outside. He's not too fond of chickens or getting in trouble (he'll moan "I'm tired" when he's been reprimanded). His memory is astounding and his little sense of humor tickles us. We are so blessed to have our Gabey in our life.

His birthday was low key after our crazy weekend. Family dinner and presents were just what he needed. Maddie and Theo spent the afternoon wrapping about 40 items for him. To quote Theo, "Well, it was just a bunch of stuff I didn't want." That said, I know that some special treasures that Theo did like were added into the mix. Tough guy.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

Birfday Weekend

Unbelievable how quickly time flies! Here we are three years later celebrating Gabriel's birthday. We needed to be in New Hampshire for a race for Nathan so we decided to make a special weekend of it.

Here's Gabriel opening his card that showed pictures of us watching Daddy bike up a mountain, our special cottage at Christmas Farm Inn and time at Storyland!

First up Mt Washington. You know the signs you see at restaurants - world's best burger - it's obviously an exaggeration. Well, this sign at the top of Mount Washington was true - unfortunately. Two years ago, we went to the top to watch Nathan and the weather was crisp but beautiful. This time not so much. Dare I say frigid? It was also described as horrendous. I tried to keep a smile on as I wasn't the one biking up the mountain but boy was it hard. With the windchill it was 33.

No playing on the rocks this time. We waited in the lodge until it was time to cheer the cyclists to the finish line.

And they emerge from the fog!

And now to brag - he took 20 minutes off his time and placed 3rd in his division (any other year, he would have won his division). He had a much easier recovery this time around too. And he naturally, hit his goal. Very exciting!

A fun but exhausting weekend for our little guy. Two nights up until 9:30 and then we arrived home on Sunday at 11:30. He'd rubbed his eyes so much he had little scabs under them. Yikes... I love the sleeping baby picture (can I still say baby? Probably not.). Maddie and Theo shared a bed for the first time and there wasn't too much kicking!

We have a favorite pizza place but with an hour wait we wandered over to a climbing store. Gabriel was so proud to get to the top. I fear Nathan may have had his interest peaked for a new hobby - ice climbing.

And then Storyland. Such a darling amusement park.

My three little bears.

Gabriel was just 36 inches allowing him to go on all the rides. The Polar Coaster was a one time ride for him. Maddie loved it so much she'd hop on it alone.

The shoes were Gabriel's favorite.

Cooling down with Hawaiian ice

While Nathan and Maddie went on the water ride, I took the boys to the ball tent. They could have spent all day here. It was a pretty impressive two level ball shooting, dropping, flinging wonderland for boys.

We had a great time celebrating Gabriel. I even had time for a lovely run, hike and sit by the river to refresh. We all agree that Jackson, New Hampshire is a perfect playground for our family!