Id and Superego

So you know how they talk about the toddler stage being the "criminal stage", when kids do whatever they want, and then they start developing a sense of right and wrong? Well, Lucy and Sam illustrate these two stages of child development in the photo shoot below. Caitlin had asked them both to sit on the steps- Lucy decided to wander off, and Sam got increasingly distressed about this.

And she's off!Sam shows where Lucy is supposed to be. As you see, it was pretty tough to get a picture of the two of them together, let alone smiling at the same time. :)

Fun with family

Well, after a few weeks of fun (Caitlin and John and Sam's visit) and not so fun (the awful cold I got after they left), I'm back into blogging. Our time with Caitlin and John and Sam will take up the next few posts.

Here's a family photo gallery.

Our two little ones- both looking quite handsome/beautiful.


And at breakfast.The two guys, at work.

My lovely sister and me.

Our little munchkin.

Sam & Lucy & the Aquarium

Highlights from Caitlin & John & Sam's visit:

-Adventures! The Aquarium, the Children's Museum, Drumlin Farms, all in a few short days...It was especially fun (and surprisingly easy) to be in downtown Boston.
-Playing at a local beach on a rare heat wave (80+) day in April- Lucy and Sam loved watching the fish and playing in the sand and with balls.
-A wonderful family dinner at Grandma & Grandpa's house- Lucy and Sam had a blast with their doting and playful cousins and aunts and uncles.
-Sam feeding "oo-cee" (Lucy) cheerios and giving her hugs and kisses.
-Hearing Sam's French words (encore, bebe...) and his funny smile when one of us tried to speak French.
-John (aka Mark Poppins) cleaning up the disaster of the house every day after the kids were in bed- our house and kitchen never looked this good!
-John and Caitlin cooked the most amazing gourmet meal for us- marinated steak, roasted potatoes, asparagus delicious appetizers, fruit nut and goat cheese salads, and a divine chocolate lava cake dessert with real whipped cream and blackberries. It was quite a meal.
-Reading "yummy/yucky" with Sam (pictures to follow)- he is such a sweet, funny guy, and I loved our time with him.

Grandma came with us to the children's museum. She's so great with the kids, and they love being with her.

Lucy and I on another hot April day before heading to Grandma and Grandpa's.

Lucy earlier on that hot day, sans her dress.

And at the Aquarium, Lucy sporting her Mama's shades.

Sam and Lucy really enjoyed the aquarium. I think Sam's favorites were the sharks and the turtles. Lucy loved watching the penguins, and also the brightly colored fish. We actually got some cool pictures of the jelly fish and tropical fish. We were all amazed by the beautiful diversity of the fish and creatures.

Adventures continued

Another highlight was seeing Caitlin and John interact with Lucy. They are such a sweet and loving auntie and uncle. John is always able to make Lucy smile, and Lucy has really taken to Caitlin.

Here are Sam and I reading the Yummy/Yucky book ("Sandwiches are yummy...sand is yucky. Blueberries are yummy...blue crayons are yucky." and so on) Sam really got into the "ucky" part. We'd both stick out our tongues for it.

Sam does the cutest thing of squinting his eyes in advance when someone takes a picture. Here he is enjoying a banana split.


This was at the Children's Museum- Sam is so sweet with Lucy.

The museum was a big hit with both kids. Sam loved the ball room and bubble room, and Lucy's favorite was probably the big play area, as well as the balls.

Caitlin was a trooper, fitting between the two car seats in our sedan!