They ditched us!

M: We've enjoyed all the time that Daddy's had off since he got back from his deployment. Unfortunately he had to start back to work today :( However, I think he was secretly happy because he says it's hard work to watch the two of us all day. Dad and Mom took advantage of the time off and went on a trip to New York City.
W: Yeah they ditched us and went to have fun. It was OK though as we had fun hanging out with our friends. They even took us to McDonald's for dinner!
Mom: Maren was sure happy to see us when we got back but Whitney enjoyed her long sleepover. We had a great trip to NYC. We drove up and spent 2.5 days doing as many of the tourist things we could fit into that time. The highlight was being able to see Phantom of the Opera and Wicked on Broadway. We were excited to meet up with Jim's sisters Michelle and Sue for part of our time there. Some of the sights included Federal Hall (where George Washington was inaugurated and located across the street from the NY Stock Exchange), a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Grand Central Station, Empire State Building (an amazing view), Central Park, NYC Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art (an outstanding collection), United Nations, Times Square, Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. We had a great time away and were glad to not have little kids (shh, don't tell them!) in tow especially on the day that it was pouring rain. If you've never had the chance to visit we highly recommend the trip.

Agility training....

W: Dad and I like to play a new game each night before I go to bed. Dad got a foam blow dart gun for Christmas which he sits on the bed with. My job is to run around and try to dodge his three shots. For each one I dodge I get an extra book to read before bed. I'm getting lots better or Daddy is becoming worse shot (he tries to blame the gun). Little does he know that I've put my trusty little sister to work chewing on the darts so they don't fly straight anymore! Mom just shakes her head and says at least it provides me good agility training. In other news this week, Dad got a fancy new road bike so he can try to keep up with Mom. I think he's afraid she might beat him in the triathlon next month. We had some nice days this week so Mom and Dad took me over to the base so I could go for a bike ride with Dad. We rode about a mile before my little legs got tired. I've got to figure out how to keep my feet on the pedals and then I'll be a speed racer!

Great big sister....

M: I've got a great big sister who takes good care of me. In the mornings and after naps she likes to come climb in my crib to snuggle with me. She also gets me toys to play with or reads me books to entertain me until Mom and Dad come get me up. She's also good at cleaning me up and getting me down from my highchair after meals. Mom and Dad are glad she's such a good helper and I'm glad to have a great sister to play with!
W: Don't worry I bribed her with chocolate to say such nice things about me! In other words, we had some nice warm weather last week so we took advantage one afternoon when there was some wind to go fly our kite! Good thing we enjoyed the warm weather while it was here because it is COLD now, it even snowed this weekend.

Daddy's home!!!

W: We're so excited that Daddy came home this week. We went and picked him up at the airport in Baltimore so we could see him a day sooner. The picture above is of me holding the sign I made by myself for him. It's been great to have him home!

M: I don't know who this new guy is that moved into our house. All I know is that he likes to tickle me a lot and thinks I need adrenaline training! He says he's my daddy but I'm still a bit skeptical of him.

Bargaining chip...

K: Whitney seems to think that Maren has more pull around here than she does. She has started to try to get things she wants (and that I may have previously told her "No" about) by saying "Maren wants this..." They are truly sisters! One minute they can be best buddies and the next minute they are worst enemies.

Walking wonder...

M: Well I couldn't hold off until Dad got home. Maybe I'll be walking more than crawling when he gets home. Mom hopes so as she says she's getting tired of cleaning the stains on the knees of my pants and the top of my socks. Here's some footage of my latest trick:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We wish you all a very happy new year! We're excited as the new year means that Daddy will be home very soon. Love, Whitney and Maren