Happy Birthday, David!

We had an all day celebration for Dave! First, we had muffins for breakfast . . . Everyone enjoyed them, even Lucy! Then, during staff meeting, we had Dave's favorite caramel dip with apples. Here he is showing off my presentation! :)


Then, after a yummy dinner, we had dessert . . . this year's choice was a banana nut roll (without the nuts) - chosen for its cream cheese filling and cream cheese icing. I've never made a roll before, but it was lots of fun and pretty in the end! Happy Birthday, Dave!

Anna Kate was borrowing Mommy's hiking boots. Doesn't she look great?

Of course, we had to take Sarah to our favorite brewery in town for dinner. The girls were great, even after a long day out and about, and Kelly's Christmas presents came in handy for some table playtime and distraction. Did you expect those blocks to be hats, too?

making cookies

Aunt Sarah came ready to make cookies with Anna Kate. What a fun morning together making cookies . . .
and a fun afternoon frosting them and eating them! (Those are our drapes - all the elements have arrived, and now we just need to add the second rod for the sheers to be hung behind the drapes.)

At the Museum with Aunt Sarah

On Saturday, we went to the NY State Museum for a while. Upstairs is a carousel for riding and a real highlight during a museum visit. We rode a few times!! Though, Lucy only could handle sitting through one ride. She watched the rest of the time.

Anna Kate sings again!

Make Way for Ducklings

Our first day in Boston, some moms took a walk to the Public Garden. It was great weather while we were there, and the dads were busy prepping for the conference. (I should not have let Anna Kate choose her jacket, though, the wind picked up and the girls got cold. :( )But, we had a great walk and fed the ducks and birds (until we noticed the "don't feed the birds" sign! oops!) Anna Kate was a little overwhelmed by the aggression of the birds and ducks. Then we went on to see the statue dedicated to Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings, on their way into the park to meet Mr. Mallard. It's great. By that time, though, Anna Kate was not in the mood for pictures (go there first next year!), but Lucy was . . . She just sat down in between two ducklings (dressed well for the holidays) and enjoyed them!

On the train

We took the Amtrak to Boston for the Winter Conference . . . It is a little longer than driving, but the girls have freedom to move about. In fact, there is no way to hold them in one place!!! Lucy didn't sleep on the train to Boston, which made for quite a long trip. Anna Kate did cuddle up in Daddy's lap and sleep! Amazing!
On the way back to Albany, Lucy took a good nap - only interrupted by another passenger who decided to beat the door down to get to the next car! Ahh! Anna Kate loved playing, and especially on the way home, when Zoe and Kerri were with us!