Lately...

I wonder if they'll still be doing this when they are 16 and 17?

I'm sure I know my answer, but one can hope.

These tracks are definitely signs of a good day spent outside. Too bad that all of this snow is now melted. I can't believe how little snow we've had this year (especially when compared to how much we had last year!).

Friday night the O'Donnell's came over for a visit. We put Genevieve to bed and the boys stayed up and watched Charlotte's Web.

Saturday we went to the Harvard Museum of Natural History. it was really nice. They both loved all of the animals on display and Sebastien liked the dinosaur bones. Sebastien was especially fond of using the magnifying glass, seen here.

The kids looking at some prehistoric fossil bones.

Why not take a family picture in front of a gigantic prehistoric sea monster? If only it were Christmas card season, right?

Cozy winter nights...

Sunday we went back into Boston because Dan and I had a crazy idea that we'd take the kids to FAO Schwartz. Well, after walking around and not finding it, we later learned that it closed in 2003. Whoops! (Thanks Google Maps for being up-to-date!) Luckily walking through Boston Gardens and playing at the playground in the Common was enough activity for the kids and we ended up having a pretty darn good day. Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's, complete with all Masse siblings, was a cherry on top. Oh, and Downtown Abbey being on afterwards was a second cherry. :)

VIDEO: Diva Sings Jingle Bells

When I filmed Genevieve singing Jingle Bells this morning, I only intended for you to get the pleasure of watching her sing. I did not intend for the full Diva to make an appearance. Luckily (un unluckily?) for you, it did. Here Genevieve hams it up in the spotlight, but then unleashes the diva when it's Sebasten's turn to shine. (Warning: You may want to turn down your computer speakers at the end.)



And then there was cold

The cold set in this weekend. I think the low was in the low single digits last night. We, however, decided not to let it keep us from going to our first Newbury Bonfire. The town of Newbury, MA burns all of their Christmas trees at once in a big bonfire event. We bundled up and headed out.

Here are the kids bundled up in the stroller. It was probably in the 20s, so not as cold as it could have been, but man was it chilling.

 The warmth of the huge fire was a comfort. Unfortunately we didn't hang out too much by the fire, as there were food and beverage stands that needed to be sampled.

 And it wouldn't be a bonfire without some goats (?). Genevieve loves goats but was upset that her gloves prevented her from sticking her fingers up its nose, which is her favorite goat activity.

It's hard to see Sebastien in this video because I shot it with my camera which doesn't allow for a flash while filming. Nonetheless, hopefully you can make him out dancing. We were waiting in line for fried dough (or "elephant ears" as they're known to my midwestern crew) and Sebastien decided to make the best of it.

The next morning, Sebastien made pancakes...well, with some help.

 The red pancakes turned out pink but no one minded. We used our smiley face pancake maker too.

 Yummy!

 Then Daddy decided they could handle the 14 degree weather to go outside to play. Here they are bundled up. Genevieve only made it about 40 minutes, but Sebastien would have stayed out there all day if we let him. Dan is so proud of his snowbunnies. Next winter we ski!

And then there was snow...finally!

Now, I'm not crazy about snow (especially this winter because we're not skiing), but it had been quite a ridiculous winter until now. We had a freak snowstorm in October that dumped quite a bit of snow and ice before Halloween, and then nothing until last night. Granted, it wasn't much snow at all, but these pictures show the contrast.
Here are the kiddos last weekend. You'd think it was a cold spring day, not January!

 Gymnastics has taken Sebastien's recent jumping fetish to new heights, literally. The kid is always jumping off of something. He loves to jump off this wall outside. Unfortunately his kid sister is never far behind and doesn't realize that she doesn't yet have his height advantage.

 And voila! Snow.
We took the kids outside last night until about 8:30. We all had fun so we didn't mind the late bedtime. The hill in the backyard was great for sledding. Sebastien zooms down it on his own. Somehow he hasn't managed to plow into a tree or the shed. Genevieve seems to enjoy running up and down the hill, as much as being in a sled.

New Years 2011-2012

So as I was creating this post, I realized that

 I didn't take any pictures on New Year's Eve! We spent the evening at a friend's house and we were impressed that all 6 kids there were asleep by 8:30. That left the adults plenty of fun, kid-free time to ring in the new year. Dan had another 4 day weekend and we spent it well. Our weekend activities included hosting a dinner for friends, splitting firewood, baking, playing with Christmas toys, hot tubbing on New Year's Eve, the Boston Children's Museum, out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant with friends, and dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's.

 Sebastien and Bella watching TV while the grown-ups enjoy dinner.

Boston Children's Museum: bubble room

Snake

Genevieve in a tunnel

Happy 2012 Everyone!