Thanksgiving 2009: Return of the Mishpacha.

It's time once again to play Spot the New One!

Benji's Birthday Cake

You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

Kisses.

Nana and Poppa's Lake House.

Nana and Poppa's new house in West Virginia was completed a couple of weeks ago, and we spent a few days there last week.

Plastic Cups and Principles of Hydrodynamics.

It was hot Friday, so my friend Tara and I took the children to the South Side to play in the fountains. I know I promised never to make movies again, but I just had to include both clips -- the first because of the unbridled joy, and the second because of the neat trick Tara showed the boys with the plastic cups she brought. The fellow in yellow is Tara's Ben.



I feel bad that Anne was not in these videos, but that's because this is pretty much what she did the entire time. She is all about the looking cute and the sitting and the not getting too wet and the did someone bring snacks I sure hope so.

Berry-Picking With the Moritzes.

Anne's Second First Birthday Party.

Those little buckets initially held water and a bunch of animal-shaped squirters. Benji almost immediately upended the buckets and repurposed them as hardhats and/or sun visors.




















Cream cheese frosting melllllting in the heat.




















You might think she was enjoying herself, but actually this face means, "Sticky! Do something!"
































































Zack wearing his party favor.














Admiring the dress Megan made (!!) for Anne.

Clone Watch.

Going pretty well so far. Needs brown wig.

Touch-a-Truck.

The Junior League of Pittsburgh held its second annual Touch-a-Truck event a few weekends ago. It was a hit.

Scenes from Anne's Party.

We had the cousins over to celebrate Anne's birthday last week. Here is some cute video footage, strung together into a "movie." (The scare quotes denote overall badness. This took me forever to do, but you'd never know it.)