Gaub Blog

Impromptu Dance Party

2012-01-13T16:08:00.000-05:00

Holidays

2012-01-13T15:36:00.001-05:00

Here's a post to catch us up through the new year. The extended Gaub family joined us for Christmas, so we were able to stay home for the holidays.


Gingerbread cookies. (my biggest pet peeve of the camera: the flash makes the girls close their eyes in 75% of photos)

Christmas morning. Nora just wasn't sure what to think.

Heidi, Troy, Andrew, Kris (AKA Gigi)

Grandpa

Look at all the lollipops!

Church. Nora did not want to cooperate!

So I took a photo of the non-preschool Gaubs.

Grandpa & Gigi get ready to open presents.

Ella really likes her keyboard!

Nora, trying out the new guitar.

Thank you Dave & Aliya for the play-doh toys!


Thank you Aunt Mia & Uncle Tim for the totally engaging and very very very messy MoonDough.

Nora & Gigi had the same idea...

Andrew kept his head warm with a Mongolian hat. Those Mongolians know how to keep heads warm.

Gretchen joined us for the festivities.

Troy had to get in on the hat-action.


Andrew and I went to New York City for New Years. It was a very very very nice weekend getaway!

Nora painted a gingerbread man with the paint supplies from Aunt Natalie, Uncle Matt, and Link.

Ella painted a rainbow.

Nora has been very committed to learning some songs on the keyboard.

The girls got Fordham tees from Uncle Troy.

Ella, wearing a headdress Wendy got her in Egypt.

Wearing hats from Aunt Mia.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day in January!

The girls were very sweet, cute, and acting like BFF's all day!

Bring it on, 2012!

Christmas Photo Outtakes

2012-01-13T14:51:00.001-05:00

This is a small sampling of the photos I took in an attempt to make an adorable Christmas photo card this year. I tried on several days to get a nice shot of the two of them. Ha. Ha. Ha. I ended up settling for a couple of okay ones. Which is why we did not send out many cards this year! (but the outtakes are much more accurate in showing how they really are!)

Go Tell It On the Mountain

2011-12-19T17:17:00.000-05:00

The girls looked over the presents to see which were for them

Ella, eating chocolate chips for a snack. I showed her this picture and she laughed so hard at herself.

Today was the girls' preschool Christmas show. It was ridiculously adorable.

The sanctuary at the Presbyterian church where they go to preschool in Bryn Mawr.

Ella, in white (the little one). (pics are blurry b/c I couldn't use flash it was from far away)

The older kids did the nativity and the younger ones were the chorus. Nora is on the end to the right, Ella is third from the left.

We met up with them in their classroom where we had cookies and looked at their artwork.

Family photo!

The girls' long-time nanny, Gwen, stopped by today to give them their Christmas present from her.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-12-04T17:15:00.001-05:00

Still working on the Halloween candy!

Nora has been falling asleep all over the house.

Ella's favorite pajama outfit

Winter Stylz

Ella, wearing the pilgrim hat she made at preschool.

My DIY pumpkin centerpiece for Thanksgiving

Playing a game during which the boys had you convince my dad to pick them as the person who most resembles Danny Devito!

The Thanksgiving table

Working on the food: Troy watches my sisters and mother in anticipation of the meal to come.

The Thanksgiving tree.

Our good friends Dave & Aliya had their baby shower over Tgiving weekend. Oh yeah-the guy in the blue shirt in the doorway is the mayor of Philadelphia, or "Michael" as he told Andrew :)

Aliya, cutting the cake. Mmm.

Opening presents.

Decorating for Christmas: the girls wanted to wear tree skirts.

Our new Christmas tree--it's taller than me now (and doesnt have to sit on crate)!

Ella, exactly.

Nora, so proud of our "beautiful" tree.

Nora was so pleased that she got to wear Mama's fuzzy socks. And the one she held was her "Kitty".

Just watching tv together. It's so cute when they get along!

Nora, napping by the tree.

The girls at a classmate's birthday party. Waiting for cupcakes.

Nora. She wanted the sparkles (AKA the sprinkles) taken off.

Ella had no problem going right in for that cupcake.

Ella, painting.

Nora, painting.

Ella's color-by-number Tinkerbell.

Nora's color-by-number Buzz Lightyear. She expressed some regret about paining his face purple.

Hey, Ride (and Smores)

2011-11-10T21:47:00.000-05:00

Leaves are Falling

2011-11-05T17:07:00.000-04:00

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:58:00.001-04:00

My costume at work, with the other therapist, Amy (a witch). I based my costume on the Dia de Los Muertos (aka Day of the Dead) style. I painted the mask and made the veil and flower headpiece.

Ella: Alice in Wonderland & Nora: Pirate

Trick or Treat!

Candy!

All the candy from their baskets that has nuts in it: guess what I'll be doing for the next few days...Mmmm

Fall Sing

2011-10-28T15:45:00.001-04:00

Today was the "Fall Sing" at the girls' preschool today. Just a short 15 minutes of the kiddos from their class and the older class singing Halloween songs. It was so cute. Nora just sat there looking stunned the whole time. Ella went in and out of singing and seemed distracted by all of the parents in the room (I would have been, too!).

Falling into Fall

2011-10-22T17:24:00.002-04:00


We went to NYC last weekend and stayed with our bookseller friends, Josh & Sunday.

The girls love their dog, Marlowe.

When people ask if the girls are different, I may refer them to this photo. (They are coloring the same picture).

Nora drew a picture of her fave Yo Gabba Gabba character, Foofa.

This is the real Foofa.

Nora came home form school and was proudly showing off her Halloween crafts.

The girls, standing just like their Daddy (and each other).

Today we took a lovely autumn walk to the playground.

Ella & Daddy

The girls make a sand pile.

Andrew got a haircut (from me) today.

Ella is finally brave enough to do the "big slide" without hesitation.

Nora makes Mama a "birthday cake".

The girls like to "climb" trees.

I love the look on her face.

Snapshots

2011-10-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

Ob-la-Di Ob-la-da

2011-10-13T21:32:00.002-04:00

The girls are officially into the Beatles. They love the White Album. I got a short video of them singing along before bed. I've been teaching them about the members in the band and who sings which songs. We talk about the names of the songs and what they are about. Yesterday they sat and listened to all 17 tracks of the first disc of the album and still wanted more. I couldn't be prouder.

The Dancing Baby

2011-09-13T19:44:00.000-04:00

The Girls Talk About Their First Day at School

2011-09-12T14:01:00.001-04:00

I grabbed the camera as soon as I got home from work today to capture the girls' explanation of their first day of school. Somehow I get the impression we were all more excited about it than they were. I also think that the reaction of these three-year-olds to their mother's questions about their school day may be remarkably similar to the answers I anticipate receiving when they are teenagers. Oh, and please excuse the lack of clothing.

1, 2, 3 Jump!

2011-09-05T16:22:00.000-04:00

The Girls do Things

2011-08-25T17:32:00.001-04:00

While in Indiana, the girls slept by each other on nap mats. One night, they were on top of each other!

Ella likes this really soft blanket!

The first picture Ella has ever drawn of a person--her Daddy!

Walking around Fordham University

Big sofa, little ladies

Faces in a fan.

Ella's first family picture

Ella decided "Mama is cold and needs a coat". :)

Recent Family Photos

2011-08-25T17:22:00.000-04:00

Aunt Natalie, Nana, Grandma Richards, cousin Lincoln

Ella & Nana

A Richards family reunion in Avilla, Indiana. These are the children of my cousins. We are expanding exponentially!

Ella

Andrew.

Link--the most photogenic person ever.

Uncle Matt & Daddy

Nora

Cousins! Lincoln and Ella

My cousin, Chantel also has twins--boys!

Chatting with my cousin Matt


My dad (Grandpa Richards; top left) and his brothers: Jim, Paul, Don, then cousin Richard, sisters Caroline, Mary Jane, and Patty

Silly family photo

Ella. rocks.

Nora. slide.

Ella & Nora

The old school metal slide. I took a turn on it!

Our Little Artists

2011-08-02T17:10:00.002-04:00

Nora has been drawing like mad. She really likes to draw people. And circles. She is becoming quiet the creative artist! Ella draws occasionally, but just does not seem as interested in her artistry. Her latest attempts are done on the rug so she gets some texture in her strokes. Here are examples from today.

Nora's

Nora's "The Big Bird"

Nora's "Circles"

Nora's "Dad". Mama drew the hand at her request. Nora did not like her attempt (on the right), which is why she scribbled it out with black crayon.

Nora's

Ella's "Zig Zag"

This was Nora's attempt to write her name from memory!

Nora's

Ella's

Summertime Photos

2011-08-02T16:36:00.001-04:00

it was hot outside!

they aren't supposed to stand that close to the tv

Bedtime story

Helping toss the salad

Andrew's birthday celebration

the look says it all

Andrew got a bow tie from a friend

The CA Gaubs sing "happy birthday" via webcam

Nora in her dress up shoes

Ella, coloring at the counter. She looks so small!

Nora got inside a bassinet that is meant for baby dolls

Ella dutifully put blankets on her

I made my first batch of homemade linguini (it was yummy)

Some people from across the street were throwing this cabinet out. The girls volunteered to help me paint it.

They took their work very seriously...and it was seriously cute.

Nora is an expert at tracing letters.

Daddy and Ella check out some water fowl at the zoo.

Checking out a bear at the zoo: Troy, Ella, Nora, Andrew

4th of July

2011-08-02T16:24:00.001-04:00

Nora and her water ice

Ella and her water ice

Narberth 4th of July Festival (and Troy)

Claiming our spot to watch the fireworks

The girls with their Uncle Troy

Still waiting for the fireworks

Quite a crowd!

This is how Ella "watched" the fireworks

Nora made herself "unconscious" during the display. Seriously. She started talking as soon as it was over.

Third Birthday Photo Shoot

2011-06-26T14:06:00.006-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Photos taken by (uncle) Tim Witzenman during a recent visit with Aunt Mia.
(Dont worry, Grandparents. You are all getting copies of these!)

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AZtGrFq4aMnHg

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2011-06-12T21:06:00.003-04:00

More Spring

2011-05-11T17:06:00.004-04:00

For about a week, the tree in our backyard was pink. Then the petals fell and we had a pink back yard. It was oh-so-spring!
Nora was looking cute in her church clothes and sat on the swing I put up
Ella. Also cute.

She looks like she's asking God a question

The girls got sleep mats for our overnight trip to CT. They are obsessed with them. It was no problem getting them to sleep in those things.
My kids are weird sometimes (okay, most of the time...). Nora cuddles with this touch-n-feel book with furry pages. She was walking around like this. Sometimes she lies on it. It's so weird.
I can tell how humid it is based on the curliness of Nora's hair. This was a sticky day!

Making Ravioli Round Two

2011-05-11T16:58:00.003-04:00

I have no intention of making this a food blog (Andrew thinks I should start one), but I love making food, eating food, and taking pictures of food. So it might just happen from time to time.

This was my second, more successful, attempt at making ravioli by hand. I still havent rolled the dough out by hand yet, but once I get just the right thickness figured out, I'm going to try!

Homemade pesto/white wine sauce.

May Day Party

2011-05-09T15:32:00.010-04:00

This weekend we went to North Haven, CT for our friends' annual May Day party. It was a lovely weekend. Some of the photos I am posting are from Teri as she got some choice shots that I did not.

I took a couple of pictures on the ride up.

Nora was drooling.
Ella, of course, was huffing Night Night Man.
Nora got herself all ready to play outside.
Group shot from the weekend.
Andrew is in the back giving his friend, Jordan, a smooch.
(front: Josh, me, Teri, Jake. Middle: Heather, Susan, Sunday, Francis. Back: Jordan, Andrew, Paul). Everyone here is "book person" except me and Jake, Teri's brother. Oh, and the tortoise.

We brought the pirate tent. Here the girls play with Henry and Sophia, 1 1/2 year old twins!
Here are the other twins with their parents, Jackie and Tony.
When Russ the Tortoise arrived she was the big hit of the party.
Ella was immediately intrigued.

Jordan, Andrew, Heather, Teri: Indiana University library school comrades.

There was one point in the afternoon when four of the kids decided to go shirtless.

By the end of the day, Russ had enough and went to sleep in a corner.
Josh and Sunday were teaching Texas Hold Em Poker to Andrew and Francis.
Andrew did surprisingly well...
...and won!
I was there, but I really dont recall why they were dancing. Josh's face says it all.
Sunday had a good poker hand.
The next morning, Ella immediately went for the tortoise and watched her...closely!
Mother's Day pancakes breakfast. I was the only mother there. But everyone enjoyed the pancakes!

Making Pasta (and other goodies)

2011-05-09T15:13:00.007-04:00

I have recently started trying to make pasta by hand. At some point I hope to be able to do every step by hand. Currently I use a pasta roller I got for my birthday to roll out the sheets. My goal is to do it with my large rolling pin. But I want to get the steps down before I put all of that time into it.

Here Ella is watching me make the first batch. I went with Farfalle (bow ties) because it seemed relatively easy to make by hand as I dont have a pasta cutter. I think it rolled out a little thin for this shape, but it was delicate and delicious.
The next shape I tried was Orecchiette, or "little ears". I wanted to try something a little more substantial for a pasta salad. It turned out to have a texture similar to gnocchi and may have been a little thick cold (in the pasta salad), but was still tasty.
I didnt get any pics of it, unfortunately.

My most recent attempt was ravioli. It was hard. I ended up throwing out at least half of it because it was so sticky and did not want to pull apart. I learned I needed a whole lot more flour to keep them from getting so sticky.

Here is a picture of the ravioli after I rolled it out. I made large sheets of pasta, spread it with the filling (ricotta, spinach, goat cheese, and garlic), then rolled over it with the ravioli pin to make the shapes. And I also decided to pull out my "pasta board" for this batch.
I then took a pasta cutter to cut out the individual pieces and laid them out to dry. This round was sticky and hard to pull apart without ripping them.
By the end, I learned more flour was the key.
We had ravioli for dinner that night (in appropriate dishes). They were very yummy and very delicate. I think next time I will roll out the pasta thicker to give it a more substantial bite.
And just to round out this food post, this weekend I made an asparagus tart...
...and a rustic plum tart.
Both were delicious and I plan to make them again!

Quote of the Day

2011-05-02T14:40:00.002-04:00

Ella: "Catch a fish and make a wish." (She had a string in her hand. I have no idea how she came up with this.)

Easter Sunday

2011-04-25T17:26:00.004-04:00

Easter this year also just happened to be my birthday. But it was really all about the candy.

With a couple days of rain and sunshine the tree in the backyard blossomed.
Easter baskets
Just up from their beds...

The pictures dont do the mess justice.
Church

We took a walk after brunch
Windy day! The girls thought it was funny that their dresses kept blowing up to their faces.
Back home, Ella goes right for the chocolate bunny.
The girls do their first at-home egg hunt.

Ella, with evidence of the chocolate bunny all over her face.

Taking pictures is easy with such photographic children!

The Please Touch Museum

2011-04-22T14:53:00.007-04:00

Today the girls and I went to the Please Touch Museum--the childrens' museum in Philadelphia. We had never been there before (it ain't cheap!) but it did not disappoint. We went with another twins mom and her two--Jake and Shelby--who are about one year older than our girls.

The building is quite impressive it was built in 1876 for the World's Fair and sat empty until recently. The photo I took doesnt show the scale of it, so I snagged this off the web:
Here's my pic with the girls at the bottom of the stairs in front
Inside the front door:
This was, by far, Ella's favorite--the bus. She got off and on at least 30 times. We came back twice because she insisted. She is actually sitting on the bus in the photo, but you cant see the little thing.
Water play
Slide!
Here the girls and Shelby check out twigs and eggs in a tree
They actually ended up playing a pretty great tune, following each other down the keys...
Nora, playing her little baby grand
Nursery Rhyme Land
I was just waiting for some blackbirds to come out of their pie...
Jake was captain of the ship for awhile
There is an Alice and Wonderland section where you can paint the roses and walk through the garden (it smells like roses!). Nora walked up to the Mad Hatter's tea party...
Ella actually looked big at the end of the hall!
A play house
Of course, Nora wanted to vacuum
Ella puts a blanket in the baby's crib
Nora grabbed a shovel and used it as a dustpan!
Oh, then there was McDonalds. Yeah.
The girls made sandwiches
Then we went grocery shopping (that's Carrie with her twins and a cart)

The science section. Ella loved watching the balls float on air
Ground Control to Major Tom
We went on the carousel
The girls were nice and calm as we waited. I've never had a time when both wanted to stay on their horse and ride the ride.
Carrie offered to take a photo of the three of us and Nora started her meltdown and Ella looked away. This is why I am laughing.
Luckily both girls calmed down and seemed to enjoy the ride. Now they are sleeping soundly in their beds...

Spring Activities

2011-04-21T14:18:00.003-04:00

When Grandma Richards came to visit recently, she brought the girls a flower planting kit. On this sunny day, we finally got around to planting!

Gigi (Grandma Gaub) sent an Easter craft for the girls to do:

Earlier this week, Andrew gave a talk about books to some Villanova students. I took a picture of the man in action.

Easter is Coming

2011-04-18T17:23:00.003-04:00

We spent some time this weekend getting ready for Easter.

Here is an Easter tree we got from Gigi:
Uncle Troy was visiting and helped the girls color Easter eggs for the first time while Aunt Heidi was watching via web chat

The next day they put on stickers

On Saturday a couple of kids (Aman [2] and Jacob [4]) came over for a bit. At first the girls didnt know what to think...
But they ended up "jumping" around the table for a long time. I think it's time for more playdates!

This week in Photos

2011-04-05T16:02:00.007-04:00

They got into my lipstick.
Nora asked if she could "do lips", which typically means she gets some chapstick and puts it on her lips. I was in the study for a couple minutes and Nora walked in looking like this. I walked into the bedroom and saw Ella had done it as well--in addition to decorating the dresser.
Sunday we went to the art museum again.
(a woman walked up and asked me if I'd given the girls some crayons, resulting in the art seen here...)
Family activity: based on a current artistic fashion exhibit going on at the museum, they provided materials for kids to make their own fashionable creations.
Here Nora sits with our friend, Hannah, who came with us. Nora was more into trying to cut paper.
Another young child spilled a whole tub of feathers and fuzzy balls at the craft table. Ella spent most of the time picking things off of the floor.
The adults put forth just enough effort to make a...unique statement. We chose to not bring it home with us.
We then walked behind the museum along the river. It was a beautiful day, but very windy.

Yesterday was sunny and warm. So we went for a walk to the playground.

Squish Me

2011-04-03T08:32:00.002-04:00

A recent video. I filmed the girls "squishing" each other. THIS is why twins are so great.

Some Recent Photos

2011-03-27T14:39:00.001-04:00

Why Not?

Friends, the Barnes, and more DIY

2011-03-21T21:45:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we were visited by our dear friends, Teri and Francis. Teri brought along her sewing machine to assist me with some DIY projects I had in mind because, frankly, my sewing machine really seems to have a disliking for me.

We started the weekend by visiting the nearby Barnes Foundation--a private museum that houses one of the largest impressionist painting collections in the world. It will soon be moving to Center City Philly, much to the dismay of many (though not city officials or politicians). You can learn more about it by watching the movie "The Art of the Steal". Andrew and I went with Matt and Natalie shortly after we moved here. We wanted to see it again--with the girls--before it leaves our little part of the world. I am not sure how moving it into the city can really do it justice, but we'll see.

Here the girls stand in front of the museum.
A view from the back
Outdoor seating near the garden (not yet recovered from winter)
The girls running across the side yard

Checking out the fish
Ella, not wanting to leave
Lunch afterward. The girls with Teri.
Ella and Teri--the best of buds. Oh and Francis was there, too.
Teri gets to work on a pillow case
Ta da!
And another...
The sofa is getting more interesting...
Ella checks out what is going on
The study with it's new valence

The bathroom with it's new valence

and a gnome.

"New" chair

2011-03-18T15:46:00.001-04:00

Chair, before:
Chair, after:

Quote of the Day

2011-03-14T17:33:00.004-04:00

Nora: Oh no! The monster went poo poo on the floor!
Me: Oh no. What are you going to do about it?
Nora: I dont know. I need to talk on the phone.
(Another reason we wont be getting a dog...)
Nora holds her "phone" up to her head. "Hello? Talk to you. Bye"
(I wish most of MY phone calls were that short)
We then go down stairs.
Nora: Where's the monster?
Ella: Oh no! The monster is eating our breakfast! No, Monster! No!!
(The fact that is was 5:30pm apparently made no difference to the monster and his meal preference)

Our Father...

2011-03-10T21:49:00.002-05:00

So, in case you haven't heard, the girls can now recite "The Lord's Prayer". It started out as an "experiment" by me to find out how much, really, a 2-year-old can memorize. Within a week of saying it about once a day, they had it. Amazing and absolutely adorable (and I gotta admit, it's kind of weird to hear two-year-olds say the words "hallowed", "temptation", and "evil".). We now say it every night before bed. At church on Sunday it was recited and Nora stared at a couple sitting behind us--she seemed to be absolutely amazed that other people knew their prayer:)

I, again, am having difficulty getting videos to upload onto the site. However, I do hope to get a video of them saying their prayers at some point. Because I love it.

Tricycling

2011-03-08T21:25:00.003-05:00

I got two tricycles at the Mothers of Multiples (re)Sale this past weekend. $4 each. Score.

DIY Curtains

2011-03-08T21:16:00.002-05:00

So after years of not having curtains, I spent several hours yesterday shopping, trying to finally find the right pair. I tend to be, um, "cheap" with things so I went for these nice blue curtains from Ikea. There was another pair I like a bit better--but they cost more. So I figured these would be fine enough. I liked the way they looked in the store, but was not so thrilled once I hung them up. As you can tell by the pillows, it was not the shade of blue I tend to go for--turquoise, teal, or robin's egg blue. No, these looked like they were made from denim shirts. Not terrible, but it wasnt the right shade. So I was either going to have to get new curtains, feel like I settled, or get all new bedroom decor...
On my way to work this morning I came with an idea--dye them! If I can find a shade that more closely matched what I was thinking, it would surely work!
And it did. It colorful. It's bold. But I am finally happy with it.
Now, if only Ikea would stop being out-of-stock of the rug I want in the room--then I'll be thrilled (and done shopping)!

DIY tv stand

2011-02-27T16:53:00.003-05:00

Since moving into our new place, I've been inspired to add some creativity to our decor. The living room is nice, but quite boring. There isnt much in it and not much room for "extras" so I wanted to add more character to what little bit we have in there. We dont like big, in-your-face entertainment centers, so we've always had a simple tv stand. I looked into buying a new one, but I was dissuaded by the prices. So I decided to see what I could do with some paint and a few accessories. It was easier than I thought! I was able to get it done during the time the girls took a nap (and that included a trip to Home Depot). I'm pretty sure I'll be DIY-ing more often now.

Before:
After:

A Day at the Museum

2011-02-23T19:23:00.003-05:00

This weekend we decided to finally renew our Philadelphia Museum of Art membership, now that the girls are old enough to understand what they are seeing to some degree, as well as cooperate...to some degree.

They were very excited to go (even though they were not sure, exactly, what they were in for) and when we walked into the first gallery they were so quiet and focused.

One of the first things we saw was Degas' "Little Dancer" statue--one of my favorites. The girls were very interested in it.
Of course, as soon as we got there we got several people standing in front of the statue, looking at the girls, asking questions about them so that the girls could not look at the statue. Guess they assumed the girls were more interested in answering the same old twins questions rather than looking at beautiful art. Eventually we were left to explore--alone!

Here is a picture of Nora showing off her visitor badge. So proud.
The girls are always obsessed with water and fountains and this fountain was no exception. They had no interest in the Monet or the Van Gogh. They wanted to throw pennies!

In the modern art wing...
On weekends the museum has family activities. This weekend was a drawing activity. Children are given paper and colored pencils to try and recreate some of the art in the galleries. Or just scribble, of course.

Notice a difference?

One last shot--at the CA Book Fair.

A Weekend in San Francisco

2011-02-22T16:09:00.004-05:00

So a couple of times a year Andrew & I get a chance to spend time together without the girls. Book fairs are usually that time, so although Andrew is working, we get to have fun with our fellow "young" bookseller friends.

While Grandpa and Gigi watched the girls for the weekend, we got to hang out in the big city. On Saturday, Andrew was at the fair all day, so I got to walk all around with Sally Wingard (my mom's, cousin's wife--I think of her as my second cousin-in-law). I realized I had very few photos of the day, but probably because I also took my 35mm camera and took photos with that as well.

Here is a street shot during my walk:

That evening was our big dinner with fellow book friends. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of renting the "Disco Taxi" to take us to the restaurant. It's really just a regular taxi with flashing lights inside. That's it.
(I would add a disco ball and some party music, but hey that's just me)

Here is Sunday and me.
Janine and Susan
Here is our group (plus one guy who just got stuck sitting amongst us!) waiting to be seated at the Slanted Door
So at this fancy, schmancy restaurant they actually served cotton candy after dinner--on slate slabs, of course (here Katie, Kent, and Sunday partake)
The group photo
(front: Kent, Josh; middle: Sunday, me, Susan; back: Katie, Matt, Andrew, Alex, Francis, Teri)
and for those who are curious: Utah, NYC, NYC, PA, NYC, Utah, VT, PA, NYC, CT, CT
On our way out of town on Sunday, Andrew and I (with the girls) had a great dinner with many of my second cousins. In retrospect, I should have taken more than one photo that evening.

Debbie, Scott, David, Michael, Brian, Andrew, Suzanne, Sally
While Mama and Daddy were having fun in San Fran, the girls went to Train Town with Gigi and Grandpa. They still talk about seeing the trains and the water wheel...

And now we're back. And it snowed. Again. Ahh, until next year!

2011 California Trip: Round 1

2011-02-19T13:54:00.008-05:00

We just returned from our annual trip to California. We always go for the antiquarian book fair, but try to spend as much time with family and friends as we can. The first several days, the girls and I spent in Petaluma (Sonoma County) with Grandpa and Gigi, while Daddy was doing book-stuff.

Here the girls are making Valentine's for their Aunt Heidi, who is now in the Army, stationed in Texas. She was sad to be missing our visit this year.
Gigi got the girls a tea set that they played with every day!
We spent a day walking around downtown Petaluma. One store had a coin-op horsey. Ella's look says it all (Nora refused to try it).
A fountain in town...just happens to be near the local pie shop. They make pies. And sell them.
There is a small playground less than a block from their home. Grandpa and Ella had fun with the swing.
Nora was a big girl and did all of her own stunts.
LOVE this photo. Such a pretty girl.
Nora did the "rock climb" all by herself. Of course, she asked her Uncle Troy to watch her every single time.
The girls were so excited to play with the kitchen set that their Aunts and Uncle used to play with (and maybe even Daddy at times).
We went to do some local wine tasting. Nora thought that if she put on the movie star glasses, they'd think she was old enough to sample.
At St. Francis vineyards
Tasting room. I'm pretty sure the girl behind the counter was smashed. It was a slow day for them, apparently.
The Golden Gate Bridge from the parking lot of the Bay Area Discovery Museum.
Part of the outdoor water-play area at the museum.
They were able to play with toy frogs...
...and fish. It totally looked like they were sending dead fish down stream. It was kind of weird.
Ella the frog
Gigi tries (to no avail) to get Ella to dress up like a skunk.
Nora teaches Grandpa how to sort shapes.
Ella rides the lizard.
Nora did about two dozen laps around this tree.
Walking through a wigwam kind of thingy.
Ella sat at this table, no really doing anything with these parts. She was just looking at the kids next to her.
Turns out she was waiting for one of them to leave the computer so she could pounce on it!
The girls put up "window" panes
Seriously. What a great view. This is from the outdoor play area of the museum.
Captain Nora.
Grandpa helps Ella up the rope ladder.
Nora crosses the kid-friendly version of the Golden Gate Bridge.
View of the outdoor area of the museum from above.
The art room. The girls played at the sand table. Gigi couldn't help herself.
We finished our adventure by having lunch in Sausalito. A lovely town.
Round 2 pictures (San Fran) will be up soon.

Back home again in INDIANA!

2011-01-03T09:21:00.007-05:00

The weather gets colder, the tree goes up. Packages arrive in the mail. Before we even started our trek midwest for Christmas, gifts arrived for the girls:

(from Gigi and Grandpa Gaub)
(from Dave & Aliya)
(finger paints from Aunt Gretchen). The girls had their first experience with finger paints.

Then we switched to brushes.
Then we went to Indiana...
...and saw Andrew's BFF and his son, Ellis. Cutie pie.
At Grandma and Grandpa Richards' house they got to play with cousin Lincoln!
Yeah. There were also presents.
and (filled) stockings
the girls looked through their stockings

Grandpa got a new Colts shirt and a new hat
Daddy got a new apron from Mama
We got the girls some colored pencils and paper, which they tried out
Link!
Nora wearing her new dress
Ms. Allison Corn made an appearance from Portland, Oregon via Logansport, Indiana!
Mr. Bob Jones (NYC via Ft. Wayne) read to the girls.
The Richards household now owns an Xbox Kinect. No controller needed to play the games!
Andrew, playing rally ball
Corn, bowling
...and then it was all over. And we were back in the car, scurrying home to avoid the Nor'easter that we never really had to contend with, thankfully!

Let It Snow!

2011-01-03T09:15:00.003-05:00

After the first major snowfall in PA this season, the girls were really excited to go outside and build a snowman.But Nora became distraught when snow stuck to her mittens when she stuck her hand in the snow.
Ella was not so concerned about it.

The LOVE their snowman and talk about him every day.
Some of the new toys they got for Christmas:

(sweaters and dresses fro Grandma)
They love to play their Thomas memory card game. We play it every day.

Quote of the Day

2010-12-28T10:37:00.001-05:00

I overhead this from the kitchen as Ella was singing in the living room (to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus":

"The diaper on the bus goes stink, stink, stink all through the town."

Little Artists

2010-12-21T22:16:00.002-05:00

Quote of the Day

2010-12-16T17:51:00.003-05:00

"Nora, what do you want to eat for dinner?"
"Hmm. I dont know."

(Could someone in this extended family please decide what to eat for dinner?!!)
_________________

"Nora, did you blow out the candle?"
"No. The monkey did it."

A Christmas Carol

2010-12-14T17:03:00.003-05:00

We got our Christmas tree up and we think the little guy looks just marvelous. The box it comes in is falling apart and warped from years of sub-par storage. You can still read the $19.99 price tag on it, though barely. But we just love it. It seems to have been waiting for the perfect window. On Saturday we went to the Narberth Dickens Festival. It was a nice, sunny day and we took the girls in the wagon. I, unfortunately, did not get any crowd shots (the sidewalks were packed!), but I took a few.
The girls sipped apple cider from little cups as we made our way to the ballerinas doing dances from the Nutcracker.
Here Ella is eating her croissant from the local French bakery:
Andrew, bringing forth the hot toddy from the local pub. Yummy!
And, finally, Ella who apparently had cold hands.

Quote of the Day

2010-12-13T20:57:00.003-05:00

Nora: I need chocolate.
____________________________

Ella took off her pants, tore off her diaper, and asked me to take off her shirt saying "Mama, I need nakey. I need nakey." I took off her shirt and she ran around the house yelling "I'm a nakey! I'm a nakey!" (She's a lot like her Aunt Natalie was as a wee one in that regard!)

Quote of the Day

2010-12-12T19:29:00.000-05:00

Ella: I need chocolate.

Quote of the Day

2010-12-07T19:17:00.001-05:00

Ella: I'm a boat!
Nora: What's a boat say, Sissy?
Ella: Cock-a-doot-doot-doo!

a Minute (and 55 seconds) in the life

2010-12-07T15:33:00.003-05:00

(P.S. She was fine!)

Quote of the Day

2010-12-05T17:51:00.003-05:00

"I'm a sandcastle! I'm a sandcastle! Look at me! Look at me!" Nora yelled as she sat on the couch. ???

Quote of the Day

2010-12-04T09:18:00.002-05:00

"I tried to eat the baby," said Nora.
She was referring to the smaller piece of sausage for breakfast.

Quote of the Day

2010-12-02T17:59:00.004-05:00

I was sitting down with the girls at the table as they ate their dinner. I excused myself and I told them I was going to get myself a drink and come back, as I opened the fridge to get a Diet Pepsi. "Mama needs a drink," Ella said. Yeah.

Quote of the Day

2010-11-30T18:44:00.003-05:00

After the girls and I had been watching a Led Zeppelin video for awhile, Ella pointed to the tv and said, "Not this. I want John Lennon!"

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T19:04:00.003-04:00

We moved into our new house Saturday. Sunday was Halloween. We were exhausted, but we decided to get out and take the girls trick-or-treating. Boy, did they have FUN!

We went to Havertown and met up with the friends and neighbors of Joey & Andrea. It is tradition that the dads take the kiddos out (with a beer in hand, of course!) and the ladies stay in the houses to pass out candy. It was getting quite chlliy so I was more than happy to warm my limbs indoors after taking my photos.
The girls were leading the pack!
The girls came back earlier than many because it was getting so chilly. They spent time exploring their treasure.
Nora chose to try the RingPop and sucked on it until it was ALL GONE. She sat in my lap for at least 30 minutes until every last bit was gone.
Ella drank her juice box. She is not as into the sweet stuff as Nora and I are.
All in all the girls seemed to have a great time. This was really the first time we've let them eat candy and they get so excited about it (they must be related to me!). We're so glad we took them, despite the fact that I, appropriately looked like could have joined a dio de los muertos parade this morning:)

Moving On Up!

2010-10-17T23:26:00.003-04:00

In a couple of weeks we will be moving into a wonderful, larger home. Our patience paid off and it could not have come at a better time. That being said, posts may be sparse for a bit (as if they haven't been already, right?) until we get settled. At that time I will post all kinds of good photos!
Woohoo!

Just some pics.

2010-09-26T19:40:00.005-04:00

This is not exciting for anyone but me--I took a pic of all the toys cleaned up. Ahhh...

(action shot)

Nora now has opinions about what she wants to wear. This was the outfit for her on this day, apparently.

The cool breeze is coming.

2010-09-11T16:09:00.005-04:00

I love the fall. I love the cool winds, wearing sweaters and scarves. It's creeping in and I am ready!

Yesterday the girls and I went for a walk to a nearby fountain. Last year I marveled at the little kids playing nearby who could walk on this ledge without falling off. Alas, my girls are now marvelous...
Ella, intently eating a plastic orange.
Nora--post grocery shopping. We refer to her as the bag lady. She has hoarding tendencies.
I found a couple of these hats in the back of their closet. It seems silly to put a small child in such a hat.
Oh my. This caused quite the meltdown: Nora insisted that I was trying to put Ella's pj's on her. There are two pairs of the same picture, the same size. This is the new thing: insisting one half of an identical pair of somethings is, in fact, "sissy's" when there is no clear difference. Too many meltdown. 2years-old x 2 =4. Much more than the terrible twos.
Ella wouldnt stop sucking her thumb, so I swaddled her. And she let me.
Ahh, the "new" toy. The girls have had this for over a year and had never been able to hammer correctly to make anything happen. Well, now they finally can. Which they are excited about. Until they dont want to take turns anymore and fight over the hammer. Of course.

Here are a couple of pics that represent what I like to call "Hot Mess Nora".

Waking up from a nap.
Ella, "eating coffee".

Misc Pics

2010-09-03T09:13:00.005-04:00

Recent.

A trip to Indiana is not complete without a tenderloin. Of course, this is my vegan, seitan tenderloin. It was magnificent (washed down with an Upland Wheat--yum!).
Nic Newby: proud father. With Jude.
We attended the wedding of Robert & Amber. I went to high school with them both. It was the end of last year when they reconnected (facebook!) and, well, the rest is history.
The girls arent fond of the Richards bathtub. So they got a sink bath. Cool.
Andrew's BFF, Aaron and his new little man, Ellis.
The family goes public with their little dude.
The girls hang out with their aunties and uncles (and cousin) in Indy.
What a belly!
This is what happens when Lincoln is asked to share his toys.
Ella and Grandpa, reading her Better Homes and Gardens mag.
Yes. Andrew not only took his beloved espresso machine on vacation with us, he also used it the one night we were in a hotel on our way home.
Nora did not eat much dinner this eve. She was too busy decorating with stickers.

Now if only we could break this heat wave (the 8th one this summer!)...

Leeapalooza

2010-09-01T14:38:00.002-04:00

We all had a fantastic weekend at Leeapalooza, in Indiana. The party was celebrating Big Daddy/ Grandpa's remission from leukemia. I took a ton of pictures, but this site only allows a few at a time. For those who haven't seen the pics on facebook, here is a link to the album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31906&id=100000164936966&l=32d8906f0e

As Fun as a Barrel of Monkeys

2010-08-16T15:39:00.006-04:00

Well, we may not have a barrel, but we certainly have two!
When I learned we were having the girls, I started imagining all the fun things we would be able to do with them once they were born. Then they were born and I realized we couldnt do much of anything with them! Once they become engaged and mobile, books and toys and crayons were just teethers to be gnawed to bits. They are finally growing into those little girls I had imagined many moons ago: playing, creating, singing, demanding...
Last week I decided to make finger paint out of flour, water, and food coloring. They dont try to eat everything like they use to, but I thought it would be better to start out with an edible "paint".
(Nora's face is covered in chocolate ice cream--that's my girl!)
To our surprise, Ella took right to the finger painting. This is surprising because if she gets the smallest amount of food (such as yogurt) on her hands, she has a meltdown until it is wiped off. Turns out Nora was the sissy this time around. You can see her looking at her hands, wondering what is the world she is supposed to do with this! (I love how intense Ella looks here--she meant business!)
I mean, she really got into it.
A new favorite hobby: "playing" Connect Four.

With the Toys R Us gift cards we got from the Koontz's (for their second birthday), we got more track for the girls' Thomas the Tank engine set up. They are really into Thomas right now.
Ella takes her job watching over the trains very seriously.
We are still going strong on the potty training business. They are using the frog potties several times a day. We now have potty charts on which they can put their stickers after they go potty.
Nora, playing with blocks
Just to round out our week, I went to see a friend's band. Carl wet to BSU with Andrew and I and was on a mini tour with his metal band--Coffinworm--and they played in Philly.
They had no place to stay, so this is what the girls woke up to see in the morning:
And they handled it pretty well.

Did I Mention My Kids are Cute?

2010-08-08T09:40:00.010-04:00

Potty training is the name of the game these days. We're getting there...it sure is a process. They are able to sit on the potty and go on command. Sometimes they let us know when they have to go. Some times they do not. Lately, after they use the potty, we put on the big girl undies (the Yo Gabba Gabba ones are the big hit) in the hopes that they will recognize when they need to go, or DO go, and make the connection between having to go and wet undies. We are cleaning up a lot of messes these days. It's like getting a new puppy. But we dont really mind. They sure are cuties in the undies...

Ella's new obsession--flipping through Better Homes & Gardens magazine. She does this a LOT.
Playing with jewelry

The girls LOVE to jump and flip on our bed. They are getting pretty daring and gymnastic.

We took Daddy to Smith Kids Play Place in the Park this weekend

Mama's girl
SO cute!
Nora likes to sit a the big table these days to do her activities. She thinks she's hot stuff. She's kinda right.

Better Late than Never

2010-08-03T15:29:00.005-04:00

So, if Mama doesnt do it, it doesnt get done. And Mama took her sweet olde time getting to a new post. It was a combination of lack-of-motivation and ongoing-frustration-with-the-camera that lead to such inactivity. But, I am back. Kinda.

Since the last post, we celebrated the 4th of July, welcomed visitors (including cousin Lincoln), celebrated Andrew's 30th birthday, worked on potty training, and hosted the extended Gaub family for a total of two weeks. There are a lot of photos. But, alas, I expended a lot of my energy scrubbing the bathtub this afternoon--another thing I've been putting off for a long time. Here are some photo highlights of the girls (and a couple of cameos by little cousin Lincoln).

I swear I'll post more photos..."tomorrow".

Summertime Pics

2010-07-04T08:42:00.004-04:00

Today is the 4th of July. We have not taken any photos of today's adventures (as they have not yet occurred--it's still morning) but I am reminded of what the little ones looked like one year ago:
How they have changed in one year!

Masterpiece!
The older they get, the more they like to copy each other.
On this day, they decided to play with their lambs...
Pillow fight with them...
Stand on them...
Eat with them...

It's fun to watch.

Holiday photos to be posted soon (after I take some:) Going to the pool today!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T23:01:00.003-04:00

Happy Father's Day to Andrew/Dada!
Some cute pics of Dada helping the girls practice the stairs at church (happens every Sunday!)

What a good Dada.

Skinned Knees as Artistic Inspiration

2010-06-18T16:55:00.007-04:00

So just as Nora's skinned up knees healed, she fell down again today. I kind of like skinned knees. I feel like my girls are being the clumsy, daring toddlers they should be. I brought Nora in and cleaned her up. She went out to the living room and obsessively started coloring a piece she calls "Nora's Owie"
My kids are brilliant.

Here's Nora in one of the shirts Aunt Heidi got them for their birthday. She looks...well, like wearing a Yellow Submarine shirt isn't much of a stretch.
Ella.
The rest of these photos were taken by Nora this morning. She grabbed my camera and because one can take photos via the touch screen she snapped quite a few shots. Enjoy the work of this budding photographer.

Okay, so I tried--again--to post a cute video of Ella singing and it just wouldnt upload. Dang. I'll keep trying.