The 13th day of Christmas

The season just keeps on giving. With family friend Don Joseph in town, we relished our 3rd annual post-Christmas Portillos hot dog feast (thank you Amanda!) followed by a sunset cruise on the Pathfinder. Sidney took a while to warm up to her first boat ride, but eventually had a lovely evening like the rest of us. Now back to the new toy pile!

Merry Christmas

Whew! The kids nearly collapsed into their beds. I'm getting this up before I do the same. What a full and rich Christmas we had. Thank you all for making it so. I tried the best I could to censor the number of pictures to share here but it was so hard to choose! Grab one last cookie and enjoy a few good moments with us...

In the words of our wide-eyed little boy, this was the "best Christmas ever!"

The Final Stretch

Where has a month gone? Well, shortly after Thanksgiving my mom came to visit for a week. And Paula and Greg have arrived through the end of January. Let the grandchildren spoiling begin! The kids are eating up the surplus of fun playmates. The weather is cool and dry and perfect for outdoor adventures. Here are glimpses at a few of the latest:

Sidney loves the lights of our Christmas tree. And Grama Karen got a giant glitter-covered pinecone, courtesy of a little elf named Benjamin. The first of many homemade treasures to come.

Ben lent a helping hand with the cookie baking. The sifter was his favorite kitchen tool by far. Next year, we'll try to keep the flour in the bowl.Ahh, the spoils of a December afternoon in the kitchen.We know our neighbors to the north are logging plenty of sledding time already. Here in the Keys, sand surfing is the sport of choice.Or King of the Hill.Or of course, fishing. Though most of their catches are released, Steve and Greg treated us to a monster fresh snapper for dinner following their most recent venture offshore. Delish!Another of the day's prized catches.Sid still sticks mostly to fruit, veggies and milk. But at nearly 7 months, she's sitting on her own most of the time and loves to be in the action.In light of the frigid temps in Chicagoland, the Naperville Baleikos practiced some self preservation by enjoying a hearty holiday buffet. Self preservation in a Keys winter just means making sure there's a cocktail within reach to sip durring sunset.

Our most sincere wishes to you all for a truly heartwarming holiday. We'll check in again before the New Year.

Giving Thanks!

With another Thanksgiving and almost another whole year under out belts, here are a few things we're thankful for:

For holidays spent with family, live or via Skype.

For the growing grin that comes from watching your child strategically eat around everything but the pumpkin pie.
For pleasantly warm winters (that drive you northerners down to us) and for big beaches where toddlers can stretch their legs.

For Sidney's fantastically gravity-defying hair. And little Velcro bows to stick in it.

For Poppy, and ALL the grandparents, who are willing to "go under again!" as many times as it takes to keep Ben smiling.

For conveniently packaged baby food. For wet wipes and Oxyclean. For living in these messy moments, and for all the happy chaos that's just around the corner.

And for old toys that are new again.

Happy Halloween

When Paula and Greg bought their Keys home in the Indian Mound neighborhood, we all lucked out. It's one of only a few neighborhoods where Keys kids go for fun and frights on Halloween. We gathered there with about a dozen friends and kids for some pre-trick-or-treat snacks, and then hit the 'hood.

Sidney and Ben practice saying, "Trick-or-treat!"
And again, in his Bob the Builder costume (with the axe he swiped from his fireman friend). Sidney toodled around in the stroller wearing her Little Pumpkin onesie, and fell asleep while making the rounds.
(The red shoe, blue shoe thing is all his doing. Now that he can put on his own shoes, he usually chooses colorful combinations.)

Ben and fireman Cayson pose on a fire truck. There is a big police and fire department presence in the neighborhood on Halloween. They hand out glow-stick necklaces to the kids and generally keep the "trick" part of the holiday in check.

I was worried that Ben would be freaked out by all the scary decorations but he charged ahead confidently -- gleefully...
Even at the lady who's leg was "chain sawed" off.

Giddy up, Mark Johnson. A cowboy in flip-flops. Only in the Keys!

Throughout the night, Ben would happily comment on how heavy his treat basket was getting, adding, "But it's not full yet!" And he did start November 1 with a mini snickers, a tootsie roll and some smartees. Hey, it's once a year, right?
Looking forward to doing it again next year!

Peas and Carrots

Now that she's half-way through 4 months, Sidney is eating veggies with rice cereal and some fruits. Here is her reaction to carrots:

Wish I had equally enthusiastic video of Ben with his veggies!

Steve starts the 3-day IWFA tournament Monday. Multi-species, with fly as one of the categories. He will meet his angler tonight. Good luck!

And today Steve and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. No special plans, just a nice day with the family. (And some lovely calla lillies gracing our table. Thanks, honey.) Many fond memories of the awesome marriage kick-off we were enjoying six years ago today. Thanks to all of you who were there to witness, and who are still along for the ride :)

Golfing and Grinning

Quick kid update: Sidney is nearing 5 months now and is really finding her voice and hands (and mommy's hair. Yea for ponytails.) Ben gets interested in her when she really gets squawking, and has discovered ways to make her laugh. It's among my most favorite things, to watch these early attempts at "playing" together.

In other news: As Halloween approaches, the scary-hot days are fewer and farther between. And though Steve has had plenty of trips during "slow season," he gets a few days off here and there. So the family is enjoying more outdoor, on-land time together. Ben is a big fan of golf and luckily there's a putting green and driving range across the street at the park. His little voice cheers, "In the hole!!" any time he makes a successful putt. Sidney just oohs and ahhs at the giant "mobile" of green trees, blue sky and white clouds.