It's a good thing we've got our love to keep us warm!  We had very snowy weekend here in the DC area.  The range was anywhere from 17-37 inches, and we figure we got about 21.  We lost numerous limbs off trees due to the heavy snow that fell Friday night and were without power from 5am to 2pm on Saturday.  Still, there was plenty of hot cocoa and fun to be had.

We tried to get ahead on Friday by hitting the grocery store one (okay, two) last times and doing some snow cleaning throughout the day.  Josh and Charlotte took advantage of the early wet snow to have a snowball fight (as you can see, Charlotte almost got Daddy several times) and start a snowman (who is now up to his waist in more snow).  

Yes, she is in a dress.  Sigh...

Since the bulk of the snow finished late Saturday afternoon we've had a chance to explore the neighborhood, which was largely unplowed until yesterday afternoon and spend some time playing in the snow with friends.

And what was Amelia up to?

Learning to sit!  She's sort of a leaning tower of Pisa, but she's getting there.

Amelia and Charlotte (and I!) recently received some awesome duds from Wise Owl Designs.  We shared a picture of Amelia in her new onesie and she's now a model on the website! 

Check out www.wiseowldesigns.com to see my sister's adorable creations - and our budding model.  Lot's of cute kid's clothes and sweet gifts!  And free shipping this month too -- woo hoooooooo!

Both Charlotte and Amelia have taken quite an interest in piano playing recently.  Perhaps we'll have to sign them up for some lessons.  Of course we may need to get a piano with a few more keys.  For now, this one is working out just fine.

Happy 2010!

We said goodbye to 2009 with the Goldberg family tradition of root beer floats.  Charlotte thought it was a pretty yummy treat!

New Year's Day was relatively warm (40s) so we decided to start 2010 with a family trip to the zoo.  

Amelia was scared of the tiger (well the roaring anyway) and Charlotte didn't like the gorilla so much (although the baby was pretty cute), but generally we had a great time checking out the animals and having lunch in the Mane Restaurant.  We retreated to the animal houses to warm up from time to time.

Since then it has been mostly business as usual around our house.  The more animated Amelia becomes, the more the girls delight in each other's company - and we delight in watching them together.

They had their first joint doctor's appointment earlier in the week and both are doing well.  Charlotte escaped any shots this visit and got to play some games with Dr. Bernstein (jumping, standing on one leg, coloring, answering questions) - very fun.  She also got to be weighed and measured standing up like a "big girl" for the first time!  She remains petite (there is a reason she can still wear 2T and even some 24 month clothes!) at 28 pounds and just under 34 inches tall, but despite the size she is very 3.  She learned to skip last week, so that's been her latest trick around the house - and she saw Cinderella so every night we have to bippity boppity and go to the ball before bed.  There is never a dull moment.

Amelia continues to be easy-going and happy, though she's given us some more challenging nights recently. As long as well keep the house at a balmy 72 degrees she seems to sleep better. Hopefully the next gas bill will come on a day when I'm well rested!  Her growth stats are much more average: 25th % for weight at 12 pounds 8 ounces and 50th % for length at 24.5 inches.  She loves to converse with people in coos (especially her big sister!) and our nightly bedtime routine generally begins with a big giggle fest.  She passes the time during dinner playing with toys while sitting in her bouncy seat, and all is well as long as her friend the little bird on the toy bar stays facing her.  She's getting very good at grabbing for what she wants and can keep herself pretty busy once she gets a toy in her hands, which helps mommy and daddy balance the needs of two very active girls.  

We look forward to seeing what other joys 2010 will bring!

As December finally winds down I think we're all feeling very blessed, very thankful...and a little tired.  At least I am.  We've had non-stop celebrating and present opening and company hosting and sweet eating and whew! It's been a lot of fun, but I'm looking forward to January!

It was a month of exciting and very memorable times, especially for Charlotte, and we know you want to see pictures - so...

We enjoyed 8 crazy and wonderful nights of Hanukkah - all but two were celebrated with other family or friends. Charlotte got good at saying the blessing and lighting candles, and she even got to light a couple by herself on the last night.  She appreciated the nightly celebration, especially (this will not surprise you) opening many wonderful gifts including toy dishes, new tights, an easel and materials for painting, and her first board game.

(mother's note: I have not been able to get her to wear pants since this photo 10 days ago!)

To make sure we didn't have any dull nights once Hanukkah was over we held Charlotte's 3rd birthday party with friends on Saturday the 19th.  Of course this was also the day we got a foot and a half of snow! Luckily many of the party invitees lived in the neighborhood and were able to strap on their snow boots and still come over for some of Charlotte's favorite things - macaroni and cheese, salad (with croutons!), orange juice and decorate your own cupcakes.

On her real birthday she put on another fancy party dress and took cupcakes to daycare, and then Grandma and Zadie joined us to celebrate with pizza, more salad with croutons and a (sort of) purple cake.

Namma and Papa called in for some "live via phone" present opening and there were other calls and cards and gifts from friends and family far and wide. 

Of course Hanukkah, birthday and Christmas presents just kept arriving via mail, UPS, and even friends from Decorah who drove out to visit relatives here in the DC area.  We let the fun continue nightly.  Why stop now!

The rest of the week brought even more fun and adventures for Charlotte including a visit to her day care from Santa Clause (who completely terrified her), a far more enjoyable overnight visit to celebrate Christmas with Grandma (with Blueberry pancakes and stockings in the morning!), and more present opening and dessert eating fun.

 All the while Amelia (or "second fiddle" as I took to calling her last week) just kept growing and smiling - pleased with the people and sights and sounds even if she wasn't aware of what it all meant.

We hope your holidays were filled with as much excitement and wonder - and maybe a little more peace - as ours.  See you in 2010!

Well, our little one is now 3 months old and our big one is about to turn 3!  Yikes!  

Amelia continues to be an easy-going baby.  She's still sleeping better than the average kiddo and is full of smiles (even in the middle of the night!).  She's getting better coordination - grabbing toys and even getting that thumb she wants so much into her mouth in a satisfying way from time to time.  She's holding her head up really well and likes to stand up on your lap and show off her strength too.  She's also adjusting really well to day care - taking the bottle and lighting up for Martha and the kids when we arrive in the morning.  Charlotte enjoys having her sister come along, but is pretty sure I should focus the attention on her at pick up time!  

The sisters continue to get along very well - Charlotte makes Amelia smile and Amelia gives Charlotte some one else to smooch and nuzzle and sing for.  Often the first thing we hear from her in the morning is, "Amelia, Amelia!".  She always keeps tabs on where her sister is and what she's up to. It's very sweet and we look forward to watching their relationship bloom in the coming months and years.

 At long last here are some photos from our trip to Iowa.  We had a great time visiting with family, playing with cousins, seeing friends and eating lots of yummy food.  Enjoy!

Amelia took a wonderful nap in Great-Grandpa's arms while Charlotte entertained Great-Grandma with singing, dancing and generally being Charlotte.

Charlotte got her FIRST haircut, while we were there.  She wasn't quite sure about it at the beginning...

But in the end, she and Linda were good friends!

We even had an "early birthday party" for Charlotte, complete with party hats, presents and Great-Grandma's angel food cake.

But before we knew it, two weeks was  up and it was time to say good-bye...until next time. 

We owe you photos and tales, but for now here is a photo of Charlotte and Amelia heading off to their first day of daycare together!  Charlotte chose her own outfit...seriously.

We've been one busy family!  

Since the last post we took a wonderful vacation to British Columbia for Josh's brother's wedding. Charlotte had a great time - especially dancing at Uncle Jon and Aunt Jamie's wedding reception (we'll try to get our hands on some photos.  It was hilarious)! It is safe to say she is VERY excited to have another wonderful aunt in her life. We also got to see star fish and lots of cool birds, went on a beautiful hike through the temperate rain forest to a look-out where we saw seals and bald eagles, and spent a bit of time in Seattle on the way back.  Here are a few highlights.

And a few of Amelia not hidden in the sling...

After our return we made a trip to the pumpkin patch - very fun!

Watching the pig races!

Unfortunately, last Monday night Charlotte came down with a nasty virus and spent most of last week stuck in her room, quarantined, so she wouldn't get Amelia sick.  She got to watch lots of movies, but still was pretty sick of being upstairs by the end of the week.  Luckily she recovered in time for Halloween.  What a month!