Thanksgiving 2008

We celebrated Thankgiving with Stacie's family in Manchester. It was a very quiet and relaxing day with plenty of fun and laughter. Aaron and Helena loved following their big cousins, Lexi and Julian, around. They wanted to be just like the big kids! They also enjoyed quite a bit more of the Turkey dinner this year. Aaron's favorite portion of the meal was the mashed potatoes. Helena on the other hand preferred the green bean casserole.

Aaron preferred to be serious for his Thankgiving photo

We caught Helena as she was snacking

Lexi and Helena share some quality time together


Lexi sits in Grandpa's big chair with Aaron


The Anderson boys

Ready for Winter

We bought Aaron and Helena winter hats and gloves this week. They LOVE wearing them around the house, but HATE wearing them once they are outside or in the car. We are hoping that this changes the more they get used to wearing them, the cold weather has hit Connecticut for sure!

Nineteen Months

Aaron and Helena are nineteen months old this month and they are changing rapidly. They are talking and moving more than ever! They love to climb and play with each other now and they are beginning to really imitate things that they see and hear. Recently, Helena has taken a great interest in dolls. She loves to hug her doll and wrap her up in a big blanket. Aaron is very interested in throwing things. He used to just take an interest in balls, but now he is more interested in any item he can pick up and throw. Not such a good habit for indoor play, but we are working on it!

Aaron throws all of the toys out of the baskets and likes to stack them and sit on top.

Helena is such a happy girl! She will now smile when asked to say "cheese!"

Halloween 2008

This Halloween, Aaron and Helena dressed up as a bear and a rabbit. They enjoyed dressing up and although at first they were scared of Trick-or Treating, by the end of the night and ten houses later, they were experts at taking the candy and putting it into their treat bags. We went to Stacie's parents house so that Aaron and Helena could Trick-or-Treat with their cousins. We all had so much fun!

We wanted to get some photos of Aaron and Helena in their cosutmes outside in the leaves. As you can see, they didn't have as much fun as we had hoped. The two photos above are very authentic and in the moment shots of Aaron and Helena playing in the yard. Aaron hated it when his little feet fell off and Helena needed a bit of time to adjust to the idea of being a rabbit for Halloween.

Aaron and Helena pose with cousins Lexi and Ainsley. Helena was not happy about being photographed by the paparazzi!

Helena poses with her two loves of the evening, a Peppermint Patty and her glow in the dark necklace.

Fall Fun

The Anderson Family traveled to Lyman Orchards this weekend. It was a beautiful fall day and we enjoyed an afternoon of picking out pumpkins and apples. Aaron and Helena loved being able to run about, even though the ground was very uneven, resulting in lots of trips and falls. Aaron was overwhelmed with excitement as he lay his eyes upon all of the "balls" that the orchards offered.

This was Helena's first choice pumpkin. We had to convince her to find one she could hold.

Aaron was also excited by this large pumpkin. After several attempts at moving it, he too was convinced to keep looking for the perfect pumpkin.

Helping to pick apples proved to be much easier for Aaron. He helped to pick up all sorts of apples for our basket.

At one point, Helena decided to just sit down and take a break from all of the fun.

Birthday Fun

This weekend, Aaron and Helena went to Julian's birthday party. Julian turned four on September 15th.

Helena shows Mommy her teeth

Helena and her cousin Ainsley wait for their lunch

Aaron gets hugs from Auntie Jill

Helena loved playing with Lexi's baby doll. She looks like such a little mommy with all of her gear.

Meeting Maggie

Over Labor Day weekend, Aaron and Helena were introduced to their newest cousin, Margaret Rose. They had a great deal of fun playing with all of their cousins who try to sit so nicely for a group photo. (left to right: Maddie, Aaron, Helena, Tyson, Hayden, and Anna)

Aunt Cathy and the newest addition to our family, Maggie, who is now three months old

Proud Papa with Maggie

Aaron and Maddie sit and chat

Small Spaces

Aaron and Helena love to try to fit into small spaces. It must be that they are trying to figure out how they fit into the spaces around them. They get very frustrated when they don't fit, lately it happens more and more as they continue to grow.

Seventeen Months

Aaron and Helena are now seventeen months old. They are growing and developing so fast, they say or do something different almost everyday. Aaron's most favorite thing at this time is throwing balls. He thinks that almost anything he comes across is a ball, including food. You can imagine the fun we have at meal times! Helena loves to climb and help out with chores around the house. She is so observant and likes to try just about anything she sees Mommy or Daddy doing. Both Aaron and Helena love books and will sit and enjoy several of them at a time. They are both developing more words such as car, truck, more, and please.

Helena helps mommy sweep the kitchen floor

Aaron gets his first hair cut, he did so well!

One of the best things about watching Aaron and Helena grow is watching them play and communicate with one another. At times, they are so gentle and kind to one another and at other times they take toys and push one another. Most of the time, they love to play and make each other laugh, which is a joy to watch!

Helena flips through a catalog while lounging in her rocking chair

Summer Celebration

Last weekend we celebrated Lexi's fourth birthday with a pool party on Grandma and Grandpa's new deck. We all had fun swimming and celebrating with pizza, watermelon and cake.

Helena also happened to be teething. As you can see, she found a refreshing solution for her sore gums and her belly.

Auntie Jill takes Helena for a ride in the pool.

Aaron swims in the pool with the birthday girl.