Saturday, June 27, 2009

RADIANT

The name of the class is "Radiant Child Yoga." Indeed!

SPAGHETTI PORTRAITS

I have been experimenting with learning how to use my camera this week. Thankfully, I have so many beautiful, willing subjects!




And after all that loveliness, here's your official warning not to mess with the Vaillant family:


(Seriously, this picture is about one barely registrable degree less threatening than Marc's driver's license photo. He likes to look tough.)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

YOU GOTTA FIGHT! FOR YOUR RIGHT! TO TRICYCLE!



*No small children were harmed during the filming of this video.

LET'S BOUNCE



(Taken on Marc's iphone.)

Monday, June 22, 2009

CLEAR AND FURRY DANGER

I'm pleased to report that--perhaps for the first time in Wog Blog history--the Doodle's face is not touched up in this close-up! The doctors said a lot of food allergies go away when children hit two; one month as a two-year-old and his skin is completely clear. Hopefully this is the end of his eczema battles!



(On a different note, the mystery of the bang trim remains unsolved.)

And here is The Wog with her new BFF--the oh-so-scary Wolfman from Clark's Trading Post.


More pictures from this and other adventures coming soon!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

A FAVORITE FAREWELL

This is one of my all-time favorite parting pictures with Minnie and Pop-Pop. The Doodle was not cooperating inside at our usual spot, so we took the party outside and--voila!--a perfect picture!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

HAPPY RETIREMENT, AL!

Grandpa "retired" (I use the term liberally, since we know he has many plans to keep himself busier than ever) and we helped celebrate at a wonderful party in his honor! The Wog and The Doodle had so much fun visiting with their Connecticut relatives, and The Wog had the chance to see a few of her favorite cousins: Todd, Natalie, and even newly married Chantelle was in attendance!

The guest(s) of honor:


+ One:


Another shot of the table:


Congratulations, Grandpa!

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

FLOWER WOG

We attended the wedding of Marc's cousin Chantelle and her new husband, Jonathan, over the weekend. The Wog had the absolute honor and pleasure of being a flower girl. She was delighted by the whole experience--but most of all she was delighted by the lovely bride. She just told me that Chantelle is her "new best friend" and do we have her number? She wants to invite Chantelle to her birthday party. She "tee hee[s]" at the mention of Chantelle's name.

We weren't able to attend the rehearsal because of The Wog's dance recital, so we had no idea how things might go. (It's my belief that children in weddings are wild cards even under the best circumstances, but we still hoped she would come through.) We had nothing to worry about, though. The Wog took the job very seriously, and her walk down the aisle was perfect. Congratulations to the Friedmans--thank you for letting us be part of your beautiful day!

West struts while Polly mimics a rodent:

The Doodle enjoys the attention of Grandma and Auntie Suham:


Lined up and ready to go!

I think this picture captures her adoration of Chantelle:

They danced up a storm!

A new friend:


She enjoyed passing out the bells:

The Doodle was a dancing machine!



Posing pretty.


The wedding photographer, Joseph's Photography, was amazing. Here are a few of the beautiful pictures he took. (Not only did he take the pictures, he also bustled the bride's gown and distributed the flowers!)


WOG WITH A TWIST

The Wog was a seasoned vet at this year's dance recital. She truly feels the music, and we love watching her on stage. This year was an even greater success than last year for one reason: all shoes stayed on! 

A serious ballerina:
(The poor Wog suffered a black fly bite to the eye earlier in the morning while helping Minnie with the planting. She swelled up a bit, but danced nonetheless. I was a little worried her skewed vision might result in a trip off the stage!)

The fringe skirt for her tap routine ("March with a Twist") was good for endless on-stage entertainment for a few of The Wog's fellow dancers: they enjoyed watching it swish.

Posing for her "Little Swans" ballet dance:

The Wog loved the flowers Daddy brought for her:

Posing with three of her favorite people: Miss Lucy, Miss Emily and Miss Suzie. We were so glad they came to the show!

Posing with Arielle:

Brady amidst the Little Swans:

HAPPY 25 MONTHS BIRTHDAY, DOODLE!

We haven't quite finished with The Doodle's birthday celebrations. Minnie and Pop-Pop came for a visit, and The Doodle got to revisit one of his new favorite things: the presentation of the birthday cake!

Before the cake, a favorite Doodle meal:


Another member of the household is equally fond of spaghetti and meatballs:


A surprisingly clean Wog shares in the celebration:


Mmmm...pasta AND cake!

WOGINI

The Wog has become a "yogini." She is quite devout in their practice. Well, maybe not....but she does have a lot of fun. Here's one snapshot. I need to observe a class Doodle-free to get some better pictures.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARIELLE!

So many pictures; so little time. I'll be playing catch up over the next few days but lots of fun stuff coming up: visits with Minnie and Pop-Pop and Grandma and Grandpa; dance recitals; weddings; retirement parties; and the last day of school! The Wog and and The Doodle have had very busy social calendars.

It was a rainy morning, but it cleared up after lunch. The kids could not wait to get outside:


These cars may be expensive, but they're worth hours of entertainment. Particularly at a house with a circular driveway:


The Wog takes Lily for a spin:


A different kind of ride:


Riding in cars with boys:



Road trip with Chloe:


Cake!


The always-creative Wog fashioned a popsicle out of a giant hunk of ice cream and a fork: