I walked into the room and Ella and Cooper were just sitting there, side-by-side, Ella eating her raisins. It was so cute! I had to snap a picture. Ella told me tonight that Cooper is her "best buddy in the whole world."
Ella got to decorate her own little "tree" (more like a bush, but hey, she loves it) to keep in her room.

Horton appeared! Originally, he was named Milton, but a few hours after he appeared Ella changed her mind, and insisted that he was named Horton. So, Horton it is.
We headed to the pool for Cooper's swim lessons. They were cancelled, so Daddy gave Cooper a private lesson.


Ella got to swim too!

Sitting in the Baltimore harbor, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather!

Cooper's first carousel ride.
Loving the big trains!

Train ride with Santa.


I feel so lucky every day that this is my life! The kids are growing up too fast. Ella is so witty and precocious -- she seems like she's 2 going on 20. We were trying to get her to eat asparagus the other night, and she looked right at Brian and said, "Dad, just let it be." Her expressions are priceless. She is also obsessed with rhyming. Constantly, she says things like, "Mom, book and look rhyme! And hook rhymes! What else rhymes with book?" And Cooper is all boy -- kind of like a sweet godzilla. I am pretty sure he is stronger than I am, but he has the sweetest heart. He has the biggest belly laughs -- they are contagious! And he is on the edge of walking. He is constantly climbing -- I think he could even scale the walls! He also started making these gremlin noises. It's hysterical. He is like a mini-spider-man-tickle-me-Elmo-gizmo all in one :) I just wish I could bottle up the kids at this age because I don't ever want to forget this!



















