Christmas with the Scots

One my of my favorite holiday traditions is the Scottish Christmas Parade in Old Town.  We were excited to have Grandma join us for the festivities this year.  (We met up with Auntie Bebs post parade too!)  Lots of tartans, bagpipes and holiday cheer.

Grandma, Maura, Jason and his mustache enjoy the parade.

Westies win best dressed.

Bagpipes slowly sooth Maura to sleep.

The airedales are having fun.

And she's out.

Santa and Mrs. Claus close out the parade.

Little Helper

Maura helped me pick up sticks in the back yard this weekend.  Doing wood must run in her blood; she was a natural.

How does this thing work?

Am I supposed to put the sticks in or take them out?

Okay, I think I've got this now.

Mom, I'm trying to work here.

Saturday Night Dance Party

Ah the joys of dance...

And the discovery of dizziness...

Pretty Little Peacock

Halloween was a success at the Tourtellinger house.  Maura happily wore her costume and went to about a half dozen houses trick or treating.  Her first choice was a snickers bar and she held onto that for the rest of the night.

Costume practice before the big day.  Should Hobby Horse trick-or-treat with us?

Anxious to get started on our adventure.

You mean this crinkly wrapper can be all mine?

Fall Fun

We raked up a small pile of leaves for some backyard fun before Hurricane Sandy came to town.  I only caught her eating dirt once.  Mostly she was fascinated with the sticks.

Preparing to attack

Dowsing for water

Dad, wait for me!

Leaves make a great noise

Dancing Queen

She and Daddy have been practicing their moves every night after dinner.

Peek-a-boo

Plum Crazy

Maura loves a good plum.

Little Librarian

I like to called this game "Closed Stacks Librarian".  She goes to the box of books and then pulls them all out one by one for optimal viewing.  I suppose we'd help ourselves if we actually put the books away somewhere, but if the living room floor wasn't covered with books, you could see how badly we need to vacuum.

Another fun game - find yourself in her picture books also spread out behind her.

Thank you Graham for sharing these great stories!

Sweet, Sweet Corn

Maura has learned to enjoy one of the great joys of the American summer - sweet corn.

Mom, can you hold this thing for me?

No, mom, I can do it myself.

Wait, which of these things is for chewing?

Oh that end looks tasty.

With a corncob pipe and a button nose...

Do you want some?

Sleep Peas

Eating peas is exhausting.

She went down for a nap shortly after this.

whoa

Gifts for Dad

Father's day had a t-shirt theme.  I helped Maura pick out a couple (a motorcycle t-shirt for her and matching "Cereal Killer" shirts for both of them) but the best t-shirt was the one she made him with the help of her teachers.  

Yes, that's a footprint heart.

Just in case anyone forgets whose dad he is.

Father's Day

We had a nice Father's day around the house.  We ran some errands, got a nice dinner out and we didn't even make Jason mow the lawn.
Maura enjoyed her dinner sitting in the high chair and making lots of friends (aka spying on the neighboring tables.)  After dinner we tried for a father- daughter photo op.

I call this one "The Thinkers".  It looks like a bad yearbook photo but i love it.

Getting these two to pose for a Father's Day picture was not an easy feat, especially when you're dealing with the littlest nosy neighbor who cannot let any car or person pass without her complete attention.

Maura, look to your right.

Nope, too far, back to your left.

Now, up.  Look up.

The flash finally got her attention but made her eyes water.

Maura vs. the Teething Biscuit

This thing tastes good but it's hard to hold on to.

The only real loser in this battle was Daddy, who was having a bit of a panic attack due to the mess being made.  

I'm just going to wait a second and them maybe sneak up on it.

You have a camera!  I want a camera!  Now!

Is there something on my nose?

And then I had him clean up the dining room while i took Maura up for her bath.  At least the high chair wasn't splashing him, which cannot be said the for the subject I was cleaning.  

Here she is in action.

Maura-go-round

Last week she used Poppa-power to make her new cart move.

But now, she can move all by herself- until she hits a wall and needs mommy or daddy to turn her around.

Goin' Mobile

It started last weekend with letting go briefly while standing.

Then she decided holding a toy while walking was more important than holding onto both of Daddy's hands.

And finally yesterday she decided to just let go.

I think she's a bit of a daredevil, something she definitely does not get from her mother.

Splish Splash

The pool opened this weekend.  Maura went on Sunday and Monday and she loved it.  It's like a giant bathtub. She kept wanting to walk from one end of the kiddy pool to the other and back again.  Looks like a fun summer ahead.

Getting ready to take a dip.

Getting our feet wet.

This is the best!

Daddy takes a turn holding fingers.

Auntie Bebs takes a turn holding on.

Family picture

Teething Biscuits

They're delicious- but very messy.  I missed of photo op of her getting it on the bottom of my toe while we were enjoying biscuit number 2 outside.

Almost as delicious as mommy or daddy's finger...

Sometimes you need to hold a spoon for balance.

A Little Soft Shoe Number

Maura loves to play in what we call her "time machine".  (Thanks Graham for sending it our way!)  One of her favorite parts is playing music, specifically the William Tell Overture, and dancing along.  Here I've caught her practicing her latest tap routine.

What generally happens is once she starts the William Tell music, she turns to Jason or me with an expectant smile and waits for us to start singing and dancing along.  She may have a future as DJ Jazzy M.

My Dad is the Funniest Dad

I like to think of myself as a funny person, but around our house I play second fiddle to the most amazing comedian- Daddy.  Some days he doesn't need to do much more than walk into the room and Maura becomes hysterical.

Mother's Day

We had a great mother's day with my first crafty gift from Maura.  It was a great day spent playing around the house and picnicking in the front yard with my favorite people.

favorite people

Foot print frame.  I love this frightening face she's making.  Classic.

Chewing on bottle caps takes a lot of concentration.

Eskimo Kisses with Daddy

Jason has given Maura eskimo kisses from day one.  On this day she decided to start giving them back.  Cue Mommy's heart melting.

Poker Face

Maura has been working very hard on her Ma-ma-ma-ma sounds as of late.  She was chattering away last night and as we tried to capture it on film, she become more interested in the camera itself than simply saying what was on her mind.  

That Tastes Delicious!

Maura had her first taste of cereal tonight.  She's been diving at our food for a while now and when she seemed less than enthusiastic to nurse tonight we decided to try cereal instead.  She is a big fan.

She might be more excited about the spoon than the actual food.

Checking out Daddy and slurping down cereal - such a multi-tasker.