Santa 2014

We went back to the stables that we went to last year to see Santa and his horse. This year however, Lauren was not having any of it. She insisted on being as far away from the man as possible.... and Im pretty sure she's totally unaware of the horse right behind her. Maybe next year, when she realizes he's associated with presents she will be a little more accommodating. Sophie asked him for a doll house this year... we will see if her wish is granted...

Weekend Getaway in Florida

In November Dave had his annual sales meeting in Marco Island, Florida, so we decided to make a little family vacation of it and went down a few days early. We stayed in a beautiful resort and for most of the trip the weather was lovely - in the 80s (while Philly was having their first cold snap).

The happy sisters

We took a nature hike through a national park. We were on the lookout for alligators, but unfortunately never saw one. Lots of birds and other little critters though.

If only we could walk on the beach in November every year! 

Turns out one of my good friends who moved to Florida a few years ago lived just 30 minutes from where we were staying. We were able to get together and I met her son, Myles, for the first time. Here are Lauren and Myles after a marathon day in the pool. 

Halloween 2014

This year the girls were none other than Elsa and Anna from Frozen. Sophie desperately wanted to be Elsa, and poor Lauren was Anna be default. They were not alone. It seemed as if every 3rd little girl we passed was one of the two. The Thursday before Halloween we went to Narberth, the town next to ours, and walked in their Halloween parade. It was very cute. Here the girls are before the big trek...

And the on Halloween we went back to our old neighborhood and met up with some neighbors, including Claire Nestler, the bumblebee...

And of course Claire Marvin, another Elsa. Claire and Sophie had slightly different takes on Elsas hair... 

Joe and Kat Get Married

This weekend Dave's sailing buddy Joe and his long-time girlfriend  Kat, got married at Parvin State Park in New Jersey. It was a beautiful, low-key, outdoor wedding. Dave was in the wedding and his parents were there too.

Joe and his groomsmen, waiting for the bride

The Sharp Family

 Sophie and Lauren were living it up on the dance floor the entire party. Sophie got some extra special time with the bride, who spun her around until neither one could stand straight. 

Lauren in her Preschool Classroom

Its been 3 weeks since Lauren started at Greene Towne School, and she's really gotten into the swing of the new schedule and her classroom. Im told she's an excellent napper and snack and dancing are her favorite activities (no surprises there).

Here she is as the poster child for Montessori

 Putting her leaf on the class tree 

 Her whole class (being a little silly I think). 

First Day of School

On September 2 Sophie started her last year of pre-school and Lauren started her first. Lauren was a little weepy when we dropped her off, but Sophie held her hand an walked her in and that was that. Sophie has been such a supportive big sister and since the first day has walked Lauren into her building (which is separate from Sophie's) every day.

Of the 20 or so pictures I took, heres the best one.

 The big girl on her first day. She looks a lot happier (and older!) than her sister did just three years earlier. 

Last Sail of the Summer

Over Labor Day weekend we took our last long sail and went to Corsica River for the weekend. It couldn't have been more beautiful. We anchored, jumped off the back of the boat, swam around and did some exploring. Sophie and Dave were in MD all week, and she swam every day, so by the weekend she had huge confidence in the water. 

 Benson doing what he does best on the boat... 

Becky & James Get Married!

On August 16th Becky and James got married in St. Paul's Church, Ivy. It was a beautiful wedding and we all had an amazing time - including Sophie and Lauren who were flowers girls.

The newlyweds!

While the rehearsal went as smooth as could be, on the real day Lauren decided that she would sprint down the isle - and Sophie didn't know what to do so she ran after her. 

Me, Becky & Mom

The girls hung with me up front for bit - although it was pretty boring for them, so they didn't last long.

No official pictures yet, so here's a very unofficial one of the whole wedding party. 

Lauren cutting a rug with Zoe at the reception. 

The Rainer Clan

The Coughlin Clan

Big News: We're Moving!

After many back and forth talks we finally made the decision to move out of Philly and to the suburbs. It was a really hard decision, as we both LOVE the city, but with the terrible school system and starting to feel a little cramped in our house, we decided that it is the best move for our family, right now. After looking around for a few months we found an amazing house in Bala Cynwyd, just 6 miles from our current home. We close on it next week and will move in some time this winter. Here's to the start of a new adventure! 

The soon to be new homestead! 

Summer 2014

This has been a busy summer! We were out of town most weekends, fortunately for fun trips. Sophie was in all-day camp at Greene Towne School and Lauren spent the summer with her nanny Michelle and friend Julia. Here are just a few of the things we did.

We spent a weekend in MD with our friend the Marvin's and the Spiegel's. Six kids in the house! The kids spent the days tiring themselves out so that they vegged out with a movie at night. 

Tubing in the Chesapeake (Liora, Claire, Sophie & Jeremy Spiegel)

At Sophie's request we took a Philly Bus Tour around the city. It was actually a lot of fun and we all learned a little about our city. 

The girls did some digging for treasure at Pirates and Wenches weekend in Rock Hall, MD. Here's Sophie in her best pirate gear (arrr!). 

The girls cruised around in their new princess car, compliments of Nana and Pappap, in Virginia. Sophie is the driver and Lauren rocks the passenger seat, working the radio. 

And Sophie did a lot of swimming this summer. She took lessons at camp and also got in the water a lot in MD. She's getting a lot more comfortable and will hopefully be a confident swimmer soon! 

First Professional Haircut

In preparation for Becky's wedding I took both girls to a salon to get their hair cut. Sophie is an old pro, but this was the first time for Lauren. She was not a happy camper. Fortunately it was quick! And she still has baby hair, so it doesn't look totally different, just cleaned up.

A Week at the Beach

We just got back from the annual 4th of July week in Ocean City, NJ. It was wonderful and relaxing, as always. No surprise that Lauren was in heaven running in and out of the waves and playing in the little baby pool alongside the adults. Sophie also had a great time digging and hanging out with Quinn and Carley and their friends ("the girls"). We lucked out with great weather, except for Hurricane Arthur, which came through on Friday for a few days, and unfortunately caused the fireworks to be cancelled. Overall a great getaway!

Lauren happy as a clam - taking a break on the beach chair

Pap Pap giving Sophie some kite flying instruction

Beach-loving kids

Nana with her 3 grand babies 

Lauren rode the Carousel for the first time...

And so did Ari.

Lauren at 18 Months

This week Lauren will be 18 months old - amazing. She's really become a little toddler the last few weeks. Very independent - wanting to do things herself, doing (or attempting to do) everything that Sophie is doing and talking up a storm. Although we can't understand most of it, she's got a fair amount of words now: "Daddy" (her first and favorite word), "shoes," "up please," "help please," "hi," "cheers" and "dog."

Virginia in June

We made a quick trip to Virginia last weekend. The girls got to see their cousin Ariana, and Dave and I got to enjoy some Virginia wine tasting. All in all a great trip!

Lauren doing her favorite thing - playing in water

Me with Ariana, who is 6 months, and Lauren, who is right now very into clutching (and not letting go) blankets. 

An attempt at a cousin picture. At least we got one where no one is screaming (I'm looking at you Lauren). 

Father's Day 2014

We spent Father's Day this year down in Maryland with the Sharps. It was a beautiful weekend, just perfect weather, and we got to spend some good time at the beach.

 The girls enjoyed time on the swing set... here they are with popsicles. What more could you want?

Pop Pop and Lauren

 

Lauren's gift to Dave (with assistance from Michelle)

And another highlight of the weekend, for Dave especially, was getting his summer car back from the dealership, complete with a beautiful new paint job. The girls also enjoyed it. 

Annual Bike Race BBQ

The first weekend in June is always the Philly Pro Cycling Tour, a professional bike race that comes right through out neighborhood. We've had an annual BBQ for the last few years - maybe 7 at this point - and it's always a good time. A lot more family-oriented now that everyone has kids. 

 Benson, still hanging in there, but looking older these days. Sophie made him a flower necklace to wear for the occasion.

 Sophie with her friends Claire, Rachel and Leah