Uncle Conor on Ice

Conor got to stay with us a couple days after Christmas and hang out, and we decided taking Keeley ice skating with her new helmet from Santa would be a fun way to get out for the afternoon and let Con have some New England winter activities before he left for South Carolina.

I don't think there was a kid more proud than Keeley to be led around by her Dad and her GodDad on ice skates, gliding around "Just like Angelina Ballerina on Ice Skates."

Christmas Day

Keeley woke up at 5 am on Christmas day to see if Santa had come, but luckily we convinced her to sleep in our bed until 6:30. She ran into the living room to find Uncle COnor on the couch snoring, and her brand new bicycle right under the tree. There is nothing quite like watching a child on Christmas day. The first gift she opened was her Doc McSTuffins kit and doll, and she didn't put down her "Doc" all day. Cora loved her push vacuum from Santa and all the wrapping paper and boxes galore. Cora's favorite gift was definitely her train from Auntie K and the mini stroller from Mommy and Daddy.

It was unseasonably warm, so Keeley was fortunate enough to get to ride her bike with Uncle Conor out on the patio outside in the sunshine. Daddy had to work all day, but was their for the highlights, gift opening at the break of day and Nana RoRo's famous ChateauBriand for dinner. We also got to take a fun hike at Huntington Park with Cora and Uncle Conor, which was perfect for stretching the legs before the big meal.

Christmas Eve

This afternoon the girls got all fancy in their Christmas dresses and we headed out to mass with Nana Ro Ro, Papa Tom and Conor, followed by spaghetti and meatballs and hot apps at home before bed. Keeley put out her cookies and carrots for Santa/reindeer like a good girl, and went right to sleep. It couldn't have been more cozy in our living room ( Nana and Papa may have used a different word than cozy for being in our little house with one bathroom for 3 days:) , as Emmet put on a nice fire and read his little girl, "THe NIGht Before Christmas" before tucking her in.

Christmas with Gormans/Fitzs

We had our mini-Christmas with Nanny, Papa, Aunt Bri, Uncle Sean and AUnt Kerin in Fairfield on the SUnday before Christmas this year. The Jack in the Box from Nanny and Papa proved to be a big hit. As always, Keeley, Maddie and Cora were very cute running around together, and James was as peaceful as ever on Papa's lap all evening.

The Fitzpatrick Family Christmas was a blast, and as always, we love that it's right here in Danbury. Tally is up to 7 great grand Kids for Pat and Jerry, who were in their glory enjoying the mob they have created.

5 Year Anniversary

Cheers to 5 years <3

(Taken at Zupan's Christmas Party in front of their beautiful tree :))

Nana Ro RO and Papa Tom in town

This Christmas, we have Nana Ro Ro and Papa Tom in town to celebrate in Bethel in our little home. Uncle COnor arrives on MOnday! As a bonus, Nana got to come to Keeley's Pre K holiday party (below) and Uncle Mark and Auntie Betsy paid us a visit from MA before the Christmas week began. The girls are so lucky to have so many relatives dropping in to see them at this special time of year.

 Yummy snacks for all at the Village Pre School- Nana gets the grand tour and meets the teachers.

 Uncle Mark always mesmerizes the girls with his scotch glass somehow :)

Auntie Betsy brought a whole bunch of new books for the girls as gifts, one of which called "Olivia's Christmas" we have now read about a million times!

Lactose Intolerant Christmas

After the girls had the enterovirus this fall, there digestive systems did not, let's say, "go back to normal." Our pediatrician suggested to try a lactose intolerant diet for both of them, because viruses can alter their stomachs for a while- give the belly a break was the idea. I was astounded, but the good news was, it worked. How can I eliminate more foods from my girls' already picky selection? A life without cheese? milk? yogurt? I was clueless. The doctor reassured us it should only be temporary - 6-12 weeks hopefully. I feared a summer without ice cream, a life asking other Moms what ingredients made up every dish they served. In time, I got over it, adjusted my cooking and now have a repertoire of lactose free meals and snacks. Who knew that with a little extra time at the grocery store in the dairy section, you can find some dairy free substitutes that work and taste ok.

The biggest hurdle this holiday season, though, was baking. No milk chocolate and no butter? You got to be kidding. But when you know it helps your kids, what can you do? Needless to say, our December was full of allergy free "Snickerdoodles" and "dairy free chocolate" chocolate chip cookies. YOu never know what parenthood will throw at you next.

Thanksgiving 2014

We had to get out for a bit before the car ride to Long Island for Thanksgiving dinner, so we took the kids over to Dickinson park to run off energy for a bit. As usual, an wonderful time had by all down at Nanny and Papa's house with the whole Fitz clan and no shortage of food for laps to sit on.

First Snow

The day before Thanksgiving we had our first snow of the year, and luckily, Keeley's new boots from Nana Ro Ro arrived by mail just in the nick of time. Keeley was very excited to get out and build her first snowman; Cora was not so thrilled with the cold, white stuff.

The Best part of fall

Emmet turns 32!

I thought it would be nice to have his high school buddies here with their families, so I, shot- in- the dark threw it out there, only 3 weeks in advance. Low and behold, the Safino's and Heagney's were both free!

In the end, Six kids under the age of 3 in our little home made for a lot of laughs, a lot of crumbs, and a lot of fun memories.

Trip to Southwick

I decided to go up to see my neighborhood friend, Danielle, and her family, up in Southwick,MA before the holiday madness and the tough winter weather sets in. Keeley's highlight was snuggling up with her buddy, Nolan, and watching "FRozen"- Cora's was probably climbing on chairs and tables with Jameson and running around in a new space all afternoon. IT's always nice to have a fun place to go visit when Emmet is "on call" on a Saturday, and today, Danielle and Mike rescued us with a warm house to play in and a delicious spaghetti dinner.

Getting Dressed

For about two months now, Keeley comes into our room when she wakes up at 6:30 am and the first thing she says is, "I want to get dressed." It's not nasty or rude, just matter of fact. Once I rise and shine, I try to convince her to wait until after breakfast, but recently, she's so determined, I figure, ok, it can't hurt. It's one step in the direction of getting us out the door at 9 am. The problem is, she wants to wear a skirt or a dress, everyday. She has plenty of beautiful play clothes from family and friends, but they lay, untouched, because they are not a skirt or a dress. Well, because we don't have a skirt or a dress, or it's not fitting to play in these things everyday, I have to immediately manipulate this clever 3 year old to wear something else. I set rules like, "Skirts are for school or church" or "Dresses are for holidays" but the pleading goes on, everyday, like clockwork, regardless of my strict rules and insistence on mixing up the wardrobe.

So because it's cold now, and children need to wear clothes, I have to manipulate this little girl right back. And I always surprise myself that I come up with something that convinces her that she has found the perfect outfit everyday: "This shirt is a dressy shirt- it's like a dress, you just have to wear leggings with it." "This blazer is super fancy, but you have to wear jeans with it." "Oh look, this shirt is your favorite color! It's purple. Fancy Nancy from your books is 'partial to purple' just like you, remember?"

It's amazing how fast and how "on" my brain has to be immediately upon starting my day. The "two choices of outfits" routine I used when she was a two year old worked wonders for months. "You want the red shirt or the blue shirt?" They think they have the power, you pick two shirts that work. Everyone wins. HOwever, in this three year old world, that game is not working at all, and I find myself in negotiations constantly. Recently in reading my therapy, Jim Gaffigan's comedic take on parenting young kids in "Dad is Fat" he called his three year old an "emperor." Spot on. I've definitely got one of those in our house now, too. Good thing she's still got that dimple.