Bridget Hates Santa

Poor kid! This was the best picture we got of her with Santa. She started crying as soon as she hit his lap. We thought the picture was hilarious though.

We are on a roll: 2008 Santa Picture - pooped on Santa, 2009 Santa Picture - crying hysterically. :)

15 Months!

On Nov. 29th, Bridget turned 15 months old! She has mastered her walking and is practically running she's going so fast! She has learned a number of new words: "Kitty", "Sh%t", "Elmo", "puppy", "pee pee", "meow", "teeth", "eye", "nose", and more! She knows where the eye, nose, ears, teeth, and tongue are. She is getting very good with her fork and spoon and insists on using them at each meal now. She knows the sign language for "more", "milk", and "down" which is a big help for us and improvement over the former screams. She also puts her hands up to be picked up and points at things she wants. She has six teeth - four on top, two on the bottom. Overall she is a very happy and healthy cutie. She is learning new words and skills every day it seems like!

Picking out a Christmas Tree

Right when we left out front door to go looking for a Christmas tree, the snow started. But we are hardy New Englanders so we bundled up Bridget and headed out anyway. Ken is so tough he didn't even bring a winter coat or gloves.

Considering Ken's lack of outerwear, Bridget's coat having been dropped into a puddle when we arrived, Bridget continuously pulling off her hat and gloves, and the brisk snowfall, it was a quick trip. We found the perfect tree anyway though. We'll post some decorating pictures later.

Playing in the Snow

We got about 6 inches of snow last night and this morning Bridget couldn't wait to go out"side" and see the "snow". (Her words :)).

The snowsuit is one of her Christmas presents but I guess she won't mind if she's opening a box with a picture of it inside! :) It's very warm and cozy.

When We Tell Bridget "No"

This is the face of disappointment... The tears start sliding down her cheeks and she gets so upset that we can hardly bear it. Therefore we save "no" for only truly dangerous things right now.

Thanksgiving

I can tell it's been a while since I posted when my entries jump from one holiday to the next!

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house again this year and had 17 people total.

Bridget and Uncle Don zonked out after the meal. Too much turkey...

James got one of the drumsticks!

Jillian, James, and Bridget playing downstairs. This picture also shows Bridget's pretty Thanksgiving dress.

The whole crew hanging out downstairs waiting for the turkey to be carved and dinner to commence!

Halloween at Work

Bridget visited Mommy and Daddy's office for the annual Halloween party. The kids trick or treat through the cubes and get to play games and win prizes in the conference rooms. There are decorations everywhere and a yummy dinner. I always enjoy seeing all the kids in costume and how much they change and grow in a year!

Here's Bridget in her kangaroo costume! When we tried it on her at the store everyone thought she was a boy since it's all brown so for the party we added a pink hairbow. And she kept the hood and costume on the whole time.

Bridget and I in Ken's office. Bridget loved exploring through all the rooms.

Ken and I showing off our svelte form at the Halloween Carnival.

Bridget even played the basketball toss game. Ken likes seeing her kangaroo claws in this one.

A little too short but maybe next year!

Bridget's first kiss! Her friend Joey really likes her.

New Friend, Oliver Michael

Bridget's new friend, Oliver Michael, was born on October 17th to our good friends Mike and Josefin. What a cutie!

Bridget eats her food like a lady even though she LOVES her cheese. With that finger raised, she is ready for High Tea.

Bridget is wondering why Joey is making such funny faces.

This is Joey's face when asked to "smile". He's so funny. He and Bridget had a great time sharing food, playing toys, and giving hugs and kisses. Now that Bridget can walk with Joey, they were able to explore all over the house. A year from now Oliver will be running around with them. :)

Great Pumpkin Hunt 2009

My mom's family gets together every October for The Great Pumpkin Hunt. We rent a bus, go hunting, eat donuts, and merriment ensues. Here are some snapshots from the 36th Annual.

We made a message for my cousin Dan in Iraq and for the Maes family who missed The Hunt this year. Bridget helped by holding the apostrophe. The message says "We Miss U" and "Hi Maes's"

Bridget loved going for a ride in the wagon!

Bridget couldn't decide which pumpkin to take home.

There was a small petting zoo at this pumpkin farm and Bridget and Ken, and a few others, went right in to pet the goats. Bridget really liked it although we are still working on "be gentle" when petting and don't smack the animals.

The whole pumpkin hunting crew. The first time we remembered the tripod so no one would be missing.

First Snowfall of 2009

You can hardly see the precipitation in the background of the pictures but we were getting a nice downfall, it just wasn't sticking. We propped Bridget up in the window to take a look at her first snowfall of the year.

She was amazed :)

Nonna Will Be So Proud

Ken found a frog while mowing the lawn so he brought him in for Bridget to investigate. She was completely indifferent to having the frog on top of her head and continued to eat her lunch without missing a beat. (As you can see in the top picture, she is feeding herself yogurt! This was the first time she was able to scoop and put the spoon in her mouth successfully. She fed herself half the container.)


Since she was so nonchalant about having the frog on her head, Ken put it on her hand. She finally paid it attention but as soon as she touched it, the frog hopped away.

Cheering on the BC Eagles

Here's Bridget cheering on her favorite college team, the Boston College Eagles, to victory over Florida State this past weekend.

One thing you might notice in the top picture is that she is standing all by herself! She is also WALKING!!! It is not her primary mode of transportation yet but she's walking more and more steps.

Watching the game with Daddy.

Post-game cuddle. :)

Playing in the Kitchen Cabinets

One of Bridget's favorite things to do is open up all the non-child-proofed cabinets and pull everything out. In the top picture, she is investigating all the tupperware and coozies. The bottom picture shows her newest find - the appliance cabinet. She turns the mixer bowl around and has a perfect perch in there. Bridget is just the right height to open all the lower cabinets and she explores them all.

Bridget Playing with her Toys

Below are two pictures of Bridget at play. In the top picture, she is going for a ride with Daddy. She loves to go fast in her little pink car. In the bottom picture, she is playing with her shopping cart. She loves to push it around upstairs on the wood floors. The cart is really easy for her to turn and maneuver. Her dolly often rides in the front seat.

Apple Picking

Ken, Bridget, and I went apple picking this past weekend with seven families from work. There were 7.5 kids (one is due in a few weeks) on the trip from 4 years to 2 months old. Bridget had a blast being outside with her friends and eating lots of apples.

When we got home, Josefin made apple crisp while the kids played and the adults watched the Patriots. It felt a little like Thanksgiving with so many people and football and good food.

(above) Bridget's practicing picking pumpkins for the Great Pumpkin Hunt 2009!

Bridget the Rock Star

Bridget loves playing the XBox game Rock Band. She is especially proficient at singing "yeah yeah yeah" and "Da da da" being her favorite songs, and drumming. We have some great video of both.

And sometimes she just likes to kick back and play regular XBox.

One Year Photoshoot

To celebrate Bridget's first birthday, we decided to get professional photographs of her and the family at Kiddie Kandids. They did a great job coaxing smiles and I am really happy with all the pictures we got. We have multiple copies of each of these pictures so let me know if you want any of them!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE! We are getting a huge print of it for the wall of the house and have some smaller copies too.

My favorite!

Ken's favorite!