Peterson Daughter!

Christmas Day in Salem

2011-12-25T20:53:00.001-05:00

We took a big step this year and decided to host Christmas Dinner at our new home in Salem. In addition to the Christmas Dinner the Baptiste family is normally accustomed, Scott brought in a bit of North Dakota by making Potato Dumplings:

Uncle Dan helped out in the kitchen as well - thanks Uncle Dan!:

It was the last Christmas without the youngest family member, Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris's new baby, who was due just over one month later. Alice is looking forward to welcoming her newest cousin!:

Including the three of us, we had 15 family members in our home for Christmas Day.

Every couple of years, we are fortunate enough to be together and get a family picture to hold us over until we are all together again. Here is the latest shot:

We always miss Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ, but had a great visit with them:

Alice had an especially fun time visiting with family during the day:

Here are Auntie Bethany and Uncle Dan enjoying a piece of pizza from Alice's kitchen:

Merry Christmas, Everyone! Here are the rest of the photos from the afternoon.

Christmas Morning in Salem

2011-12-25T20:14:00.002-05:00

Santa apparently made a visit to Salem on Christmas Eve, and someone was on his "Nice" list!:

After making our way down to the living room, Alice discovered her new kitchen right away:

Alice discovered that Santa had taken a bite from one of the cookies we left him, and she proceeded to eat the rest of them!:

We loved having Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ celebrating Christmas morning with us in our new home!:

Santa really made a great move when he included a flip-open compact hairbrush-and-mirror in Alice's stocking. It was a big hit with her and was one of her favorite gifts of the day:

Alice and Daddy have a standing date to do Alice's fingernails and toenails. Santa brought Alice more nail polish than she should ever need:

We really enjoyed our first Christmas morning in our new home with family from far and near:

Alice also opened a fun recycling truck from Santa. Here she is showing it to Grammie and Grampie:

The morning was tiring but so much fun! Here are some additional photos from Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve - Party!!

2011-12-24T23:59:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve finally arrived, and along with it came Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ - all the way from California! On Christmas Eve we got all dressed up for the traditional family party with all of our relatives on Mommy's side of the family.

Here is Alice getting ready, and Auntie Bethany fixing Alice's hair:

Here is Alice, admiring herself in the mirror:

Once we arrived at the party, there was so much to do, so much yummy food and so many fun people to see. One person Alice was not so excited to see was Santa, even though he brought her a nice present!:

What is the present from Santa?:

Snowman PJs and a Dora guitar!!!:

Alice wasted no time before jamming out with Grampie:

Here she is, practicing in her own corner of the party:

After the party was over, we made the long drive home from Taunton to Salem. Alice went right to bed and Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ set up their presents for Christmas morning - only a few hours away! Here is Uncle CJ checking out Daddy's sword and making sure everyone stays on task!:

With sugarplums dancing in our heads, we got to bed. Will Santa arrive tonight? We will have to wait and see. In the meantime, here are some photos from our Christmas Eve adventures.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2011-12-17T20:43:00.000-05:00

Christmas is coming and preparations are in order here at the Peterson house!

Here is Alice, addressing the package of presents we recently sent to Grandma and Papa's house in North Dakota:

Alice got all dressed up for the holiday party at Mommy's office. Mommy and Alice took the train down to Boston for the afternoon:

Daddy experienced a right of passage this year as he put together a toddler kitchen which was made up of more than 100 parts and took more than 3 hours to assemble!:

Alice and all of her friends can't wait for Santa's arrival!:

Here are some more photos as we prepare for Christmas.

Baby Bap Baby Shower!

2011-12-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

Alice is excited - she is going to be a Big Cousin again really soon! This time, it will be Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris's new baby. The baby should make an appearance in early February. We recently held a shower at Grammie and Grampie's house for Auntie Chris to celebrate Baby Bap! Alice helped as much as she could with the shower.

Aunt Ricky even made a surprise visit all the way from Florida! (and here makes her guess as to whether Baby Bap will be a boy or a girl):

Here is a diaper cake made by Grammie:

Many party guests brought cupcakes and in addition to yummy snacks, they made cute decorations:

Grammie made chocolate lollipops for party favors:

Auntie Chris was truly showered with love (and two car-loads of presents!). Baby Bap will be all set up once this baby makes its arrival!

Alice loved the shower and enjoyed watching Auntie Chris open her presents, but she especially loved the chocolate lollipops!

Alice can't wait to meet her new little cousin and neither can Mommy and Daddy! Here are some more photos from the celebrations!

Black Friday - Christmastime is Here!

2011-11-25T15:58:00.002-05:00

As has become tradition here in the Peterson house, we were up early on Black Friday this year to hit the stores and take advantage of some sales. However, since Alice was feeling a little under the weather, in an unprecedented first, we actually left our house for the stores after the sun was up!

We returned home after shopping for a nap, then it was time to decorate the tree!:

As always, we take breaks and make time for snuggles whenever we can!

Our tree looked great when we were done, and it became apparent - Christmastime is here! Let the festivities begin!

Here are some more photos from our Black Friday adventures!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T15:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We spent the day down at Lisa's Aunt Robin and Uncle Dave's house in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. We had a nice relaxing day and lots of yummy food!

Here are the rest of the photos from our Thanksgiving Day.

A Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

2011-11-06T15:17:00.000-05:00

We have been overwhelmed by how welcoming our neighbors have been since we moved to Salem this past summer. To thank everyone, and to celebrate making it through our first October in Salem, we hosted a party for the neighborhood during the first week of November.

Here is Alice, working on some cookies for the party:

All dressed up and waiting for our neighbors to arrive!:

The neighborhood is full of kids for Alice to play with, and they had fun playing in the craft room!

Our next-door neighbor, Jodi, and her baby daughter, Mia:

The house was full of great company, great food, and everyone had fun watching the Patriots game as well:

Alice enjoyed tagging along with our 11 year old neighbor, Corin:

It was great to relax and spend time getting to know everyone. We look forward to the warm weather ruturning so we can get together with everyone outside for a backyard BBQ!

Here are the rest of the photos from the neighborhood party.

Our First Halloween in Salem

2011-10-31T22:24:00.000-04:00

Our long awaited first Halloween in Salem arrived along with a visit from Uncle Eric! Aside from Alice having the flu, which put a damper on things, we were excited for both events!

This was, remarkably, not Alice's Halloween costume:

Grammie and Grampie came up to visit for Halloween night. Here we are checking out some of the activities around town:

Alice's cold meant less running around and more snuggles while Uncle Eric was in town:

Even though she was feeling a bit under the weather, we did manage to trick-or-treat for a short while:

Back at the house, it was a crayon party!

Alice was such a curious, but good little crayon, waiting for the trick-or-treaters to stop by and ring our bell:

She kept a good eye on the candy...

And only an occasional hand on the candy!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Here are some additional shots from our Halloween Fun around Salem.

A Picture Perfect Fall Day

2011-10-16T21:58:00.000-04:00

Recently, along with Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris, we took part in a traditional New England fall activity: visiting a local orchard to go apple picking! We also realized that a perfect, warm autumn day would be just right for attempting to capture a photo for our annual Christmas card.

Here is Alice, all dressed up for the holiday photo - super cute! (Also, notice the Scott bomb!)

We had a few practice shots first before trying to take the actual Christmas photo.

Once at the farm, Alice enjoyed checking out all of the animals.

Always a fan of Uncle Dan!

Even though we discovered that the orchard was done offering apple picking for the season, we still had a great time. Yay for an awesome hayride through the orchards!

Alice, checking out an antique tractor:

Happy Holidays, from our house to yours!

Click here to check out the rest of our holiday-card-photo-taking and apple-orchard-visiting adventures!

Ponytails, Cookies, Goofballs & Chalk

2011-10-14T21:53:00.000-04:00

Alice has been up to some fun adventures recently. The other day, she came home from school with four ponytails in her hair (probably because her hair is too short to support one or two). She looked really cute!

That night, Alice and Daddy started making some chocolate chip cookies while Mommy was on her way home from work:

Our little chef at work:

Once Mommy got home, it was time for some cuddles and some games on the iPad:

After dinner, the cookies were done and cool, and it was time for Alice to try her creation. Yum!

Sometimes Alice is such a silly goofball - she always keeps us smiling!:

Alice also had a chance to take advantage of our paved driveway and her new sidewalk chalk recently with Mommy. Here she is, admiring their artwork:

Here is a link to some more recent pictures of our silly little chef and her adventures.

Halloween Weekend at the Campground

2011-10-09T21:30:00.000-04:00

Each year, the campground where Grammie and Grampie spend the summer hosts a "Halloween Weekend" in mid-October. This was our second year attending and our first group costume!

Here is Daddy painting Alice's fingernails yellow to match her costume as Grampie looks on:

Alice with her pumpkin, waiting for the chance to paint it:

The artist at work:

Here we are, in our full glory!:

Here is "Yellow" - the cutest crayon in the box:

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from our exciting weekend as crayons at the campground!

Helping Out Around the Yard

2011-10-08T20:54:00.001-04:00

Having an actual yard has been an adventure for all three of us, and Alice has certainly gotten in on the fun. In early October, shortly after Grandma and Papa's visit, our next-door neighbor, Deb stopped by to help us plant some bulbs that will make an appearance in the spring. This was a fun project for Alice and Deb to do together. Here they are digging one of the holes:

They even came across a worm or two as they dug in the dirt:

While Alice and Deb worked at planting the bulbs (and Mommy took pictures), Daddy got some yard work done in the back. Here they are, trading stories from their adventures:

Here is a link to a few more photos from the day of yard work.

The Willows with Grandma and Papa

2011-09-17T12:26:00.002-04:00

A visit to Salem with Alice is not complete, of course, without a visit to her favorite attraction - The Willows! - and Grandma and Papa could not wait to share in the fun. Here are a few shots of the fun times we had at the Willows with Grandma and Papa:

With Grandma on the Carousel:

Racing Grandma and Daddy:

In the Photo Booth with Grandma:

On the Pier having fun with Grandma and Papa:

On the last day of the trip, we managed to squeak out a couple of extra hours for a second trip back, and a second ride on the Carousel:

Can't wait to see you again soon, Grandma and Papa!

Here are the rest of the photos from our fun at the Willows!

Life's a Beach with Grandma and Papa

2011-09-14T12:37:00.000-04:00

We were lucky that the weather was so nice during Grandma and Papa's early September visit that we took one entire day to relax at a local North Shore beach.

North Dakotans visit the beach a little different than New Englanders do. Here is Papa, pulling Alice around in a snow sled! She loved it and it is sure to become a new tradition!

Building sand castles:

Flying kites:

Here are the rest of the photos from our day at the beach with Grandma and Papa. Hope we can do it again next summer!

Home Improvement

2011-09-12T12:33:00.000-04:00

Papa was very excited to come help us get settled into our new house and we did not let that enthusiasm go to waste! In addition to seeing the sights around town, Papa and Daddy worked very hard on the house and yard the entire time they were visiting with us and our house looked amazing when they left.

Here's Papa, putting in a new deadbolt lock for the backdoor (upgrading it from the skeleton key which has been in use on that door for the past 80 years!)

Daddy and Papa then removed the raised bed garden that was in the backyard. We plan to use that space for a hammock next year!

Alice enjoyed the box in which the new dishwasher arrived. Papa and Daddy installed that too.

They also cleared a lot of brush and weeds, laid down enormous amounts of mulch, and put in solar-powered walkway lights lining the driveway and front yard. Our house looks amazing now! Thanks so much, Papa Pete! Here are some more photos from the Home Improvement adventures from the week.

Fun around Town with Grandma and Papa

2011-09-11T12:31:00.001-04:00

As we have learned since we moved here, Salem is never short on fun things to do. It was so much fun to host Grandma and Papa this time in a true tourist town, and all the options certainly kept us going. At the end of the week, we all needed a vacation from all the fun!

Here are Alice and Papa "chasing" at our favorite local playground:

Here we are, sitting outside and enjoying ice cream at our favorite local ice cream shop:

Taking the trolley on a historical and sight-seeing tour around town:

Visiting the old "Friendship" docked at the wharf in Salem:

At Papa's request, Mommy, Daddy and Papa even tried one of the local Segway companies for a wizz around town - tons of fun!

Here are some more photos from our local adventures during our visit with Grandma and Papa.

Relaxing with Grandma and Papa

2011-09-10T12:20:00.000-04:00

In September, Alice was super excited when Grandma Marcia and Papa Pete came to visit us in Salem, all the way from North Dakota! It was a fun-filled, action-packed week, but the best part was that Alice got to relax and spend some quality time with Grandma and Papa.

Alice misses Grandma and Papa a lot and even though it is fun to see them on Skype, she is looking forward to seeing them in person again before too long. Here are some more photos from the time we spent relaxing at home during the vacation.

Plymouth Triathlon 2011

2011-09-03T21:43:00.000-04:00

Daddy returned to Plymouth early this past Fall for his second go at the annual Mayflower Triathlon. His cheering squad was ready to support him:

He was so thrilled with his time that he leaped over the finish line!:

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from the day.

Big Girl Bed and New Craft Room

2011-08-27T21:28:00.000-04:00

This past summer brought some changes to our house. We designed a craft room for Alice and Mommy to do fun projects and crafts together. Here is Alice in the craft room, working on a Play-doh project:

We chose some of Alice's favorite art projects from school to frame and hang on the wall for future inspiration:

We also transformed Alice's crib to a "big girl bed" by removing the side of the crib:

She is so proud to be such a big girl!

Here are some additional photos from the updates around the house.

Fun with Grammie and Grampie

2011-08-21T21:04:00.000-04:00

Late this summer, Alice spent a week with Grammie and Grampie at the campground. All three had lots of fun! Here they are, enjoying their vacation:

Here are some more photos from their fun week together.

Salem Heritage Days Family Day at Salem Common

2011-08-12T20:47:00.000-04:00

We really enjoyed this summer in Salem. Each week brought new adventures and made us realize how happy we were that we chose to move here! A fun couple of weeks in the middle of the summer were the Annual Salem Heritage Days. Here are some photos from the Heritage Days Family Day on the Salem Common:

We hope that the winter brings as much fun as the summer and fall have brought! Here are some additional photos from the Family Day on the Salem Common.

Joaquim Summer Party

2011-07-30T20:59:00.007-04:00

This past summer, we attended a party at Carl and Kirsten and Xavier Joaquim's house in Plymouth, MA. We all had lots of fun and Alice was exhausted by the time we left that evening!

Carl and Kirsten know how to throw a BBQ! We look forward to getting together again soon! Here is a link to some additional photos from the day.

Visiting with Nick and Baby Anna!

2011-07-24T21:15:00.000-04:00

A great benefit to moving to the North Shore is that we have a few good friends close by. We are all really busy so we don't get a chance to get together as much as we would like, but we do love to hang out whenever we can. Melynda, who Lisa went to college with at Gordon, and her husband, Jay live in the next town over from us. Their son, Nick is 3 weeks younger than Alice, and their daughter, Anna is about a year and a half younger. Here are some photos from a visit at our house on a warm day this summer.

Here, Nick and Alice are sharing a hug goodbye. We look forward to seeing you guys again real soon!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from our fun visit that day.

Willows!

2011-07-24T13:15:00.003-04:00

Grammie and Grampie came out to visit last weekend and of course the first place Alice wanted to go was... THE WILLOWS!

She wanted to show Grampie the carousel right away.

Nothing but smiles!

After riding the rides, it was time to hit the games. Alice CRUSHED Grampie in DDR.

And then won first place in the driving game.

She took a break from all the fun to drive the folk lift with Bob.

The bowled a perfect game of Skee Ball!

We then cashed in all the tickets to buy a big prize! (Her very own PINWHEEL!)

After the games, it was time for Grammie to ride the carousel!

Can't wait to go back!

Here are a bunch of photos from Grammie and Grampie's visit to our house and the Willows!

The Willows and Backyard Pool

2011-07-24T12:36:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pics from Alice's favorite spot in Salem... The Willows!

The Willows is a park/boardwalk that is right on the coast. Here is Alice posing while looking out at the beach.

There is a big arcade at the Willows. Here she is perfecting her DDR moves.

Near the Willows is a playground with a BIG slide. Here is Alice climbing up the stairs, headed for the slide.

It has been so hot recently that we decided to invest in a pool for the backyard. Alice loved it right away!

It took a while to fill it up and Alice monitored the hose the entire time.

Probably because it was fun to splash with the hose!

Bye, bye for now! Hope you can come visit us! And if you do, bring your bathing suits!

Hanging Out - Summer 2011

2011-07-23T13:19:00.000-04:00

The past few weekends we have been traveling around to go to a few BBQs and had the chance to host some friends at our house. Here is Alice at the 5th Annual Close Family BBQ helping out in the art project.

Volley Ball anyone?

Always time to snuggle with Daddy.

Fashion SHOW!

Work it... WORK IT!

Blue Steel.

4th of July, Beach Bums

2011-07-04T13:02:00.000-04:00

Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris came up to Salem for the 4th of July this year. After a big breakfast, we headed out to the beach. It was a little rocky and there was some seaweed, but the sun was warm and the surf was great! Here is the little beach bum, starting to get used to the beach.

Alice had a great time hanging with Uncle Dan

She even took some time to play around with Daddy.

Mmmmmm.... Gatorade and sand!

More pics from the beach can be found in the web album!

Chillin', Grillin' and Picnicin'!

2011-06-01T23:07:00.000-04:00

We have been finally settling into our new home in Salem. Now that the nice weather has finally arrived and thanks to a very generous gift of a gas grill from Grammie and Grampie Baptiste and Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris, we have had a few really awesome afternoons in our new backyard. Here is Daddy, enjoying the pasttime we have only dreamed about for so many years - grilling!

Here is Alice, getting ready to head out for Uncle Dan's birthday party. Check out her super cute flip flops! :)

Over Memorial Day weekend, we ate our lunch in the backyard - picnic style! Here we are, relaxing on the picnic blanket:

Then it was time for the sticky watermelon!

Yum! (Time for a bath!)

Here are Alice and Daddy, relaxing later that afternoon:

Now that we have a backyard, Alice can practice things that were not really possible in our condo - like throwing and catching!

And, of course, riding her tricycle, which she is enjoying very much!

Here are some more photos from the recent Memorial Day weekend good times. Enjoy!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Alice!

2011-06-01T22:43:00.000-04:00

Our little Alice is 2 - it is so hard to believe that it has been two years already since she made her appearance! She is talking up a storm now and is very active and enjoying "school" very much. We are so proud of the Little Girl she is becoming!

As have become standard for us, her birthday celebrations were filled with lots of fun and lots of friends and loved ones. This year, we did a combo birthday/housewarming party. Prior to the party, she opened some presents over Skype with Grandma Marcia and Papa Pete:

She also opened some gifts over Skype from Auntie Vicky, Uncle Brandon, Miranda and Baby "Ijah":

On the morning of her birthday, she opened a toy ceramic tea set from Mommy and Daddy and has had a great time hosting tea parties daily. Here are some shots from the first of many such tea parties:

She also opened an easel from Mommy and Daddy - the chalk board has become her favorite part of it and she spends lots of time drawing on it each day:

(The flip side is a white board):

Auntie Chris and Uncle Dan were so excited for Alice's birthday party, they arrived early to help us get ready (and to give Alice her presents!):

Soon, the festivities began. Alice was so excited to wear her "birthday party hat" and to welcome all of her friends and family to her new home!

The birthday girl:

The first of (hopefully) many fun get-togethers at our new home:

Alice and Grampie, having fun with the chalkboard at the party:

Alice's birthday cake - the theme of the party was that of one of her favorite books "If You Give a Pig a Party" by Laura Numeroff:

Every room was filled with laughter, fun and great conversation:

Alice received a tricycle from Grammie and Grampie - she was quite excited about it!

Alice and Mommy, enjoying the party:

Alice's was born two days before Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris's anniversary. There is now a lot to celebrate in Mid-May! Happy Anniversary, Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris!

The next morning, Alice was still so excited about all of the fun from the night before. Here she is enjoying her new tricycle, in her new house - what could be better?

Here is the whole album from Alice's 2nd birthday. Many thanks to all who have surrounded Alice with love over the past 2 years - we are so blessed to have such a great group of friends and family around her - much love to you all!

Bike Riding

2011-06-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

Mommy and Daddy took the week off from work following our arrival in Salem to get settled and acclimated to our new life outside of the city. Since we intend to continue the lifestyle we have enjoyed without owning a vehicle over the past 10 or so years, we decided to purchase a pair of bicycles to help us get around our new town - to help us do errands, take Alice to daycare, and explore our new city. Daddy has purchased his bike first and has been taking Alice out on some rides to help her get used to riding on the back of his bike.

She has been a bit nervous riding on the back of the bike so far, but is warming up to it, especially when she gets to ride the bike to get ice cream!

Mommy is still deciding what type of bike to get, but Daddy has enjoyed his bike so far. Here are some additional photos from the early days of our new bike-centric lifestyle!

Arriving in Salem

2011-05-02T21:57:00.000-04:00

On May 2nd, we flew home from California and drove to Salem to our new home for the first time. We were so excited! The first thing we did was run around in circles shouting in every room (just because we could - no downstairs or upstairs neighbors to worry about anymore!). Alice enjoyed and participated in all the enthusiasm of the moment:

Ringing the doorbell:

Snuggling with Millie the next day - it had been a while since we had seen the kitties and it was so nice to be reunited with them:

Our wonderful new front door!

The gorgeous view from Alice's bedroom window. We imagine she will enjoy waking to this view over the years!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from our arrival at our new home!

Disneyland!

2011-05-01T21:26:00.000-04:00

We spent our final day in California in grand fashion - at Disneyland! We thought Alice might be overwhelmed with the park, but she really loved it. We had a fantastic day and it was a fun way to wrap up the vacation.

Here is Alice sporting her personalized Mouse ears (Thanks, Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris!):

Riding the carousel:

Alice LOVED meeting Minnie Mouse! She did not really know who she was before meeting her, but she was so excited to meet her and gave her lots of hugs and kisses on her nose!

Similarly, she enjoyed meeting Mickey Mouse and gave him lots of big hugs and kisses as well:

Here are Alice and Daddy on the "It's a Small World" ride:

Alice was a bit more apprehensive with Pluto for some reason (no nose kisses for Pluto), but was still excited to meet him!

Mommy received her "driver's license" from Autopia in Disneyland!

Alice and Auntie Bethany particularly loved riding on Auntie Bethany's all-time favorite - the Dumbo ride!

We arrived when the park opened in the morning and stayed until nearly closing time - rode most of the rides, met the characters, and really thoroughly enjoyed our last day in California. Here is a cool shot of the teacups ride that evening:

We will so miss Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ and can't wait to see them again soon! Here is a link to the rest of the photos from Disneyland!

Western Heritage

2011-04-30T22:01:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, we took a drive out to the Griffith Park area to relax and take in some Western History. First stop: The Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Here are Daddy and Alice dressing up for a photo op on a horse:

Auntie Bethany found out what it was like to be featured in her very own Western:

And then it was time for some gold mining!

We then took a ride on the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round. This is a famous carousel in that it is used often in movies and television:

Speaking of movies and television, while Daddy was watching Alice, Mommy and Auntie Bethany on the carousel, he had his first celebrity sighting! Ron Livingston (of Office Space and Sex and the City fame) was also taking photos of his family on the carousel.

It was a nice, relaxing day, and just what we needed as we prepared for the exciting day that lay ahead! Here are the rest of the photos from our day in the Griffith Park area.

Relaxing with Auntie Bethany

2011-04-29T21:03:00.000-04:00

In the midst of all of our fun adventures, we took some time to relax at home in Culver City. Here are some fun shots from the week:

Daddy enjoyed a very large beer while on vacation!:

And our little ballerina bunny rabbit had fun dancing around the house!

Here are some more photos from the fun around the house.

Sea World!

2011-04-27T21:43:00.000-04:00

One of Alice's favorite days on our trip to California was the day we went to Sea World, San Diego. We thought she would enjoy checking out all the sea life, but we were all so surprised by the themed area that Sea World has added called "Sesame Street Bay of Play!" Alice is a big fan especially of Elmo and the rides and attractions were all just her speed.

Here she is with Daddy on the Elmo ride:

With Mommy and Auntie Bethany on the Abby Cadabby ride:

With Auntie, Daddy and Mommy on the Oscar ride:

Sea World is a big favorite of Auntie Bethany. Here she is getting a closer look at Shamu:

The first half of the day tuckered Alice out and she was fast asleep by naptime:

When Alice woke up from her nap, she got the surprise of the week when we ran into Elmo himself!

And then Zoe came out to join Elmo - Alice was a little apprehensive at first, but quickly warmed up and could not have been more excited!

Alice even tickled Elmo and Zoe's feet!

She got some nice great big hugs from Elmo and Zoe:

Then, it was on to the dolphin show:

Alice and Auntie Bethany sat in the splash zone and got seriously splashed!

Alice finished the day with a present from Auntie - her very own Shamu to take home!

What a fun day! Here are the rest of the Sea World photos.

Hangin' Out, Hollywood & Haircuts

2011-04-26T18:00:00.035-04:00

While we were in the Los Angeles area, we contacted Scott's cousin, Jodie and her husband Steve, who live about an hour away, to see if they might enjoy some company for an evening. We drove out to their house in Lancaster, California for a cookout. They have a great place and it was fun to visit with them and their two kids, Gracie and Payne.

Alice had fun playing in their backyard playground equipment:

Gracie and Alice had fun hanging out and Alice was very excited to meet their house-trained bunny rabbit - here she is petting the bunny:

We hope that Jodie and Steve and Gracie and Payne will make the trip out to Boston at some point, as it would be lots of fun to visit with them (and now we have an actual guest room and plenty of space for everyone!):

We also visited the sights in Hollywood during our trip to L.A. Here is Alice, thanking the Academy:

We ran across this statue of Mickey Mouse on Hollywood Blvd - we were preparing Alice to meet the real deal in just a few days!

Alice's hair was getting long again, so we were pleased to find the same haircutting chain, "Snip-Its", that we used for Alice's first haircut in Massachusetts, just down the street from Auntie Bethany's house!

Alice had an equally fun experience this time (probably more so, because she wasn't sick this time!):

Here is a link to some additional photos from our adventures around town!

Venice Beach

2011-04-25T13:30:00.000-04:00

The weather in California was pleasant, but not overly hot - most days were high 60s and low 70s. We still managed to fit in a couple of beach days during our trip, of course! Venice Beach is very close to Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ's house, so we spent our beach days there.

A little dirt never hurt anybody, right?

Auntie Bethany taught Daddy how to surf while we were there. Here they are, heading out on Boogie Boards after spending some time out on the surfboard:

Here is Auntie, teaching Alice how to get her balance. Perhaps someday our little "ballerina" will be surfing too!

Playing in the mud:

Alice took her nap on the beach with Auntie and Mommy:

We found a cute little cafe on a side street off of the Venice Beach boardwalk and we all had some tea and lunch:

Here are the rest of the Venice Beach photos.

2011 Red Sox Trip - this year vs. the Annaheim Angels

2011-04-24T18:00:00.000-04:00

This year, the Peterson annual trip to see a Red Sox series was to Angel Stadium in Annaheim, California. It was a four game series and we attended two of the games. The opposite of our record in years past, this year, the Red Sox swept the opponent, winning all four games of the series! On Saturday evening, Scott and Lisa attended the game by ourselves while Alice stayed at home with Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ:

The next day, which was Easter, the five of us attended the game together. Here we are, arriving at the stadium:

We all enjoyed the game, but Alice missed a handful of innings in the middle due to her naptime!

It was so much fun for the five of us to be able to spend an afternoon out together. Due to work schedules, etc, this was a rare opportunity that week!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from the two games.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T11:58:00.002-04:00

We don't get too spend too many holidays with Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ, so it was especially nice that we were in California for Easter.

When Alice woke up on Easter morning, she discovered that the Easter Bunny had come during the night and had left Easter baskets for each of us:

Even more exciting was the egg hunt in the back yard that the Easter bunny had put together for Alice!

She was so excited to carry around her basket and would shriek "Right there! Right there!" and run over to it whenever she located an egg:

The Easter Bunny was so generous that mid-way through the hunt, Alice's bucket was overflowing with eggs and as she ran around, it would often spill over, but she was not at all deterred and would patiently stop and pick them up before continuing:

Alice and Auntie!:

After the egg hunt, Daddy made us all a nice Easter pancake breakfast...

Which we ate out in the backyard:

After breakfast, we got dressed and headed to the Red Sox game! Here are some additional photos from the morning's egg hunt.

April 22, 2011 - The Busiest Day!

2011-04-22T23:30:00.000-04:00

The stars had aligned to make April 22, 2011 the busiest day on record for us! In the morning, we closed on the sale of our condo. In the afternoon, we closed on the purchase of our new home in Salem, and at 6:00pm that evening, we got on an airplane to fly to California for our already scheduled vacation to visit Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ!

We arrived in essentially the middle of the night, but with everything that had happened that day, we were too excited to go to sleep right away so we stayed up for a bit visiting:

The next morning, we got up and enjoyed the nice weather! Alice ran around in the back yard and got all wet in the sprinkler:

We took a ride over to Santa Monica and walked around the pier and the beach. While we would not necessarily recommend leaving for a vacation the day you close on your new house, after such a crazy, busy month, we really did enjoy getting away and relaxing a bit:

Here are some more photos from our first 24 hours in Los Angeles!

Crashing at Antie Chris and Uncle Dan's Place

2011-04-22T13:56:00.018-04:00

There was a week between when we moved out of the condo in Somerville and closed on the house in Salem. We were lucky to be able to stay with Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris in Downtown Boston during that time. It helped to ensure that Mommy and Daddy's commutes to work were uninterrupted and it was fun to be able to spend some time with them before we left the city!

Here are Alice and Daddy playing at Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris's apartment:

Mommy brought her laptop, so Alice was still able to Skype with some of her relatives during this time. Here she is talking to Grandma and Papa:

Spending time at Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris's house allowed for some much loved snuggle time!

Here is Alice playing in Auntie Chris's shoes:

Many thanks to you guys for opening your home to us - we really appreciate it! Here are some additional photos from that week.

Saying Goodbye to Somerville...

2011-04-16T13:39:00.021-04:00

As the calendar turned to April and we signed our Purchase & Sale agreements on the condo and on our new house, it was time to start thinking about packing up the place we had called home in Somerville over the past 8+ years. This was certainly a bittersweet task as we had really loved our home throughout our time in Union Square, but it was time to move on to our next adventure!

Alice enjoyed having all the boxes around and was truly a great sport about the whole moving experience. She was never anything but excited to move to our new home:

The boxes seemed to never end!

Once we got all the boxes and furniture out of the house, the three of us came back to say our last goodbyes and tidy up the last few things before the new owners moved in.

We trust that the new owners will have as many wonderful, happy memories as we did.

Goodbye, Somerville and Lake Street! We truly will miss you!

Here is a link to the photos from our last couple of weeks in the condo.

Welcome, Baby Ijah!

2011-03-29T14:22:00.013-04:00

On March 29, 2011 at 2:22pm, our beautiful nephew, Elijah John Vetter was born! We were so excited to welcome him. While we have enjoyed Skyping with him often since his birth, we are looking forward to holding him in person at some point.

While we believe everyone generally is calling him "Baby Eli", Alice has chosen to give him her very own pet name, so to us out here in Boston, he is "Baby Ijah"! Great work, Vicky and Brandon and so proud of Big Sister, Miranda - we are very excited for your all-new family of four and so excited to have a nephew!

We are Moving!!

2011-03-23T13:16:00.003-04:00

In Mid-March, after our condo was on the market for more than 7 months, we had prepared for dozens of open houses and showings, but were losing hope, as we had not yet received an offer... and then... seemingly out of nowhere, it suddenly happened - we had an offer!

We negotiated and ultimately accepted the offer, but it came with a quick turnaround. Within 5 weeks, we needed to find a new place to live pack up our condo and get ourselves out of there!

We were expecting to have to move into an apartment until we found our next home, but we were thrilled to find a perfect match for us on our first house-hunting trip out after receiving the offer. Here are a couple of photos that were taken during our home inspection:

Meanwhile, as we prepared for the crazy month and a half ahead, life continued. Here are Alice and Daddy making and enjoying a fruit dessert during our last weeks in the condo:

Here is a link to some of the first photos we took of our new home, as we envisioned moving into it and how we would arrange all of our stuff! Enjoy!

Our Little Lady!

2011-03-06T21:16:00.001-05:00

Over the past month since Alice became 21 months old, our life has started to become filled with "little" versions of big girl things - just for Alice!

A couple of weeks ago, we found a little table and stool - just Alice's size! Here are Alice and Daddy, putting together the stool and table:

And then enjoying the results of their hard work:

Alice has been helping out with dinner much more - going to the grocery store with Mommy and helping to pick out the ingredients, and helping in little ways whenever she can.

Here she is the night we recently made "Little Pizzas"!

And another recent evening making "Mini Meatloafs":

Yesterday, Mommy had a work event, so Alice and Daddy took a special shopping trip to purchase Alice's very own "Little Pillow"! Until this time, she has not slept with a pillow, but is getting older and it seemed like the right time to introduce one. She was very excited. Here she is, pretending to sleep and then waking up to surprise you!

After Mommy got home from work, we took a short road trip down to the Independence Mall in Kingston. First, we visited an arcade at the mall. Alice won 6 tickets, which was enough for her to buy her first lollipop:

Then, we visited "Pump and Jump" - a crazy, bouncy house and blow-up slide extravaganza! It is basically a giant former department store space in the mall that has been completely gutted and filled with fun amusements. You can have a birthday party there or just free-play. Alice really enjoyed the "Under 6" area. Here she is climbing up the inflatable ladder to go down the slide:

She really enjoyed her first see-saw ride:

She is starting to interact with other kids more when she sees them at play areas:

Her favorite activity at every play land is always the "Little Car":

Here are Alice and Daddy enjoying the bouncy house!

Here is a link to additional photos from all of our recent adventures. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! As usual, we had a low-key day and didn't do anything extravagant (unlike that Valentine's Day 8 years ago when we closed on our house! We just know we will never top that day!).

Alice and Mommy worked hard to make Daddy a nice Valentine's Day dinner when he got home. Upon saying grace tonight, we learned who Alice believes we are praying to when she said "Come "Lord Pizza" (apparently, aka Jesus), be our Guest and let these gifts to us be Blessed. Amen." We had to laugh at that one!

Here are some shots from the evening:

Burgundy Pork Loin:

Sesame Broccoli and Bell Peppers:

Cake!:

Yum!

Alice has been potty training recently. She has had some success with both the poo-poos and the pee-pees, but is still just beginning to get the hang of it.

Here are the rest of our Valentine's Day photos. Enjoy!

Alice's First Hair Cut

2011-02-13T20:32:00.000-05:00

Today, we took Alice to have her very first professional hair cut. We visited a made-for-kids salon called "Snip-Its" and she was such a big, good girl for the hair stylist!

Snip-Its was so much fun. When Alice sat down in her very own chair (smaller, and fitted with a seatbelt, unlike adult hair salons), the stylist began by blowing bubbles to catch Alice's interest.

Then she gave her some animal crackers and a lollipop and got started on the haircut. Alice sat nice and still and seemed to enjoy the haircut:

She had her bangs cut and the back of her hair trimmed. No more mullet for this girl!

The stylist finished up the haircut with a ponytail and a ribbon. She looked so cute!

Alice was excited to see her haircut in the mirror:

At the end of the experience, Alice received a prize for being a good girl - a little rubber ducky!

Here she was, checking out her new 'do in a kid-sized mirror:

Here is a link to some additional photos from our visit to Snip-Its.

Adventure Day!

2011-02-13T18:17:00.003-05:00

Today, the three of us took the opportunity to have an adventure day! We had a Zipcar, so we started the day by going out of town and trying a great breakfast place. Then we drove around until we could find a plastic sled for sale (this was not an easy task after all the snow we have had this year!). We then drove out to Fruitlands in Harvard, Massachusetts. They were hosting an event called Winterfest. We sled down the hill several times then warmed up by the bonfire and enjoyed some hot chocolate. Then, we got back in the car, and took Alice to get her first haircut! We then capped off the day of Adventure with a nice dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. We will all sleep well tonight!

Here are some photos from our sledding adventures:

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from our visit to Fruitlands for Winterfest. Enjoy!

Cooking Class!

2011-02-08T21:10:00.000-05:00

The last night of our trip, Auntie Bethany's friend came over and watched Alice and the rest of us went to a really fun cooking class in Hollywood. We had a great time and it seemed that we all learned something.

Uncle CJ and Auntie Bethany:

Grammie and Grampie:

Mommy, mixing an ingredient for the chocolate mousse dessert:

Auntie Bethany shows off her beautiful salad prior to the main entree:

The class was called "Your Home Steakhouse" and the final meal was amazing! We all loved it! Even Auntie Bethany polished off her whole steak!

Grammie, showing off her final product:

Grampie, with his meal, ready to eat:

It was a fun and yummy night! Daddy is hoping that Mommy will be able to make him a steak at some point. Here are the photos from the night.

A High-Flying Birthday!

2011-02-08T20:59:00.000-05:00

The last full day of our trip was Grammie Baptiste's birthday and we celebrated in style! In the morning, we all went out to breakfast. Then, we all traveled down to the Santa Monica Airport where Uncle CJ keeps his aerobatic plane. All of us over the age of 16 (to Alice's dismay!) took turns flying with Uncle CJ. After a few barrel rolls and 360s, Auntie Bethany and Mommy took Grammie to have her nails done while Alice napped back at the house. Here are some highlights from the flying portion of the day:

Waiting for Uncle CJ to get the plane fueled up and ready to go:

Grampie was first to go up:

There they go!

Waiting to see Uncle CJ and Grampie return and land:

Then it was the birthday girl's turn:

Paying close attention, Alice cheered for a safe landing:

Then, Auntie, Grammie and Grampie took Alice to the Airport playground and Mommy took a ride in the plane:

The aerobatics were fun and the view of the whole area was amazing! It was such a beautiful day, it was hard to imagine we would be back in the snow in just over 24 hours!:

Once everyone got their turn, we returned the airplane to the hanger and Alice had fun checking it out:

Here are a link to the rest of the photos from our morning adventures. Happy Birthday again, Grammie! We were happy we could celebrate with you!

Fishies!

2011-02-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

We took a ride down to Long Beach with Auntie Bethany to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific for the morning during our vacation. Alice loved checking out the fishies and the birdies. Here are a few highlights of the day:

Starfish!:

Petting the baby sharks!:

Mommy, Alice and Grammie:

Checking out the touch tank:

It was Alice's first trip to an aquarium and she loved it! Great idea, Auntie!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from the trip to the aquarium. Enjoy!

Alice dances with Grampie

2011-02-07T22:38:00.002-05:00

On our recent trip to California to visit Auntie Bethany, Alice and Grampie had fun dancing one night. This video is a 4 minute clip, but this went on for more than 20 minutes. She could not get enough... our little dancer!

A Day in the Park

2011-02-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

One day on vacation, Auntie Bethany and Uncle CJ took Alice and Mommy to Griffith Park near Pasadena. This is the park where you can see the Hollywood sign. We spent the beautiful day soaking in the sunshine and taking part in all of the fun park activities.

First, Alice took her first pony ride:

She really enjoyed it!:

Then, we took a train ride together. While we were waiting for the train, Alice had fun hanging out with Uncle CJ:

Then, we headed up the hill to the Observatory where we checked out the planet exhibits and had lunch:

Alice and Albert Einstein shared a moment:

Here are the rest of the photos from our nice sunny day. It's fun to remember the sunshine now that we are back in Boston with all of the snow!

A Day at School

2011-02-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

In mid-January, Alice and Mommy and Grammie and Grampie Baptiste took a trip to visit Auntie Bethany in California. The first full day of the trip we spent the day at Auntie's school visiting with her 3rd grade classroom and taking a walking trip to the local town library.

We did a presentation for the kids about life in Massachusetts:

We brought cranberries for them to try - so tart!

Grammie showed them how far away we lived from them:

Alice and Mommy took a break to have a snack:

Auntie led an activity about the planets:

Alice fell asleep on the walk to the library field trip:

Heading into the library:

The kids all learned about the Dewey Decimal system:

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from our day at school.

No More Teens!

2011-02-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

Alice turned 20 months old recently. We can't believe what a big girl she is!

Here is a link to the rest of this month's ducky photos.

Snow Day!

2011-01-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

Due to a blizzard that rolled through New Englad today, daddy's work was closed and we had a family SNOW DAY!
Mommy and Daddy took turns working on their computers, but there was enough time to have some pancakes for breakfast and then take a quick run around outside when Daddy shoveled the steps.

Here is Alice getting ready to go outside

The snow was still falling and Alice laughed when it landed on her nose!

Our little Snow bunny had a great time clearing out the snow

She even gave it a taste! But it was too cold!

The rest of the pictures are in the online album. Hope you had a fun Snow Day today too!

Dancing with a new hat

2011-01-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

Alice received a new dress and 'hat' from her adoptive PaPa and YiaYia (Nicky's Grampie and Grammie). She was so excited to wear her new hat, she did a little dance.

Happy Monday!

Happy Birthday, Max!

2011-01-09T21:24:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, we attended the 1st birthday of Max! Max is the son of Lisa's college friend, Melissa and her husband, Peter. Max definitely wins the award for knowing the highest number of other babies by his first birthday. There must have been more than 30 little kids there! It is so much fun that all of our friends are having kids now - lots of new friends for Alice!

Two of Lisa's college friends, Lypor and Melynda, and their daughters, Victoria and Anna Rose. Between them is the birthday boy, himself:

Melynda and Anna:

Melynda's husband Jay, and their son, Nick. Nick is three weeks younger than Alice. It has been fun to watch them grow up at the same time so far:

Max! He is so cute and has mastered walking. We look forward to hanging out with Max and his parents again soon - maybe when things are a bit quieter:

Alice and Daddy:

Here are lots more photos of us, enjoying the festivities. Thanks to Melissa and Peter for having us and great job throwing such a great party!

Santa Came!

2011-01-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

We were excited to find that Santa made a special post-Christmas trip to our house after we got back from North Dakota. We had our very own Christmas morning on January 2nd! It was a very fun day. Alice opened all of her presents from Santa and we had a nice family breakfast. We relaxed and played with Alice's new toys throughout the rest of the day.

Santa filled our stockings:

...and there were lots of presents under the tree. Alice was, apparently, a very good girl this year!

Santa took a bite of the cookies we left out for him, which Alice was happy to see:

In addition to all of her toys, Santa made sure to leave Alice a box of Macaroni & Cheese in her stocking, which was the only thing she asked Santa for this year! (We ate the box for dinner as our special Christmas meal!)

A huge hit was Alice's "food":

She also received this cute, cuddly Mom and Baby elephants:

She loves her new stroller and took the opportunity to push all of her dolls around in it:

Santa also realized that Alice loves playing with "coins" and got her a folder to collect all the State Quarters - she loves looking at the pictures on the back of the quarters and then pounding them into the folder! (Truly a financial planner's daughter!)

She also has really enjoyed the kitchen she received from Great Aunt Ricky and Great Uncle Charlie in Florida. It has been a wonderful complement to all the play food she got from Santa, and she has really enjoyed playing with it and making meals for us!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from "Christmas morning". Enjoy!

Christmas in Boston

2011-01-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

When we returned to Boston from North Dakota and recuperated from all of our germs, we spent a relaxing afternoon at Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris's apartment in Boston. Grammie and Grampie Baptiste joined us. We had a nice lunch and exchanged presents. It was a fun day!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from the day.

Entourage!

2010-12-31T20:34:00.000-05:00

Now that Christmas has come and gone, Alice's group of "friends" has grown quite a bit! It is surprising she can find a way to squeeze into her bed since she wants to make room for everyone. It is fun to watch her come to love certain stuffed animals, though.

Here are some more photos of Alice and her growing entourage!

Christmas in North Dakota!

2010-12-31T15:33:00.000-05:00

We just returned from celebrating Christmas in North Dakota, and Alice's first trip to Grandma and Papa Peterson's house. In spite of the fact that we had some challenging travel on the way out to Bismarck, and the fact that we managed to bring enough germs with us to last everybody throughout the new year, good times were had by all, and especially by Alice and her cousin, Miranda. Alice and Miranda keep in touch well over Skype throughout the year, but don't get to see each other too often. Here are some photos of the trip, especially highlighting the fun between the girls!

Minutes after arrival, the girls were especially excited to play Ring around the Rosie:

Here they are playing with iPads - their abilities to navigate technology marveled everyone!

A favorite activity of the week was playing on the computer with Papa:

And, of course, what would a trip to North Dakota be without sledding?! Between germs, we managed to get the girls out twice on the sleds, which they loved:

As Alice started to feel better, her smile returned!:

The girls enjoyed a couple of baths together during the week:

Alice and Grandma made pumpkin muffins together, which were reminiscent of their trips to Dunkin Donuts when Grandma visited Alice in Boston back in the fall:

We took a family photo together:

The girls loved goofing around together:

More sledding:

Hide and seek!:

Here is a link to the best photos from the week - enjoy! Merry Christmas, Everyone!

iPad Kids

2010-12-29T09:24:00.000-05:00

Maybe not a surprise to most new parents out there... but 2 year-olds are more tech savvy than most grandparents!

Sledding in Dakota!

2010-12-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

Over Christmas, Alice was able to try sledding for the first time... and she loved it!

Here are Alice and Miranda getting ready to go outside

Here are the first few passes...

And she just keeps going!

Dancing in Dakota

2010-12-23T09:18:00.000-05:00

We had a lot of fun back in Dakota over Christmas. Alice and Miranda especially liked dancing with Uncle Scott / Daddy!

The girls also took in a few rounds of their favorite dance - Ashes!

Pig Tails!

2010-12-19T21:45:00.000-05:00

Alice has really grown into a true toddler over the past couple of months. Along with toddlerhood has come her long anticipated longer hair. Here is Auntie Chris giving Alice some pigtails during a recent Sunday visit to our house:

She is such a big girl and we can't wait to see what 2011 will bring her way.

Here is a link to some additional "pig tail" photos. Enjoy!

Going to See Santa!

2010-12-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we took a trip to Edaville Railroad. For those of you who did not grow up around here, Edaville is a fun little amusement park where you can go on rides, take a train ride and the best part - visit Santa Claus!

Mommy, Daddy, Grammie and Grampie Baptiste, and Great-Gram Alcott took the trip down together. We all had lots of fun. Grampie may have been just as excited as Alice to show her all the sights!

Now, while Alice loves Santa, in theory... he is a bit overwhelming in person. Sadly, a few tears were shed on Santa's knee!

But she had a great time otherwise! It was cold, but we took advantage of all that Edaville had to offer - checked out all the sights!

We also took a ride on the train to see all the thousands of Christmas lights around the area. Alice and Mommy even rode on a real amusement park ride!

Here is a link to all the festivities from the night. Now that we have seen Santa, it must mean Christmas is just around the corner!

19 Months Old!

2010-12-15T23:26:00.000-05:00

Can you believe Alice is already 19 months old? She's almost finished with her teens. The next time we can say that, things will be very different!

This month, in preparation for Christmas, Alice has really been enjoying opening the doors of our Advent Calendar. She knows that she must wait until Mommy and Daddy are both home and it is dark outside before we open the one door of the day.

She loves that when she opens the door, she finds enough "Manos" (Marshmallows) for Alice, Mommy and Daddy, which she is happy to both share and enjoy!

Alice has been a great help with keeping our younger cat, Millie, from chewing on the branches of the Christmas tree (which Millie cannot seem to get enough of for some reason!). Here is Alice, telling Millie "No chewing, Millie!"

Here are some additional photos of Alice turning 19 months.

Alice's First Christmas Cookies!

2010-12-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

We recently spent a lazy weekend afternoon at home decorating Christmas cookies with Alice. It was her first time and she really enjoyed herself!

Here she is, getting the cookie cutters ready:

Next, with Mommy and Daddy's help, she rolled out the dough:

After that, she had fun cutting out the shapes:

Once all the cookies were cut out, she kept watch at the oven to see what would happen as they cooked:

Next, she enjoyed decorating her creation:

Then - the best part... enjoying the rewards of the day!:

For a more detailed account of the afternoon, check out our photos here. Enjoy!

Decorating for Christmas!

2010-11-26T21:36:00.000-05:00

Black Friday (or the day after Thanksgiving) has become a holiday in its own right around here in the Peterson household. This year, we woke Alice (a rare experience - usually it works the other way around!) very early in the morning and we went shopping until about 10:00am. Then, we came home and decorated the house for Christmas!

Here are some photos of the decorating festivities:

Do you think this tiny stocking from last year will fit? Maybe not...

Good thing Alice has a full sized stocking!

Alice was very curious and helpful when it was time to set up the Christmas tree.

She enjoyed showing Rosie all of her hard work!

Now that the decorations are up, it's time to get excited for Christmas! Here are some additional photos from the day. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T22:45:00.000-05:00

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had lots of fun visiting with family down in Middleboro. We took the chance to dress up and try to get some nice family photos.

Alice has really started to have lots of fun at Grammie and Grampie's house - and has even had a few sleepovers there recently. Here she is on the rocking horse with Grammie and Grampie's doll, Bobby!

And here she is, enjoying her Thanksgiving dinner.

Here are the rest of the photos from Thanksgiving day. Enjoy!

Mini-Vacation - CocoKey!

2010-11-23T22:08:00.000-05:00

Daddy and Mommy took a couple of days off from work before Thanksgiving and we took a mini family vacation up to a fun indoor waterpark called CocoKey. It was fun to get away, stay in a hotel for the night and splash around in the water!

Grammie and Grampie even joined us for a few hours on the first evening!

Alice loved floating in the lazy river, playing in all of the water features in all of the different pools. Mommy, Daddy, Grammie and Grampie took turns going down the waterslides and Alice even put on a lifejacket and took a couple of turns down the kiddy waterslides!

Our little fish loved the trip, of course!

The night in the hotel, Mommy and Daddy had to hide out in the hotel room bathroom until Alice fell asleep (which truly took about 2 minutes!). Daddy found a "comfortable" way to pass the time!

We also had fun eating out at a local restaurant for dinner, and hitting up Denny's for breakfast in the morning. As busy as we have been, it was great to get away, even if it was a 36 hour trip! Here are some more photos of the fun!

Just Like Mommy and Daddy

2010-11-13T20:59:00.000-05:00

It has been a very busy, but fun, couple of months. Alice has had a great time getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas - we are excited to update you about all of her adventures.

She is especially having fun helping out Mommy and Daddy around the house. Along with helping out, she loves playing dress up whenever she can. Here are some photos of Alice dressing up, just like Mommy and Daddy:

Here are some more photos we captured of Alice, acting all grown up!

Monkeying Around

2010-11-05T21:21:00.000-04:00

Alice spends lots of time these days with her favorite stuffed animal - her monkey, Rosie. Alice is such a little monkey herself, that it makes sense that Rosie is her best friends. Here are a few photos of Alice, monkeying around the house!

Here are some more recent photos of our little monkey, Alice!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T22:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween, Everyone! It has been a busy month, and here at the Peterson house, we have taken full advantage of all the festivities. It has been so much fun, but we must say, even Alice is probably going to be happy to have a break from dressing up in costumes for a little while! :)

Here are a few highlights from our recent adventures:

Last weekend, the city shut down the major street behind our house for a few hours for a Halloween-themed street fair. It was fun to roam the streets without having to worry about any traffic!:

On Thursday, Alice and Mommy went Downtown. Auntie Chrissy joined us for a trip through a hay bale maze and a ride on the Carousel. Our little ladybug enjoyed the fun very much! Here is a cute shot from that day:

Tonight, of course, we went Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood. Grammie and Grampie Baptiste joined us for the fun. The strawberry costume made its return. It was a bit chilly out, but we made it all the way around the block and probably visited 15 or so houses.

One big highlight of the evening was being able to see Alice's good friend/next-door neighbor, as she and her Mommy will be taking a trip to India in a couple of days and will be gone for a few months. Here the girls are, sharing a hug:

Here are the girls in full costume. Alice will miss her friend but we know she will have a great time in India!

Another high point of the evening was Alice and Grampie sharing a peanut-butter whoopie pie and some milk, which has now become a bit of a tradition. Yum!

We hope you have also had a wonderful Halloween. As we head into November and the winter holidays, we are looking forward to all the fun that lies ahead. Here is a link to all of our Halloween photos. Enjoy!

Halloween Preview

2010-10-11T21:51:00.000-04:00

This past weekend it was "Halloween" at Grammie and Grampie Baptiste's campground. We traveled down to the Cape and stayed overnight to take advantage of all the fun. We rode in a Haunted Hayride and Alice enjoyed saying "BOO!" to all the decorations and people in costume along the way.

Alice decorated a pumpkin:

And Alice participated in the costume contest and parade (she was a strawberry!):

Here we are walking in the costume parade:

After the parade, it was time for trick-or-treating:

Alice really had lots of fun trick-or-treating and made it to about 25 campsites before tiring out.

She loved looking at all the other kids in costume, and especially enjoyed seeing this duck costume!

After finishing trick-or-treating, we went back to the Baptiste campsite and helped hand out candy to all the kids. It was a really fun weekend!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from Columbus Day/"Halloween" weekend in Bourne! Enjoy!

Grandma Marcia in Boston!

2010-10-11T21:39:00.000-04:00

We were so lucky over the past week to have Grandma Marcia in town. She spent lots of time bonding and snuggling with Alice and giving Mommy and Daddy the chance to get into the office and get lots of work done!

Alice was excited to see Grandma right away and, in spite of Alice's cold, they had a fabulous week together.

We can't wait to see Grandma again soon. We are constantly reminded how blessed we are that Alice is surrounded by so much love.

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from Alice's visit with Grandma.

Ponytails!

2010-10-11T21:33:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that Alice's hair has grown a bit slowly since she was born. She has had no other choice than to rock a mean mullet. We (and by "we" we mean "Mommy") have been excited recently that her hair has gotten JUST long enough to pull up into tiny ponytails. Here are a few photos from the recent new hairstyles!

From here on out, the possibilities for Alice's hair are endless (or at least much more diverse than her standard "business in the front, party in the back"!)

Here is a link to lots of additional ponytail photos. Enjoy!

What the Fluff?

2010-09-25T20:57:00.000-04:00

We just came across these photos and realized we never uploaded them, so this post is a bit delayed!

Early this fall, we attended the annual festival in our neighborhood honoring a special local treat: Fluff! If you are not from the Northeastern part of the U.S., it is likely you have not heard of this controversial lunchtime staple, but if you grew up in this area, you know it is a favorite among kids. Essentially, it is a stickier version of a marshmallow spread. It was developed right in Union Square, Somerville - our neighborhood! This year, hundreds turned out for the "What the Fluff?" festival as we did and Alice enjoyed checking out all the people and quirky activities:

Here she is trying a bite of her first Fluffernutter (peanut butter and fluff, on white bread). She really liked it!:

The agenda for the day was packed - everything from food, to musical acts to dancing and crafts and cultural activities, all dedicated to this sweet treat!

Since the weather was still nice and warm in late September, we went to the park and then spent some time playing outside on the front steps of our house:

Here are some additional photos from the day. Enjoy!

Alice's First Blog Post

2010-09-16T08:41:00.001-04:00

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love, Alice

Super Daddy!

2010-09-08T20:19:00.000-04:00

Those who have followed this blog might remember a few months ago when Daddy ran a foot race that ended by crossing home plate at Fenway Park. He had so much fun, that he has been inspired to run (well, swim, bike and run!) TWO triathlon sprints over the past couple of months!

First, in early August, he and our friend, Leah, competed in the Gloucester Fisherman's Triathlon, north of Boston:

Way to go, Daddy! He did such a great job! :)

He had so much fun the first time around that the day after he finished his first triathlon, he signed up for his next one, only one month later! This time, it was the Inaugural Plymouth Mayflower Triathlon, south of Boston. He and his colleague, Dave, competed in this one. Daddy learned from his first experience and bought a wet suit for this time:

The wetsuit helped a ton in the chilly water!

Yay, Daddy! He beat his first time by about 5 minutes, which was awesome! Mommy and Alice are very proud of Daddy - he is such an inspiration!

A special thanks also goes out to Grammie and Grampie Baptiste who have accompanied Mommy and Alice to watch both triathlons! What will Daddy try next? Only time will tell, but we are all excited to see. We will be there cheering you on! Go, Daddy!!!! :)

Here is a link to the photos from the Gloucester Triathlon, and here is a link to the photos from the Plymouth Triathlon. Enjoy!

Lantern Summer Picnic

2010-08-29T20:19:00.000-04:00

This afternoon, we hosted a summer picnic for Mommy's company, Lantern Financial. Current and former interns, as well as friends and family of the team turned out for the festivities.

The picnic was held on Georges Island, one of the Boston Harbor Islands. In addition to being lots of fun, the event marked Alice's first trip in a boat. She had a great time!

Here she is, enjoying the sights during the boat trip:

Grammie and Grampie Baptiste came along and Alice had lots of fun with them, especially when Grampie shared some water with her in her very own "big girl" cup (some of which even made it into her mouth!).

We had to take a photo when we realized that several of the picnic attendees (Alice included) were wearing Converse sneakers:

Alice partied all morning and afternoon and finally took advantage of the warm sun and slight breeze off the water to take a nap:

It was a perfect day. Thanks, everyone, for coming out to celebrate! Wishing all of you a happy last few days of summer and a wonderful fall!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from the day. Enjoy!

Presents!

2010-08-23T16:12:00.001-04:00

One day, a couple of weeks ago, Alice was a lucky girl and received some great presents randomly from both sets of grandparents!

First, when Grammie and Grampie Baptiste came to stay over and watch Alice's swimming lesson in the morning, they brought Alice a fun bead toy! She has so much fun playing with it.

Then, later in the day, a large box arrived with a rocking chair that Great-Grandpa Westgard in North Dakota had fixed up and finished for Alice after Grandma Marcia had found it at a rummage sale:

Also in the box with the rocking chair, from Grandma and Papa, were a nice warm winter coat (to put in the closet for a few months)...

...a fun book!...

... and some cool winter boots!

(and a really cute t-shirt that says "Don't Make Me Call Grandma! - North Dakota" - how perfect!)

Is this a lucky girl or what? :)

Here is a link to some more photos of Alice enjoying her presents. Many thanks to Alice's awesome Grandparents!

Swimming Lessons

2010-08-11T10:11:00.001-04:00

We have had a fun summer this year, and for Alice, one of the special highlights has been her swimming lessons at the local public pool!

They just finished up, and we were lucky that Grammie and Grampie Baptiste had a chance to attend one of the lessons with Alice and Mommy. Here are the photos they took at the lesson - you can see how much fun she had! We are sad that they are over, but sure that she will enjoy taking lessons again at some point!

Here is a link to the full album of photos from the lesson. Enjoy!

Emery's Birthday Party

2010-08-07T13:58:00.000-04:00

Alice's friend, Emery, just turned 2, and we were excited to be able to celebrate his birthday with him!

The party was held at a great local park and playground. Alice, of course, loved playing in the playground!:

During lunch, we got to spend some time with the birthday boy, Emery, and our friends, Liz and Steve, who are expecting their first baby in just a few weeks!

Here are Emery and his Mom and Dad as we all sang "Happy Birthday"!

It was really a fun-filled day. Here is Alice, trying out her baseball skills:

There was also a bubble machine, which was a big hit with all the little ones:

Here are the rest of the photos from the party!

The Artist at Work

2010-08-07T13:47:00.000-04:00

Alice has been developing her creative streak recently. She loves making cards with stickers. Her strategy is a funny one: She places a sticker on the page, then chooses another sticker, which she places exactly on top of the previous sticker. This continues until there is a thick pile of stickers in the middle of the page! ;) It is one of her more fun activities in recent months.

Here are a few shots of the artist, Alice, working with her assistant, Mommy, on a card:

Here are some more shots of the artist at work. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2010-08-02T13:37:00.000-04:00

This past week, Mommy, Daddy and Alice all took the day off to celebrate Daddy's birthday. It was a fun day with a mix of family time, and some video game time for Daddy!

Here we are, having some birthday cake:

Alice LOVED it! :)

Alice and Daddy had lots of fun throughout this week. Here they are, hanging out and listening to some music together:

Alice has grown into Daddy's glasses much more since we tried them on her last year, and, with a Mommy and a Daddy blind as bats, they gave us a vision of her inescapable fate! Still pretty cute, though, regardless! ;)

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from Daddy's birthday celebrations!

Alice Loves the Park

2010-07-24T22:27:00.000-04:00

We are so lucky, here in our neighborhood, to be surrounded by so many great parks and playgrounds, especially because Alice loves them so much. Since the weather has been so nice (if a bit on the hot side!), we try to get out at least once each day to enjoy them.

Here are a few photos from some of our fun at the parks over the past month or so:

Alice's favorite part of the park is being able to play with new friends.

We have mentioned frequently that Alice enjoys the water. She gets so excited when she can run through water fountains. Thankfully, most of the parks around us have interactive water features for the kids to enjoy on a hot day. The next few photos were taken just this afternoon, in which she displays her fearlessness!:

Luckily, it has been hot enough outside that she can run under the fountains to her hearts' content, and she is pretty much dry by the time we get home!

Here is a link to all of the photos we have taken during our adventures at the parks and playgrounds in recent weeks. Enjoy!

Toddlerhood, Here We Come!

2010-07-18T20:05:00.000-04:00

Alice just turned 14 months old, and it is remarkably noticeable how much she is now a "kid" versus the "baby" she once was. She is really running around well now, and the freedom of being able to walk is such a delight to her (although Mommy and Daddy are getting lots more exercise these days, chasing after her now!).

Here are Alice and Daddy, cuddling on the sofa and laughing:

She is now REALLY into her favorite show, Veggie Tales. Here she is in her PJs, engrossed in the show (we only have the one video and she loves watching it over and over). She refers to the show as "Bob!!" - since the main character is Bob the Tomato.

Here she is as we took our monthly "Duckie" photos a few days ago. It has been fun to look back at these photos over the months, since she is now bigger than Duckie, when he once dwarfed her!

Here is Alice, stylin' in her new dress and pink high top Converse All-Star sneakers from Auntie Chris and Uncle Dan!

She continues to be a very happy girl, and we are enjoying each day with her. Exploring this summer has been especially fun, as we have watched her learn more and more about the world around her.

Here she is, blowing you kisses, one of the most recent things she has learned:

Goodbye! Enjoy the rest of the photos of Alice turning 14 months old.

Teddy Bear Picnic & Parade

2010-07-08T22:07:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, Alice and Mommy saw a flyer at our favorite local playground for an upcoming Teddy Bear Parade and Picnic. It sounded like fun, so tonight, Alice, Mommy and Daddy headed over after work to check it out.

When the kids checked in to register for the parade, they each received their "number" and a special prize: a kazoo! Here is Alice, before the parade began playing with her kazoo:

Alice really loved the parade decor and especially enjoyed admiring the balloons:

Before starting the parade, everyone sat and sang songs with their stuffed animals:

And then we were off! Here are Alice and Mommy and Whaleman as the parade began:

At the end of the parade, Alice especially enjoyed the performance by the "Sunsetters" - a local singing and dancing troupe. She was not shy at all about getting out there and dancing along to the music!:

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from tonight's fun evening in the park!

July 4 - Little Miss Independence

2010-07-05T19:13:00.001-04:00

To celebrate the 4th of July, we spent the weekend down by the Cape, and a special half-day with Grammie and Grampie at the campground.

Here is Alice, reclining in her baby-sized Adirondack chair, complete with a cup holder!

Daddy tried out Grammie and Grampie's new whale pool first. It was COLD! :)

Alice soon joined in the fun in the pool. She could see her reflection in the side!

The pool was so exciting... it even had a "blow hole" that Grampie had fun using to surprise everyone! Alice thought the blow hole was so funny!

Speaking of Independence, Alice has now started to really run around on her own. In honor of that milestone (and because she's now outgrown her last pair of shoes), Auntie Chris and Uncle Dan got Alice some cool new, pink, Converse All-Star hightop sneakers! She'll be the most stylish one at the playground! :)

Once again, here is a link to the photos from our fun, holiday weekend. Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Beach Bum

2010-07-05T18:45:00.005-04:00

This holiday weekend, we took a short vacation from the city and went down to visit Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris. We spent a half day at the beach and Alice took the opportunity to take her first dip in the ocean. She LOVED it! She really enjoyed playing in the sand and especially enjoyed jumping over the waves as they came in. The water was pretty chilly, but she didn't seem to notice.

Here she is, rocking her beach cover and new hat and soaking in the sun:

Before venturing out into the ocean, we ate a picnic lunch on our beach blankets. Alice got so into the beach food, she even tried a handful of sand! Here are Alice and Mommy, getting ready to head into the water after lunch:

After running in the surf a bit, Alice and Daddy sat and waited for the waves to roll in:

Alice was fearless. She loved standing in the water as the waves crashed into her legs. A couple of times, she even got to taste the salt water!

There is no doubt that we have a water baby! She would spend every day in the water if she had the chance.

Here is a link to the photos from our fun 4th of July weekend down by Cape Cod!

Rainbow Brite and Master of the Remote

2010-07-05T14:20:00.000-04:00

Just a funny picture of the little one.

Sox at Rox - June, 2010

2010-06-27T22:58:00.000-04:00

An important element of this trip to Denver was our annual baseball trip - this year we were in Denver to see the Red Sox play a series against the Colorado Rockies. The whole family even attended the first of the three games. Here we all are looking great in our Red Sox gear:

We were so happy that Alice LOVED her first real Red Sox game. Here she is, engrossed in the action:

Alice even caught the eye of our section's usher and he gave her an actual baseball from that evening's batting practice!

The two girls were so cute in their Red Sox outfits.

Here are Alice, Grandma and Papa checking out the stadium together:

Alice and Miranda were excited to meet Dinger, the Rockies' mascot, during the third inning. Dinger autographed photos for each of the girls. Miranda cutely mistook this purple dinosaur for her own personal favorite, Barney! The Rockies' staff was kind and explained that Dinger is actually Barney's cousin!

Mommy and Daddy were SO EXCITED when the Red Sox avoided the sweep and won the third game in extra innings, rewarding Mommy and Daddy with their first win on the road. They were starting to worry that they were bad luck! It was an awesome win, a great game and a really fun series overall.

Woo hoo! Red Sox win!!!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from the three games.

Mountain Adventures

2010-06-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, Uncle Eric, Daddy, Mommy and Alice drove up into the mountains for a day of adventure. Our first stop was a fun little spot, the "World Famous Tiny Town & Railroad!":

Alice was in her element, with over 100 buildings just her size:

After visiting all the tiny buildings and riding the train, we drove off to see what else we could find. We were so excited to come upon Red Rocks Amphitheater!:

Uncle Eric, Daddy and Mommy took turns checking it out, while Alice enjoyed her afternoon nap:

Next, we were off to Golden, Colorado, the home of the Coors Brewery. Golden is a really cute little town:

And we enjoyed the brewery tour:

It was a really fun afternoon! Here is a link to the rest of the photos from our adventures in the mountains. Enjoy!

At the Zoo!

2010-06-27T22:20:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, the family spent the afternoon at the Denver Zoo. It was the first visit to a zoo for Alice, and both Alice and Miranda especially enjoyed seeing all the animals and exhibits.

Grandma and Papa took Alice and Miranda on the carousel:

Miranda and Alice enjoyed spending the day together. These two cousins are really starting to become friends!

Here is a link to the rest of the photos from the zoo. Enjoy!

Denver Vacation!

2010-06-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

We just returned from a wonderful family vacation in Denver, Colorado. Daddy's parents rented a giant house there and we spent the week with Grandma and Papa Peterson, Uncle Eric, and Auntie Vicky, Uncle Brandon and Miranda:

The house was so large, it even had a game room and movie theater floor, complete with its own kitchen! Here, Alice and Miranda are playing pool in the billiards parlor!:

The house came with a free pass to the community swimming pools (large pool and accompanying kiddie pool), and we took advantage of it. Here we are, out for a swim:

Of course, the girls loved the pools!

On Tuesday, while Daddy, Papa and Uncle Eric were off golfing, Grandma, Auntie Vicky, Uncle Brandon, Mommy, and the girls found a really awesome indoor playland called "Little Monkey Bizness." Alice and Miranda loved all the climbing and riding down all the slides!:

Grandma and Papa, of course, savored every minute with Alice and Miranda!:

Here is a link to photos from our family time in Denver. Other posts will soon follow highlighting some of the adventures of the week. Enjoy!

Run to Home Base!

2010-06-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, on May 23rd, Daddy took part in his first official road race, a 9k called "The Run to Home Base", to benefit soldiers returning from Iraq and Afgansistan with PTSD and Brain Injuries, and their families. It was a very exciting day and we are all very proud of Daddy!

Here, Alice is wishing Daddy well the night before the race:

Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris stayed over the night before and helped Daddy "carbo-load." Here is his meal: Spaghetti and KFC! :)

Even in the sea of 3,000 or so people, we were happy to find Daddy at the starting line in order to wish him well!

The finish line for the race was home plate at Fenway Park! Daddy did a great job!:

Alice wore her Red Sox cheerleading outfit in order to cheer Daddy on to victory:

This was such a great cause, Daddy had fun and we had fun cheering him on. We all hope that he will be able to participate again next year! Here are some more photos from the big day. Enjoy!

Picnic in the Park

2010-06-15T21:41:00.000-04:00

We have been enjoying summer in Boston so much! It has been so great to get outside with Alice and enjoy everything with her. Recently, Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris came up to the city to visit us and we went out for an afternoon picnic at our local park. Here we are, enjoying the food:

We also broke out the lawn games. Uncle Dan and Daddy played games while Auntie Chris and Mommy practiced walking with Alice:

After lunch, we took a stroll over to our favorite playground. We enjoyed trying out the slides:

And the swing!:

Here are some additional photos from our picnic. Enjoy!