Fritz is reading “Baby signs” to Frankie.

Fritz tackles the age-old question: How many raspberries can fit on you hands?

Fritz and Frank got matching chairs for Christmas from Uncle Dan and Aunt Katie.

Sandra’s very special elf stopped by last night, prepping the house for his boss’s arrival.

We woke up to snow today – lots of snow!  Last night Joe was being a curmudgeon about how they call snow days too early these days and half the time the “big storm” they predict doesn’t even happen.  Well, this time it did and we are excited about it.  I went to the grocery store last night (mob scene) and got fixins for breakfast, including bacon, which is Fritz’s favorite.  This morning he said “I’d like to watch Frosty and eat bacon.”  Sounded good to me.  The bacon energy is keeping him warm outside while he leaps in snow banks, makes snow angels and runs wild all over the place!

Fritz and dad went to cut our tree this morning. Came back with a slightly oversized tree that needed some trimming. Got it in the house and up.

“Boo!”  It’s one of Fritz’s favorite things to say at any time of the year.  Last week, however, it was appropriate because it was indeed Halloween.  We had a great time.  We had the house decorated to the hilt and Fritz picked out his costume – a spider.  He liked the idea of crawling around on the floor with all those legs!  Frankie’s costume was a bug but he barely wore it because it was too darned cold to have a little baby outside at night in the windy cold.  This was the first year that Fritz really “got” the whole trick or treat thing too.  The kiddos practiced trick or treating at preschool and then, on Halloween night, he got a chance to head out and get some candy.  We emphasized that there were three phrases he needed to get down:  (1) Trick or Treat, (2) Thank you and (3) Happy Halloween.  He was, on average, 2 for 3 by the end of the night.  One thing he did say consistently was “Now we go to the next house?”  He had a good haul of candy for a 3 year old, which we are rationing out s-l-o-w-ly (to him at least.)