Red Robin Nostalgia

Back in the day (the day being when the MMs lived in C'ville), we'd often celebrate birthdays at Red Robin. For old time's sake we went again (even though it wasn't anyone's birthday!) Seeing as it's nearly 2013, I guess it's a bit like a birthday of sorts. We need very little justification for these things.

Ivy Creek with the MMs

The MMs came to stay with us for a week over New Years. We had grand plans to hike in Shenandoah National Park, but Skyline Drive was closed due to snow and ice. So, we decided to hike a bit more locally. Ivy Creek was a favorite spot when the 3 bigger kiddos were littler, so it seemed like a reasonable plan for the 8 of us. We even managed to fins a few trails that the MMs had never hiked before!

The first picture is of Zara tree climbing during our "winter-nic" aka winter picnic. It wasn't crazy warm, but warm enough we had a nice light outdoor lunch. Quite a novelty in December. The next picture is Amity holding hands with Luke, everyone's favorite Toddler Whisperer. I don't know if the shine will perhaps wear off as she gets older, but for now Amity is extremely enamored of Luke. The third picture is the kiddos during the hike, relatively bundled up. By the end of the hike, as you can see in the fourth picture, the kids had pretty much doffed all of their outer layers. It wasn't really *that* warm, but it probably wasn't as cold as their earlier outfits would indicate, either.

Bed for Three

Kiera and Claire (lucky for me and Wes, they brought their parents, too) came to visit from Montreal. It was fantastically fun. Kids had a great time and then promptly passed out altogether on the futon downstairs. Cute x 3!

Christmas Run

While we do not celebrate Christmas in the same way many people do, we still have some longstanding (though constantly evolving) traditions. Looking back over the blog, I'm surprised that we've never documented these shenanigans photographically. Or if we have, perhaps, wisely, these photos have not yet seen widespread public dissemination.

In any case, our current Christmas tradition includes a run. This run dates back to the pre-kiddo Ann Arbor days, where we'd run in the streets because they were as empty as if someone had closed the roads for a race. Or sometimes because the sidewalks were so snow covered it was easier to run in the streets. Or both. We've kept up versions of this tradition since moving to Charlottesville, though the run has been shortened to a mile loop in our neighborhood, but we do it regardless of weather. This was Zara's first year running (as opposed to riding in a stroller), and she ran nearly the whole thing, with just a small walking break on the steepest hill. And if you know anything about our neighborhood, it's really nothing but steep hills. So hats of to Zara. I expect it won't be too long before Amity's joining in for some portion of the run as well...

Flower PJs

Not sure what Amity was showing us here. The ubiquitous and adored boots? The flower PJs that used to be Zara's? That she can follow our instructions so when we say "spread your arms out wide" in order to get her to stop "posing" she follows our directions? Probably all of the above.

Baby and Boots

Amity displays several of her favorite things in the is picture. She's wearing the hat Auntie Gabi knit for her, as well as her furry boots and "winter" dress. She's snuggling her baby. And while I don't think she's so attached to this specific one, she's surprisingly fond of water bottles.

Butterflies dancing a Reel

Zara's current irish step dancing class is known as the Butterflies. Here they are performing a reel at the BRIMS Winter recital.

The Wren

Zara and her Scoil (irish for "school") buddies perform a seasonally appropriate song and dance at the BRIMS Winter recital.

Last Night of Chanukah

Lots of Chanukah posts this year. This one might be my favorite.

Wingspan

A while back we measured Zara's wingspan. Now Amity's old enough to get in on the act, too.

Amity's Baby

Amity has many stuffed animals, which she dotes on in a variety of ways. No one (or nanybody, as she used to say) is particularly a favorite. But we hear she likes the baby dolls at school. So, for Chanukah, we bought Amity her very own baby doll this year. While she still remains more attached to both Wes and I and not really a "lovey" kinda kid, she does seem to adore playing with her baby. As of now, baby's name is "Charlotte Violet Craig" but it does change periodically. We'll keep you posted.

Zara's Turn

Zara's become a pro at candle lighting. Amity watches carefully, taking notes for her next turn with the shamash.

Amity's Turn

This is the first year that Amity really "gets" Chanukah. As such, it seemed only fair that she get a turn lighting the candles. So we alternated nights. Zara wasn't entirely pleased with this arrangement, having spent the last several years as the sole lighter of candles, but so is the sibling life.

Third Night of Chanukah

Despite the fact that Amity's face may tell a different story, all of us in the Bromberg-Craig household wish you, dear readers, a very happy Chanukah!

Glitter

According to Mary (one of Amity's 3 teachers), you can't have Chanukah at a Jewish preschool without silver and blue glitter paint. And glitter. Apparently Amity thinks purple is also a requirement. So, here's Amity (working with a friend) on a Chanukah art creation, complete with much glitter.

Amity's Box Fiddle

Zara and Wes made this box fiddle for Amity so she could play along with Zara. It was such a brilliant idea, and they had a lot of fun making it. Alas, Amity (who was thrilled when she first received it), doesn't actually play it all that much anymore. We're not sure why. But when she does, it is very, very, cute!

Pausing during a Hike

I don't recall where we were hiking. Maybe Ivy Creek? Kids stopped, posed, looked cute, we took a picture. Perhaps there was a snack? Maybe just a water break. We've been trying to get Amity to walk a little more in preparation for our Australia trip, and weekend hikes have been our thing.