The Mover

I may not have the most discerning eye when it comes to interior design, but I'm pretty happy with the look of our house. Sure, there are things I would like to change (if money were no object). But, I don't think any room in my house is going to land me on "Rate My Space" or some other design show where they criticize your design sense.

Sadly, my daughter appears to disagree with me. Her newest past time involves rearranging all of the furniture in the kitchen. And, when you question her, she drops to the floor, and looks up at you sweetly, as if to say "Who, me? I don't know how all of the chairs ended up pushed against the wall." Click the picture below to witness her antics:Hopefully the novelty wears off soon. . .

Love, The Trahans

The Trahan's Take New York

Every December, I travel to New York for a technical conference. And, every year, Mike and I talk about having him and Mikie come into the city to meet me. Knowing Mikie is five and in school, I feel like I am on borrowed time when it comes to believing in Santa. Before the mystery of Christmas loses some of its luster, I figured we should go into Christmas to see THE Christmas tree.

My conference was from Wednesday through Friday. So, Friday afternoon, Mike and the kids drove in to meet me. . . As I should have suspected, both of them were more smitten with the hotel room than the tree. Hannah had plenty of things to investigate. And, Mikie had a queen size bed in his own room with his own TV (which he was quick to settle down in and decided he needed a similar set up at home).

Nibbles was in her glory. For the child who lives to people watch, New York City was like heaven. Here's a picture of her watching traffic and pedestrians from the window of the Manhattan Diner. Her cute little face (especially in that hat) stopped a lot of people as well. . . And, since our sole purpose was to do touristy things (and it was too cold to go to Central Park like I originally intended), we headed to Fifth Avenue to F.A.O. Schwarz. Our trip served two purposes. First, entertain Mikie. Second, give mom the opportunity to make her own Muppet. Yes, I am a HUGE Muppet fan. So, when I found out a year ago that you could create your own Muppet, I had to have one. Pregnancy prevented me from completing my mission last year. And, mail ordering your own Muppet just isn't the same. So, the first thing Nibbles and I did (after admiring the display of Steiff animals) was visit the What Not Workshop to make Mom a Muppet.

As you can see from the photos and video, Mikie enjoyed F.A.O. Schwarz too. I think he was slightly disappointed to find out that they didn't sell the life-size Lego Chewbacca (mom and dad are incredibly grateful since we can't imagine assembling something that consists of so many of only two different colors of Legos. . . )He did add a significant amount of other items (both Lego and non-Lego) to his Christmas list. And, he danced on the Big piano. . .

While Mikie was amusing, he was a far cry from Tom Hanks. However, right after his performance ended, we caught the official F.A.O. "piano dancers". UNBELIEVABLE. They performed Chopsticks. . . Heart and Soul. . . Happy Birthday. They even danced Tocata and Fugue. The video camera died right before Tocata and Fugue, but I found video footage CBS did of the same performance so you can experience it for yourself.

After that, the day went downhill. We walked over to Time Square to stop at the Toys 'R Us. We probably would have been much happier had we just left the city. In hindsight, why we thought it was a good idea to take two kids to the most tourist-ridden spot in New York on a Saturday afternoon two weeks before Christmas is beyond me. Momentary insanity? Lunch was crowded and overpriced (although completely expected). Toys 'R Us was mobbed with people who somehow thought I should not have brought an infant to a toy store. Yeah, I'm definitely not the target demographic. That infant forces me to spend more money at that franchise than I care to tally up. In my opinion, they should have closed the store and provided Hannah her own personal escort. For what it's worth, the most valued customer slept through the entire experience. So, she missed me arguing with able-bodied patrons who attempted to trample her in her stroller and occupied the elevator that was supposed to be reserved for strollers and wheel chairs only.

So, with very little cheer left in our hearts, we went back to our parking garage, paid the attendant $40 (yeah, for approximately five hours of parking), and fought our way back out of the city.Happy Holidays.

Love, The Trahans

Nibbles at Nine Months

Okay, at this point, she's actually ten months. But, the professional photos were taken at nine months, when I intended to write this post. . .Hannah has been quite busy over the last four months. She has gotten two teeth, which have been instrumental in destroying evidence of her brother's attempts at learning (see My Sister Ate My Homework).

She has learned how to crawl. Similar to her brother, she mastered the military crawl first (moving her arms while dragging the lower half of her body behind her). For a while, we didn't think she could crawl on her hands and knees. She would attempt it in the bath tub (rocking back and forth before pouncing on a toy), but never anywhere else. It finally dawned on us that she COULD crawl like a normal baby, albeit at a slower pace than her military crawl. She chose not to crawl on all fours because she can get around faster on her belly. Meaning, she has a better chance of keeping up with Trouble. . .

Hannah also realized that she doesn't need mom to pull herself up. Many other things will suffice: furniture, cabinets, her brother. And, these same objects are also great for stability when no one is around to hold your hands and help you walk. This combination, coupled with the same curiosity that her brother has, have made her quite the trouble maker in her own rite. So much so, that we have dubbed her "Trouble #2" or "Tiny Trouble".The baby who wouldn't even sit up in her crib now stands up and bounces in it. Never very fond of napping, the daycare staff have had to hide at naptime until she falls asleep. Otherwise, she stands up in her crib, just tall enough to for her eyes to peak over the half wall.She can climb upstairs. Well, at least up one step. She's never had the chance to get any further. Honestly, after seeing her successfully navigate one, we immediately purchased and installed a baby gate. And, she can open cabinets, goading us with her smile as if to say "Look what I can get into. Caught you unprepared, did I? Need to catch up on baby proofing, do you?"

Yes, in general, Hannah at nine months is quite entertaining. And exhausting. She is on a mission to do what her brother does. Only problem, she is four and a half years younger, and has both the determination and impatience of her mother. . . a lethal combination.

Love, The Trahans

My Sister Ate My Homework

See Hannah. . . See Hannah standing at Mikie's desk. . .


See Hannah grab Mikie's pencil. . .


See Hannah trying to eat Mikie's homework. . .

It's enough of a battle to get Mikie to sit down and focus long enough on his homework, especially since he frequently leaves his homework book at school all week. Icing on the cake will be the day I have to send in a note saying: "Dear Ms. Wooton, Please excuse Mikie from turning in his homework. His little sister ate it."

The two of them definitely keep me on my toes. That is, when they aren't driving me up a wall.

Love, The Trahans

The Trahan Family Christmas Tree

Yes, it is December. Time for the me to search for the largest, fullest Christmas tree in New England, strap it to the roof of the SUV, haul it back to the house where I will do everything in my power to overcome my lack of green thumb to keep the tree alive (or in suspended animation) for at least a month. At which point "Santa" (aka, the trash man) comes to take the tree to retire to the great woods in the sky (aka, become mulch). . .

On November 30th, I drove past the tree stand where we purchase tree #2 last year (see photos of last year's 14 foot tall beast here). And there, freshly delivered, stood the tallest, fullest tree I've seen (well, at least in the last few months). Unfortunately, inclement weather, long hours at work, and my scrooge/invalid of a husband prevented me from picking up the tree that was calling to me that night. Nor did I trust my instinct the next morning when my gut said "Who cares if the kids get to school on time? Stop and get that tree before it's too late." Alas, I drove by after work to find out the tree was purchased earlier that day, and Mikie and I were left to search for an alternate tree. . .Don't get me wrong, this year's tree is lovely. But, you don't buy the first tree you see (unless it is calling to you like the one that got away.) You at least browse all of the aisles and make sure the tree you are thinking of purchasing is definitely the best option. Unfortunately, neither my husband nor my son realized this shopper's rule. So, the first tree I stood up happened to be the tree that came home with us (no thanks to the very skilled salesperson who immediately asked "Mikie, is this the tree for you?")

And so, we are the proud owners of a 9+ foot tall premium Frasier fir Christmas tree, adorned with over 900 white lights and 600 multicolored lights for a grand total of 1500 twinkle lights.Hannah has been well behaved and, so far (knock on wood) has not attempted to pull the tree or any of the ornaments. I think the train tracks have discouraged her from trying (somehow, they seem to act like an invisible fence for babies). We'll see how long this lasts. . .

Merry Christmas.

Love, The Trahans

Sparky's House

Mike and I love the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". Any holiday is an excuse to spout random quotes from the movie. "And why is the carpet wet, Todd? I don't know, Margo." "Grace? Grace died thirty years ago. THE BLESSING." And, all time favorite: "Is your house on fire, Clark?"

When you see the video and pictures of our neighbor's Christmas light display, you can understand how excited I get when I see the first tacky lawn ornament go up. Every drive by reminds me of turning on the nuclear back-up at the power plant. Every time I see that Santa flying through the sky, I think of Bethany singing the National Anthem on the front lawn.

A daytime glimpse of all the "lovely" lawn ornaments during setup:Sparky's House during a snowy December evening:

Brings whole new meaning to the question "Is your house on fire?"

Happy Holidays.

Love, The Trahans