Danny Loves His Bath!

Even when there is no water!

SANTA!

Boarding the Polar Expess to greet us himself! AND he personally gave each child a silver reindeer bell! He really is a pretty special guy.

The Polar Express

We put the kids in PJ's and headed out for a family trip to the North Pole. How convenient that a train departs from our own downtown! A very special ride on the Polar Express. Our good buddy Braden and his mommy and daddy joined in on all the fun!

We were lucky and got placed in the dining car, so we really enjoyed the cookie and hot chocolate, as well as the dancers and the reading aloud of this fabulous Christmas tale. Even the conductor came around to punch tickets!

Maddie enjoyed every minute, and Daniel was soaking it all in too! It truly was a magical ride!

Proud Little Lady!

Maddie caught her first fish - amazing! It is especially amazing because Derek and I do not fish! But, thanks to my cousin Todd, Madelyn was in good hands-and got her hands on the big one (well, figuratively speaking of course :)!

SPRINKLES!

Never leave the sprinkles on the counter!!!!!

Rain Dance

The beauty of this video is it is totally two for one! Maddie's self made rain dance AND Daniel being quite dexterous with a water bottle. Be aware that there is no big finish...Maddie gets distracted by the unheard "noise". ENJOY!

Coffee Grounds

So Daniel was having a little bit of fun while mommy was getting ready upstairs. What is that all over him and the floor? It is the coffee I took out of his hands about five minutes before, but didn't tuck it out of sight enough. By the way, I don't even drink coffee at home. That was in my freezer for about a year!
Maddie came to report the incident with a, "Mom, you need to come downstairs and you are not going to like this." She was right, I was bummed, but as Jenna can attest too (since she was on the phone with me) my reaction was Oh my, what a mess, I need to get my camera.
The princess chair is no longer with us.
But the boy, he gets to stay. Lucky for me the caffeine didn't seem to have entered his system.

More Wedding Pics

Our flower girls and ring bearer took their job very seriously. But Daniel...

Not so much!

Lou and Michele's Wedding

Our newest edition to the family! On November 8th my brother Lou and "Auntie" Michele became officially hitched. She is proud to be the second Mrs. Louis McDermott (her words not mine!) We are so thrilled to have such a wonderful person like Michele join the family. It is fantastic to know that there is a woman who thinks Lou is as terrific as his biased sister knows he is!
Almost all of the original McDermott's. The patriarch was probably taking the picture!
The Maddog and Danny with their mom and dad.

Apples...

Just a few moments ago I put Daniel down for an early nap...he zonked out in the car after two fun filled days with his cousins and sister. Whenever I lay him down, he grabs my neck and snuggles super close to my face. Closer than he will ever be as he gets older, more innocent now than he can ever be again. This time I could smell the sweet scent of apples...he has been munching on apples lately, whole apples. In fact, it is one of the words he says clearly. I got caught up in the moment, the smell of apples, the thoughts of how this time is so precious and it moves quickly. This reality works two ways. Sometimes we need life to move forward, to move on and help us get through a patch where we need to tread carefully and choose direction wisely. But, sometimes we need to sit tight, hugging what is most precious, loving what is most dear, and enjoying the sweet smell of apples.

Apology

My sincere apology to the two people that regularly check this blog. There may have been more of you at one time, but my lack of posts chased you away! Please come back...I still do not have access to ANY pictures taken before October of this year, but I am learning to forgive my external hard drive and work directly with my camera until my ACOM DATA drive and I can return to our previous loving and cooperative relationship. THANK YOU

Halloween

During the 2008 Halloween season, I often wondered what it said about me as a mom since my kids were dressed as a princess and a skunk. But, as Maddie liked to remind me, I do call Daniel my little stinker! Isn't it just like a princess to point that out?

Pictured with Maddie are our special pals Mr. I can't wear this big penguin head Braden and Miss I can't climb stairs in this monkey suit Cate. Already having run off is Mr. Get this hood off of me Daniel and Baby Monkey Just Feed Me Clyde was no where to be seen. These party goers have the best mommies ever! Those sweet ladies are still my friend even AFTER we all got locked out of the house with 5 kids in costume and no cell phones!

Phillies Win!!!

Is it still baseball season? NO. But my Phillie loyalty requires me to celebrate their World Series victory. The hat was from Uncle Joe, who has worked for the Phillies Organization since he was 16. Our extended family was thrilled. Daniel on the other hand...not so excited about the hat.

SOCCER!!!

Maddie's first season of soccer!














We are learning that you should leave your arms out of your shirt. It helps with running.














We are also learning the basic fundamentals of the game. Our whole team gets A LOT of practice throwing the ball in after it gets kicked out of bounds.












And, I know what you are thinking, this is her favorite part of the game. Well it is not. She actually doesn't have a favorite part about the game, she prefers practice. Why, her mommy asked. The response, "Because you get to play games there." Must love a child's logic!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

Daniel on a search for the most perfect pumpkin (or clump of dirt, whichever he finds first.)

Maddie is an expert at the Pumpkin Patch, but was a little intimidated by the Corn Maze.

Must always visit the petting zoo!

That Llama was sure sweet on Derek!

Dancing With the Cousins

It is always a bustle of activity when the cousins come over!! This video is my hubby's attempt to capture Daniel's smooth dance moves...but the sister and the cousins were not to be left as wallflowers. Besides, when these kids hear music they just can't help themselves! This music is synthesized from a plastic book...and yet their bodies are moving.

Just a Moment

It was one of those moments for me, that brief space in time where I am in awe of this wonderful little human being. This little boy that will grow up and do and be and laugh and love, and I get to be his mama! I have these with Maddie too, but this one with Danny I captured in the moment. The lyrics to the song in the background are significant, so I wrote them out below the video.

Somehow I'm something greater, by being a little less me. The power of one is overrated, you make me powerfully complete...completely me. -Debra Davis

Read to Me

One of our favorite Maddie moments is when Maddie, age 2.5, read to US!

Now Daniel, is doing the same, with a slightly different language level of course!

The Cousins Today

By the pool or in PJs, we are still having lots of fun with our cousins!

Here are the girls in the dog house (literally, it is a dog house!)

The boys wrestling in their matching PJs.

And the fabulous four all together!!!!!

And Then There Were Four!

The previous post shows the cousins BD (before Daniel). But with the 2007 arrival of this baby boy, the cousins became four and Daniel became Maddie's little brother...

A future best friend for Jake...

And a baby for Petra to love...

Cousins: A Retrospective

For those of you who know us, you have heard about the cousins. Jake and Petra are such a fantastic part of our life. It is a very special feeling to be an Auntie, and I was twice over before I became a mommy. But, when that precious nephew or niece interacts with your own baby, your heart finds a home. To me, one of life's greatest pleasures is children, and the children that share a family connection hold a very special place in a person's heart...I would hope all Aunties and Uncles agree!

Daniel's Mission: Should You Choose to View It

This video was inspired by brf's mommy and her comment that she could hear the Mission Impossible theme playing in the background on "Don't Fence Me In". This time you really will hear it, but there was no choreography invloved. He is only 17months old after all! All I did was play the music, turn on the camera and NOT stop Daniel as he did his latest thing. This should come with a warning, "Don't try this at home."

Our Little Mermaid

Eat your heart out, "So You Think You Can Dance!"

Don't Fence Me In

This gate was set up to prevent Daniel from having free reign in the living room. For those of you that may not know our house, Daniel is standing in the living room.