December delight

Who says New York is the city that never sleeps?  The excitement of our weekend in NYC was a little much for Aaron.  More pics from our trip here, as well as various December happenings. 

Showing off

Talia loves to show off her new skills.  Check out the video below -- she's very proud.

Turkey Day in Florida

We made the trip to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with the Brin clan and had a wonderful week seeing family and enjoying the gorgeous weather.  Aaron and Talia had so much fun with their cousins Devin and Matthew.  Talia was so excited to be on vacation, she started crawling, waving, clapping and pulling up all in the same week!  Pictures of our trip are here. 

Visit from Lizzie and David

Lizzie was in town for a conference in November and brought along her (large and in charge) bundle of joy.  It was so fun seeing how much David had changed since we saw him this summer!

Halloween festivities

Nothing delights the young (and the young at heart) quite like Halloween.  Aaron has been talking up his monkey costume for weeks, and how fortuitous that his cousin Kate was a monkey as well.  On the night itself, Aaron couldn't quite get over the fact that ringing a doorbell and looking cute elicited gobs of candy.  Talia, looking appropriately sweet in her strawberry costume, just took it all in.  Pics from the Halloween festivities are here.

Talia's naming

Last weekend we gathered with friends and family to celebrate as Talia received her Hebrew name, Alma.  She is named after Mimi's grandmother, Frieda Chapnick, who was a beloved figure in Mimi's life.  (Frieda means lady in German, and Alma means young woman in Hebrew.)  We were particularly touched that a number of people made the trip from out of town, including Liz (without Andrew and David, who was battling his first ear infection), Larry, Becky and Aunt Inie, and Aunt Michele all the way from Chicago.  Pictures of the festivities are here.  We are so blessed to have Talia in our lives and are thankful every day for our sweet girl.

Big boy bed

We had some fun firsts this weekend.  Aaron spent the last few days getting used to his new big boy bed, and Talia is trying to figure out Cheerios.  Pics here.  Aaron also continues to enjoy playing soccer every weekend.   

Fall into fall

As cooler weather creeps in and the leaves start to change, things have been busy in our neck of the woods. Katie has been back at work for about a month, and Talia is adjusting well to day care. (Mom is still a work in progress.) Aaron visits his sister's class every day to say hi and looks out for her on the playground.

Lory and Katie spent a weekend (sans kids!) in Ann Arbor with friends. We felt like we were in college again, minus the sleep deprivation and low tolerance, of course. We also celebrated the high holidays as a family and enjoyed a visit from Mimi and Poppa, who came to DC for Rosh Hashanah. Pictures here.

Thinking about crawling

We're getting close to full-on mobility here. Heaven help us...

Soccer star

Fall is here, and Aaron -- like every other kid in Northwest Washington -- is playing soccer. He took to his first experience with organized sports quite well, although the highlight of the day seemed to be drinking from a water bottle.

More from Michigan

Here are some additional pictures from our time in Michigan. These photos are brought to you by Aunt Megan, with tons more pics on cousin David's blog and cousin Kate's blog. We are already counting the days until next summer!

Laughs all around

Nobody makes Talia as happy as her big brother. Example below.

Michigan mania

We just returned from a month at Grandma and Grandpa's house in northern Michigan, and what a fabulous month it was. We passed our days swimming, playing, and spending time with family, including Aaron and Talia's two new baby cousins. Three babies + one toddler = never a dull moment. We wouldn't have it any other way! Pictures of our month in Michigan are here.

Rice cereal is for chumps

Talia had her first taste of rice cereal this weekend -- not a fan!

Some recent pictures of our cuties here.

Welcome Baby Kate!

Babyfest 2011 continues!! We are so thrilled to welcome a new baby to our family. Kristen and Ben had a beautiful daughter on July 8th -- Katherine (Kate) Woodley Abrams was 6 lbs, 14 ounces (about 1 lb of which is that mop of hair on her head!) Pictures of Aaron and Talia's new cousin are here.

The cousins in Boston

Katie and Talia spent a few days visiting Liz, Andrew and David in Boston. The cousins were so cute together -- and though they are three months apart in age, they are nearly the same size! Pics here.

The comedy and the tragedy

Fourth of July

We had an amazing time in the Berkshires over the Fourth of July weekend. Mimi and Poppa were the consummate hosts, and we loved spending time with the whole family. Pictures here.

Siblings

Aaron and Talia are enjoying spending time together more and more. She absolutely lights up when he walks (runs, gallops) into the room, and he thinks she is hilarious (especially her various bodily functions!) See more pics of the cutest brother/sister pair here.

Rockin' & rollin'

Talia rolled over at the ripe young age of 3 1/2 months. She's been practicing her new skill ever since!

Memorial Day

The Brins sojourned up to the Berkshires for Memorial Day weekend, and although the car ride was long, the trip was definitely worth it. We spent the weekend relaxing, playing at the beach and enjoying the outdoors. The highlight of the trip was our day in Boston meeting the family's new addition. Pictures here.

May Happenings

What an amazing last few weeks we've had. First and foremost, we welcomed a new member of the family. Liz and Andrew had a beautiful (and huge!) baby boy: David Race Terborgh. Aaron and Talia can't wait to meet their new baby cousin over Memorial Day. We've been spending lots of time with friends and enjoying spring in DC. Talia celebrated her three month birthday and continues to charm us all. Pictures here.