Oct 10 – Nov 5, 2016

Mina is an incredibly feisty lady. She just doesn’t hold back!

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Her hair really had begun to get out of control in October. Of course we usually tame it with a little barrette, but this is what it looks like when it’s unbound. You’ll see she got a haircut shortly.

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Linus needed a haircut too. You’ll see soon that I made everything right.

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It was an unseasonably warm day, so the gang headed over to Castle Island in Boston to put their toes in the sand.

Castle Island, Boston

Linus loves the ocean. You’ll see more proof of that later on.

Castle Island, Boston

Here’s how much your perspective changes when you have kids: I had no clue there was a playground at Castle Island. Isn’t it in a beautiful setting, right by the sea? These kids are so lucky to go to places like that any time they like.

Castle Island, Boston

Castle Island, Boston

Mina practices standing and walking while holding onto things more and more. I think probably in one more month she’ll be dashing around.

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Mina has finally graduated to Linus’s old trike, so she can bike with Linus. Of course it’s only got one Mommypower, so it’s a little slow.

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There’s a house a few blocks from us owned by someone who’s really into Americana-style antiques. So much so that even the outside areas around her house has little artifacts. This is a little wheel that Linus always pauses to spin.

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Our local fire department has an annual open house during October, which is Fire Prevention Month. We only got to stay a few minutes because we had to go to swimming lesson, but Linus made the most of it.

Billerica Fire Department open house

Billerica Fire Department open house

Billerica Fire Department open house

I love it when Linus gets down on the floor with his toys like this. Sometimes he doesn’t even play with them – he just stares at them. I like to think that he’s imagining it as a big train, driving all over the land.

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This just cracks me up. She’s so loungy.

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She’s not a little vampire, she’s just trying on her Halloween costume! More in just a moment…

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Here they are, both with fresh haircuts! And cooperating to choose a book.

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Linus is a total fashionista. He put together this particular ensemble.

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And then accessorized.

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Yen’s teacher (who he was so happy to reconnect with last year) bought these overalls for Mina. We’ve been waiting for her to grow into them so we can get a photo for her. She hasn’t quite made it yet, but it was worth a try!

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Yen’s been playing with a wide-angle lens lately. It makes Mina look even more like a cartoon character.

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Blueberries! Both kids simply love them. Clean up is a nightmare, of course.

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Yen made a pillow fort for the kids one night – he called it a cave. Both of the kids are obsessed now. We end up playing cave for at least an hour each night before bed. Mina especially loves just crawling in and out.

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Another skating session! Linus looks forward to them so much now. He even asks to go skating.

Arlington Veterans Memorial rink

Arlington Veterans Memorial rink

Arlington Veterans Memorial rink

Arlington Veterans Memorial rink

Arlington Veterans Memorial rink

Look at my little snow princess all dressed up for a chilly walk.

Battle Road, Minuteman National Park

Linus’s little bike is cute, of course. But I took this photo because I thought it was funny that he rested his bike against a tree while he went off to pee.

Battle Road, Minuteman National Park

Smiley Mina! And notice how far Linus has gotten from us just in the time it took to turn around and pose.

Battle Road, Minuteman National Park

I hope I don’t get in trouble for this, but I can’t help posting it. One night after dinner Linus stood in the kitchen and just ripped off his clothes. He spent the rest of that evening playing nude. We kept asking whether he was cold, and he just shook his head and kept on playing. I’m not sure what got into him – he hasn’t done it since.

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The Monday before Halloween was costume day at Story Hour. You may recognize this costume because Grandma made it for Aunt Jenny when she was two.

Halloween story hour at Billerica public library

Halloween story hour at Billerica public library

If you’ve got a little black cat, you need a witch to go with him!

Halloween story hour at Billerica public library

Halloween story hour at Billerica public library

Halloween story hour at Billerica public library

I may have mentioned before that Mina just makes herself at home during Story Hour. The kids are all supposed to sit in a circle, but she just crawls into the middle and watches the action from the best seat in the house.

By the way, the little bunny next to her is our friend Ava. She and Linus have known each other since they were born.

Halloween story hour at Billerica public library

Hey, the teacher was a witch too!

Halloween story hour at Billerica public library

The kids started to run around at the end of the hour. Linus was worried about Mina, so he rushed into the circle and tried to pick her up – presumably to carry her to safety.

Halloween story hour at Billerica public library

She’s standing on her own really well now!

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I mentioned the blueberries above. We’ve learned it’s best to serve them to Linus with his shirt off. That’s not just because the berries are messy, but because he always wants to drink the “water” left behind.

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Just two kids riding the rails! Here they are on a field trip to the Wenham Museum.

Wenham Museum

Wenham Museum

I love this. He’s strutting with one hand in his pocket like a fashion model. The rolled cuffs just put it totally over the top.

Wenham Museum

This is a very rare thing: a photo of all of us together. We were at a party for an old friend of Yen. I guess we’ll keep trying for one where we’re all actually looking at the camera.

Party for Tuyet Nguyen

We had a very warm day (for October), and decided to check out the beach. Linus was so excited when we told him. As we drove near and he first saw the water, he screamed out, “Ocean!”

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester

Poor Linus. After all that fuss, he wasn’t happy to find that this particular beach has almost no rocks.

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester

“What? You love my new organization scheme? Thanks!”

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Linus is getting better at skating. Now Yen can follow along behind him and just hold the straps of his snow pants.

Hallenborg rink, Billerica

He still likes to stop and take a break while Yen skates around, though. Standing upright is a pretty serious feat. He’ll have to keep working on the gliding part.

Hallenborg rink, Billerica

Every once in a while, Linus does a bit of a regression. He’s been sitting in his old baby chair, for instance. One night he even announced that he wanted to get back into Mommy’s tummy!

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Here’s Halloween at last! Of course we made the kids pose on the front steps.

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This is our neighbor, Taylor. She babysits the kids sometimes. Linus especially enjoys play trucks with her.

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