Boys in January

Arlo has been making small talk at school with his teachers about their favorite football teams. He is very excited about upcoming skating lessons and he's getting more interested in drawing and making up little songs and stories. He told his teachers he was going to fly to Michigan on an owl.

More Videos of the Boys

In case you are bored, watch these:

Christmastime trip to Florida!

Mag -n- Mariah

Cozying up with Aunt Tonia

kitchen is the heart of any home and a hubub of activity

Arlo rode the racecars at the Speedway with Daddy

hanging with Alayna at Disney

dinner out with the gang

hot dog eating contest with Gramma and Poppy Dave

from our adventure in gatorworld

and the boys in a basket...

At the aviation museum

We went to a great birthday party this weekend. Boys loved the airplanes.

Back to School - Jauary in Class

Arlo's teachers are great at documenting and sharing with us what goes on each week. We get a newsletter and Mr. Henderson shares all kinds of class pictures. Here's a few shots from the first week back - a glimpse into school life.

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More pictures from school

Yep, those were some happy holidays

We had a pretty awesome time this holiday season - with nearly two weeks of "vacation time" off from school and work. On Christmas Eve we traveled to Orlando where we spent the holiday with Grandma Roth, Poppy Dave, Aunt Tina, Uncle Mark, McKayla, Mariah and Alayna. Needless to say, the boys had a GREAT time with their cousins, who are champion babysitters and playmates. On Christmas Day we floated down the lazy river and jumped in the pools, opened presents, and had a big turkey dinner with [Great] Aunt Tonia and Uncle Gerb, who drove over from St. Augustine for the day.

The day after Christmas, we went to DisneyWorld along with a gazillion other people (including the Morris family) and the kids got their first taste of the magical place. Highlights were It's a Small World, the Country Bear Jamboree, the teacups, and the Jungle Cruise. Arlo got to sit with his cousins front and center for the Christmastime Parade, which is quite an elaborate production. Magnus danced and danced to the music and was in good spirits all day - he enjoyed it a lot more than I thought possible for a one year old! The lines were long and crowds were thick, but we made it through most of the day and made some good memories.

We also got to visit Gatorland on our last day in Orlando, which was a highlight for Sam, I think. They had lots of gators, birds, snakes, crocs, and hicks. Good stuff.

After we got back, we had several days of time to hang out with friends here in DC. We spent a wonderful new years' eve with a big group of friends, kids and babies at the DC Marine Barracks where our friend Paul is the Commanding Officer. We stayed at their huge house all together and after [most of] the kids went to bed, we played mafia well into the night. We ate and drank and laughed and ate some more.

Now that it's a new year, time for some cleansing and returning to normal. Sam is in training for a few footraces and a triathlon in May so he's pretty disciplined about his routine. I'm just hoping to get back on the elliptical regularly again.

Happy 2012 everyone! Pics coming soon.

Magnus' mad soccer skills