Christmas Break Pictures -- and an Unqualified Endorsement!!

Slow time at the Weinsteins -- I took most of the past two weeks off, while Shelley begins to prepare to head back to school. We both knocked off some projects -- painting a bathroom, getting ready to move Finley into a "big girl" room so that Harper can have the crib, etc. As a result, we haven't had much special to record, but below are some pictures that just capture the day to day. At the bottom, I will also give the four of you my unqualified endorsement for a product purchase.


Shelley took the dogs for a walk the other day and bundled Harper up in a slightly too large snow suit. She was asleep for the whole walk under blankets and a cover in the stroller, so when they got home, Shelley didn't want to wake her by unzipping her. She looks like a little pink marshmallow.

Jack got excited about a box of Christmas presents that came a couple of days ago. This is actually after he's backed out a little bit.

This is Harper getting her bath last night. Our girls seem to in only one direction at a time. Finley was getting taller, but now seems to be filling out in preparation for another growth spurt. Harper is starting to chunk out, too, so it is likely she is going to be getting bigger, also.

Monty is very thorough in licking out the chocolate milk cups (don't worry, there is remarkably little left for her to poison herself on).

Great news in the family -- it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Theodore Stephen Hoschek -- 7 lbs, 6 oz and 20 inches. Shae and Lisette's son came last week on the 28th, only hours before Aunt Shelley's birthday. In the course of little over three months, three grandkids have been born to the Hoschek family, bring the total, with Finley, to four.

Monty is in charge of nap training and she reports that Harper is a fast learner. She hasn't kicked Monty in the nose yet while napping.

Not a great picture, but one that we took a day or two after Finley's haircut to show the shorter bangs.

Finley really, really wanted to wear her sunglasses.

As promised, I am trying to get more Harper pictures into the blog. She really does seem to look more and more like Finley as a baby. This is slightly blurry due to the swinging.

Finley loves this dog sweater, but the picture also shows her new bangs, as well.

OK, the Consumer Reports review. This weekend, we bought a webcam so that we could have live video chats on Skype between Finley and her family. So far, Nana Pat and Papa Joel have each installed webcams and both were video conferencing with us in minutes. Finley loved seeing Nana Pat while she was talking to her and my Mom was able to hold up her cat, which Finley loved, too. The picture is very clear and the sound is as good as the phone, so if you have family far away, a webcamera really seems to be a solid investment.

I wish everyone a safe, healthy, and successful 2010.