Hurray for January!!

The new year began with a lovely celebration of King Tony's Big 4-0! He's crossed over, officially, into the 'middle ages,' and believe it or not, did so with a relative smile on his face. (maybe the crab/salt potato feast had a little to do with it?)

The snow has finally reached New England, and the royals are beginning to tread outside to investigate. A little bit of shoveling, a little bit of sledding and a whole lot of snowball madness.

We continue, as parents, to learn that technology DOES have a place in the lives of all families. We use it to maintain our family blog, communicate with faraway friends via email, and our children seem to now use it for learning as well. Here are Princess Abby, Prince Alec and Prince Aramis using their V.Reader, CD player and MobiGo--all at the same time! Technology reigns supreme....ugh!
A quick shot of the castle after the most recent snowfall....

..and what it looks like from the street--beyond the major, plowed snowbanks!

Snowball fights are a regular occurrence here in the kingdom. It's a fantastic exercise to teach hand-eye coordination as well as fine and gross motor skills. Our nanny Carol is occasionally sacrificed as the royals work to develop their snowball throwing skills. Hang in there Carol!

Prince Aramis...."Hey...it's freakin' COLD out here! Wanna put my gloves on Mom???"

Hidden snowball in hand, Prince Alec gears up for a pelting.... (above and below)

Fortunately, Carol still loves the kids--even if they massacre her with snowballs! :)

Abby-Kat gets in on the play....she's sporting a pretty good arm herself!

Abby and Alec really enjoy their sleds...

Abby, Aramis and Alec at our playgroup holiday party -- wearing the most precious shirts designed by our very own Aunt Wendy who owns and operates Chic Boutique (http://www.chicboutiquecreations.com/). Check it out for personalized year-round kid gear!

As part of our holidays, we enjoyed the company of the Dubes--Godparents to Prince Alec. Their gorgeous son, RJ, turned a chocolate fondue party into a memorable evening of laughter!

"I LOOOOVVVEEEEE chocolate!" (Naw...we couldn't tell, RJ!) Heee..heeee... Priceless!

Alec with his guitar

It may not seem relevant or important, but for those that know us well, they'll recall how often Alec asked for a 'blue guitar' for Christmas. It was a multi-times a day request for months! Fortunately, Santa Claus delivered...and Alec today proves that he's a true rocker---shades and all!

Lookout Eddie Van Halen!

On a parting note....some snowball madness starring aces Abby and Alec....!