Luck of the Irish

Her first St. Patrick’s Day? Done. Celebrated in true girly style . . .

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Not only did she make sure that she was well-dressed, but she also helped her dad out.

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She did fine tying the knot, but then had a little trouble actually getting it off.

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Aahhhh.  Finally.

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Then of course she had to make sure it was on right for Dad.

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Once Dad was approved, it was time for her fifty laps around the bed.

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Which ended in getting mad because her attempts at launching herself off the bed were continually thwarted by Mom.  Damn Mom.

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But no problem–as always, the iPhone solves everything.

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No toy is nearly as entertaining, or even drool-inducing, as the iPhone.  Go figure.

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Of course, Mom isn’t such a huge fan of the whole chewing-on-the-phone thing, so a quick switcheroo was finagled.

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Do you think she noticed?

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So there it is–Mini B’s Irish parade on Mom & Dad’s bed.  Oh, and just for kicks, here’s an almost-decent shot of Mini B’s current mouth full of chompers . . .

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Oh, and I have to conclude with a little shout-out to Auntie E for keeping Mini Bunches always attired in the most up-to-date tutus.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you! :)

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Mini Bunches: 8 Months

This month finds me exactly one month behind.  Oops.  But let’s look at some pictures of Mini B on her eight-month birthday while celebrating her nine-month, shall we?  Why yes, we shall.

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Now that she’s a crawling fool, it has gotten that much harder to get pictures of her sitting still.  So I’ve had to get creative in order to solicit her attention.

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With her propensity to roll every which way, I also had to make our canvas a bit larger.  No longer was she safe on just one chaise.

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And she was also way too interested in everything else happening and not her mom making crazy noises while holding the big black camera.

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In addition to all the crawling, rolling, and general non-stop moving, Mini B also sprouted another tooth last month.  Of course, you’d think it would be one of her two front teeth, but it wasn’t.  She got one of her lateral incisors first.  Nice, eh?

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And in a slight departure from the past monthly updates, I thought I’d go ahead and give a little rundown of what Mini B was up to during her eighth month of life.  She started the month by giving a tour of Niagara Falls to some fantastic visitors . . .

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Despite what it looks like in the pictures, it was actually an unseasonably warm day.  It just also happened to be super windy.

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Niagara Falls is a perfect place to contemplate life.  Just take it from my cousin . . .

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Of course, Mini B just wanted to snuggle in to her dad.

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After our super fun visitors, Mini B and I headed to Texas (as you may recall from here).  Mini B spent a lot of time sitting since she still hadn’t mastered crawling (although her army crawl was pretty down pat).

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She also spent a lot of time pondering.

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But didn’t take herself too seriously.

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And of course she hung out with her cousin a lot.

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And even played a little game of footsy with Mr. Squishy.

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Besides eventually learning to crawl in month 8, Mini B also made some strides in eating.  Lots of yummies.  Lots of mess.

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She went through a bit of a phase where she only wanted to eat Cheerios, but the positive of that was she really honed her pincer grasp.

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I was actually worried for a little while that she might turn into a Cheerio.

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There you have it–Mini B’s eighth month.  Or, in other words, the Month of the Cheerio.

Mini B is Famous!

That’s right–she’s a star!  Er, well, if you define fame as being featured on a pretty popular blog.  What–did you think I was going to say she was in a movie or something?  Puh-leeze.  That’s for next year ;) .

Mini B’s nursery was featured in the Before & After section on Apartment Therapy Friday!  Check it out here.  I was so excited that I actually took a picture of the site on my phone (I know–I’m a full on geek) . . .

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I have no idea how it happened–I didn’t submit it or anything.  Total happy surprise to me.  :)  So thank you Apartment Therapy for stumbling across Mini B’s humble little nursery–she is really quite touched by the praise.

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Oh, and if you want to see the actual post about Mini B’s nursery, just click here.  If you want to see an even amazinger nursery (yep, just making words up today), check out her cousin’s digs here.

Leather or Glass?

Guess what today is? You don’t know? C’mon–I thought you knew us well enough by now. I’m disappointed in you. Seriously, I am. So disappointed that I might not even tell you what today is. How do you like that? Doesn’t feel good, does it? Well, now I guess we’re all disappointed.

Okay, okay, I’ll tell you–but just for Mr. Bunches’ sake, not yours–it’s our anniversary!!! That’s right, the big 0-3 (check out the big 0-2 here). Which, if you’re up on your wedding anniversary gifts, then you probably already knew that from the post title (traditional gift = leather, modern gift = glass). So which will Mr. B get? Who knows . . . but I’m guessing that since I’m swamped with work and Mini B, probably neither? Oops. How about a smile instead?

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Still not enough?  Okay, then how about a kiss?

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Happy Anniversary Mr. Bunches!!!!  I love you.

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Mini Bunches: 7 Months

As today is Mini B’s eight-month birthday, I am officially a month behind.  Oops.

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Why the orange and blue?  Because we had a little UVA-related celebration in January . . . I’ve been playing fantasy football as a fundraiser for the Virginia Men’s Rowing Team for quite a few years.  And my biggest achievement to date in the league has been garnering respect for my oh-so-witty team names (the best was BADONKADONK).  But I’ve never actually had any fantasy-football-related success.  That is, until this year.  See, I roped Mr. Bunches into the league as well, and guess who still seems to have rainbows coming out of his a$$?!  That’s right–Mr. Bunches won the whole shebang!  Which meant that all the proceeds were donated to Virginia Men’s Rowing in his name (over $5,000!!!!!).  So we’re I’m feeling nostalgic with school pride.  And yes, I am claiming Mr. B’s victory as my own.  Deal with it.

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It’s hard to think back to what Mini B was doing at 7 months now that we’re at her 8 month birthday, but there was a lot of sitting up, and a lot of yoga practice.

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She was pretty fanatical about making sure she got in her daily planks.  Sometimes on just one leg.

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And while she wasn’t quite crawling, she was getting up on all fours quite a bit . . .

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And the constant motion made her 7-month photo session a two-person job.  We didn’t want her leaning her way off the chaise, now did we?

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So there you have it–7 months and still smiling.  Sleeping?  Not so much, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

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Time for a Bigger Chair

Mini B and I traveled to Dallas a couple weekends ago to visit Mr. Squishy.  As usual, she did well traveling although that might be our last solo trip for a while . . . I’m not so sure that my seat neighbors appreciated Mini B’s feet in their lap while I nursed her on the plane.  Sorry strangers.  But besides that, it was a great, albeit far too short, trip and we can’t wait to see Mr. Squishy again sometime soon.  Oh, and as a bonus, we had a longish layover in Boston, so Mini B got some quality time with Grammie.

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Now, I haven’t made it through all my pictures yet (I only just got through my pictures from our earlier trip to Dallas four months ago), but I thought it would be good to make a little comparison.  Here’s a shot from our first time meeting Mr. Squishy (this was before he earned his nickname), taken on September 22, 2012:

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And now here’s a shot from our recent trip, taken on January 21st, 2013 (almost 4 months exactly after the shot above).  And note–these kiddos are in the same chair (and I tried to pick a shot of them in similar positions):

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No one’s been missing any meals, eh?

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Hopefully Mr. Squishy doesn’t need that toe . . .

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And we have to thank Mr. Squishy for lending his clothes and toys to Mini B during our trip.  It was nice to not have to pack too much, and Mini B had so much fun testing out all of Mr. Squishy’s goods.

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Of course, Mini B would have been remiss if she didn’t share anything of hers . . .

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Mini B thought he looked quite dapper.

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Although she was a tad confused by the whole situation.

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Just a little taste of what Mr. Squishy might have looked like if he had been born a Mrs. Squishy . . .

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But fear not, this little guy is all man . . .

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And hopefully he won’t someday hate his aunt for posting pictures of him in a flowery jumpsuit.

Isn’t it crazy what a difference 4 months makes?

Boo!

Halloween in January?  Yes please.

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Timely post?  Er, not so much.  Sorry.  But let’s do a quick recap: this year for Halloween we traveled to Florida.  We spent a week in the sunshine state–half of the time visiting Mini B’s Beachy BFF and half of the time visiting Mr. Squishy.  And one day of overlap at the happiest place on earth.  Which day?  Halloween of course!  We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge (which probably deserves its own post since it was pretty outstanding, well, except for the “test” of the fire alarm during one of Mini B’s only naps . . . grr).  But since it’s taken me 3 months to get this post done, let’s be realistic–there will be no Wilderness Lodge post. 

Back to the matter at hand: Halloween.  And since it was Halloween, we put Mini B and Mr. Squishy in their matching costumes (hand-made by my aunt–thank you Auntie J!).

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Are they not the most scrumptious little pumpkins you’ve ever seen?  Holy cuteness.  After doing a little modeling stint in their costumes, it was time to head to the park.  Staying at the Wilderness Lodge meant we just had to hop on a boat to get to the Magic Kingdom.  Mini B’s first boat ride?  Check.

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Then it was time for a fun-filled day at the Magic Kingdom.  You know the one–the place where dreams come true.  Which in our case must mean that we dream of our little girl taking the poop to end all poops and having it leak all down her leg and up her back while waiting in a line three-deep for the ONLY changing table on Main Street USA (really Walt?  ONE changing table?  Really?!).  But it wasn’t only a poop-filled day because that would be sad.  So so sad. 

We did a lot of fun stuff too . . . although before we got to that we had to take the requisite posed pics in front of the castle:

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It was a super sunny day, so much of our time was spent in Operation Keep Those Babies Covered!

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The most magical part of the day came when we got a sneak peak to the new Fantasyland (they were doing a dress rehearsal for cast members only):

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Fantasyland is the Magic Kingdom’s new land–it includes the castles for each of Disney’s Princesses.  Basically if you’re a 6-year-old girl, it’s the best place in the entire world.

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It also includes some new rides, including one based on the Little Mermaid.  We decided to take Mini B and her BFF on the adventure, but Mr. Squishy sat this one out (he is a little man after all).

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Not sure this was Mini B’s favorite part of the day.

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She was not the biggest fan of Ursula . . .

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And was pretty relieved when the magic ended.

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One of the most incredible parts of the new Fantasyland was Belle’s ballroom.  I didn’t get any pictures since the lighting was not so great, but it was spot-on to the movie.  Here’s just one of the creatures guarding it.

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Unfortunately there was still some construction around the park, so it wasn’t always the best view.  But the bambinos didn’t seem to mind.

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And luckily they still had turkey legs.  Phew.

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Yuck.  Mini B preferred her thumb.

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And her BFF just had no idea what to think.

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Mr. B was so proud to show Mini B around his old stomping grounds.  So sweet.

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Unfortunately this was during Mini B’s ‘I-only-like-my-parents-phase-and-everyone-else-makes-me-cry-so-don’t-even-try-and-hold-me-aunts-and-uncles.’

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She can be kind of a drama queen sometimes.

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Basically, though, we totally killed it.  3 babies.  1 Magic Kingdom.  Infinite Memories.

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It was a loooooong day.  And someone was a little tuckered.

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Of course, she did end up rallying later that night for trick-or-treating at the Wilderness Lodge.  Her first candy loot!

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Ahhh.  Halloween post finally done.  Only 3 months late.  But still so cute.

Yogurt Taste Test

Having a sister-in-law in the yogurt biz has its perks sometimes.  Usually they come in the form of coupons, but last week they came in the form of a little market analysis.  Which market?  The Greek one of course.  I mean, does anyone even eat regular yogurt anymore?  I didn’t think so.

So let’s get to it.  The test?  A taste test of 4 different Greek yogurts, all vanilla-flavored.  Set up by Bunches Junior herself.  First–the brands:

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And the set-up.

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We each got to taste while Mini B supervised.

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And then came up with our own rankings of our favorites.  I even attempted to identify which yogurt was which.  Let’s just say I got them all wrong.

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In the end, Wegman’s brand and Chobani were the clear favorites (sorry Junior!); Mr. B and I both picked Wegman’s as our clear winner.  And Mini B?  Well, she got her first taste of yogurt (just the Stonyfield organic one though–sorry Mini B!).

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She seemed a little unsure about the whole thing.

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But no worries.  She recovered quickly.

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And then decided she wanted a beer.  Too bad she’ll have to wait 20 1/2 more years for that.

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Even though Mini B’s first taste of yogurt didn’t go so great, we decided to try again.  This time with Stonyfield’s Plain full-fat yogurt.  And she loved it.

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Er, at least she loved rubbing it all over her face; I’m not sure how much was actually ingested.

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She mastered getting the spoon and yogurt into her mouth, but then also mastered spitting it right out.

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Oh the joys of Baby-Led Weaning!  We just had to sit by and watch patiently while she did her thing . . .

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So what do you think?  Ever done a yogurt taste test?  Who was your winner?

Christmas Recap

Is Christmas really over?  Why does everything seem to go so fast these days?!  Well, let’s relive Mini B’s first Christmas . . . so go ahead, sing a little Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (you know you want to) while you peruse some shots from Mini B’s first visit from Santa . . .

Looks like someone was a good girl this year . . .

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“Did Santa come?!”

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“Can I really Pat the Bunny?!”

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Vintage Bills stickers (you know–from 20+ years ago when they were actually good) . . .

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Hooray for Bunches Jr. on Christmas morning!  So excited to have Auntie Kar-Kar in for a visit . . .

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Isn’t it nice how Mini B and Bunches Jr. coordinated their outfits?

“Maybe someday I’ll have hair . . . “

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Daddy surprised Mini B with her first Build-a-Bear!

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She gave it kisses.  Awww . . .

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But Mini B wasn’t the only fan of the bear.  Who knew that Moose and Bears could be such good friends?

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Finally she got dressed.  All that naked fur was getting alarming.

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“What?  I’m just hanging out in my new bunny slippers.  No big deal.”

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Cups with no handles?!  What kind of yuppie nonsense is that?!

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Of course, what Christmas is complete without a pair of Stuart Weitzman’s?

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Thank you Auntie E!!!!

Mini B not only made out in the shoe department, but she scored quite a few stylish hats . . .

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Of course, she wasn’t the only one sporting new head gear . . .

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Now Zoolander!

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Mini B also got her fair share of toys (well, let’s be honest–more than her fair share–thank you, thank you, thank you family for your oh-so-generous gifts!), all of which she quickly tasted to make sure they were up to snuff.

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They were.

All in all, it was a wonderful day filled with lots of happy memories.

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Of course, the aftermath wasn’t so pretty . . .

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I hope that you and yours had a wonderful holiday season!  Next up . . . a Halloween recap–better late than never.  That may be my motto for 2013.  That or I’m thinking of bringing “fetch” back.  As in, that’s so fetch.  What do you think?

Do You Believe in Miracles?

And here it is–my attempt at keeping a New Year’s Resolution.  Ideally I’ll fall into the 8% of people that actually keep their resolutions, but let’s be realistic, shall we?  Blogging once a week will likely be a stretch, and this post will make 2 in one week, so I’m setting the bar a little high, huh?

Okay–back to the topic at hand.  The day after Christmas we headed to Brockport so that Mr. Bunches could relive his glory days–as a member of Brockport High School’s Hockey Team, but this time playing in an impromptu alumni game.  In preparation for the big day, Mr. B thought it best to prepare Mini B with a viewing of his favorite movie of all time: Miracle.

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Speaking as a non-hockey-playing American, this movie is great.  So even if you’ve never played, watched, or even cared about hockey, you can still like Miracle.  I’m not sure what Mini B thought of it, though; Mr. B will tell you she loved it, but truth be told–it only held her attention for a whopping 5 minutes.  However, it may be a new holiday tradition for us–an annual viewing of Miracle before Christmas.  A little unorthodox maybe, but it works for us.

Having seen Miracle, let’s just say that the BHS alumni game was nothing like it.  :) It was, however, fun for Mr. Bunches, his cousins, and his friends.  And that’s what really matters, right?  So now I’ll let some pictures tell the rest of the story . . .

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Thrilling, eh?  I’d like to say I could tell you what the score was, but I honestly wasn’t paying attention; and I’m not entirely sure anyone else was either.  But, it was great to see Mr. Bunches out there with some of his old teammates, even if they were a little, er, slower than in their younger days.

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And having his cousins there was an extra treat.

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A true family affair.

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And a nice chance to see some good friends as well . . .

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It was the first time Mini B got some up-close and personal time with a hockey player (not counting her dad).  She was absolutely fascinated with her cousin’s jersey . . .

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But Jason wasn’t the lucky one that night.  Nope, Chad was the one that Mini B really took a shine to . . .

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Oh yes–she has learned to give kisses!!!!

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Her kisses are the absolute best.  THE BEST.

Happy New Year’s!  And here’s to keeping resolutions.

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