Marina Elizabeth Tower

Hiker Mishka!

2010-04-24T11:21:00.002-04:00

River walker Mishka!

Checking out the beautiful scenery on the hillside...

Sisters on a hike together!

Snowbirds.

Walk through the river valley, looking to throw a couple rocks in the river.

Duck ponds, rivers, and mountains

2010-04-17T15:44:00.002-04:00

River running along the park road

Now entering Glacier...

Stylin' mommy!

Rock hopping

Pensive by the pond

On our way to Whitefish

2010-04-17T15:10:00.002-04:00

The girls walking around the park

Coffee shop in Whitefish where daddy db got his caffiene fix

Along side Glacier Nat'l park in West Glacier

"Hey Mish, look over there..."

there

April days a gustin'

2010-04-17T14:32:00.004-04:00

A little commentary while mother nature gave us a piece of her mind...during this particular storm there was minimal accumulation as the wind gusts got up to 60 + MPH...it gets LOUD with the wind up here :) A couple days later it was sunny, dry and 50, the next day we got snow for 2 days...it's now 60's, blue skies and lots of little creeks have popped up!

Outside Boise

2010-04-11T20:10:00.002-04:00

Mishka put on her special glasses....

Rockies on the northside...

Rockies on the southside :)

More family and friends

2010-04-11T19:50:00.002-04:00

Fast friends: Mishka & Anya!

Mishka helping auntie Karen by licking the bowl clean!

Connor & Mishka

Mishka and the originator of the "Favorite Uncle John" song...

Mishka and the originator of the "Favorite Uncle Tom" song :)

Mish with the fam

2010-04-11T19:24:00.002-04:00

Rockin the birthday hat...maybe a month early :)

Have some cake!!

Hanging with Mimi and auntie Karen

Showing off Callie's b-day cake

FOUR!!!

The Montana hiker

2010-04-08T21:20:00.002-04:00

Here's a quick pic of Mishka hiking right outside our house...there will be more Nevada pics to follow, but we just wanted to drop a quick pic of what's going on with us here now! :)

Tahoe!!!

2010-04-08T19:57:00.006-04:00

Mommy & Mishka checking out Lake Tahoe

Mountains and lakes :)

Lady of the lake!

Look over there!

T'was a wee bit snowy to do any sunbathing on the beach...

I love Nevada...bounce bounce bounce

2010-04-08T19:32:00.004-04:00

Mishka had alot of firsts on this trip like ice skating (as posted before!) or in this case, jumping on a trampoline!!!! :)

Mishka on ice

2010-04-06T22:52:00.003-04:00

Mishka & Callie's first time on ice skates...not bad!!!

Nevada

2010-04-06T22:28:00.004-04:00

Skateboarding

Sistahs

Pumping water

Loving the trampoline!

Buddies

2010-03-28T15:19:00.001-04:00

Garden of the Gods continued..

2010-03-28T15:14:00.006-04:00

Look, rocks! Lots of them...

Look at my muscles!!!

Daddy takes his shirt off...Mishka takes her shirt off...

Garden of the Gods...

2010-03-28T15:10:00.001-04:00

Kansas

2010-03-19T01:19:00.007-04:00

This was us getting out and running at a Kansas rest stop...

Spinning!!!!

KC

2010-03-19T01:06:00.004-04:00

Playing with some of the pots and pans at the Goldie locks place at the fairy tale land...probably trying to find brownie batter :)

Found an indoor waterfall and made a wish

Most impressive about this picture: no one went swimming even with water near by :)

Cruising through Missouri

2010-03-17T10:34:00.003-04:00

Please pardon the music selection, daddy was fed up with Laurie Berkner band and Diego videos...as you can see, the girls were up for something different too. This was taken Monday just west of St. Louis on I70, it was the first time on our trip that the sun had come out, even if it was only for a sunset!

Road trip 2010!

2010-03-17T10:27:00.004-04:00

Ready, set, GO!!!!! Mishka & Mommy shared a snuggle in NJ as we prepared to cut through the east coast rains

And this picture has been named "Unamused". A day long of driving, the girls had had enough!!!

But Mishka figured out a way to have fun none the less!!!!

4th of july treat!

2009-09-01T18:44:00.003-04:00

Know why Mishka has such a big smile on her face during the 4th of July parade...?

That's right, they were throwing out lollipops :)

Strike a pose!

Bringing Mishka pics back!

2009-04-30T16:33:00.007-04:00

It's been a while, here some pics of the 'lil mouse' :)

In the snow...

2009-02-16T17:03:00.001-05:00

Guitars, fairies and snowbanks...oh my!

2009-02-16T16:45:00.007-05:00

Here's Mishka kickin' it down at the Somer's residence with Ollie and Daddy...daddy's lil' rock n' roller (btw, Jimi Hendrix is one of her favorites ;))

Mommy & Mishka hanging out in the snowbank...I think Mommy's a bit more excited than Mish!

Behold Mishka and her wings, all bedazzled by the fairy princess Mishka!

"Look at me, look at me!"

Sisters

"I'm the king of this snowbank, hahahaha!!!!!"

The recorder...

2008-12-25T18:17:00.002-05:00

Mishka got a recorder...it was loud...

First thing Christmas morning

2008-12-25T17:53:00.003-05:00

First thing this Christmas morning you'll find Callie eating, Mishka opening her stocking, and Mommy exhuberant as anything!

Presents!!!

2008-12-25T16:56:00.005-05:00

So the undisputed coolest present of this morning was toothbrushes...although Callie lacks teeth, it didn't deter her one bit...naturally Mishka had to get into the act as well, so for a solid 5 minutes this morning, the two of them sat together and brushed their teeth...the American Dental Association smiled.

Mishka got a bat and ball and immediately wanted to go outside and play...in the 2 feet of snow in the back yard...we're gonna wait until the snow only goes slightly past daddy's ankles :)

Mommy's present to Mishka...a recorder. Yup, it was possible, Mishka got louder! ;)

And here's Mishka all snuggled up in her new princess blanket made by her Nina...thank you Nina!!! :)

Christmas morning

2008-12-25T16:47:00.003-05:00

Okay bloggers, we're gonna be working a little backwards today...there's a ton of pics I haven't posted over the past month, but I'm posting what happened today for now...

well, sorta...this is Mishka writing a note to Santa last night to let him know the cookies were for him and the carrots for the reindeer...

and Santa wrote back...cookies & carrots eaten

The girls were ready to check out their new presents!!!

Neglectful blogging...sorry

2008-12-24T10:26:00.003-05:00

Okay, daddy DB has been slacking...let's get a few pics out...

Merry almost Christmas!!!

Of note, that is 2 feet of snow out the window in the background and Mishka is in a bathing suit and shades...we did hit up the pool which is why she's got on the bathing suit. The shades, well, it's because Mishka defines SUPER COOL!!!!! :)

Temur

2008-11-09T14:52:00.003-05:00

Some sad news today, Temur passed away last night very unexpectedly. As you can see here he was well loved by the girls, he'll be missed.

Leave videos

2008-11-09T13:57:00.003-05:00

Here's some video of Mishka playing in the leaves :)

LEAVES!!!!!!!

2008-11-09T13:46:00.005-05:00

Looking gorgeous in the leave pile.

Sifting the way around...

until she gets buried in leaves

Leave piles, YEAH!!!!!

Hanging with Adam and Topa

2008-11-08T10:54:00.005-05:00

Batter up!!!!!!

Uncle Adam is showing Mishka how this wiffle ball thing is done...or the other way around ;)

Topa is showing Mishka where she can wash her hands.

SMILE!!!

Some autumn pics

2008-10-20T15:37:00.004-04:00

Mish in pumpkins

Mid thought on a dirt road!

WOOOHAAAAAAA

Double WOOOHAAAAA!

Acapella

2008-10-17T13:08:00.005-04:00

Story: so on a lovely Saturday evening, after dinner, the child-folk are slightly agitated and fussy, and Ma & Pa decide to do a little divide and conquer with Daddy taking Callie and Mommy taking Mishka. To calm the littler little one down, Daddy did some singing while changing Callie's diaper and clothes, and Callie did enjoy the serenade...what we did not notice was Mishka, who was also putting on her pajamas, dancing around hard core to Daddy singing. This video was from a few minutes later :)

Summertime pics via the sunday morning blitz

2008-09-21T12:43:00.006-04:00

Okay, more pictures coming at ya!

Like my hat!

One of Mishka's favorite summer time hobbies...burying herself in sand! (and of course tubby time that follows ;))

Here are the lovely ladies, Emma and Mishka...looking a little wiped out :)

Babu's smiling...Mishka missed the memo apparently.

You can almost feel the energy levels surging as these 3 cousins get together to play...this is the start of the day, be certain there was alot of running to follow this picture :)

Yup, Mishka likes s'mores!

Sunday morning picture blitz!

2008-09-21T10:17:00.006-04:00

Keeping in season with the football going on, we've got the picture blitz! So Mishka is simply a fun, cool kiddo, always good for an interesting photo-op. She's loving day-care, which is awesome, and she's loving learning her alphabet and the letter sounds and colors! Oh, and she sings and runs around ALOT. :) Tasha & I are so blessed to be able to hang out with her, teach her and learn from her! Enough talk, more pics!

Beautiful lil' girl :)

Dancing with Daddy who has clearly lost his marbles ;)

Still digging that hole to China...

Tubby time with Callie!

Pretty tough looking in my purple hat playing with blocks!

And a sight you almost NEVER see, Mishka sleeping quietly ;)

Mishka unplugged!

2008-09-21T09:51:00.002-04:00

This video would have been cooler had we caught the beginning of Mishka rapping along, here she sort of loses interest (imagine that in a 2 year old!)...but this is something she's doing alot lately (randomly singing...especially to Callie) and it's VERY funny.

The Chicken Dance

2008-09-21T09:45:00.002-04:00

Time for the chicken dance...and don't forget to take a bow!

Puddle jumping!

2008-09-02T12:42:00.003-04:00

Here's a snippet of Mishka running around on the beach...and daddy chasing :)

Summertime roles!

2008-09-01T16:45:00.004-04:00

Hey ya'll, sorry I've been away for a while, here's a few pics from the summer!

Here's me in my cool dress doing what I love to do most...eat ice cream!!!

And I love to do this too, play in the ocean, YEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

This would be a cool picture if I could see what was going on...

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

;)

Close ups

2008-07-15T08:31:00.011-04:00

We had some fun with the zoom lens and black and white features on the digital camera with all the kids...they all responded with their cutest (Sasha), meanest (Meechy), or most aloof (Mishka) poses they could muster ;)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Smile!

"Daddy, look at my ear!"

Ggggggggggggggggg!

(pacifier sucking sound insert here!)

Check out the dimples.

Pouty face anyone??

Yup, she's still not looking at the camera...

Backrubs, yeah!

Close up of Callie, but if you look closely, you can see Tasia with Nico in the background, sort of a cool shot!

Making coffee

2008-07-11T11:08:00.002-04:00

So if you are able to hear Mishka's line to Sasha at the end of this video, apparently she's learned how to brew coffee...by next week I'm hoping she'll have learned how serve breakfast in bed ;)

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-10T09:21:00.001-04:00

Hi! Just checking in briefly, check out my cool dress from the 4th! More pics to come soon!

Thunderstruck!!!

2008-06-16T18:42:00.004-04:00

So this lil' video was taken a little while ago...I'd like to say daddy db was simply in a crazy type mood, but truly, this was baseline ;) Yet another snippet from the Tower household!

So much Mishka, so little time!

2008-06-02T20:46:00.007-04:00

Yup, the effervescent 2 year old is a picture posing fiend, so many pics, so little time to post !

Here's Mishka with Nina, Bella and Gram...check out Mishka's colorful threads!

Tractor ride and the kiddo's are looking cool :)

I See You says the Oliver to the Marina around the little blue plane!!!!

Spring is here and has brought dandilions...yup, Mishka is a beautiful lil' gal! :)

Check out the wicked cool wet suit! daddy db hopes that Mishka (and Callie for that matter) continues to like to wear full wet suits rather than bikinis when she gets older, BUT me thinketh...

...it's probably not likely as Mishka's favorite thing to be is naked running around the house ;)

Bubbles!!!!

2008-06-01T08:31:00.002-04:00

Young kids + tired dads + bubbles = FUN

A proper girl's attire always includes a hat and bag

2008-06-01T08:13:00.004-04:00

"Hello darling! On my trip south I was introduced to the fashion of a southern belle, and since I am quite the belle I simply HAD to partake with my spring dress, my hat and my bag...!"

(editor's note: yes, Mishka's left eye is swollen and looks like poop in these pics...she got some sort of bug bite by her eye and it got swollen, she looked like Rocky, we even think she said "cut me Mickey" a few times while playing with the other kids...or she could have been saying 'scuse me...whatever, back to the pics)

"Ah, my new hat makes the outfit!"

"Let's see how daddy looks in my new hat..."

"Ah yes, GORGEOUS!"

(editor's note #2: for those of you wondering, the complete annihilation of daddy db's pride and ego is almost done...Mishka's saving the last bit for Callie)

;)

My active life!

2008-05-22T20:33:00.006-04:00

"Hey, whatchu doin'? I've been very busy, wanna see????"

"I've been digging in the sand at the beach, daddy said if I keep digging I'll get all the way to China, which would be cool cause then we'd get some decent chinese food cause there's none around here!"

"I've also been playing soccer in the back yard. I'm pretty good, Callie told me so!"

"I've been playing with my buddies Drew and Bella too, they're cool cause they like to run and scream and be silly, just like me!!"

"And check out my new wheels, equipt with a horn to honk and everything! It was alot of fun until Mommy missed a corner and I hit the pavement (but I'm feeling much better now!)" ;)

"And of course, I love my sister too! Daddy told me I have to practice closed mouth kisses because I can't develop a reputation...I don't know what that means, but I sure do love being a big sister!"

A little bit of catching up

2008-04-28T19:14:00.003-04:00

Well, daddy db has been awful at updating the girls blogs, many apologies to those folks checking out the sites! Mishka has been VERY busy these past few weeks, along with adjusting to being a big sister, which she's doing an awesome job of, she just turned 2, has been talking up a storm, and her new favorite thing to say/ask is "Why?" (to which daddy db replies...you guessed it..."because daddy said so"...well see how long that works for, probably like 1/2 a day or something ;)) There are alot of pics and videos from some of the recent events, alas, I don't have them downloaded just yet...they'll be coming soon :)

Here's what I do have!

Yeah playing with Babu at the beach!

Here's Babu with the two Tower girls!

Mishka with her Mommy, I think they're both pretty happy here ;)

My buddy!

2008-04-08T09:01:00.004-04:00

Hey, guess who was in town...BELLA, YEAH!!!!!!!!!

So daddy db didn't really get a bunch of pics of the gals frolicking around the house, but here they're chilling with some watermelon and bluberries, mmmmm ;)

And of course when cousins get together, there must be pizza, yeah baby! The visor Mishka's sportin', by the by, comes courtesy of aunt Jess!

Big sister

2008-04-03T21:18:00.000-04:00

Being a big sister is EXHAUSTING!!!! :)

Big Sister!

2008-04-01T21:40:00.000-04:00

Check it out:
http://calinatower.blogspot.com

:)

Guitar hero

2008-03-30T20:24:00.003-04:00

Daddy db has NO idea where Mishka learned the faces here...check it out and see what I mean ;)

Okay, baby update...Mommy and I are heading into Maine Med tomorrow for an induction, so keep baby #2 and Mommy in your prayers/good karma wishes tonight and during tomorrow.

Later, daddy db

Still winter in late march in Maine...

2008-03-30T20:16:00.004-04:00

So to beat back the winter blues, Mishka decided to ride a pony!

And Mishka did pure maple syrup shots with Babu at the maple farm!

"Whatchu talkin' bout daddy!"

Snuggle and cuddle time with Babu!

Diaper changing

2008-03-25T09:08:00.004-04:00

So, without prompting from Mommy and Daddy, Mishka has taken it on herself to practice more diaper changes...

It's even funnier when she puts the moisturizing lotion on! So we've almost got Mishka trained to take care of baby #2 ;)

Speaking of baby #2, she has yet to make her grand appearance. Tash is doing okay, hanging in there as best she can. In response to some inquiries about a blog for the 2nd baby...the hope is to get a 2nd blog up and running for the kid, with links between Mishka's and baby#2's, I'll email folks the address and be certain to post the link here was well. :)

daddy db

Ice cream with mommy and a parade of daddy's hats

2008-03-25T08:55:00.004-04:00

While Mishka has had some interest in Mommy's belly and her little baby sister, in this picture with Mommy Mishka's focus is 100% on her cup of ice cream...

So Mishka is a hat lover, particularly the one's that her daddy likes to wear...so here she's sporting the Pats hat...

and later she stole...um, borrowed, daddy's Nats hat...admittedly, she's a heckuva lot cuter that daddy with the hats!!!! :)

But typically, Mishka's sporting the big ole' pony tails like she is here, where she's standing on a chair that she's not supposed to be standing on...and rather than dissuade this behavior, mommy and daddy take a picture ;)

Mmmm, cupcakes!!

2008-03-25T08:44:00.005-04:00

How to eat cupcakes, step 1, remove cupcake of frosting by licking the cupcake clean of said frosting yummy goodness... :)

Aunt Jess with the two-for hug from Bella and Mishka...I think Jess is pretty excited to be hanging with her gals!

CHEEESE!!!!!!!!!!

Step 2 of cupcake eating....DEVOUR, HAHAHAHA!

Miss recording artist!

2008-02-24T14:46:00.002-05:00

Mishka's trying her hand as the youngest recording artist ever...

Playing in the truck bed!

2008-02-24T14:39:00.004-05:00

I love this video, even funnier in person, Mishka totally dug playing and hiding in the back of this truck, and naturally Caleb played along awesome! :)

Still growing

2008-02-12T20:24:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, she's not all grown up just yet, but forgive a father for looking at his little baby and getting overwhelmed at the blatantly obvious...Marina's no little baby anymore! Case and point, check out Mishka sporting this little number with the hat, which accentuates how long her hair has gotten! :)

And forget rattles...check out the start of Mishka's music career (courtesy of uncle Shawn & Aunt Suzie!)

But what hasn't changed is how happy this little girl is, as you can see here with her saying "Cheese!".

That all being said, she's still my little girl :)

We're starting down the home stretch in anticipation for the arrival of baby #2, and while I'd like to say that I'll be posting more in the next few weeks, my medical school schedule might be prohibiting that for the near future! Regardless, I'll aim to get some more pics of the family as we get ready for the much anticipated arrival of the newest Tower! :)

later

daddy db

Aye aye, captain!

2008-01-27T14:08:00.000-05:00

Here's Captain Mishka ready for take off!

Well, it's been a relatively rough couple of weeks for the Tower's as home has been more of an infirmary and culture plate for the latest and greatest infections! We're hoping that we can collectively shake the cough & cold so we can get out and about a bit more!

That being said, it's again snowing outside...no surprises there.

As for Mishka, her current hobbies are playing with play-dough, coloring (on both paper and tables...), playing with her cars and her dolls, running and screaming (yup, she's her father's daughter) and learning new words every single day. To accomodate baby #2, she's moved to her big girl bed already and loves having her own big bed. And I think she's looking forward to some sunnier weather so she can play more in her swing in the back yard!

Other than coughing and playing in the house, not much else going on as we await the arrival of baby #2!

Snow play

2008-01-22T19:57:00.000-05:00

It's winter in Maine, so we're in the snow coughing and freezing our backsides off looking forward to some beach time in the near future...but in the meantime we've had some fun in the snow...

Angus have Mishka & I a personal escort down the sledding hill here...Mishka likes the sledding part, it's the cold she's not a fan of!

But in this this pic she doesn't seem to mind it too much, although she can't really stand up to walk around much either...

But that doesn't matter when you've got daddies shoulders for transport!
:)

At the beach

2008-01-12T13:28:00.000-05:00

Daddy and Mishka smiling on the rocks!

Hello Somers family!!!!!

Mommy and Mishka do the hug thing!

Love the shades :)

Tower family pic by the lighthouse!

Dancing in a restaurant...

2008-01-03T13:59:00.000-05:00

It's actually more of a head shaking fest as Mishka and her buddy Ollie took turns being silly, with help of course from their mommies and daddies ;)

Christmas morning

2008-01-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

And of course, there were fairy princesses :)

Meechy and Sasha checked to make sure Santa ate all the cookies and drank the milk

Mishka tore through oodles of wrapping paper to sit down and read (which lasted about 10 seconds as there was more stuff to rip up!)

And eventually lead to the girls (minus Tasia) watching Meechy play with his new remote control car while the parents and grandparents stared at the walls in exhaustion!

Seriously though, Marina had an awesome Christmas and new years, we were all immensely spoiled! More pics to come...

These boots were made for walking...

2007-12-20T19:56:00.001-05:00

Yup, it's almost winter time in Maine, meaning we've almost got about 2 feet of snow piled up in our front yard (back yard only a 18 inches ;))

Because Daddy foolishly forgot Mishka's boots and Uncle Nico's and Aunt Angela's, here she's taken my boots...

So where were her boots last seen...notice in this picture while Mishka was a little unhappy cause she couldn't slide easily, her boots were still available to her :)

More shenanigans with the kids on a sled. Of note, in this picture you can see they all have smiles cracked on their faces...this alas was not to last as Daddy/Uncle Don missed a corner and tipped the sled, ending the outdoors snowy experience for that day to the 3 part harmony of crying, snow covered children... :)

And of course, a post would not be complete without a new hairdoo by Mishka, this is the uni-spiked look parted to the left...

More pics soon from the family Christmas shindig!

It's Snow Time!!!

2007-12-11T09:38:00.000-05:00

Mishka's all stylish in her pink snowpants and hair in a ponytail!

And here she's dredging a path in the backyard through the snow (and to her swing!)

But no snow day would be complete without Mishka being pulled around in her sled by Daddy!

More snow coming this week, meaning more pics in the snow! :)

What's up buttercup!

2007-11-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

It's almost a month and a holiday later than when it happened, but I figured I'd post some Halloween pics anyways...

Yup, Mishka was a sunflower! Here she's munching on some candy...she REALLY likes candy...

Notice the look of excitement here on Mishka's face...this is 5 minutes after eating candy, before we let her run it off...

and this is her running it off! Must say, it was really funny watching a little sunflower run up and down the sidewalk :)

And one more cute pic too :)

Walk THIS way!!!

2007-10-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

Okay, easily one of the funniest things we've discovered this past week is that Mishka is a dancing maniac! To try to wear her out one night this past week b/c it was raining outside, Daddy came up with the idea to just dance around for a little bit...and this is what we got!!!

Of note, she asks to dance now every day, demands that both Mommy and Daddy dance with her, and she totally digs the late 80's early 90's pop-y dance music. Oh, and Mishka dancing with Meechy and Sasha...CLASSIC. :)

October pics

2007-10-28T13:31:00.000-04:00

Mishka at the beach doing what she loves most...playing in the sand!

Here's Mish, Mommy and Ollie chillin' by the ocean.

Mishka swinging with Daddy in the back yard!

Here's Mishka playing ball with Uncle Jon in their back yard!

Mommy's birthday!

2007-10-18T10:10:00.000-04:00

Mishka's helping Mommy open all her presents while Babi and Babu watch.

"I'm ready for my close up...or not!"

Nature walk with Mishka riding on Babu's shoulders.

Poor Temor was sleeping on the couch, head down, and Mishka came right over and nuzzled her face into Temor's...yeah, Mishka likes the puppies ;)

How bout them apples...

2007-10-18T09:47:00.000-04:00

Yup, it was apple picking time and Mishka invited along Suzie and Shawn AND Tracey and Ollie who made the trip up to surprise Tasha for her 30th! These pics, while pretty cool, don't do justice to how cute both Ollie and Mishka were walking around the orchard :)

"Look Daddy, I got one!"

Mishka & Ollie ate their fair share of apples off the trees...diaper duty that night was awful....

Uncle Shawn helping Mishka navigate with Suzie bringing them to the next apple filled tree.

Here's Tracey, Ollie, Tasha, & Mishka all enjoying a hay ride through the orchard.

Mishka found the pumpkins too...

Mother and daughter surveying the landscape...this is my favorite!

Suzie and Shawn found the hammock, to which Mishka quickly said "UP PEEEEZZZE!" and she got to ride too ;)

Go Pats!

2007-10-18T09:42:00.000-04:00

Get your seat, the game is starting!!!!!

Daddy and Mishka have their gear on ready to cheer on another Tom Brady touchdown pass!!!!

TOUCHDOWN!!!!!! :)

Bathtime with Grampa!

2007-10-18T09:38:00.000-04:00

Tubby time!!!

Grampa Pete is keeping an eye on Mishka who remembered to brush her teeth!

And of course during tubby time, there's always toys to play with and water to be splashed :)

Welcome Anastasia Cassidy!

2007-09-23T08:55:00.001-04:00

Mishka's got a new cousin!!!!

Anastasia Cassidy Afanasenko was born last Thursday 9/20 in the afternoon, here are a few pics of our newest family member!!

Hello sleepy!

Here's the happy (& exhausted!) Papa introducing Meechy & Sasha to their new sister!

I've stolen a pic or two...

2007-09-23T08:47:00.001-04:00

Yup, it's Mishka with a tutu on her head...borrowed the pic from a friend of Tasha's...had to, this is just too funny! :)

QUESTION: what are the kids doing in these pics...?

Answer: yup, they've all zoned out watching a movie in the back seat of the car, going from screaming and cranky to copacetic (sp??) in no time...ah, technology...hehe

coming soon: apple picking pics!

Yo

2007-09-11T20:38:00.000-04:00

Life is crazy, wear a helmet!!!!!!

Love, Mishka!

Yard work, tanning, and eating, oh my!

2007-09-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

So, what has young Ms. Tower been doing on the Cape, you may have been asking...well, here you go!

Occationally she will mow the law!

Or do some sunbathing...clothing optional as you can see ;)

Or have lunch with Babu at the club in fun hats!

And also play with her soon to arrive cousin (any day now!!!!)

Chill out, says the polar bear...I dunno why I threw that pic in there, but it's pretty neat none the less!

Rock on!!!

2007-08-29T10:13:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I'm full well aware that making Mishka do these silly poses risks her being pissed off at me for the majority of her pubescent years...but some things are too rich to pass on ;)

Quick, long over due updates: we've spent the month with Babi, Babu, Aunt Ange, Uncle Nico, Meechy, Sasha & Sweet Pea #3 (you'll see what I mean when you see Ange's belly!) at the Peanut. Mishka ran all around the yards, played at the beaches and had a blast with her cousins, just like her Mommy & Uncle Nico did years ago...so that's been a great tradition we've been able to sustain thus far :) The family is doing great, Tasha got some time to do nothing, I've started rotations and have kept very busy. We head back Maine-ward this week...at that point I'll have some time to download more fun pics so we can share the fun we've had this past summer!
later
daddy DB

La casa de Regna

2007-07-27T16:06:00.000-04:00

Kickin' it in the pool, Daddy was getting Mishka used to the pool water along with not drinking the chloronated water :)

Giddie-up!!!

Cool father and son shot :)

Yeah swimming! Here's a nifty little family shot!

Surf's up...

2007-07-27T15:59:00.001-04:00

well, sort of :)
Here Mishka's not much a fan of 50 degree ocean water (actually, I think the only person who is would be Mommy!)

And on cue, here's Mommy to the rescue!

Mommy trying to show Mishka how to spin around!

Hellooooo cat!!!!

2007-07-23T19:24:00.000-04:00

This one's for aunt Jess...after Grampa's birthday party we got to hang at uncle Jon and aunt Jess' house where Mishka finally learned how to play with kitty cats ;)

Reading and other things...

2007-07-23T11:25:00.000-04:00

So we got a little video of Mishka doing her reading thing (like everything else, she likes to do things on her own, including reading)...if you can bear listening to daddy tell a story, check what you hear towards the end of the video...daddy's little girl ;)

4th of July!

2007-07-23T10:13:00.001-04:00

All geared up and waiting for the parade!

Meechy & Sasha rushing to get some candy!

Cousin Larissa with Uncle Nico giving his most handsome pose with a pink whale on his head... :)

Mishka singing on daddy's shoulders....

Sasha laughing or her daddy's shoulders!

Cool Meechy just taking it all in.

Meechy scored a cool pink whale hat too!

Sasha smiling (and probably eating the candy she got from earlier...)

Meechy and his uncle Don sitting and chilling after running around the yard and watching the parade.

"WOOOOOWWWWWW!"

Family 4th of July pic!
:)

Double trouble!

2007-07-23T10:04:00.001-04:00

Now presenting Mishka and Sasha, aka, double trouble!!!

Stroller walk down to the 4th of July Chatham parade.

Something tells me this won't be the last time these two butt heads! :)

Skinny dipping at the Peanut!

Awwwwwwwwww!

And sleep..... :)

Pics from throughout the summer...

2007-07-23T09:52:00.001-04:00

Okay, here we go...

Mishka insists on feeding herself...tragically she also insists that her parents do the clean up after dinner too...this particular morning ended up in a bathtub :)

Here we have uncle Adam singing with Mishka...I think uncle Adam was trying to impress the waitresses!

"Here's lookin' at you kid!"

Mishka is walking around the Peanut, getting used to the lay of the land!

Checking in

2007-07-23T09:48:00.001-04:00

She didn't actually wear them in the pool, but Mishka wanted to be stylin' with her uncle Nate's googles while at la casa de Regna a few weeks ago :)

Nice pants

2007-07-07T10:15:00.000-04:00

Question: why am I wearing pants on my head...?

Answer: cuz I can't go outside without pants on!

Close ups

2007-06-25T17:53:00.001-04:00

Caught mid sentence...love the hair ;)

Mishka out in the yard taking in the sun!

Love this pic...normally Mishka is a pretty light sleeper during the day time, but not this day, she was OUT cold and snuggling...naturally we couldn't resist taking a picture :)

Mishka playing peek-a-boo with a little yellow towel!

Back in the saddle

2007-06-25T17:40:00.000-04:00

Hello to the blogging crew (if there are any of you left at this point!)
It's been a while on our end as life has been a little crazy...never the less, our little Mishka has been growing by leaps and bounds, and as you can see, learning how to fill the pool with water :)

So what's new with the kid, you may be wondering!
Mishka has been walking now for the past 2 months and is getting to the point where she almost looks like she's running, she can turn, spin around and stop on a dime...ie-she's out of the waddle walking stage and is now making mommy and daddy chase after her with some effort :)
She is quite the mimic, and while she doesn't say alot of definitive english/russian words yet, she babbles with reckless abandon (uncle Nico would also remind me that she babbles LOUDLY...:)) and will occasionally surprise us with a something that resembles a "thank you" or "I'm ready".
She is a little nature girl, LOVES being outside either in the yard, at the park or on the beach. AND she seems to be into jewelry as she puts on bracelets and necklaces all the time.
The one constant though is how awesome a little girl Mishka is and how lucky Tash & I are to be able to be her parents and watch her grow. And since both Tash & I have finished up school for the time being, we get to spend the next month hanging out as a family which is very cool.

That's the scoop on our end.
Hopefully we'll get to see a bunch of you soon over the summer!
daddy DB

Mommy day jammin'

2007-05-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

Here's what has been going on at the Tower household on Mother's Day!

Flower girl

2007-05-13T11:30:00.000-04:00

Mishka's been playing in the fields of flowers recently (which might explain some of her allergy-like symptoms recently!)

Big step in bringing Mishka more into the outside world...she didn't immediately eat the flowers and actually really enjoyed looking at and playing with them!

Cut that cake!!!!

2007-04-23T15:40:00.000-04:00

Check me out eating cake for the first time as well as the happy birthday singing...it was so much fun!!

Ice Cream!!!!

2007-04-23T15:33:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, I had some ice cream for the first time on my birthday, check it out!!!

More fun birthday stuff!!

2007-04-23T15:14:00.000-04:00

"This is Caleb and me playing with one of my new toys, a blue tube which I get to tunnel back in forth in and I LOVE it!!!"

"AND we can take the tube outside too, like I'm doing here!"

"Aunt Suzie and I hung out together outside on my birthday cause it was awesome out!!"

"After all the excitement and ice cream and cake...I was a little loopy :)"

My 1st Birthday!!!!

2007-04-23T15:05:00.000-04:00

"Hey, where's the cake?!?!?"

"Mommy and I spent all morning talking to friends and family on the phone...I was very talkative!!!"

"Ah, strawberry ice cream, THAT'S more like it!!!"

"Look at all these presents for me to play with!!!"

"I found the birthday cake, yeah frosting!"

Story time with Mishka...

2007-04-23T09:54:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I have a story for you...so find a seat and kick back...

and feel free to put on your shades causes it's very cool...

It was my FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! So here comes some fun pics in the next posts!!! hehe

If I was a dancer...

2007-04-20T09:36:00.000-04:00

Okay, we're trying to get caught up with the times here...Mishka has been doing new things on a daily basis...Tasha happened to catch Mish learning how to dance...the video speaks for itself, enjoy ;)

Playing with the cousins!!!

2007-04-12T13:26:00.000-04:00

Pajama time...and Mishka's right where she's not supposed to be, standing in front of the TV :)Group pic...why's Mishka so serious!!!

Bathtime and Brushing teeth

2007-04-12T13:19:00.000-04:00

Yeah, bathtime with Mommy!!!!

And Mishka's started learning how to brush her 5 teeth!!!

Apparently Mishka thinks Daddy needs to brush his as she tries to give her brush to me taking the picture.