Starting with a trip to Danville (
Beware!) for lovely Megan and Peter's wedding.
The trip included some time in St. Louis with good friends.
They were delightful hosts. If I hadn't been so sick, it would have been one of the best trips that I have taken post-Jonathan-sans-Jonathan. As it was, I enjoyed the company of friends and their happiness and drank more hot tea in one weekend than ever before or since.
I got back just in time to start Advent and Christmas decorating.
We have many more ornaments between us than can fit on a normal sized tree. Stringing them on ribbon was a fun way to use them and increase the decorated space. Let's see, how many more windows do I have?
Traditional cookie baking for work cookie exchange and Christmas gifts. These were sugar cookie balls rolled in crushed peppermint sticks in the making. Yum!
After Christmas, we had each of our families over for dinner at our house. It was a serious time of reflection on our relationships and the coming new year.
It was also the highest number, not of people, but of children that has ever been in our house.
A couple of days later, my family convened for our new tradition--Pictionary night. Camille treated us to an authentic (and garlic-intensive) Italian dinner.
Sisters in my kitchen:
Sibs on the couch:
We were able to get a picture of the whole family at Elsa's house later during our last hurrah before we started separating for another year.
The other highlight of this winter--snow!
We had to make a snow man and his friend, the snow kitty.
"Snow had fallen, snow on snow...."
At the Starbucks across the street from my bus stop. One of winter's little compensations is a hot drink as you stamp through the results of the fourth snow storm in a week.
The ad on the bus is from a Pemco
campaign that always reminds me of the way that Dorothy Sayers described the occasional genius of advertising. We here thrive on thinking that we are unique. Special, if you will. And we are proud of our white socks with sandals, thank you.
I forsee a few more of these sprouts in my future--cute and perfectly unisex for those friends who aren't finding out the gender of their baby ahead of time.
Charlie may live in the Midwest now, but he really ought to be a Northwest boy.
A regular and cherished visitor to Keren's Seattle garden:
There is an armed truce underway between the boys and Missy. We even saw them sniff noses the other night. Of course, they took that as an invitation for increased familiarity and proceeded to swat at her and grab her tail as she walked away. Two steps forward, one step back...
Grandma:
It's amazing that they have grown from this (how they looked when we met them):
To this elegant though slightly gawky adolescence:
Little bird worked in the new variegated thread from Threadneedle Street. I experimented with lacing through the stitching of the neckline and sleeves.
Just as the desert bloom needed to wear desert flowers, the beach baby should have a seashell.
She is also a California girl--and I like stitching poppies.
The trip included some time in St. Louis with good friends.
They were delightful hosts. If I hadn't been so sick, it would have been one of the best trips that I have taken post-Jonathan-sans-Jonathan. As it was, I enjoyed the company of friends and their happiness and drank more hot tea in one weekend than ever before or since.
I got back just in time to start Advent and Christmas decorating.
We have many more ornaments between us than can fit on a normal sized tree. Stringing them on ribbon was a fun way to use them and increase the decorated space. Let's see, how many more windows do I have?
Traditional cookie baking for work cookie exchange and Christmas gifts. These were sugar cookie balls rolled in crushed peppermint sticks in the making. Yum!
After Christmas, we had each of our families over for dinner at our house. It was a serious time of reflection on our relationships and the coming new year.
It was also the highest number, not of people, but of children that has ever been in our house.
Sisters in my kitchen:
Sibs on the couch:
We were able to get a picture of the whole family at Elsa's house later during our last hurrah before we started separating for another year.
The other highlight of this winter--snow!
We had to make a snow man and his friend, the snow kitty.
"Snow had fallen, snow on snow...."
At the Starbucks across the street from my bus stop. One of winter's little compensations is a hot drink as you stamp through the results of the fourth snow storm in a week.
The ad on the bus is from a Pemco campaign that always reminds me of the way that Dorothy Sayers described the occasional genius of advertising. We here thrive on thinking that we are unique. Special, if you will. And we are proud of our white socks with sandals, thank you.
The day that we brought them home, we were both exhausted.
Max is the curious one. They particularly like chewing on our slippers.
Jonathan's chair is the prime sleeping spot. He will sometimes move his chair away from the desk and use mine instead to avoid disturbing them.
Bonded brothers. They play with each other constantly, look for each other around the house, groom each other and sleep curled up together. It was such a good decision to take both of them. Not only do they chew on each other rather than us, they have been less inclined to bother Missy since whatever their brother is doing is far more interesting than the sitting around that she does. They are still quite curious about her and she will now let them be on the same piece of furniture with her as long as they are at a respectful distance. Excess encroachment is met with hisses and swats. "Too close, a little too close!" It is tempting to think of them in terms of how much they have grown in the last three weeks but we get reminded of how much bigger she still is (despite her otherwise diminutive stature) whenever they are out in the main house together.
