November and December captions

Taylor at 3 months looked poured into his diaper.

Playing "band" to Pink Floyd

At Thanksgiving we always commemorate the pilgrims' scarce food the year before having plenty. My mom and nieces made the lovely napkin holders for our meal.

Family at Thanksgiving

Doesn't look like anyone's brushing their teeth . . .

Popcorn with the Bennetts

My favorite is when he lifts that belly up and then rests and kicks his legs.

Josie has a real attraction to scenes of peril. In her pretending, princesses are always tied up in dungeons, etc. Should I be worried?

He's going to be one dreamy teenage boy, don't you think?

It was a happy Christmas!

Sleepy kids scavenging stockings

Favorite gifts from/to me and Patrick: guitar for him; tool set for me.

Taylor opened his first Christmas gift ever, with his teeth.

Every morning Kyle says, "Trains are out." Taylor is learning to play too.

For some reason, when Kyle eats applesauce (which he is NOT doing in this picture) and he wants some more, he always says, "More applesauce, Mama Bear?" I think it's so cute.

This picture epitomizes Josie. Last night she asked why I take the book away when she goes to sleep- she wants it to still be there in the morning.

These magnetic paper dolls are one of many amazing surprise Christmas  gifts from Katie Walker. Almost all (the gifts) were handmade too. 

Racing cars on kitchen floor.

See those eyes? Yeah, that's why I married Patrick. Then I found out all the other great stuff.

A tie from Michael, a scarf from Jeanie, and a husband who obliged me by wearing the tie while I wore the scarf so we could match. And he even let me take a picture!

Inverse heart shirt cousins, unplanned. So cute.

So, you wonder what I have really been doing.

I started lifting weights to tone up and increase my strength. The last couple days I have been getting somewhat crafty around the house making slipcovers and recovering our antique table. If I can figure out how to get pics off my iphone (which by the way, I got for free from my brother-in-law Sean) I will post some pictures another time. 

We have reached the first stage of life getting easier after having a new baby. Taylor is 5 months, starting to eat solids and has had avocados, sweet potatoes, apple sauce, pears. rice cereal and oatmeal, prunes, bananas. The breastfeeding demand has therefore decreased somewhat, relieving me. I am far enough postpartum that we have done a family bike ride to a nearby park. I take Kyle in his little seat on my bike, and Patrick pulls the other three in the bike trailer. 

It was good to converse with so many friends over the holidays. I sure am grateful for each person I have known; each has affected me.

Having not said anything about Simon in these pictures, let me just tell you, that kid is an amazing drummer. He is a very special guy.

Patrick has applied to grad schools for PhD programs and we are waiting to find out on that. 

Getting ready to turn 31.

It's 11:19. We just watched True Grit, which I liked, and now I need to go to bed.