Our Christmas Eve festivities.  One of our traditions is to eat entirely too much and then try to get our kids to pose for pics after 11pm:)
We also play a game of reindeer vs. elves.  For the first time I was on the winning team!

 

Why Tommy is everyone's favorite

Ok. We don't really have favorites, but lately we all really need Tommy. He is the comforter when you're sick, or lonely, or disappointed, or had a rough day at school or work. He gives the sweetest smiles, with slobber dripping from his chin. His needs are the most basic human ones, and we can all meet them and make him happy. He is happy to have Libby feed him mushed banana or yogurt. He likes the boys to sing him songs or make silly faces. He wants mom or dad to snuggle him up, and who can blame him? Snuggles are the best.
I'm so grateful to have this happy little guy in our clan.
I remember James saying to him when he was only a few days old, "Hello, Thomas, are you so excited to explore this wonderful world of baseball cards and orange juice?"
I'm so grateful for the enthusiasm my children have for everything, especially Christmas.

Owl cupcakes

While waiting for an oil change and tire rotation, Libby and I entertained ourselves by reading magazines. She saw these cupcakes and we just had to make them.



And here's my baby scooting around.




And this one is getting so big, and acts like he looks...goofy and inbetween ages. One minute very grown up, and the next having a toddler moment. We all have them sometimes:-)


Luca took these silly pics of Libby.

One of the greatest feelings on earth

Looking down at a sleeping babe in my arms is heavenly. His little hand clutching the collar of my shirt. He smells so sweet and smiles in his sleep.

"Injuried"

Due to a fall from the monkey bars, Jameser has a supracondylar fracture of the humerus. Is that where the expression "funny bone" comes from? Well it wasn't funny, although some of his quotes make me smile.

At the hospital he said, "I'll probably just be here for like 2 days, but they will probably have really good choices for breakfast, right mom?"

Or when I told him how sorry I was this happened, and how I had envisioned us having such a nice weekend with family, he said. "I'm still having a good time. I just can't flex my muscles really much."

About not being able to play at recess, he said, "I'll just sit on the bench and stare at the sky to see how fast the clouds are moving. (Sigh and pause). But that will get boring in like 5 minutes."

He has been really brave and sweet about everything.

Here is a picture from Miss Libby's fourth birthday.


And here are a couple portraits I took as practice. Libby looks a lot like Luca in these.

Visitors

We had Jer's brother Christopher and his family with us for a few days. They came all the way from Texas, and we were so happy to have them. Christopher and Libby's birthdays are 4 days apart so we had a joint party for them. The kids cried when their cousins left. The house feels very empty today.

My kids like to take pictures with the tablet. Every now and then I'm amused by what I find.




Weirdos

I'm posting because I know my sweetie checks in on his kiddos during the day. I know I'd be missing them so much if I were him. Libby and our neighbor Ryan have had a lovely time playing together today.

Railroad jammies

These pajamas are a fairbank boy favorite. They were a gift to baby Luca, and now tommy wears them, and looks nearly identical in them.

Little miss muffins

Libby has been asking to make muffins ever since the muffins for moms event at brother's school.

Shenandoah

Our trip to Shenandoah was a wet one this year. I love that park and skyline drive, so my expectations were very high. Unfortunately the weather was not ideal. (Picture us huddled in a lean-to at the top of hawksbill mountain with 30 incoming college freshmen on an orientation backpacking trip.). Some of our favorite hikes to summits that usually have spectacular views, gave us nothing but fog. Since we were up in the clouds, the rain didn't fall as much as it seemed to float in the air all around you. Even so, we managed to stay mostly dry. Little Tommy was the happiest camper of all. We did 7 different hikes, around 11 miles total. Even with the bad weather, there was a lot of beauty. Like the ferns at the base of stony man. Or when the clouds parted briefly for us at the top of blackrock. And of course, on our drive home it was sunny and beautiful, so we stopped at some of our favorite overlooks.

pretty things

Here are a few nice images to look at.  I made some sample flower arrangements for Becca.  I took their pics again, this time in Avalon.