the crisp connection

 another random collection of pictures, some before christmas some since. I love candid pictures of my family. we are keeping this piano for a family member who doesn't have room in her house right now. I would love to take piano lessons. maybe i can trade for babysitting. . .

 my little superstar. she posed all on her own. actually, did i post this a long time ago? might have. sorry.

 charlie still loves to play in the dishwasher. no, i dont' let him. but it's hard to keep him out. he can actually open the door himself. do they make locks for that?

 our preschool group had a "happy birthday Jesus" party. they did crafts, and had lots of fun. it was Hannah's first little party.

 We had quite a few get togethers before christmas, so the pictures are probably interchangeable. what was memorable about this one, though, is that this is what our table looked like 45 min after designated start time. in the end, we had 2 people come, out of 10 invitations. oh well, lots of leftovers, right?

 if we had had a christmas card, this would have been on it!

 oh my gosh i love them!

 while waiting for our neighbours to come, we had some special family time. charlie wasn't actually asleep, but apparently he was close. perhaps the story was a little over his head :-).

 we had our own little christmas before we left for canada, for the kids to open presents from us and family here. grandma jan came, and we had fun!

 so, charlie's become quite independent, especially in the eating department. oh my goodness it's so messy. he used to be ok with a spoon, now he's reverted back to his hands. and he loves to put it on his head.

 hannah got some neat gifts at christmas, including this huge activity book, centered around a stable. all kinds of crafts, games, stickers. she's had a blast.

 these are the pjs my mom made for charlie. they fit him perfectly!

a playdough ice cream factory, also a new addition to our toys. i even have fun with this one. it does make me crave marble slab, though.

so we had a little wintry weather, not too much but enough to play in. i took the kids walking to find enough of a slope to sled down. it was bitterly cold, by anybody's standards. an older gentleman we passed smiled and said, that's what makes a good parent. i smiled politely, but inside thought, my goodness, i wish it were that easy.

we went out the day of and bought a sled and shovel. yes, we were that prepared. hannah really wanted to help shovel.

so i know many people succumb to holiday weight gain. i imagine i'm leading the pack, with 11 lbs. i guess it's ok, though, if my post christmas belly has a heartbeat.