Mommy and Sweet Pea

The talented photographer Amanda Reed did family photos for us about a month ago. Here are a few: Eye contact He thinks we're funny - You guys stuck me in a bucket?! Best sister, cutest pose Pure sweetness toothy! My sister, just returned from two years in Madagascar, with her niece and nephew I'm pretty sure these are the cutest kids in the world. I know I will treasure these pictures forever. Thanks, Amanda!

My darling daughter has unique tastes. lunch yesterday: peanut butter, mayonnaise, cheese, pickles, and pretzels in one sandwich outfit today (and regularly): all pink - shirt, tights, skirt, undies, shoes hair: down, with the biggest barrettes or headbands or both that she can find. Sometimes she will let me braid it or do a ponytail, but she prefers it down and wild Some of my favorite things she is saying lately: "let's all split up and work together" "we can do it with teamwork!" "acciwentady" (accidentally) "Mom, that's not my plan!" singing "Henewy, stop crying! There's no crying in baseball, or in volvos" in a loud loud voice in the car, which inexplicably will often actually make Henry stop crying "let's do ballalet!" (dancing, ballet) "that trip to the library makes me have to watch a show" "I want to take a bath WITH Henry" (them in the bath together is one of the cu

My last living grandparent passed away on September 30. His obituary is here . I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Pennsylvania with my children, husband, father, step-mom, and sister, and spend time with members of my dad's family that I hadn't seen in three years. I also got to do a reading at Grandpa Bob's funeral. The sweetest moment of the whole trip for me, besides hearing people say how much I looked like my grandma Anne, was when I finished the first reading, at the front of the church my grandparents were married in, and read the thanks to the lord, and my darling daughter replied "Thank you, Mama!" She doesn't know the norms of the Catholic mass but she is learning manners. Both kids did pretty well with the long days of traveling, thanks in large part to lots of helping hands from my family. It was so special to spend time in the place my grandparents were from and see where they are buried. We stayed in a really nice hotel, with a good fre