Tequila!

Had no idea it was so danged simple to add videos to the blog. Duuuh.

Check out Miri dancing with GrammaBon to her favorite rockin' tune. She gets a little surprised at the end.

Grandparents' Visit and More

Miss Miri's eyes are already changing from a dark blue-gray to, uh, something else. There's a little brown in the center. I think they'll be like her sisters -- hazelly-greenish.


Miri with a gob of food on her nose.


Miri with a Ritz on her face. Hmm, have we a trend here?


Playing Supergirl-Peekaboo at school with her blankie.

GrammaBon and Grandpa visited over President's Day/Valentine's weekend, so we took the opportunity to have GrammaPatty over for dinner too. They hadn't seen each other in a very long time. Was fun to have the big fam 'round the table for dinner. This is why I insisted on a big dining room table. :)

Strollin' with GrammaBon.

Good weather = grass growing.
Grass growing = mowing.
Mowing = grass clippings.


Grass clippings = happy chickens.


We had a spot of fantastic weather last weekend, so we went for the requisite Bob-stroll. Aleaha is all that in her sunglasses, and Miss Miri proved her giant brain had outgrown her sunhat. Time to look through that next-size-up totebox of goodies I stored from Aleaha.


Asleep in the Bob. Love these moments.


Just thought this was funny. This is Weensie the goat, with her head sticking through her feeder into the barn. The goats and llama are supposed to finish off the last of the hay bales from summer of 2008. The hay isn't all that great anymore, and she was letting me know it. (When the horses are done eating their hay -- which is fresher -- from their feeders on the other side of the barn, the goats and llama go over there and pick at the leavin's. The only thing they do with this old hay is pull it out and lay in it, I think.)

Finally Some February Fotos

Aleaha and Mommy at lunch together one day at Elmer's.


Aleaha's teachers made posters of some things the kids had said in response to certain questions. This particular question was "If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be?" Some of the answers were very interesting, and a bit telling of home life. My favorite was this: "I'd be a cookie monster bird. I would go to a green bird house and eat chicken nuggets."


Bathing beauties.


I'm ready for my close-up.


Cutie Pie.


Aleaha sits on Jake and curries the mud from his mane and whithers. They both loved it.


More of that schnoogie-boogie smile.


Miss Miri has dispensed with the pureed baby food and began to ask for table foods. Oh yeah!

The Preschooler Said

Aleaha was eating pizza the other night, and suddenly cried out in pain: "Mommy, I bit my lower-case lip!"

Sheesh, we're busy

Things have been busy here, but what, really, have we been doing (besides Mommy and Daddy's regular jobs!)? Well, in the three weeks since Mommy's last post, we have...

- put away Christmas things
- shopped for groceries and other items 6 times (including one Costco trip)
- prepped, cooked, and cleaned up after 30 at-home meals
- ate out at Dairy Queen twice (woo-hoo!)
- done 19 loads of laundry, which means sorting, pre-treating, washing, re-washing, re-washing AGAIN (doggone babyfood stains!), drying, folding, and putting away
- fed the animals 43 times (Mommy & Daddy splitting this chore)
- brought in about 40 loads of wood for the stove (Daddy doing every single one of these himself -- thank you for keeping us warm!)
- gathered approximately 130 eggs, then washed and sold/gave away about half of them
- took two Bob-strolls
- changed approximately 74 diapers (I could write more about the splitting of this chore, but because I love and appreciate my husband and don't wish to pick a fight, I shall just say "THANK YOU for taking care of Aleaha so much!" :) )
- made two visits to the pediatrican
- put in several hours on the company's bookkeeping, but much more is still needed

Geez, that's all so exhausting, and it's just "maintenance" kind of stuff. Let's get onto the fun stuff -- the pictures.


Miss Miri, wearing her "Little Sister" outfit from Aunt Jeannie. Darling!!


Aleaha and Miri doing silly-face stuff.


Miri's head circumference is at the 75th percentile for her age. (Didn't have to tell Mom she has a big head - she remembers birthing her!) Here she is on the last day that the cute little red hat from Cousin Jennifer still fit her.


Aleaha loves walking on balance beams (or curbs, or just lines on the pavement). This was taken at the big barn on Bald Hill, a favorite Bob-stroll destination.


Aleaha and Miri at almost exactly the same ages.


We love strolling together.


Aleaha is so gentle with Miri. She calms her and entertains her.




Aleaha, playing hopstoch with mudpuddles. Hey, country kids learn to make-do!


Miri plays with whipped cream. (Don't tell the pediatrian, because her "dairy" is supposed to come only from Mom right now!))

End of 2009

The year is ending, and it's a good time to take stock of where we are in life (I usually do that around my birthday -- can't help but do it at New Year's time too). Undoubtedly our best experience was welcoming Miri to the family.

Here are a few pics off the cameras from the last couple of weeks.


Happy swinging girl.


Tentative strolling-in-the-rain girl.


We attempted to go for a walk that would have been a couple of miles. We barely made it to the mailbox, unfortunately. The rain was one thing, but the screaming baby was the real reason for turning back. :(


Aleaha insisted on pushing the Bob....and she nearly went off the road a few times. Hmm, maybe that has something to do with the screaming?


Here's Miss A on the way to PR for Christmas. Nothing like amping up a 3-year-old with chocolate milk and frosted animal crackers, then going for a 300 mile car trip. Ah, but the threat of Santa not visiting naughty kids that night was veeeerrry useful for Mommy and Daddy. We had to come up with something else to use as leverage for the ride home.


Rolling out tart dough while wearing new princess jammies from Aunt Jodi.


Miri helps Mommy with chores at the barn.


"Hey Teddy, let's do some yoga. OK?"


"First, grab your toes, like this."


"Here, maybe I can help you."


"Teddy, that's not a yoga pose!!"


Gramma Patty came over for a Christmas Make-Up Dinner. This is the darling outfit Holly gave Miri -- complete with red bloomers!


What a cute elf!


Made Spanakopita the other day. Miri tested out the basil for us first.


"I'm awful cute."


"Bet y'all wish you could do this!"


Miri enjoys a biter biscuit -- she rubs it very hard across her gums. Sweet relief! Poor thing is teething. We all hate that.


Aleaha, eating the lemon tart. Scratch that --Aleaha, eating whipped cream off the tart.


"What, Mom?"


On New Year's Eve, Holly and Mommy and Miri made a trek to Portland to hit St. Honore Bakery. YUUUUM.