Christmas

 I now present a few images from the Christmas festivities.  There was much feasting and furriness (due to cuddly children in soft new pajamas; why can't they ever STAY that furry?).

 Abe created the place settings for our Christmas Eve dinner.  Negative-space Christmas trees for the forks to go into, and the resulting cut-outs placed on the plate.  Efficient and elegant use of resources.

 I like their matching sideways expressions.  They're making monkey noises, if you must know.

 In fact they're very strange playmates (or shall I make use of the excellent phrase "strange bedfellows"?) at times, these two.  But funny, always funny.

I made these sock animals for the kids this year.  One of my friends taught me how, and it was great fun.  I really liked figuring out how to make the different animals (original pattern was for a bunny) look like they were supposed to.  And the furry socks hide all my messy stitchery.  Stitch-witchery.

Christmas Eve "Elf Olympics."  Great concentration being exercised here.

Christmas dress

Here are a few pictures of this pretty girl in her red Christmas dress.  (I never did put her in the Santa Suit but maybe I will sometime before I put all the Christmas stuff away.)  I must say that dressing her up in cute dresses is THE BEST.  I love it.

(she's always getting things out of the garbage and carrying them around triumphantly)

Someone is beginning to believe she is a person.

How is it that this keeps happening?
Exhibit A:

Abe said, "When she hands me the silverware, it's really helpful.  Not like, you know, the baby kind of helpful."

Exhibit B: (this expression)

Exhibit C: Just another day, off to work with her bag and her hammer

Abe sings, and Daisy walks

Abe's choir has had several concerts lately, and they sound SO GOOD.  I love to listen to them.  They are singing such great music, and so beautifully.  I am amazed.  Isn't Abe a darling little angel in his choir robe?

And, finally!  On Malachi's birthday Daisy suddenly decided she was a biped.  Now whenever she wobbles over, she immediately hops up and walks again, like that's just what one does.  I guess she decided that everyone else was getting older and she might as well join in.  (I don't endorse this view, but no one ever listens to me.)  She is a CUTE walker.  So tiny.  So sweet.  So bright-eyed.  I love her.

Three

I took these pictures of Malachi a few months ago.  He is only looking at me because I was getting him to tell me things (otherwise he never looks at the camera).  But telling people things is what he is best at.  He is such a cheerful little chatterbox, I love to hear him.  He sings and talks and pretends all day long.

Jobs: Waking Daisy up when it's time to go pick up Sebby from school (he always greets her with, "Hello, Little Miss!"), clearing dishes, putting away silverware, keeping Daisy happy in her highchair while she waits to be gotten

He likes: Birdie, other birdies, macaroni and cheese, green or blue, making carwashes, airplanes and helicopters, going to grandma's, making up songs, being "the huggy monster," making Daisy laugh, doing whatever his brothers do

We love this guy!!!

Festivities

December 11th is a birthday for three generations: Sam's Grandpa, my Dad, and little Mr. Ky-guy.  We imagine his grandpa and great-grandpa were probably there celebrating with us, unless they had some better heavenly party to go to (not impossible, I suppose).  Still, our earthly party was pretty good.  It began with pancakes.  A birdie for Malachi, of course:  

And later, a birdie cake as well.  His birdie cake was apparently the only thing he remembered from last year and it was the only thing he kept asking for this year.  "Will I have a birdie cake again?"  We obliged, of course.  Who could ever resist that boy?

It was a buttermilk cake with caramel frosting.  The dark brown on top is pure caramel, and the off-white is caramel with milk and powdered sugar added.  It was GOOD.

He was pleased.

Then his present.  Can you guess what it was?

Another birdie.  A big bally one.  About which Ky says "I will name him Jingle-y birdie, even though he is not really jingle-y."  Ky can hardly carry him, but he loves him.  He told us the next morning when he woke up, "Last night I thought my big birdie was a basketball."

Baby + Adoring Fans

This little one is taking her sweet time about walking.  She thinks it's some sort of game: something she might do as a JOKE, but not as an actual mode of transport.  The boys spend lots of time standing her up and saying "walk to me!" whereupon she takes a step, laughs hysterically, and falls over.  When not being coaxed she can walk halfway across the room, but if anyone notices, she drops back down to a crawl again.

 Note the "babylegs" Allison gave her.  I love them under dresses.

 This is the look she gets when reprimanded.  Or otherwise wronged.  A picture can't capture the way it quivers.

 Her serious look.  She is still quite bald.

Hugging. She loves to hug anything soft.  After that she usually holds it up to her ear and says "Hiiii!" into it.

I had to include these pictures of her adoring brothers gathered 'round.  They DOTE on her.  When she's playing, they all want to be involved, and they compete with each other for her attention.  They even let her play with Honey, Brownie, and Birdie (who are usually OFF LIMITS for others).