Overheard

"Oh man," Ida says, "Dad, you're growing a beard?  You already looked too much like Prince Caspian."

Whoa

A glimpse of the festivities.  Santa was left this note, and ate the cookie.

I'm sure he was charmed by this Friendly face, which he no doubt remembers from the seventies:

The grandparents were indisposed and so we could not open presents until NINE.  Fortunately, that famous Canadian Yukon Cornelius bought us some time.

LIW, eat your heart out.

Extremely warm Christmas in The Garden State.

Who bought them a make-up kit?

Holiday Preparations, Anticipations

Hello!

Blogger is being very uncooperative with videos these days; probably because it's a free service and is tired of giving so much away (all they get is access to our personal information, lives, etc).  Because of this I cannot post video of the girls playing holiday songs on their pianos, nor excerpts of an eviscerating holiday performance provided to their grandparents.  Stills from the latter, here:

This is where we are:

That's a drawing by this perpetrator:

We went up to Brooklyn!

Saw some cousins.  That's a DKV photo-bomb, too.  

Nutcracker preparations were INTENSE!

We had the best seats in the house--first row of the mezzanine!

No one fell out!

Many wanted this young lady to dance the role of the princess!

Lots of driving up and down the eastern coast.  No signals, lots of honking.

All navigated by this angel:

Did a little early present opening.  This bro absolutely DID want this "Ostrich Pillow."

Hummingbird Headstone

A hummingbird died.  It was just resting there on its back, on a little table outside our back window.  Why?  The girls carried her (?) around for quite some time and then eventually got their little trowels and buried her.  

the 801

YES.  Dropped in on Jim, Grambee and the rest of the 801 for a few days a week ago.  Excellent.  Grambee wore no pants!

Actually, she's wearing pants.  This is on a walk up through Red Butte Gardens, where there were many fantastic things to witness:

At almost every special garden area--roses, fragrances, medicinal wonders--there was also a swing:

Back on Laird Dr. we encountered a scoundrel from my past.

And then the next day we were out in Holladay hanging with the Rock cousins.  Amazing!  Ida's happier than she looks, here.  My brother was threatening her.

Soon, the requisite video game throw down between Ella and Matthew.  Note, Grace and in utero tiny little cousin Judy.

This time it got quite heated.  You can see how brother Jim and Ella are really going at it, trying to impress me.

Back on Laird, Grambee worked to teach the girls how to knit.  She really doesn't like this picture of herself.  Can you tell why?

And downstairs the girls were working on this castle and surrounding area all weekend.  They even helped disassemble it.

There's a two minute tour and description that I may post another time...

Approaching

A Nice Weekend on the Coast

En route to the coast, stopped at the Wilson River. It was not a very warm day, but the swimming could not be prevented.

Soon we were at the ocean, where Ida, of course, would not be denied:

Lots of twin dressing; very hard to keep people separate/straight.

Unfortunately, once the children were in bed, an Epic Scrabble match began; Ella and I were pretty sure that OM was a word, but we didn't back up Arthur for fear of Maggie's reprisal and because it was so much fun to watch this old school disagreement:

The next morning, some very serious structures and forts were built on the beach.  

And then a rogue wave, a sneaker wave, a "Sugami" came in and wreaked havoc!

Everyone too this in stride, and tried to make repairs:

Wash your hands! They are every frickin where

Injustice!

Ida waited 2+ years, until 2nd grade, to score a locker!  And what happened?  Miki, as a kindergartener, not only got a locker, but doesn't even have to share!  Damn.  Ida stands in the hallways and proclaims to all passing students, "Can you believe it?  A kindergartener with her own locker?  Unfair!"