Take me with you, Dad!

So he did

Bernadette thinks ahead

Beamer

Cupcake for a cupcake

Lisa made this sweet cupcake hat for baby Rosalind, Amanda's daughter. Sylvia got to model it.

Thanksgiving pie mystery

When it came time for dessert, the apple pie was missing. We ate pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, and cookies, and then we searched and searched. We suspected Paul. We suspected all the kids, even Mara. Then, sometime after a supper of leftovers and cheesecake, Karl deduced that the pie must have fallen behind a piece of furniture in the flurry of getting a massive turkey dinner ready. And so it had. The day was saved! But by then no one had even a smidge of room left in their tummies for apple pie. Tomorrow, little pie. Tomorrow.

Leading the way

Post-turkey walk.

Family picture

Grandpa's got it handled

He watched all the kids at once while we cooked dinner. He said, with great compassion for them: "It's 5:30. That's the cranky hour. I'm cranky, too, but I've got a gin and tonic."

On a mission

Cinder-Sylvia

Cuddles and sneaky kisses

Happy birthday, Marty!

She was covered in children much of the night.

Antidote to gloomy weather

Wrong answer, but so cool

The other day, I saw Sylvia trying to pick up a heavy toy. I said, "Sylvia, can you say 'Help, please'?"

And she said, "Sylvia!"

The arrival of dread

Today we went to the pediatrician's office for a booster flu shot. Sylvia got her initial flu shot a month ago. Until today, every visit to the doctor has been the same: happy happy happy happy happy OW!!! tears.

But today, as soon as the nurse walked into the room, Sylvia realized what was happening and started crying and scrambling to get out of my arms and away from the whole situation, but to no avail. I had the urge to buy her an ice cream sundae to make up for it, and one for me and Paul. We settled for cuddles.



Sent from my iPhone

Baby's got a new pair of shoes

She says

Sylvia talks a LOT. We love it. It's mostly babbling sounds, and "Oh HO!" with both hands on the belly when she's excited about something. But sometimes she says little bitty sentences, like "what's this?" and "do dat!" (Maybe this means, "I want to do that!" or "You do that!")

The answer to most questions is: "Ummmmmmm ... No!"

This morning, she stood over the bathroom trash can, looked up at me, and repeated back to me what I must say to her a dozen times a day: "Don't touch that!"

And then, of course, she picked it up.





Sent from my iPhone

Heading out

Naps restore us to happiness

Fun on the stairs

At the art museum

A long winter's nap

Caught on camera

Sylvia does this funny thing before she touches something she knows she's not supposed to touch: She says, "no no no no no no" and then she touches it. It's hard to see, but here she's tugging on this very tall lamp. At least she warns us!

Scarf, cell phone, bike helmet, diaper bag.

Someone is ready to go somewhere important.

Scarves

Last warm day

Warm enough for tee shirts today. Temps in the 30s tonight. Goodbye, fall.

Smooching

Sylvia gives her friend Orrie a kiss on the shoulder. She tried it again later but he got away.

Just like dad

Sylvia sits on the stairs to put on her shoes. I had no idea that the simple act of sitting could be so exciting. Or so cute.

Shopping with Sylvia

Now that she can get around on her own, she's not willing to just pass by eye-level stuff without some investigation.

Oops.

Kathleen made a crucial error: Never open a granola bar within sight or sound of children. Ever.