For maybe three minutes. But a picture lasts forever!

In memory, Chinese food take-out from one of his favorite restaurants - chi-chi chicken and deep fried spare ribs.

Holmes is smiling! Holmes is also entering his second mental development leap (so says the Wonder Weeks book), where he starts to notice not just high contrast colors (such as the external contours of our faces), but the grays of the world (such as our inner facial features). So, he’s pretty much jumped into a bowl of soup with everything blending together around him, which can feel a bit chaotic...and we get the benefit of enjoying his fussiness. So we’ll take the smiles! Especially when Dad is being silly making hand butterflies.

“I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.” - Emily, ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’

Update: Lummi brought the ruckus to our New Year’s Eve by swallowing a toy we’ve never seen and checking herself into the vet for 4 days this past week. Luckily no surgery, sadly no learning (on her part), but it’s good to have her back.

Lately, Meryl has been talking on the phone to Lisa and Sasha a lot:) 

 ...Next up, pre-school! And, to figure out warm biking attire:)

Here I thought the nurses in the hospital helped Holmes take to the bottle. Turns out, that was possibly just one magical moment. Nobody, even Meryl, seems to be able to convince him. Independence, where are you?

 Everyone now gets to sleep in their own beds tonight. Xanna and Grandpa made it home safely, and (thus far) sickness free! Fingers crossed health continues into the New Year for us all.

 ‘Our’ maiden voyage! Our neighbors gave us this motorcycle for Meryl when she was a baby (AKA cleaning out their garage). We then gave it to Allison for Noelle and Caleb to use. And now it’s back with us! It has a gargantuan sized and extremely short-life battery, but it’s oh so fun! Especially now that Meryl can reach the pedals.

Last weekend with Grandpa and Xanna in Seattle, so we had to have a party. Nothing like sticking a bunch of family in a room for pure entertainment, nothing and everything happens at the same time:) (Dylan escaped us in this picture, but we’ll get her back in another one!)

Let’s play ‘Tickle Aunt Betsy!’ Noelle and Caleb plotted how to get her back for always counting their ribs and tickling them. Meryl was happy to join the fun.