Ready for tomorrow

Yesterday was "Patriots Day" at Sylvie's school. She came home with plenty of "decca-a-shuns" for the family room.  She's looking forward to the game almost as much as I am!

Of course the anticipation of a game can't hold a candle to the REALLY big event this weekend: in just a moment I'm off to the airport to fetch Sophie the Labradoodle, the newest member of our little family!  Sylvie is beside herself with excitement, especially since learning that Sophie is to be "her dog."  I may take photos...

A new career path

Having suffered the ravages of a particularly nasty stomach bug these last few days, and at the same time having helped nurse her dad through the same bug, Sylvie has resolved to spend her life helping the sick. Right now she is concentrating on sick stuffed animals, just like her current heroine, Doc McStuffins, but we expect at some point she'll broaden her patient base.

Obviously she is feeling much better. I am too. Amazing what a difference a day makes.  Thus far Melissa has avoided the plague - our fingers are crossed for her.  It's a bad one!

Another good (and actually pretty exciting!) explanation of what my company does

Always nice to be included

This came in the mail today. In a nutshell what this political junky magazine does is conduct a bunch of interviews and then pick 10 political people from each state (non-electeds), 5 Rs and 5 Ds for inclusion in the "Influencers 500" list. Honored to be included (and grateful to whoever talked me up to them)... though I remind myself that in MA, the Republican pond isn't exactly a deep one! Clicking on each photo will bring up a bigger, more legible version.

I'm sure she's mine...

But when I see Sylvie double-fisting raw salmon like this, I do have to pause in wonder.

Our own impending arrival...

Aunt Kem and Uncle Pat's impending arrival is also sending some changes our way, all the way across the country.  With Pat overseas, handing a new baby and a one-year-old pup was probably going to be a bit much - even with Grandma Lynne's help.  So on January 19, the energetic little Labradoodle known as Sophie is getting on a cross-country flight and coming to her new home in Holliston!  We're very excited to greet her, and will give her a great home.

Sophie last summer

Congratulations Grandma Lynne!!!

We are all so excited for Grandma Lynne, who this weekend is undoubtedly celebrating her retirement! This was the best photo I could find to communicate the enthusiasm we hear from he when she talks about wrapping up her career - or, I should say, her *first* career. Her second starts with a trip to Washington of indefinite duration, where she's going to help Aunt Kem with Sylvie's new cousin (due to arrive next month!!!

Congratulations Grandma Lynne! Enjoy some rest - you've earned it!

Sled's Eye View

How cool is this rugged little video camera that Grammy and Grampy (with Willow's sage guidance) got me for Christmas?? SO cool.  It is tough as heck, can be attached to most anything, and can even go under water. This first outing, on the first real snowy day of the year, is a bit shaky. But I'm going to have a LOT of fun with this little fella...

We missed sledding entirely last year - no snow! So it wasn't a big surprise to get to the hill and find that a couple hundred or so other people had the same idea. The hill is long and fast, and so of course the biggest hazard was collisions... which happened more than once, including to Sylvie. Neither she nor any of the other kids swarming over the hill is any the worse for wear, though.

A great day, capped off by hot cocoa and then a Patriots win!

Matching with the Bitty Baby

Never has Syl been so excited to get clothes for Christmas...

"Artists see things in their heads"

First, I will admit that I am a worse offender than most, perhaps, when it comes to the parental tendency to view everything our own little ones do as minor miracles. So maybe this isn't so impressive as I think...

 

Sylvie's Aunt Willow and Almost-Uncle John got her a Disney iPad stylus for Christmas. It is basically a digital marker that, interacting with a Disney app, allows her to color and draw within the app, which has a bunch of activities, a drawing lessons function that teaches her to draw basic Disney characters, and then a "free draw" function where she can just doodle.

 

Long story short, when she showed me this picture this morning, I assumed she'd traced a template or, at best, drawn it with the app's guidance. No, she insisted, she'd drawn it herself, in the free draw section. I assured her that it was very impressive if she'd drawn it with help, but she was adamant. "No, Daddy. I just saw it in my head and drawed it by myself. Artists see things in their heads."

 

Well, I checked the app - and there is no such template. There isn't even a picture she could have copied. She drew this Minnie herself, based on a picture in her head (which is in turn based on her Minnie doll, which is right now buried in her closet (I checked). I couldn't do as good a job.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy