drumming

We are wrapping up a visit with Jon's sisters and their families, which reminded me of the first time Laurel met her Auntie Pam and Uncle Owen. Here is a glimpse of that first visit, when Laurel was about 2 months old.

Laughter

One of the best sounds I've heard lately is Laurel's laughter. She just started laughing a few weeks ago, and no one can make her laugh like her dad. And when she laughs, we can't help but laugh, too! As I type this, she's just laughing away in the next room! Here's a short clip.

The Work of My Hands

Here are a few things I've done lately...now I just have to open the cards, write in them, and get them mailed!

And here is a toque that I finally finished last night...

Photo Shoot

It's Monday afternoon.  The laundry is well underway.  The dishwasher has been run.  The bed is made.  Laurel and I were wondering what we should do next.  And then we thought, "Let's do a photo shoot."  So, we did, complete with wardrobe changes.  Here are some pics from that little adventure.  Captions are below the pictures...

"This is our winter line.  Notice my hat matches my sweater."

"I've got lots to think about."

"Don't you have anything more challenging?  I'm kind of a modeling pro, you know."

"Okay, mom, this is a little much.  Can I lose the hat?"

"I'm pretty much the cutest."

"Are we done?"

Blitz Blog

Okay, so I know it's been forever since I've written.  And the five of you who sometimes read this blog have probably given up even checking it.  It's not that I haven't had anything to say--it's that I've had too much to say and haven't taken the time to sit down and say it.  So, here is a blitz of the last month....

1. We went to Chinook, Montana so that I could baptize little Ezra Arntzen.  It made me reflect on what the Parable of the Sower has in common with infant baptism--the grace that is lavished on us, though we have done nothing to deserve it, even before we are capable to respond to it.

2. Laurel went on her first plane ride all the way to Ohio.  She was a star traveller--she even slept during take off and landing.  

3. From Ohio, we travelled to Danville, Kentucky where I got to see four of my college friends.  There was all kinds of laughter as we remembered our Centre days.  Those were great days and great friends...even if we were dressed in hiking boots and flannel shirts.

4. My friend Annie Parsons drove from Nashville to Cincinnati to see us!  And I got to be one of the first to buy her new cd!  I highly recommend it.  And I recommend her blog.

5. Laurel experienced her first Halloween.  

6. We flew back to Edmonton.  And Laurel was great, yet again.

7. Since being back, I am trying to discern the line between cautious and paranoid when it comes to the whole H1N1 scene.  I am eligible to get vaccinated on Tuesday...so I just keep thinking I just have to make it to Tuesday (and then the two weeks it takes for the vaccine to kick in) and then we'll be good.  Laurel is too little for the vaccine, so I figure her best defense is for me to stay healthy.  But am I being paranoid or just cautious if I don't want to go out in public at all?

8. Laurel got her four month shots.  Yes, she's that old already.  These were harder than the two month shots because she was all smiles, thinking everything was okay, and then BAM she gets stuck with 3 needles...at two months she wasn't really smiling yet, so somehow I didn't feel like I was betraying her trust quite so much.

That's the blitz blog.  I will try to write more often and more reflectively in the near future!