I stand corrected

No slump...just me pouting I guess!

Thank you all for your comments. I should have read only one at a time and savored them slowly, but no, I gobbled them all up at once and loved it!

I do understand the one-handed typing difficulties, and the speed-reading 2 minute vacation breaks...I probably should not be so high maintenance.

Xaris...checking *her* blog...

Poll: Are you a mac or a pc? Looks like our baby is already predetermined...she LOVES playing with Ric's computer (his keyboard clicks louder than mine).

Slump

I've determined I must be in a blogging slump.

I usually check my blog daily (typically in the middle of the night, when I'm feeding X).

The first thing I do is scroll down to see if there are any comments. I think comments must be my favorite part about blogging. While I like journalling, I must like the response even better, because I tend to judge my blog by the feedback it gets...am I writing and posting things that are interesting to others? Am I writing and posting things that others enjoy?

So, I must be in a slump, because it's been several posts with zero response. I tried to combat my steadily decreasing blogging average by posting one of Xaris' Christmas pictures...and when that didn't work, I brought out the big guns--Santa picture. And now I'm at a loss: how do I top that?

Not a clue. But you can be sure when I figure out what's causing my slump, I will be sure to remedy it. And then I will surprise and delight any of the faithful remnant who still read this blog with episodes of such fantastic bloginess that warrant abounding comments.

I will try my hardest--stick with me please!

Santa picture

We got to meet Santa last Sunday while Gramama and Taita (my parents) were in town. She was probably smiling more for my silly monkey dance than for Santa, but at least we got a great picture!

following the lead...

My friend Judy just posted the Christmas card rejects on her blog.

We are trying to get a Christmas picture too...and I love this expression, but I think this photo goes into the not-on-the-Christmas-card pile.

Not so bad

Bathtime isn't so bad when you have ducks to eat.

One year later...

This time last year we attended a Cookie exchange party hosted by friends Mark & Leslie.

There were 5 of us there who were pregnant, and we took a picture--commenting on how the following year we would need to line up the babies!

Well...we did that yesterday!

Lined up by age, Xaris is the youngest

Emily is 2 weeks older than X

Marshall is 4 weeks older than X

Jack is 7 weeks older than X

Leah is 4 months older than X

All are precious!

Ricardo with Xaris Sofia and John with John Marshall

Ricardo and John are good buddies--John and Debra were some of our very first and dearest Dallas friends. We are so happy to have babies the same age! Check out the leg chubs on Marshy--I absolutely love it! I can't keep my eyes off of him, he is so chubby and CUTE!

Still double X's weight--and he has the greatest belly laugh you can imagine for a wonderfully chubby baby! We love you Marshy! (and John and Debra too, of course!)

7

Happy seven months old today darling girl!

We love you and your adventuresome spirit and happy smiles!

It's been awhile since I blogged--no wonder, with an increasingly active and mobile baby! I have less time to type!

But here's a quick update. Ric, Xaris and I did the Dallas Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. It was crazy--over 37,000 people trying to get through one street! However, it was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed walking the 5K with my friend Katie. Ric ran the 8-mile course, so we only saw him at the start and finish.

Start

On our way!

Finish. She tuckered out about a mile into it.

They were setting up the Christmas decorations downtown, so we stopped for a quick picture.

\

Oh...and I bought fabric to make us Christmas stockings. Ric and I have ugly ones I made last minute the first year we were married. This year I decided to make 3 matching ones for all of us. I just divided the fabric into 3 pieces and cut them out...and they turned out to be huge! (Fun--lots of stuffers!)

Here's Xaris having fun in hers.

Hijo de zanahoria!

So far carrots have not gone over well.

The first night, she refused everything else on a spoon (even her cereal, which she loves) after the first taste of carrots.

Now she'll eat some, but with faces and spitting and gaggies.

She is pretty cute in orange though.

bluh

Got her hair up in a ponytail!

Does that make her ears look bigger?

Grandmama came to visit!

We only got her for about 24 hours, but what a wonderful 24 hours it was!

Knitting, shopping, pedicures, and lots of snuggles and smiles.

Xaris loves her grandmama.

Other brief news/updates...

We had our big cranberry apple pie fundraiser on Wednesday.

Just imagine 40 kids making 80+ pies in just under 1.5 hours.

And then the big mess that needs to be cleaned up!

It's usually loads of fun though, and this year did not fail!

Maggie waiting on apples...

Assembly lines are set!

Apple peeling station

Filling station :)

We were in the shadows, but we got a quick family shot (in between my pie-making)

I went to breakfast with Kaitlin yesterday. She's moving back to WA state in December...jealous? Why yes I am! But wishing her well, and I'm grateful for the job, opportunities, home, etc. that we have here.

I'm also grateful for a weekend! A Friday-Saturday where I don't have to work (I don't usually, but October had a few random weekend events), and where I'm not sick (like last weekend), so I get to enjoy it! Today I played with my girl, cleaned the house, stripped her diapers, got allergy tested (yes, I win, I'm allergic. Mostly to grasses and weed pollens), and made aji and cooked dinner (two days in a row is really good for me about now). I like to cook, but the planning and preparing takes more effort than I give. So, I've decided to try harder, and the result is I have meal ideas planned and groceries for dinners for the next 2 weeks. We'll see if it works. I'd like to know your tricks if you have any!

And, a closing shot. Playing in her crib before her bath.