A (Mostly) Harmonious Household

Mostly, because Luna hasn't quite decided if she likes being the old, dominant female.  Also because a lot of the time, she forgets that she isn't alone in the house.  Or maybe she forgets that Gracey isn't actually around anymore.  With Luna, it's hard to tell.

But our new little ones are settling in.  They still spend most of their time in our bedroom, but we brought them on a field trip to the other end of the house, and they were very intrigued.

Asa hasn't learned yet to be still for the camera.

Jem likes being in the window - he spent a lot of his first night with us sitting in our bedroom window, watching the snow, and describing the scene to his sister.  Loudly.  There is some truth to the conjecture that all black cats have some Siamese in them.

Scout, althought she can be convinced to surface from time to time, still prefers to be underneath something.

But aren't they cute?

Expanding the Family

And re-opening the naming contest!  Obadiah and Hepzibah are still in contention, but we want to know what you think!



Luna doesn't know yet.  Granted, she's none too bright, it may take her a while even after the kittens aren't confined to the bedroom.  Asa is being sweet with them, although the little sister cat is quite skittish and prefers to be under the bed.

Welcome, kittens!

Sour Cream

Not just a condiment anymore.

Quesadilla as fork:

Better yet: by the handful.

Best: as a facial.

Does this sour cream make me look like Grampa?

AFC Championship Game

I'm still hoarse.  Good thing this isn't a vlog.

The Steelers won!  The third quarter very nearly did me in, but we pulled it off somehow.  With a lot of cheering.

Phone calls to Granna and texts to Auntie Becke...

A whole family in Black and Gold

(Yeah, I don't know what I'm doing with my arm either.  Adjusting the terrible towel, caught off-guard by the flash.  Looks weird, doesn't it?  And yes, Asa is wearing his Steeler shirt with pajama pants.)

And our little good-luck charm, with his Terrible Towel, even in his sleep.

On to Dallas!

Traditions

Legend has it that when I was just a couple of days old, my mother woke up to find me... not in my bassinet.  My father had gotten up with me, brought me into the living room, and turned on the TV.   Mom woke up in something of a panic and ran into the living room to find us, me and Dad, watching Looney Tunes:

"Look honey, it's the Road Runner!  Meep Meep!"

Explains a few things, doesn't it?

For Christmas, this year, M. got me a 4-DVD pack of Warner Brothers' cartoons.  So when Dad came over a few days ago, I saw a chance to let a tradition develop.

"Meep Meep!"

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Hangin' With Nonni and Poppy

Poppy fell victim to the cute-baby-in-a-basket-swing-request.  

Nonni had it easier with the perpetual request for books.

Asa has learned to put his train tracks together by himself... mostly.  

And, as always, there were lots of snuggles going around.

 

And we just found out that Nonni and Poppy just became grandparents again - welcome, baby Drew!  We can't wait to meet you - especially your big cousin Asa, who has spent the day saying "Baby!"

January means snow. A Lot of Snow.

So it's probably a good thing that Asa loves it.  Even if he reminds me of Ralphie's little brother: "I can't put my arms down!"

Asa Angel:

This last storm dumped a lot of snow on us, which really stuck around... and was really pretty.

Happy baby, pretty scenery... all good things to remember as two more snowstorms bear down on us.

And it's only January.

(and yeah, all you Californians?  We don't want to hear it.)

Sing What I Sing

Asa has become our little parrot.  He has a few words that he uses properly and understands, and a ton more that he just says when we say them.  Like "pickle".

Perhaps for that reason, this is his current favorite song.  Could I get him to do it on camera?  Of course not.  But he'll take a good chunk of the Grover part - all the random monosyllables.  Not so good on "Pick a Peck of Peppers".  Perhaps when he learns "pickle".



He is, however, utterly unappreciative when I do the Madeline Kahn part on "fiddle-diddle-dee".  That's what I get for letting him see the orginial first.

Where is Asa?

"Asa hiding!"

Interest!

This was hardly Asa's first time at the Museum of Science - indeed, it should say something that I didn't even blog about the last time we were there.

But this time, it was more than a field trip for Mummy and Auntie Cordy.  Asa was allowed out of the stroller to interact with the exhibits.

The musical stairs - each stair makes a different tone play.

Mathematical modeling!  (or, from Asa's point of view, a computer whose buttons he's allowed to touch.)

It's a shame that I didn't get pictures of him in the dinosaur exhibit; it was at the end of the day and he was running (literally) on overtired fumes.  He talked to the Tyrannosaurus (fully two stories high), he tried to climb into every exhibit, he squealed with utter delight.  All of which are the reasons for which I have no pictures of these moments.

Meanwhile, though: who's up for a trip to the Museum?  I think we'll be going often.

Can You Stand It?

Eyes.  Eyelashes.  Cheeks.  Curls.

And that little something that has turned our cute baby into a sweet little boy.

Cousins

Asa's favorite Christmas present: time with Joey.

And best of all?  He learned to say "Joey!"  Always with that sweet sparkle in his eye.

Christmas Again!

On Block Island!

We got a little (chilly) outside time looking at the seals...

We had a fun "Christmas Morning" on New Year's Eve with Grampa and Beth...

 Aunt Jessica, Joey...

And Uncle Mike.

And Asa got lots of good snuggles and playtime.

He learned all about the fun of laundry baskets:

He learned new games... whether his mothers wanted him to or not.


He taught Uncle Mike the joys of thumb-sucking-hair-stroking soothies.

But the very best thing, at least in Asa's view?  Well, that's for the next post.