It's Beginning to Look...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Lynn's birthday tends to get Christmas decorating going seriously. Sam got home today, too, and one of the things he likes is sushi! The basketball court got some use sparked by Sam being home, Lexi on a basketball team, and a visiting pooch named Roxie, a Burmese Mountain Dog that Fina is dogsitting.

A birthday bouquet for Lynn from California!

Sushi Ato!

An art project reward for Take Flight work.

Elves at Work

Tracy and Fina made the cutest Advent Calendars! I can't tell you what each contained yet as they haven't been delivered. Matteo made some airplanes - that fly very well! Fina decorated her car with the greatest reflective Christmas lights! And Jamie made the best birthday gift for Lynn, a pipe cleaner palm tree. It was symbolic for some Lisa Leonard pewter Nativity pieces yet to arrive.

Lexi lucked out. She was the only one up when
Nana and Papa headed for breakfast at Snooze.

Gotcha Day and a Birthday!

It was Gotcha Day (adoption day) for one of the clan and a Birthday for another this weekend!

World Prematurity Day

Tracy posted the first pic below on Facebook, saying: "Today is World Prematurity Day which always means I have to share my 25-weekers - who are now 10yrs old and defied all the odds. David and Jonathan, you are both 1 in a million."

Perfect new blanket for Christmas!
Biggest blanket ever!

Book Club Luncheon

Lynn's Book Club met at our house for their monthly luncheon and book discussion. This month's book was Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah. It's a novel about JFK's wife. And can you believe it, Lynn chose a French theme for lunch. Everything was French, from the opening champagne (Perrier-Jouet) to the homemade French apple tart (from a Paul Brocuse cookbook) with real whipped cream lightly spiked with Cointreau. The broccoli cheddar soup and the baguette épi de blé (which means "ear of wheat") came from the French Kitchen as did the French butter. That style baguette is perfect for tearing off a 1-serving size that can be easily dipped in the soup. The leftover baguettes were devoured by the family, another fam fave.

Deer Across the Street

Four of them!

Music on the Mezzanine

AJ's voice teacher offers "comfortable" public singing opportunities for her students with about 4 concerts a year called "Music on the Mezzanine." These are held on a mezzanine of a very cool church downtown, Grace and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. AJ's loving it.

That's the mezzanine up there.