All in a days word

One first today, possibly two.

Our little Miss B made the sign for "please" today at the table during lunch for the first time! We have been working on this sign for a while now and she has been signing it lately, but at random times. Today she actually indicated with this sign that she would like more food "please". We were all very excited for this accomplishment and for the beginning of understandable communication and had a little party there at the table.

Also this morning when we were petting the kitty as we do every day and saying hi to him she waved at him and said "Ed". She said it several times. Over the next couple days it will be apparent whether or not she was just repeating it or truly connects "Ed" with her kitty cat, but it looks promising. This would be very fun since they are special friends already. She loves her kitty cat and the feeling is clearly mutual.

Some people just have flair!

Hey Mrs. Jones, i happened to have that pix of my "niece" Elton John handy, so here it is...this had to be around spring 2005, right? Love you Miss M! (oodles of LOVE to Jones 2, 3 & 4 also of course :)

The talented Mr. M...

I have been wanting to brag on my husband's most recent endeavors for a while now, so here's the latest. Most of you know what a skilled craftsman Mr. M is, he's very handy to have around if you need to build a fire...or a house. He's also your go-to guy if you need help surviving in or navigating through pretty much any environment, oh, and he's now a certified lifeguard. With that said, he has been busy this last year working on some new skills many of you may not know about including knife making, prolific spoon carving (he has also turned out one SWEET Swedish-style drinking cup out of wood) and most recently basket weaving! Yes, basket weaving. I was amazed that his first one- crafted today, was complete in about an hour. It was amazing to see a pile of dry grasses be transformed into a basket by my husband's own hands in such a short time. Is there anything he can't make? So here are some pix of his creations (and yes, the very small spoons are baby spoons, he started carving them when we found out i was pregnant :) Our little girl has the coolest Daddy! What fun she will have learning all his trades. At the bottom are some pictures of her "working" on spoons with Daddy.

Mr. M's most recent knife & a sampling of spoons

look at the excellent carving detail on the top spoon!

the latest knife, and yes, he makes the leather sheaths as well

first basket, interior

exterior

basket, spoon and Swedish drinking cup

very cool!

turning over a"roughed out" spoon

Daddy's little helper, you would think he just gave her candy

the bite test...

by far, the best Quality Assurance officer ever!

also part of the oversight committee

more QA

feedback is a crucial part to QA~always hard at work!

Bookworm

Hi there, sorry it has been so long. I know i have many promised pictures to get on this blog for family and friends. There are so many moments we have caught on (digital?), doesn't quite roll off the tongue like "caught on film"...anyhow, so many moments to share. Here is some catching up. These pictures were taken about two months ago, the first time i put a book in her hands~ without my help. Since she LOVES to read she thought she had died and gone to heaven to be able to attack her books all by herself...

we regularly discuss that "we read books, we don't eat them"