Oui, Oui, We Wii

Images from Christmas morning...

Ladies and gentlemen!

Watch out, Slash, here comes our girl!

"Nenin."

Giddyup, horsy.

Uh, Grandy?

Grandy!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A new Christmas tradition

We didn't post about it, unfortunately, but we visited with Santa atop the Hancock tower last December. Maybe we just didn't come away with any good photos, other than the hard copy Santa gave us.

Anyway, it left such an impression on Mom that she insisted we return this year, and we finally made it there today, of all days.

We weren't sure how crowded it would get. It was really busy and the line was long to see Santa on that random day last year. As it turned out, though, we arrived shortly before Santa arrived a little after 11 a.m., and we were the first (and only) family in line!

And, for the first time in her life, Levynn did not fear a living, breathing Santa. In fact, after Mr. and Mrs. Claus appeared, he knelt down in front of her, and she lunged into his arms to give him a huge hug. (Look at Mom's reaction.)



We have to give the big man credit. He's a phenomenal Santa. He's friendly, but gently so, like a teddy bear of a grandpa; and he's patient, taking the time to chat with each family and make everyone comfortable (which was one reason the line moved so slowly last year). He had Levynn at "Hello," and even Lincoln, who did fuss, at least didn't try to jump out of his lap.

So Mom and Dad were very pleased.

We also "cleaned windows" and watched the neat holiday-themed train set in the tower's lobby, just as we did last year.


What did we do differently? We ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory downstairs!



We wanted to do that last year, but the wait to be seated made Santa's line look like a 100-meter dash. This time, however, the restaurant was all but empty, and we were given a great table.

So we think we'll do this on Christmas Eve every year!

A little fun in the snow

The emphasis is on "little."

Sub-zero temperatures forced us to keep Lincoln indoors Sunday and Monday, but the air warmed (to 20 degrees or so) and more snow fell today. So we sent him out for his first experience in the white stuff as a walking, talking big boy.


He didn't like it much.

After 10 minutes or so, he broke into tears and wanted to go back in the house. What a city boy!

We're back... again

Thanks to Gram and Papa and the rest of the Chambers clan for another fun holiday adventure in Massachusetts!

The kids were still recovering from their nasty infections, albeit quite quickly with the antibiotics, so we decided to skip the ski trip that was planned. But there was plenty else to enjoy, including the girls' afternoon at the Boston Ballet's "Nutcracker" and all the rest below.

It all started with Lincoln's first flight last Monday. It went very smoothly, maybe because he slept through most of it!




There was a lot of snuggling with cousin Chloe, of course.





Uncle Colin read a favorite from Dad's childhood, "Santa Mouse," to Levynn and Lincoln (and soon-to-be-Aunt Katie and Uncle Dan) one evening.



Oh, and Lincoln chased the anti-social kitty every time he saw her.



We went to the New England Aquarium with Papa one afternoon.





We also trimmed (another) tree that day.



Levynn and Gram baked Christmas cookies another afternoon, and Lev was really involved.






There was supposed to be a big party on Friday night, but the storm that left about a foot of snow on the ground also kept most of the guests away. Dan's choral group made it, though, and gave us a nice show.



That snow also left us in a waiting game on Saturday, when we were supposed to fly out of Boston early in the afternoon.

(There's Papa, clearing off his car before work that morning.)



Our flight was delayed two hours, but fortunately we knew that before we left the house. We would have played in the snow while we waited - if our gear wasn't already packed! Instead, we just played indoors.

... while Aunt Rachel helped Uncle Dan study.

What sick looks like, Part 2

Six days into her antibiotic treatment, Levynn is feeling great. Her brother, however, is not.



Levynn returned to the pediatricians' office for a follow-up on Thursday, and the new doctor actually called her condition what no other had: pneumonia. We brought Lincoln along to get him a look, too, because he was coughing, had a low-grade fever and seemed to us to be heading in the same direction. But the doctor said he wasn't treatable... yet.

After two rough days and nights, Mom took Lincoln back for another look. That time frame was all his body needed to deteriorate enough for treatment. He suddenly had an ear infection, and we can be confident pneumonia was on the way. So he's on an antibiotic, too.

Oh, and there are less than two days left before we fly to Massachusetts.

What sick looks like

When you're 4 and have a 102-degree temperature, haven't slept or eaten well in about three days and can't speak for coughing, this is what you get: Sad, pooky girl. But after chest x-rays and now a dose of antibiotics, we're hoping she'll start to feel better really soon.

Trying to put on a brave face:


Burst capillaries under her eyes, from such choking, forceful coughing:

And this is what she sounds like:

"Trimming" the tree

That's right, Lincoln, a tree.





And unpacking decorations.

It's Dec. 1 again

Does this look familiar?


Chicago's first snow of the season fell today, and today was just the day for it.

One year ago today, you may remember, we loaded our car and a rental van in Louisville and embarked upon our life-changing drive to Chicago. We didn't get to Chicago that day, of course - thanks to the winter storm that hit the region one year ago today.

But we did get to Chicago the next day (one year ago tomorrow), and we've been Chicagoans ever since.

Another writer or editor?

Lincoln just uttered his first three-syllable words today, bumblebee and newspaper. Here's our favorite:

We're back

The first of our two holiday adventures, this one with the Garrott side of our family, was well worth the long drive from Chicago to Western Kentucky.

We spent an evening at Mammy and Pap's house and the rest of our time at Grandy's cottage in Kentucky Dam Village. Many thanks for the hospitality, as usual, and the photos, some of which we borrowed and added to our own below.

Let's have a look!

Here's Mammy showing Levynn and Clark a few things on the piano.


Here's Grandaddy on the floor with Levynn and Clark.


Here's Dad and Mom sharing a moment.


Here's one of Levynn's three late-night crashes in Grandy's lap.


Here's Uncle Byron reading our battered and beloved Frosty the Snowman book to cousin Clark, Lincoln and Levynn.


Here's our fun Thanksgiving Day gang, gathered for a neat shot on the cottage stairs.

And here are those cute kids again, holding hands during the peaceful ride home.

Oh, and did we mention that it's amazing how much different a parent's view of such a trip can be when the kids have been happy on the road?

Happy Thanksgiving to all!