"Nursing" - You KNOW what I'm about to do! - Pajama party - First Look - Outtakes

Some detail-oriented people may have noticed that

although the year has ended,
I never finished my Photo of the Week postings.

Currently, there are 42 weeks posted, but I have 5 more to post,

which still only brings us to Week 47

- 5 weeks short of 52.

For others of you, the above explanation just contained

way too many numbers

and you really couldn't care either way.

So let me remedy my tardiness of the last 5 weeks

and LET ME NOT try to make up the 5 missing weeks.

(I'm already being sneaky enough by posting this on the last day (minute) of last year.

When today is clearly January 2nd in the year of our Lord 2010.)

And let it suffice that I will try to be more diligent in the coming year

to deliver to you the correct number of Photos of the Week.

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Outtake

Photo of the Week

2009 Week 47

"An outtake is a portion of a work that is removed in the editing process

and not included in the work's final, publicly released version." Wikipedia

You can see why. (But wait, I think I've just publicly released it.)

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First Look

Photo of the Week

2009 Week 46

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Pajama party

Photo of the Week

2009 Week 45

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You KNOW what I'm about to do!

Photo of the Week

2009 Week 44

And she totally did it.

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" Nursing"

Photo of the Week

2009 Week 43

No, my son is not confused about his gender. And whether a boy can nurse or not.

But he knows that if you are going to pretend to have a baby monkey,

one of the things you need to do is pretend to feed it.

And how do babies eat? Well, they nurse, of course.

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It was a very good year...

Is it possible that a decade has passed since we celebrated the Year 2000?

It doesn't seem possible...

With today's, this week's, this year's, and this decade's work behind me

(I'm sorry, couldn't resist)

we geared up this evening for a little celebration of the old and the new year.

2009 was a very good year for our family, on many fronts,

foremost of which is this new little munchkin, right here...

as well as new joys from this older munchkin,

the one with the Elmo straw.

This year, we saw my business triple in work and profit -

which means that the single most important accessory for 2010

will be the same Barnes & Noble Desk Diary

I used throughout 2009 to record my work, my life,

everything.

The calendar saw quite a lot of action in the past year.

For example, I might have missed Ariana's birth had I not penciled it in -

in between translation projects.

(Of course, I am kidding, we all know she decided to come a day earlier than scheduled,

throwing a wrench into all my carefully laid plans,

and sending me scrambling to meet deadlines during early labor. Fun!)

But let me get back to The Calendar -

Perhaps because I would never be able to keep track of all these projects without it,

perhaps because it allowed me to fulfill my obsessive need for organization and

because it helped me keep my one and only New Year's Resolution last year

(Invoice every week!)

I have fallen for this calendar. I don't think I can live without it anymore.

Its crisp, clean pages beckon me

its shiny gold edges

and soft leather binding (noticeably softer than the worn 2009)

call my fingers to caress its pages

Can't wait to write in it...

Happy 2010!

Let's hope it's a good one!

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009

13-hour drive there, 11-hour drive back.

Baby's first Christmas.

New house, but just as many trees as ever.

Home for the holidays, a truly magical white Christmas.

Yes, I know that there are a lot of pictures here.

No, this is not the time to tell me that "less is more."

Let the Christmas magic linger just a little bit longer.

My 3-year-old birthday boy.

Man, how does time fly!

Adjusting the decorations on the tree just to his liking?

Better.

With his buddy.

And with "his baby."

Grandmom and Pop Pop's magical new house.

Our magical new baby.

Opening his and her Christmas outfits.

Wearing them on Christmas Eve. Thanks, Grandmom!

With cousin Natalia. She and Ariana have the same taste when it comes to color.

There should be some pictures here of me.

Uh-hum, there should be pictures of me.

Santa (pretend Santa, Angel, whatever suits your fancy) arrives.

Just Caleb and the presents Christmas morning.

Puppet theatre. For hours of imaginative play.

First watch - from Pop Pop.

A multitude of other presents from grandparents, aunts, cousins, and friends.

A lucky bunch are we. Thank You, everyone!!

Sharing a cookie with his "If you give a mouse a cookie" mouse. Priceless.

Christmas Dinner.

Ariana watches us. We gave her bananas for the second time in her short lifetime.

The birthday celebration continues.

Chocolatey chocolate cake with chocolate.

As requested by Caleb, delivered by Grandmom.

The magic of an extra pair of candle-blowing lips.

Ariana looks on. Apparently, we have decided to feed her chocolate icing too today.

My exclusively breastfed baby has now had bananas twice, and chocolate once.

It must be Christmas!

It was Christmas.

I know, because there were a couple of days there

when that computer was only turned on by the light of the Christmas tree in order to

reconnect with friends and loved ones

and to wish them a

Merry Christmas!