no words are really necessary here. (except that it was taken by Dave, yay!)
... at Krispy Kreme, one of our new family traditions (b-fast at KK at Christmastime). it's fairly obvious that Lucy thought it was scrumdiddlyumptious!
here's eli dancing in daddy's lap as dave practices puppetry with a couple of youth groupers. it's just a slice of everyday-ness 'round here. (btw, they're practicing to a version of a boy band song. don't ask why!) ** actually, i just remembered: i'm also puppet-ing with one hand while videoing eli's reaction. that's why he's looking at me with all that glee. the students were taking a break.
eli is starting to be very playful. i planted him in the middle of our big red couch, and he sat there pretty happily for a long time. lucy joined him, of course, reading her books and helping him keep track of the toys on his lap. it is easy to make eli laugh and smile.
as i left a friend's house on thursday morning, i noticed how the fog was just sitting on the nearby mountains, making a compelling backdrop to the rooftops of the neighborhood. i thought immediately of a great carl sandburg poem (or was it langston hughes?) about fog & "little cat's feet".
and for laughs: this happened about 7 times this week. i put it in black & white to help you keep down your breakfast. :) oh, eli. we'll never have clothes for hand-me-downs at this rate!
it just doesn't get much cuter than that! and yes, it is 75 degrees here today. we're walking in a winter wonderland, alabama style! 
not to be left out, lucy also had to pose with today's date. (in a few years, when she looks at this picture, she'll realize what a fine idea pants are.) she'll be 22 months old (officially) tomorrow. holy cow! and for posterity, here's what she looked like at 5 months.
i got an e-mail request from a loyal reader to post a new pic of lucy (eli's been getting all the publicity lately!). so here's the latest. we were out Christmas shopping last week, and we hit a toy store. oh my goodness, she jumped at the chance to push this stroller around. and she took off throughout the store like there was no tomorrow. then she'd come to the stuffed animals, throw out the "used" one mercilessly onto the floor, and tenderly put in a new one for the next lap. it broke our hearts not to get this for her right then and there. we'll see what the extended family comes up with for her for Christmas! ;)
i adore my son.
the very same toy Eli had by his side just days after he was born.
that's some size difference, eh?
see what makes others cozy here!
A few seconds later, not so much.
Methinks he's just a tad melodramatic, like his momma. He was happy again right after that.
See what's making others scream over at Picture This!
This is the runner-up family Christmas photo for us this year... it was too cute not to show it to you here.
my dave, what a monkey!
my dad
dave and me
my parents (instructed to laugh for the picture)
lucy walking with gramma
daughter and father (laughing for real!)
playing in the leaves was fun for lucy!
she also liked hanging out by the tree
dave and eli (who was kinda tired)
my dad and my dave buddying up
Here's a picture of me in 7th grade (13 years old). My hair is still that long now!
yeah, here he is, four months already! my eli has so much charm. he smiles at everyone, laughs, and makes little squealing sounds. he's about 15 pounds. frankly, i think he's a really easy baby to take care of. we have fun. he's my special guy.
and here he is rolling over! this kid is on the move.
But back to the pictures. One sunny, chilly afternoon, we five friends decided to take several posed pictures amid the awesome backdrops we saw everywhere. We started posing for each picture like it was a record album cover. This one is my favorite. That's me in the foreground, feeling very sassy in my shades. And that's my Dave in the background. Steve & Danielle are in the middle. Neal took the picture. He is a very talented guy; I find myself modeling a lot of my photography after his.
We received this Bumbo baby seat from Matt & Gina after Eli was born, and he is just now getting old enough to use it. But it's taking some time to get him interested in it. (It's the only thing he sits in that encourages him to sit up completely straight, which is a new idea for him.) Right now, he enjoys it for a few short minutes before getting upset and arching his back to get out. I hope he'll grow to enjoy it more & more as he gets bigger, because I'm told it's a lifesaver! Dave put it on his head last night and that was the funniest thing I've ever seen, so it's certainly meeting a need for me at the moment!
(taken by my mom on her last visit)
(taken by Dave the day Eli was born)
I like the first one because this is something Eli and I do a million times a day. That boy makes eye contact with me that is so strong and endearing. Everyone who sees us together makes some kind of comment about how he "only has eyes for me" or "he is in love with his mama".
The second is one of my all-time favorites, because it captures the perfect peace and joy I felt after our son was born. I love how neither of us are looking at the camera (or each other), and I love the magnetism of our new relationship. I can't say that I remember Dave even taking that picture. It's a little blurry, but I think that adds to its charm.
But to celebrate the theme of "mama", here is one my dad took of me and my mom. She is amazing. I love you!
Check out other mamas at Tracey's!
The sun streamed in as Lucy experienced climbing through her first playground tube.
(In these photos, you'll see a jubilant Dave after a successful interview weekend, the sign for our new church home, and shots of Lucy at the Oakleys' house (she is being held by Shelton, watching Hal at the grill).
