Mama’s Little Helper

This little boy is going to make some lucky girl very happy one day…

                                                 

Grapefruits, Lemons, and Oranges, Oh My!

We decided we needed a brief respite from the seemingly endless Ithaca winter, so we spent a couple of weeks in the warm Arizona sun. It was delightful.

   

We played outside a ton...

                                                                                                       

…enjoyed the desert scenery….

 

…and we drank fresh lemonade (made by Jonathan) almost every day.

                                                                                          

We, also, visited Old Town Scottsdale…

                                                                                   

…and Lincoln’s Great-Grandparents.

                                                                                  

Jonathan and I struck out on our own and took a day-trip to the Grand Canyon. We missed Lincoln (who stayed home with his Mamie), but otherwise we really enjoyed our little side trip.

                                                                                              

                                                                                    

                                           

                                             

Lincoln discovered he loves to swim. Outside. In January. Delightful, I say.

 

We tried to recreate a classic Jones generational photo…

                                                                                         

… and spent lots of quality time with Lincoln’s little cousin.

                                                                                   

We explored a little bit of Camelback Mountain in Phoenix and discovered that Lincoln really loves to hike.

                                        

                                                     

Really, we loved being able to spend so much time outside. Thanks, Senior Joneses for letting us come to visit!

The Curious Case of the Dog in Our Hallway

This week we’ve been dog sitting a Wheaton named Maggie  for some friends. Lincoln has been expressing his pleasure with this new development often (from yelling, “A dog! A dog! A dog!” the moment I brought her in the house to squealing with delight every time Maggie comes out of her crate). Although Jonathan and I are generally not pet people, I’ve also enjoyed spending some time with Maggie. She is, seriously, the best dog I’ve ever met. She doesn’t bark, she comes and cuddles with me on the couch, and she is so gentle with Lincoln when a lesser dog might lose their temper.

                                                    

We had Maggie’s crate a few days before we had her and Lincoln really liked to go sit in it, like his own little fort. When Maggie actually got here, it sometimes became difficult to keep him out of it. I don’t think she was too pleased having an intruder in her home, but Maggie took it all with good grace.

                

It was an interesting experiment, having a returnable dog for a week. I’m a little sad to give her up, but a little relieved too. Having a dog is a lot of work!

Decorating Cookies and Christmas Morning

We had a wonderful Christmas at home this year! On Christmas Eve we decorated sugar cookies as a family. I think this was probably one of Lincoln’s favorite Christmas activities, only because he was able to sneak who-knows-how-many M&M’s and was given many a-cookie to snack on.

                                                                                         

                                                                                             

I wanted to try my hand at some fancier cookie decorating. It was harder then it looks and it was a huge pain to make a bunch of different colors. Also, it was something I probably need to do without Lincoln. Nevertheless, I think I will try again soon.

Here’s Lincoln’s best cookie. Jonathan did help some of course.

When I was little, I loved making these cookies with my Grandma. A few years ago she sent me the recipe book they came from, so that I can continue to make them. She passed away earlier this month, so this was a special activity for me. I miss her a lot, so I am happy I can continue the tradition we started together with Lincoln.

Lincoln must have been an exceptionally good boy this year, because Santa Claus brought him some pretty sweet toys. As a matter of fact, his toys were so cool, he could hardly be persuaded to open his next gift, he just wanted to play with the one he had already opened. As a result, Jonathan and I ended up opening a lot of his presents, but it was sweet that he was so excited.

                                                                                     

“No, Dad, I don’t want to open these other presents. I want to play with this awesome bulldozer!”

                                                            

 

The after-mess.

                                                                                               

Jonathan and I made Christmas dinner together in the afternoon (and made a 100% successful turkey, might I add) and we will be eating left-overs for weeks to come. Lincoln played his heart out and ate way too many sweets. It was a very merry Christmas.