About a month ago, Calder gave his blankie to the Blankie Fairy. He left his two blankies outside his bedroom door and in the morning he found a note from the fairy along with a dollar bill. The Blankie Fairy had to come because it was time for Calder to stop sucking his fingers and the only time he sucked his fingers was when he was snuggling with blankie. Blankie was such a true friend and comfort to my little one. I thought it was only fitting that I put together a tribute to it. Aunt Bobbe and Uncle Walter sent the blankie when Calder was born, but it didn’t get used until about a year later. Once Calder become attached to the blankie, they sent out a second one.

The first photo we have of Calder with his blankie. Look at that hair!

Lots of good naps with his friend.

My darling boy and his blankie at his one-year photo shoot.

Blankie was the kind of friend you could just sit with and ponder the universe without saying a word.

Blankie in Seattle.

Blankie went everywhere with Calder.

Devoted companions.

When the world felt big and scary, Blankie was there to make it all better.

Along for the best of times at the Strawberry Days parade.

Still loving Blankie at his two-year photo shoot.

The best sleeping buddy ever.

Little Blankie, you were surely loved and are still missed by one little boy who sometimes voices his regret at having given his blankie to the Blankie Fairy. But you'll be glad to know that your little boy is doing just fine now, Blankie. We're taking good care of him.

My baby is 11 months old today! I’m going to have to start planning a birthday party soon! Here are some pictures I snapped the other day of my Pumpkin Head (I have no idea how I came up with that nickname).

I think he's getting a little chunkier.

Such a happy boy. I am just delighted by him.

Hello, Sweet Boy!

He is fascinated by the blinds next to the changing table.

Love this boy (even when the picture's a bit blurry and the lighting is bad)!

I got to go snowshoeing on Saturday and it was so great! Growing up in Latin America certainly afforded me lots of amazing experiences, but snowshoeing was not one of them. My friend and neighbor Jody (a school teacher and park ranger) took me out to show me the ropes. She’s awesome and we had a lovely time.

Gorgeous scenery.

Did you know that a group of aspens is all part of the same tree? I had no idea! The individual trees are actually all connected to the same root system or something. Ask Jody--she knows all about it.

Proof that I was there!

The snow kept clumping up in my clamp-ons, but other than that it was great. So wonderful to get out into the snowy woods!

Sometimes I feel like Easton gets all the attention on this blog. That’s probably natural, seeing as he is the baby. But, just in case you were wondering, here’s what the rest of us have been up to.

I have been keeping myself busy with homeschooling, teaching a handful of violin students, participating in city business as the secretary of the Pleasant Grove Arts Commission, teaching a Spanish class to Amelie, Calder, and two of their friends once a week, my primary calling, and taking violin lessons myself. I’m loving taking lessons again. Sometimes it’s a bit like learning how to walk again as I work to correct bad habits and learn better technique, but it’s wonderful and I’m excited to improve my musical skills.

Bryce is enjoying his job at HandStands and continues to get rave reviews from his boss. He’s done some great things for the company in the time he’s been there–lots of new products and lots of budget-saving measures. He’s also teaching himself Objective-C, a computer programming language, training for a half-marathon, and performing his duties as a member of our ward’s bishopric.

Amelie is having lots of fun these days–learning to read (she’s gotten quite good!), taking a dance class, doing science experiments, and learning some gymnastics at the weekly homeschool PE class we go to at one of the local rec centers. Her favorite thing at the moment seems to be somersaulting. She literally somersaults from room to room around our house and often stops whatever she is doing to somersault across our living room.

Ta-da!

Calder is also a big fan of the PE class. A room full of trampolines, obstacle courses, balance beams–heaven for a three year-old boy! He also loves to be read to, play “Nice Guy, Bad Guy,” and do puzzles.

See?

And we can’t forget the cat! Little Dinah has been a wonderful pet so far. She’s patient with the children and a bit kooky–a perfect combination in a cat. She is the best lounger I know. We often find her completely relaxed on her back, just asking to get a tummy rub. She enjoys hiding under the kids’ bunk bed at bedtime, forcing me to spend about 10 minutes trying to cajole her out. And then there’s her “Off to the Races” moments during the day when she runs at top speed from end to end of our little house.

Little Dinah and a toy from my childhood. Isn't the resemblance amazing? I think it was meant to be.

So, life is wonderfully busy. I guess that was kind of like our Christmas letter. Just pretend you got it in the mail with a nice family photo.

One last picture for the road:

Helping Grandma Brenda practice.

In honor of Easton’s 10-month birthday, some pictures:

On the rare occassion that I am in the passenger seat and not driving, Easton loves to watch me from his seat. In other news, Amelie is in the process of being celestialized in this picture...

Easton's been working on the whole crawling thing recently. So far, he's figured out how to push himself along backward, but no forward motion yet.

I think it's kind of frustrating for him.

Okay, maybe it's REALLY frustrating...

In truth, he seems quite content to sit and let his brother and sister run circles around him (literally). He doesn’t seem in a rush to move on his own. He does, however, wave and give the best smiles. For the most part, he’s a very cheerful baby who loves to be held and played with. He’s loving the world of real food. At his 9-month check-up, he was measuring a bit small, so we’re trying to transition him off of baby food and on to table food. As long as he’s healthy, I don’t care what size he is, but he does seem to enjoy “real” food and does have quite the appetite.

So, happy 10 months, Sweet Boy!