Christmas - Round 1

We celebrated our first of several Christmases this year in Mountain Home. We woke up and opened presents like it was Christmas morning. Mia found it all super amazingly wonderful. She helped my mom pass out presents and she helped pretty much everybody open presents.


After that, we had a chance to go see the Baxter County Library, which is absolutely beautiful. I haven't been able to see it since it was rebuilt across town. It's wonderful.


For supper, my mom invited over lots of family friends that we haven't seen for two years. It was so nice to see everyone: Jackie and Carol, the Bergmans and Bobbi Burchard.

Sleepers and Sheepers

This kid loves her sheep, which we cleverly named Sheepers. Sheepers wears tiny yellow socks and loves to cuddle up with Mia at night.

Aztec ruins

OK, first of all, the Aztec ruins weren't actually made by Aztecs. So let's just get that misnomer out of the way. No Aztecs in Aztec, N.M.

We went to Aztec Ruins National Monument with Carin and Alfie.

Want to go somewhere of religious and historical significance? Take a toddler. It's a super great idea.

Mia spent the morning trying to escape off the path. We can only presume she planned to topple the ruins that have been standing for hundreds of years.

And this is a picture of us down in the kiva, which is sort of like an underground-ish house. Kind of. I think. It's just the ghosts, Mia and me down there. Creepy.

So 80 percent of our morning was spent wrangling our child, as evident by our family portrait. She looks like she doesn't even know us. Good times.

On a related note, I got a national parks passport! My Uncle Russ and our family friend Bobbi each have one, so I picked one up and got my first stamp. Wooo!

Her new BFF

So when we were in Arkansas for Labor Day, our good family friend Bobbi Burchard gave Mia this adorable little lamb. Mia really hasn't had a lovey just yet, but she absolutely loves this lamb. She particularly loves to fling it over her shoulder and carry it like a purse. The other night I found her asleep on top of it, which would be about as comfortable as sleeping on a basketball. We'll have to think up a good name for this guy.

Helping her lamb play with her new music table.



Making a catwalk face with her lamb purse.



Inciting a riot with her lamb.