The dancing queen

Charlotte is not exactly what you would call a skilled dancer...sometimes it's hard to tell if she's dancing or is in pain. But I have to give the girl credit that she at least tries. Maybe she'll develop a sense of rhythm as time goes on.


Jack also does a weird little skip/jig across the screen in this one.


Also a couple pictures of Jack and Louie. Costco had these huge dog beds on sale yesterday, so we picked one up for Lou. It's so big he was actually a little intimidated by it at first. And I'm sure much to Lou's chagrin, the bed is big enough for him, Jack, and Charlotte.

With me working the 2 jobs right now, it's been harder to find time or remember to take pictures of the kids. Charlotte was looking so cute one morning in her nightgown and 1 sock/1 barefoot look that I did remember to grab the camera.

Multi-tasking

Sarah took this cute pic of Jack snuggling with his monkeys on the couch one day.

So precious. I miss saying goodnight to the kids on Thursdays, but they are so cute to look at later when they're sleeping.

In Loving Memory: Paul D. Jarvis (a.k.a. Dad, Grampy, Grandpa, Great-Grampy)

It was with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to Great-Grampy Jarvis on Sunday. He leaves behind a great legacy of 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren (sorry if my numbers are off). He was my last living grandparent, and the only great-grandparent who was alive when Jack and Charlotte were born. Here are some pictures of Jack's first visit with Grampy in Vermont when Jack was 8 months old.


And some photos from our recent trip to Vermont at Thanksgiving. I am so glad Grampy got to meet Charlotte and see Jack one more time.


I've thought back these past few days of some memories with Grampy: as a child, following him around on the farm and asking questions about Sam the Ram, feeling bad when we went to Uncle Norman's and Great-Grampy got his hand scratched when trying to grab a bunny for me to pet, staring in fascination at all of his projects in the wood shop, Grammy and Grampy's surprise 50th anniversary party.

Also lots of food memories--those delicious homemade pickles, raiding his freezer to check out the stockpile of Ben&Jerry's, being offered Penny's "dog cookies." During our visit to Vermont when Jack was a baby, Grampy kept trying to sneak Jack some ice cream and I wouldn't let him. And I didn't see this, but knowing Grampy I can picture it clear as day--he was a passionate (and stubborn) gardner to the very end. This summer he became dependant on an oxygen tank, but he rigged up a system to pull the tank along side him so he could still tend to his vegetables.

One of the great blessings of my life has been that my parents remarried into such wonderful families. I never realized until later in life, because I had never experienced differently, that divorced kids aren't always treated well by their step-families. Grampy and Grammy Jarvis (and all my other extended family, on both sides) took me in as their own from day 1. They were the epitome of "good people," and were what we should all strive to be. Grampy lived a simple life, but his love, humor, work ethic, and kindness made it an extraordinary life. We will miss you, Grampy. I hope you are in heaven right now with Grammy enjoying a home-cooked meal.

The other night I was trying to record Charlotte making some noises. Of course Jack also wanted me to record him, and since Charlotte wasn't being very cooperative, I took this video of Jack counting. He's normally quite good and can count to well over 50, but he must have had a little stage fright.


I finally got Charlotte a little more in the mood to talk. Her favorite new word is "uh-oh." She'll also say "mama" and "dada," but is very unpredictable with when she says those.



Some news with me--I was offered a temporary faculty position this semester at Loyola University, so I'll be teaching "Public Health Nutrition and Research Theory for Dietetic Practice" for 3 hours, 1 night per week. So most of my "free time" through April will now be spent preparing for class. First class is tonight!

And just for fun, if anyone wants to see a picture of me in a local paper, check out the link below. The article isn't about me; the story was on one of our clinics that moved to a new location. So the article is fairly boring, but you can see a picture of me in the photo gallery section (I'm actually in the main picture too posing as a client, but it's just the back of my head).

http://evanston.suntimes.com/9933249-417/ceda-changes-in-evanston-may-affect-services-to-people-in-need.html

A girl and her dog + New Year's

Charlotte loves to relax with Louie in his bed. Well, maybe it's not very relaxing for Lou, but it beats Charlotte's other favorite things to do to him--pinching, eye poking, and tail-pulling (and she always has to grab his tail right up close to the butt.)

What a cutie!

Also, a couple pictures from New Year's that I hadn't gotten around to posting. We were joined at the lake house by the Flynns and the Words (visiting from North Carolina). I tried to take some pictures of the kids, but they were just too busy having fun and running around. This is the only picture that isn't all blurs:

Who are these crazy people??

More Christmas photos

Thanks to Grandma Nold for sharing her Christmas pictures! Also best wishes for a speedy recovery to Grandmomma Fields, who underwent knee replacement surgery this week. We're glad it went well, and that you're home now!

Here are some more photos from Christmas morning:


This tent has been a big hit. Jack is making it into his own personal hideout.



Charlotte's chase-the-kitty toy. She alternates between having fun and squealing while chasing it, to getting angry that it keeps running away. When that happens, she usually just grabs the kitty and holds it hostage.

"I know I'm not supposed to be touching this, but what are you going to do about it?"

The kids stayed overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's the night before Christmas Eve. Charlotte didn't sleep well and decided to wake everyone up at 5 am. The kids spent some early morning snuggle time on the couch.

Earlier that week, Jack had helped Grandma decorate Christmas cookies. It's been a lot of fun this year, since he's old enough to really participate in a lot more Christmas activities.

Decorating cookies is hard work--Jack never has trouble sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa's :)

Jack-and-Charlotte-in-a-box!

The kids still often have more fun with gift packaging than the gifts themselves. Case in point, this big box from the presents that Aunt Nancy and Uncle Danny sent. Turns out it was the perfect size for Jack and Charlotte.

There were lots of giggles and squeals as Sarah scooted the kids across the floor.


So cute! Jack actually totally enclosed himself in the box, curled up with his monkey in the bottom and said he was taking a nap in the dark (that lasted about 2 minutes). Wish I'd known he likes to sleep in a box; would have saved a lot of money on a bed.

Peek!