Apples & Trees

Does this boy look familiar? I showed this to Jonah and he thought it was himself. I look like I have to pee. Thanks to my sister Jen the family historian / archivist for the picture .

Jonah's Snowman

Too much going on. Some good. Some sad. Lots of changes. Growth. Muddy waters of life. Remind me to write about some of this stuff later. Meanwhile, here's an adorable recent photo of Jonah to make us smile. It was taken during one of our last days living in Washington D.C. (more on that later), the morning after a snow storm (but not one of the huge ones of recent days) in the midst of our mad dash to pack up our life of seven years there. Amidst the chaos, I noticed how delighted Jonah was with the snow, which made me notice that the snow was the perfect consistency for making snowballs and snowmen. I went to work, with a little help from my little man. The result was a very delighted toddler and two happy parents who realized it's a good idea to take a break every now and then and let the child lead the way. ~ Nicole

TWO

Jonah is two. I should have written something here on his birthday, but this time of year has become filled with celebrations with family and friends. It's probably a good thing I don't have much time to be on the computer. As I write, I wait for Jonah and Matthew to return from a lunch date with Papa Tom. Three generations of Cavanaugh males out to lunch. I can only imagine what sort of antics they are up to, but I'm sure there are lots of laughs. We are at Neeni (Auntie Dani) and Uncle Marc's house for Christmas. We arrived a few days before Jonah's birthday. Celebrations all around. A birthday party for Jonah. He ate his whole cupcake this year. Last year, they were homemade by me and kind of healthy. This year, Betty Crocker helped me. Things change. Then, it was the winter solstice. Jonah went on a magical sleigh ride in Vermont with his Daddy, cousin Hugo, Auntie Eliza and Uncle Gerard. (Mama went to yoga.) In the days leading up to Christmas, we have been visiting and getting ready and finally seem to be catching up on sleep and getting over colds. Tonight, Jonah knows that Santa Claus comes while he sleeps. Tonight, we eat French meat pie and go visiting and will stay out late and hope the boy crashes in the car and stays asleep during the move to his crib. In the morning, Christmas magic. I love Christmas, but I love it even more through Jonah's eyes. This kid has already been showered with so many lovely gifts. But, I really can't wait for him to wake up and see those special Santa presents under the Christmas tree. He is two. He is a handful. And, he is magic. ~ Nicole