More Christmas

Here are some more Christmastime goings on. It was a very mobile Christmas for James -- not only did he get a truck, but also a "dirt bike", although we were a little ahead of his growth spurt, as he can't reach the pedals just yet.


Grandma KK also taught James the secret to making fudge:

Then he partook in the gleanings:

And the helicopter might be Maria's favorite toy of Christmas too. She watches it constantly:

New Toy

James wasn't the only one to get a toy for Christmas, I got one too -- a remote control helicopter, which I believe was a dream for all boys when they were little. This is one of the promises that technology actually fulfilled. With a few tries and crashes before getting the hang of it, now I'm becoming a master. James is amused.

Mahi, Mahi

It has been a wonderful Christmas in the Adle house. Many presents, much food, and a lot of church thrown in there too. Here's a first round of pics. More to come.

In their Christmas church finest.

James is digging the truck from Great Gramps.

Which even has a working FM radio.

Merry Christmas from all of us.

Baby 'Ria 4 Month Stats

Baby Maria is four months old. Kind of a big deal, if you think about it.

Here are her stats:

length: 24"
weight: 14 lbs, 6 oz

Yeah for Maria! Keep up the good work!

In other less numeric news, she is really smiley and happy. She's developing quite a laugh when Dad gets her going. She rolls from back to belly and belly to back pretty easily but hasn't done a full rotation yet. She loves it when James talks to her and brings her toys.

30

30's the new, uh . . . actually, 30's a pretty good number all on its own. But! it got a whole lot better, because my beautiful bride just joined the ranks. Congrats 30. And Happy Birthday, Ro.

Open House III

Well, unfortunately we failed to take pictures today of our impressive spread and our even more impressive church members who showed up for the Open House. Bummer!

Here are a few highlights...

Betty S. showed up with a large tray of goodies this morning. Good thing since I had a few kitchen blunders yesterday. But her added treats were just what we needed to reinforce the menu.

Hot Cranberry Yumness was a success once again. Except for when I burned my tongue due to over-zealous drinking. But that's ok.

Chicken clubhouse squares got devoured. Note to self: make again. Also - special request for meatballs next year. We're on it. Oh, and prunes. But I think that part was a joke. (???)

Maria was a doll and wore a large party bow for the occasion.

James had fun upstairs w/ his sitter for the first half of the party. Then he totally worked the crowd when we let him come down and join us. After everyone left we had the following conversation:

Me: James, did you like the party?

James: Yes.

Me: What was your favorite part?

James: Ginnes turnover somersault.

What's really remarkable is that he enjoyed the somersault more than the cookies. That says a lot...a whole lot. So...If you weren't here, you missed out big time... :)

Winter outside, fun inside.

Winter has arrived here in Secor. We've stayed inside about as much as possible. Here are some pics of the latest developments. Maria may not be as large as her younger cousin, but she's clearly bigger than she was a couple months ago. She's been working on getting some rolls.


James got a new set of p-jams from the Grandparents Adle. Here he's, um, . . . doing this:

???

We've also taken to feeding the neighborhood birds. Here's a shot of our screen, with several of the winged friends in the background:

Notice the shoveled grass up to the grill.

Maria Talks

Maria has been studying James pretty closely. She especially wants to learn how to talk like him.

33 -- Day Two

Just to keep everyone updated on all things 33 -- a pic of today's lunch:

33 pt 2

It was a good birthday. Since we run this joint, Rosie and I figured we could have the birthday cake whenever we wanted. Like for breakfast. James liked that idea a lot.

The time stamp on this photo would
read 8:15. In the A.M.

We coupled it with some homemade raspberry
sauce -- made with home grown raspberries.

Thanks for all the calls and presents. Next up: Rosie's birthday.

33

Well, a certain someone is 33 today. That's kind of hard to believe, especially given the fact that I'm still a youthful twenty-something. But it's true!

So here are 33 things that make this stand-up guy stand out from the rest:

33. Peppers everything.
32. Still loves sweatpants.
31. Looks good in a beard.
30. Also looks good beardless.
29. Advances the field of sleep technology.
28. Thinks Sunny D is juice.
27. Considers muffins healthy.
26. Writes wonderful little ditties about the kiddies.
25. Preaches like an angel.
24. Nebraskan through and through.
23. Likes NC.
22. Great hair. So luxurious it busted a set of clippers.
21. Takes a magazine w/ him wherever he goes.
20. Works well with wood.
19. Also works well with people.
18. Has two adorable children who closely resemble him.
17. Likes music and listens to it regularly.
16. Cooks better than his wife.
15. Washes the cars till they shine.
14. Loves to learn.
13. Misses airplanes.
12. Small-town life suits him.
11. Looks great in black.
10. Thinks Apple is superior.
9. Excellent labor coach.
8. Has rescued a squirrel from grave danger.
7. And a bird, too.
6. Makes malts.
5. Is as cute as the day he was born.
4. Often forgoes shoes and socks.
3. Power napper.
2. Beloved father, son (and son-in-law), brother (and brother-in-law), grandson, nephew, cousin, uncle, pastor, neighbor, friend...
1. And a most beloved husband.

Happy birthday! I love you!

Various Activities

Maria's been growing (except her hair). She's now starting to grab things. We've set her in the stander thing a few times, but today she actually grabbed something. It may have been by accident though.



James has been talking more and more. He's also taken to getting on top of me whenever I get down close to talk with Maria.