January Odds and Ends.

It has been (well, was, I guess) quite a month.  We arrived home from visiting with dear friends in Scotland and found our way back into our normal, what still feels like new-normal, routine.  

It's Monday night, I'm sitting drinking a great and super-dee-duper cheap glass of wine.  James is off to the equivalent of a PTA/PTO meeting, except he's gotta do the work in Catalan -- I'll get there one day, maybe ... and maybe not.  I went to dinner with 21 of the other moms from Aoife's class on Friday night, that was actually 90% in Catalan, 10% Spanish for my benefit, whew!  My brain was tired after an hour : ) but I hung in for two more.  Saturday James worked in the morning while the girls and I headed off to meet with our fantastic friends, the Corominas family, to see a kiddie play -- again in Catalan -- and then James joined us and we all hung out all day because of course they treated us to a yummy homemade lunch, again.  Yesterday we headed out to Lindsey and Francesc's to meet their sweet, new, little guy, Ewan.  We were treated to lunch again and, more importantly, that thing that real friends offer, a safe place to be yourself.  Last weekend we had a big Mexican dinner at ours with some people we love like family, namely Aunties Clare and Kirsty (and the food went over very well, very well ; ) ).  Life is good, soooo good, even if  'me cuesta un poco de vez en cuando.'

Here are some highlights from January:

She made the cutest ever birthday cake, if I do say so myself.    It has four candles because that's how old she'll be on her next birthday.  Love.

 Are you kidding?!?

 Thai dinner one night:  "See, I LOVE broccoli!" 

"Me too, Mommy!  Me too!"

I like more than just broccoli, so here's my version.  You know how we feel about food around here.

 We had an incredible Sunday last week, here's how it started:

 It's bound to be magical after that, right!?!

 Our girl, having the time of her life posing for the camera.

 Best friends.

This is what our persistent, little monkey did while here Daddy and sister collected shells and played model on the beach...

 ..and was she ever good at it!

 Ceee-utest airplane ever ... "I'm a little airplane now...I'm a little airplane nee-ow, nee-ow, nee-ow ..."

 These girls look good on their Mama.

 How I love them so.  I've a happy, happy heart.

 So I do.

Here she is again.  The pictures posted out of order ... but maybe there was some cosmically amusing reason for that because I think that little face and that wind swept hair tell the whole story.

Less windswept but still part of January, we've started braiding hair around here.  Here are some of our first attempts:

Earlier in the month we left our letters to the Kings.  We were sick but determined to deliver those letters.  When in Rome ...

...do as the Romans do and try and relish every moment.  You won't get them back.

We love you so.

Happy February!