playing around with the camera in MN.

LOVING the new DSLR! Also, the hat Ross and Meredith bought Lorelei for Christmas.

still not up to date.

There are STILL MORE PHOTOS and stories to post from our trip. I feel like I will never get caught up. So I want to take a minute to record all of what Lorelei has been up to since she turned 7 months old on Christmas Eve!

*belly laughed for the first time on Christmas Eve afternoon -- we thought she was crying at first and got really concerned!

*she has turned into quite the little roller -- turning this way and that to reach objects she takes a fancy to

*when on her stomach, can push herself up into a sitting position

*LOVES avocado now -- when we serve it to her, she can't get it to her mouth fast enough! She also makes very funny and sweet little humming noises as she eats

*still no babbling, though she certainly makes a wide number of squealing and cooing sounds (not to mention angry grunts when she gets tired or is frustrated about not being able to crawl or play with the toys she wants!)

lessons from Uncle Ross.

Ross really wants Lorelei to learn to crawl. So far, it is not happening. But he spent lots of time in MN trying to teach her the ropes:

sledding.

Gramma B was determined to take Lorelei sledding this Christmas. Unfortunately, there was absolutely no snow in MN. That didn't stop her, though.

family party day.

When Ross and Meredith arrived back in MN after their whirlwind tour of Pittsburgh and eastern Ohio, we all went out to celebrate Ross's and my birthdays by dining at a classic Bloomington establishment: David Fong's.

(image)

Though my parents have lived in the same east Bloomington house since 1984 and I have driven past it countless times, I had never been in David Fong's before! My mom said that now that I was turning 31 I was old enough to go...so we did. For some reason, I always pictured it as being this seedy den of iniquity, with scary Chinese mobsters gambling in dark corners and sleazy cocktail waitresses giving you the evil eye. Instead, it was filled with a bunch of old guys who looked like they just left their meeting at the local Elks lodge and our waitress was the epitome of Minnesota Nice.

 (see the old guys in the background?)

Despite how it looks in these pictures, Lorelei was not happy being confined to her highchair, so everybody took turns walking her around the restaurant and showing her the fish tanks while the rest of us ate. Then we were back home for a relaxing afternoon, a dinner of my mom's famous New Year's Day hors d'oeuvres (served early before we headed to Illinois!), and Ross's favorite: tres leches cake.

get over here.

Those were the general sentiments of Lorelei the entire time we hung out at the Enebos house just after Christmas! Ellen, Scott, and Margo invited us over for a delicious lunch (provided by the lovely Beth -- if you're looking for something yummy in the Twin Cities, the spicy curried lentil soup from Turtle Bread cannot be beat!), but the only thing Lorelei wanted to eat was...Margo! She kept grabbing for her and hoping desperately that Margo would sit in one place long enough that she could lick her head a few times. Margo, who just turned one, is way too mobile for such things, of course. Cutest moment: when Margo stood next to the Jumperoo and demonstrated how to bounce up and down so Lorelei could have more fun than she was currently experiencing by just hanging there with her feet dangling. :)

Beth has a bunch of pictures on her camera, some of which are undoubtedly amazing. But here's a quick glimpse into what we did:

 Lorelei, staring in amazement.

 Jason attempting to block Lorelei from grabbing Margo.

Margo fending off Lorelei's unwelcome advances with a Sesame Street book.

christmas afternoon.

For the second year in a row, we spent the late afternoon and early evening hours out at Keystone where both my mom's parents and my dad's mom are living. Everybody brings food to share and presents for each other and we just relax, eat, and enjoy getting to be together as a big family.

Most of the pictures below are courtesy Jeb and Adria, photographers extraordinaire. Thanks, guys!

First up: the great-grandparents.

Love from cousin Adria and Great Auntie Cathy.

These next photos are especially meaningful for me -- Lorelei and I received mother-daughter aprons that my grandmother had made for me and my mom almost 30 years ago (I have many cute pictures of myself as a toddler wearing mine as I "helped" in the kitchen!), plus a lovely cookbook that will be fun to start trying with her next Christmas.

Playing pass the baby...

...and a family shot, minus Jeb who was behind the camera.