Puzzled

Minnie Mimi stands guard over the puzzle that was started by Ben and Kevin the day after Christmas. Nichole made giant strides on it while she was here, completing the Brooklyn bridge and the buildings of the pre-9/11 Manhattan skyline.

Tom, Nichole, Mallaike, and Aurora arrived safely home early this morning (around 1:15 A.M.) The timing of their trip was perfect. Today their entire route is under a winter weather advisory, but it was clear sailing the whole way a day earlier.

I'm still basking in the aura of joy that has settled on the house. It would only have been better if more of my family could have been here. I would love to see Colleen and Mallaika together. Mallaika is talking like crazy now and loves being the center of attention. She's very confident and says lots of cute things. She spent a lot of time wandering around the house carrying an empty cookie tin, holding it out and saying "Do you want some tofu, honey?" Tofu is one of her favorite foods, although she is a fearless eater and will try anything. She calls everyone "honey," an affectation picked up in day care.
Here I am reading Mallaika one of the "Mr. Man" books. These were a gift to Ben and Logan from my friend, Barbara. She got them for her kids while they were living in Hong Kong, long before anyone in the U.S. had heard of the Mr. Man series. Kids just love them and it was as hard for Ben and Logan to part with them as it was for Barbara's kids, nearly eight years ago. Our copies are quite worn, but have been read hundreds of times.

You can see all the holiday pictures on the web