Show me the Love

Ruthie has been learning and practicing ways of showing affection to others. Her 'kiss' has been tamed from a wide-opened, slobbery, licking mouth to an only slightly-open-mouthed and almost no tongue quick peck, followed by a giggle.
She has surprised me with her hugging lately. In the last month or so, she has been hugging her friends without any prompting from me. I guess she just really likes them :) She loves hugging Josiah. Her hug has also evolved from a strangle-hold to a slightly more gentle, but still hearty wrangling. Here are examples of both.





Note: The second video was taken after I witnessed a similar hug, followed by both of the babies looking at eachother, and simultaneously leaning in for a kiss, after which they both started giggling! So wish I got THAT on tape!

Eating Like a Big Girl

Ruthie has been getting better and better at using a spoon. She usually at least holds one when she eats. She has begun to actually scoop up food herself. Here she is eating her typical breakfast of yogurt (with Cheerios in it).

Nice grip, and good scooping technique:

On the way to the mouth:

I think she got some in!:

Sometimes her natural spoon/fork is just easier:

And sometimes two spoons are better than one!:

Sledding

Grandma K. had a sled for Ruthie to ride in up north. She hated the snow--wouldn't even stand on it without screaming. But she loved being pulled around in the sled!
It was a good workout for me, too!

Fun and Games

This past week we hosted our weekly Thursday Night gathering. We had soup, fresh bread, smoothies, and lots of fun. We even played Jenga (after Ruthie went to bed). We got pretty far. There were one or two more rows added after Ben's turn, shown here.
p.s. If you're looking for a post on our Christmas adventures, you're probably not going to find one. There are, however, many pictures of the festivities on our Picasa album (link on the right) in the December album. By the time we get home from our extended vacations up north, I am just too exhausted to write about it (sorry!). But enjoy the photos--a picture is better than 1,000 words, right? :)

Photo Challenge #46- Self portrait

RULES:
a Self-portrait featuring a physical attribute that you find endearing or beautiful about yourself- something that you feel makes you uniquely "you".
Submit one photo.
This photo can be color or black and white.
Go ahead and "tweak" it if you feel like it!

I chose to take a picture of my pinky finger. I have unique pinkies. They are short. And not just because I have small hands in general; they are short even compared to the rest of my fingers. I think there is a bone physically missing from my 5th finger--when I make a fist, it's like there is a dent instead of a bump where the finger meets the rest of the hand. Strange, huh? I figure it must be genetic, since my sister has the same thing. Anyway, without further ado, here is my freakishly short pinky:

Click here to see other entries

Photo Challenge: Christmas Journal #2

(Same rules as last entry!)

"Trimming the Tree"

Photo Challenge: Christmas Journal #1

The Rules:
1.) Keep a photographic "Journal" of your Christmas activities.
2.) Post as many or few journal entries as you'd like in the MckLinky provided below, but if you do more than one make sure you put that after your name (Diana #1, Diana #2 and so on).
3.) Challenge yourself to describe your traditions and memories in new and creative ways. Tell us a story!
4.) Have fun and create many beautiful memories!

"Winter Wonderland"