Look Out, Folks

So, I finally managed to snap a picture of Joy standing. What motivated her to relinquish every source of support and trust her safety to two unsteady little feet? What else?

A cell phone. "Watch, Mom! No-look texting!"

As if that weren't enough, Joy also tried her hand at climbing today. Anything to get at more books.

Plant Appreciation

Good news: The California Poison Control System informs us that African violets are completely non-toxic.

Nevertheless, we're moving the remnants of this particular specimen far from Baby's crib. Duh, Mama.

Evidence

Just three words:

"Baby was here."

There's One In Every Family

Nope, that's not Mr. Bean in our family portrait. It's my brother Andrew, giving Dad moose antlers.

Any bets whether that's the shot Mom and Dad will pick for their Christmas cards?

Thanksgiving ABCs

As some of you are already aware, it's traditional for my in-laws to play the Thanksgiving Alphabet game every Turkey Day. I love this game because it's usually a fun mix of sincere and silly. Here's how it works:

One person says they’re grateful for something that starts with A, (e.g. “I’m thankful for apple pie.”)

The person to their left then repeats the A item and adds one that starts with B, like “I’m thankful for apple pie and Bono.”

The next person repeats those items and adds one that starts with C: “I’m thankful for apple pie, Bono, and Christmas.”

Keep going around the circle and through the alphabet until you reach Z (for zebras, Zorro, Zarahemla . . .).

This year, our alphabet consisted of:

The Atonement
The Book of Mormon
Clothes
Daffodils
Egg Beaters
Fractals
Giraffes
History
Insulin
Joy
Kimberly Cruz (one of the Beehives in my class)
Laughter
Music
Nutmeg
Orion
Phillip
Quirkiness
The Resurrection
Sunshine
Temples
Umbrellas
Violoncellos
Water
X-rays
Yellow
Zzyzx Road ('cuz it's just fun to say)

Bonding on the Range

Boy, there's been a lot of water under the bridge since that blustery December day nearly a year ago when we clumsily bundled our newborn into several layers of clothes and took her . . .

. . . to the archery range! Cuz that's what you do with newborn, right?

These days Joy actually stays awake to watch the proceedings. She's happy to stay behind me the whole time because, even at this tender age, she's aware how lousy my aim is.

Here's Daddy taking aim from 40 yards. The mist lends a touch of romance to the scene, don't you think?

Oh yeah, and that arrow my dad accidentally shot into the branch above the target a few months back? Yup, the arrow tip's still stuck there.

Standing For Something

I know it may be hard to tell from this photo, but . . .

. . . Joy is standing unsupported. She still prefers to lean on things most of the time, but more and more she's starting to let go and stand unassisted. She does it most often when she wants to examine something with both hands. Driven by curiosity - just like her Mama.

Joy Heart Cheese

When Joy stopped nursing, the rest of her diet consisted mainly of fruits, veggies, and grains. I was at a loss how to get sufficient calcium and protein into her. Fortunately, one of the play group moms suggested . . .

. . . cheese! String cheese, specifically. I never cared for the stuff much as a kid, but I have now repented and changed my ways. Oh yeah, and Joy likes it, too. She ate a whole stick of it (broken into bite-size pieces, visible on her tray) with her lunch today. She also likes plain yogurt mixed with fruit, and I think I've found a jarred meat she'll actually tolerate. Yay!

Here I've just placed a bit of cheese in Joy's mouth. Ah, the supernal delight of dairy products!

Putting Things In Perspective

Joy says:

"My nose may have issues . . ."

". . . but I still have the cutest feet in the neighborhood."

Virus Meets Girl

Sorry we haven't posted in a while. Joy's nose started running on Monday, and things were downhill from there. Baby is feeling much better now, but she spent most of the week running a fever and . . .

. . . doing this . . .

. . . and this . . .

. . . and this. In case you're confused by this one, this is Joy stuffing her mouth absolutely full of bread. For a couple days, bread and apple juice were the only things she would permit to enter her mouth.

Don't touch my bread, Dad.

P.S. For a list of helpful lessons I learned from this ordeal, click here.

The Ontario Hendricksons

Phillip's Uncle Mark invited us to come out to Ontario for a big family dinner today.

It was a full house, with Cousins Nicole, Jodi, and Scott and their families also there for good company and good food (aka tasty ribs, a stupendous salad, and cheesecake for dessert).

If you ask Joy, though, the highlight of the evening was when Cousin Scott introduced her to Dora the Dog.

Temple Jubilee

Latter-Day Saints in the Los Angeles Temple district have been invited to celebrate the temple's 50th anniversary by attending a special meeting in its solemn assembly room. Today was our stake's turn.

Phillip and I have been looking forward to this for months. The jubilee meeting (and the chapel session and endowment session that preceded it) were beautifully uplifting, and gave us a lot to think about.

Joy, meanwhile, was hanging out with about 25 other kids (the stake Relief Society president arranged babysitting in a nearby building). All that fun was pretty exhausting, and we returned to find her fast asleep.

Waking Sleeping Beauty.