Hi everybody, welcome to 2014!  So, let's cut to the chase, I know you're here for pictures.  Here are some from the holidays and shortly after.

No, Colin didn't just grow that much...I'm holding my niece.

Colin and Memah

Colin and Great-Grandmother.  He's a pro thumb-sucker now.

Moustachifier...for the new man in your life!

We had fun in Alabama through the holidays but I'm looking forward to having our own Christmas, perhaps next year.  Besides, why should we be travelling AWAY from a fabulous Phoenix winter. High 60s & low 70s... It almost makes me want to learn to golf...

This is the golf course next to our house on a beautiful day.

I recently got involved in Meetup.  For those who don't know, Meetup is a social media site that connects people of similar interests who want to...meet up.  I am a member of a group of moms in the Phoenix Valley who had kids in 2013.  Last week, 30 or so of us met up at the Desert Botanical Gardens to walk around and enjoy the plants and the Chihuly blown glass exhibit.  It was quite a sight to see...a parade of strollers!   I liked how the sculptures mimicked the cacti.  I think there was a similar exhibit once at Bellingrath gardens in Mobile.

Some of these things are 20- 30 feet tall!

Do you remember seeing these in the movie Rango? Haven't seen Rango?  Look it up right now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope to do some more meetups in the near future and get to know some mamas out where I live.

This is not Murphy, but the weaves I made look like this

 I've been working with Murphy to get him used to training around other dogs again.  We'll be signing up for Intermediate level agility classes starting in February.  It will be a success to me if he behaves himself around other dogs and has fun doing the obstacles.  I don't really expect him to get to the level where he could compete, not that he isn't good at it...it just takes a lot of effort on my part to keep him with me on the course.  I built a set of weaves out of pvc to practice with at home, since they are probably the most difficult obstacle.




I will also be trying to get recertified soon so that I can apply for a part-time job teaching strings next school year.  Fingers crossed that it won't be more complicated than it was the first time and that some of my work toward updating the first certificate transfers.

plotting.

sucked his thumb 'till he fell asleep

Colin is almost 3 1/2 months old now.  He is 17 1/2 pounds and mostly torso, which means most of the pants that fit him around the belly are way too long.  I can't bring myself to hem tiny pants, so he's just going to have to wear 9 and 12 month sizes that are too long.  His new skills include sucking his thumb accurately (he can go to sleep that way), sucking on pacifiers, grabbing things with both hands, scootching away from me by arching his back, and laughing.   He seems interested in knocking things out of my hands.  He is ticklish.  He likes sunshine and trees and cuddles.  No, this isn't a love connections ad in the newspaper.

Also, we saw the movie "Frozen".  I had been worried that I wouldn't get to see a movie in the theater for a year or so but Colin was great.  Slept through most of it.   Very singable movie too- we had fun!