Bring your daughter to work day

This past Thursday Lillian went to work with Daddy. The highlights included consuming cookies and her first Capri-Sun, "helping" dad on the computer and trying on the helicopters while dad loaded them up. According to eye witnesses there was plenty of fawning and oohing from Dads co-workers over the cuteness.

Our little aspiring pilot.

How to catch a bird

Tuesday - Install shelving. Wednesday - Purchase bins.

Thursday - Wait for good weather, open screenless bedroom window, vacate house for two hours. Quickly close window before bird departures room. Enjoy as pet.

Sadly the window did not get closed in a timely manner. Thus we are without a newly acquired feathered friend. But on Friday...

Today - Clean up nest construction materials that were discovered while searching for socks. Socks that were recently deposited in their new and "clean" bin.

Lucky for us it doesn't appear to have been a woodpecker.

Daddy's Home!

My little helper

For the Grandma's and Grandpa's:

Nauvoo

True to form this information is a little out dated. My sister and I took a weekend to visit Nauvoo, Illinois before she left again for Alaska. The day we arrived there was a beautiful sunset over the Mississippi River. The temple was breathtaking.

Women's Memorial Garden at the LDS Visitor's center.

Though it was just the day after Thanksgiving the visitors center was already decorated for Christmas. Since I don't have many pictures of it I guess you'll just have to take my word for. The wagon/carriage/oxen rides throughout historic Nauvoo leave from the Visitors Center. They are great and free!




Speaking of free so is everything else the church runs. From the brick yard to the Browning Gun shop, printing press, foundry, bakery and many of the historic homes. There are nice tours for each building given by the sweetest senior missionaries who really know their stuff. These same missionaries put on a great show every evening in the cultural hall. The child of mine even let me see most of it. I've seen it all 13 years before so it was fun showing my sister all the highlights. I'll refrain from spewing the plethora of pictures at you. There's so much history in this city and it's such a beautiful region. It was a real treat to visit.

We found this fun place to stay. A little village of restored cabins within Nauvoo. I think the owner carved this headboard on the bed.

Thanks again Lanisha. You're a real sport being willing to travel with a baby. It was a great trip!

The wheels on the bus go round and round.

A wonderful family we have the privilege of knowing invited Lillian and me to look at some of Nashville's greatest Christmas decorations at the Opryland Hotel the day after Christmas. This grand hotel recently reopened after the floods in May. I was very excited about this opportunity. This family travels in their own bus! I was as excited, if not more, about the bus ride than the destination. Old Man Flake did a great job getting us there and back with such a beast to drive.

The bus is needed with this bunch. To date the family count is as follows:

Twelve children

Five child-in-laws

Four foster children, a recent and unexpected addition

Nine grandchildren (I think), with two more on the way

And then they invited the two of us! It was awesome. We all fit nicely. And I do mean all. Everyone was there! We were quite the parade going through the hotel ogling at the lights inside and out.

Thank you Flakes!

Merry Christmas

Lillian received a book from her cousins today. She loves books. She'll bring them to me all day long. I've recently caught her flipping through her favorite jungle book while doing her lion roar. "Baaawwh!"

Lillian loves her new book. Though my voice is on vacation somewhere warm without me we read it six times in twenty minutes. How she heard me is a mystery.