Family visit in Virginia

Just got back from a family visit with my mom, Andy, my sister and her two kids and Olive. Kid central!


My sister, Lather, and her daughter Kendall. Cuties.

Cousin Riley checks out Olive's new Farm Tractor. It plays 40 different songs...

Olive and Kendall, cousins with a pension for posing...Kendall has an awesome magic wand in hand.

On a car-free path behind old Smithfield, VA, with beautiful Crepe Myrtles.


Flowers Kendall picked at her potential new house. Anyone know what the cool little mini-blueberry looking bush is? What an awesome bouquet!

Grandma Ginny and her little ones.

The beautiful 6 month old Riley.

Playing in the backyard at Peggy's house-- the perfect day for it (kind of cloudy, decidedly not cold). Lots of great yard toys!


B-b-ball!

Looks like she has the whole world in her hands.

That's one tough cookie.

My mom and 10-year-old Liam play some ball.

Olive is Andy's personal stylist (getting out or putting in grasses in his hair).

December

Olive was scared of our giant tree at first, so Andy cut the bottom half off thinking we would cut the trunk down so it could sit on a table. We ended up liking the crazy look of our tree so we can all sit under it now. Olive loves it now, and says "treeeee!" with serious glee (multiple. times. a. day.) I got her a little tree of her own that she carries around with her. It's totally her size.


I've found myself really into the idea of Christmas this year, decorating and really enjoying singing holiday songs. Granted, I can't get "Let it Snow" out of my head, which it clearly is not going to do.


Getting her sack from Saint Nikolaus.

Discovering her first chocolate Santa/Saint Nik.

We went to a Saint Nikolaus evening at Duke's International House (a celebration that was mainly for German-speaking households). It was great! The Saint Nikolaus was wonderful, and when he tried to give Olive her little burlap sack of goodies, she shook her head 'no', so he said something like, "Oh! You haven't been good enough, eh?" Super cute.



Lunch with the Burches on a day with beautiful light-- the photos speak wonders-- Olive is walking everywhere by herself now. It's so amazing-- she's got such determination, and she will wander back over to me for hugs and check-ins that just make my heart melt. She says Mommy, Daddy, tree, chair, bird, bear, shoe, sock, squirrel, doh (window), do (i think it's like, "I can do it") and so much more...she's starting to say her own name, and it sounds like "Oll-eee". She also says Wiley, like "II-eee". She recognizes everyone in photos, and even saw a photo that was just of Andy's hair, and squealed, "DA-Dee!"