Family

This is my little sister and her family. They also live in Iowa, but it's three hours further East! This year, they were able to drive to Des Moines to rendezvous with us for the day. It was so nice of them to spend six hours on the road in order to see us for lunch and gifts, especially considering all the driving they regularly do. Good weather and roads at least.



This is my nephew, J. He and his brother enjoy reading, a lot. It pleases me to no end that they have been raised in a print-rich environment and are wide readers. J is becoming more smiley and talkative. I noticed that he's eating larger quantities as a fifteen-year-old sophomore. He has his learner's permit. J wasted no time sampling some of his Christmas sweets and I chuckled quietly to myself whenever he casually meandered over to the candy dish to sample some more of the bridge mix. I love my nephew, J!



This is my nephew, A. He and his brother enjoy technology, like most kids their age. A is twelve and in seventh grade. While visiting, he "confirmed" with me some things he had been learning in his Japanese class. He also gave his order to the waiter in Spanish at the Mexican restaurant. He plays the piano over the phone for me and sometimes composes. I love my nephew, A!



This is K's little bro, J. J puts up with me when I visit in that I force him to hug me twice, once hello and once goodbye. He is a superb gift finder at Christmas! This is the first time I've dared to take a picture of him. I knew he wouldn't really sit still, so it's kind of blurry because I had to act fast! J is a cutie-pie. I'm just repeating what all the girls are thinking.



This is K's cousin, K. They were very close growing up, so she's kind of the sister he never had. She is intelligent, witty, and accomplished. All I can say is "great minds think alike."