Sisters

Mayumi and Emiko being cute.

Emi the Angel

Emi does not do much yet except for be sweet and darling. Here she is, doing what she does best.

Mayumi really cannot leave Emiko alone. Here is poor Emi, minding her own business, covered in Yumi's 'presents.'

Ever hear of a 'baby straight-jacket'? Well--this is it.

Emi the Cute.

The Quilt Extravaganza

My mother once was quite a seamstress, but at some point in my childhood she retired her sewing machine and called it quits. That's why we were all surprised when she first presented me with a quilt made from some of my old t-shirts, then next to my sister a quilt made of her old sports t-shirts. Mine is pictured below:
And then I got the idea--a quilt made of onesies--onesies of the then only four grand daughters.


My dear dear friend Stephanie is a quilt master. She guided me every step of the way. Under her tutelage, I put together a 'practice quilt' to gain skills, experience, and confidence (pictured below). After some time, my sisters Monique and Lindsay sent me their quilt quadrants (made from 16 patches of onesies) and (from Monique) the embroidered centerpiece featuing each girl's name and birth date.

Following Stephanie's instructions, I put it all together. It took hours. Hours and hours. I think at least 100 hrs. But it was so much fun--and seeing my mother open it on Christmas day (via webcam) was worth ALL the effort.

Us girls knew she'd love it for many different reasons. First of all--the fact that it is a huge nod to her efforts creating quilts for us. Secondly, the fact that it is made from the onesies from her beloved grandbabies. Thirdly--we used the sewing machines that she gave us. Fourthly--we worked together very closely--many phone calls, emails, etc....and any mother loves it when her kids collaborate--right?

So that's the story! Thanks to my mother for being such a great mom, my sisters for their efforts, to Stephanie for teaching me, and Nate for being so supportive (and fixing the sewing machine a few times).

Mother and child

Emiko was blessed this last Sunday at church. Thank you to Nate for taking some photos and Lindsay for touching them up.

I know this picture is a bit out of focus, but I love the hazy, candid look of it. Nate is holding both the girls and Mayumi is doing what she does MOST of the time with Emi--hugging her.

Sylvester II

If you look back to our previous two Christmas posts, you'll note that we've enjoyed the company of our pet Christmas Tree, Sylvester. This year, however, Sylvester spent the Christmas outside on our deck. See, we thought (think?) he died. In fact, we were certain he had passed out of the relm of the living and had gone to tree heaven. It was only after we replaced him that Nate noticed his branches are still pliable. Stay tuned--we'll know more about the first Sylvester's status in the spring.

In the meantime, we enjoyed Sylvester II imensely. Decorating him was far more problematic this year (Mayumi immediately removed and broke many of his decorations) but he hung in there.

Here's our cute family. Some people have noted that Nate's smile is much bigger when holding his gun (see previous post) but I disagree. He loves his Emiko.

Nate surprised me with a pasta maker! We've gorged on pasta ever since.