Celebrating New & Old(er) Family Members (Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010)

How fun that my niece-in-law Sarah Thompson is an accomplished horsewoman!  Sarah had kindly volunteered to help me ride while she and Adam were here, and even though she put her John Deere blanket on Angel (gasp!  We're Kubota fans here!) we had a great time riding together. 

Adam gave us a helping hand in the barnyard and then waited patiently while we spent an hour riding--and then listened to us talk horse-talk for a good portion of the afternoon!

Adam is like Herb--he likes horses just fine and is willing to ride, but happier if someone else does it!

That evening we celebrated Charis' second birthday at Jim and Monique's house.  It's hard to believe she's already two!  She has suddenly become a "girlie-girl," discovering jewelry . . .

. . . letting the guys do the heavy work (her younger, but bigger cousin Eliot Good pushes her in the doll stroller) . . .

. . . and loving baby dolls.  This looks a lot like practice for her younger brother who could arrive any day, although he very considerately refrained from stealing his big sister's birthday!

Charis loved her birthday dinner of spaghetti with green olives and a side of peas.

She tasted the whipped cream on her ice cream cake . . .

. . . before blowing out both her candles on the first try!

"Good job, Charis!"

When she opened her tricycle from Didi and Mimi, she knew exactly what to do with it!

And it didn't take her long to figure out her digital camera from Dada and Mama, using the new phrase she learned from Aunt Kara (known as "Diya"), "I got it!"

So smile, you're on candid camera!