Happy New Year 2015!

Amy, Snowman and Lillian in Michigan

Lillian and Katelyn in Huntington, Texas

Lillian, Amy and Josh have been on an extended road trip, first to visit Amy’s family in Michigan, then to see Josh’s family in Lufkin and Huntington, Texas. Lillian’s Na-Na, Peggy Denby, sent the picture of the two. There is a rumor that both girls have a fondness for the color pink.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Lillian is off with her dad, Josh, and her new step-mom, Amy, to visit Amy’s family in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The chances of a white Christmas are about  a thousand times greater there than they are in Houston, where it is just as likely to be shorts and flip-flops weather on Christmas. Lillian has a number of things to keep her entertained on the long, long drive, but I imagine Josh and Amy will be tired of the question “Are we there yet?” long, long before they get there.

Christmas with the Denbys

Lillian’s Na-Na, Peggy Denby, sends this report from Huntington, in deepest East Texas:

Lillian has kept the Denby family busy this week.  Her horse and bunny have been in on many of her wild adventures.  The fairy princess has requested dance partners on many occasions.  Fortunately, her Daddy Prince was the only partner caught in the act!

Nana told her that Santa would be wanting cookies when he dropped by so we had fun making sugar cookies and adding icing and sprinkles!  When eating the “pretty” cookies, she tried as hard as she could to keep all of the icing off of her fingers – so dainty!  The last picture shows the results of eating too many sweets – green “zits” – or is that green sprinkles?

 Santa brought her a red scooter (which she has used inside and outside) and from other family members a guitar and harmonica!  As she provided entertainment on one instrument, she insisted someone else play the other (and often told someone else to dance).  By 8:30 every evening, all adults were worn out – but Lillian persisted in entertaining her stuffed animals in her bed!

We have loved having Josh and Lillian here, playing, and hearing Lillian say “Come on, everybody … let’s play hide n seek!”  Such a sweet child … she even told NaNa (after having her hair pulled into lopsided pigtails and  saying “ouchie” several times): “It’s beautiful”.  She’s a real charmer!

Ready for Christmas

Lillian loves all things Christmas. She and her dad erected and decorated their Christmas tree and she spends a lot of time adjusting the precise placement of ornaments and lights. She’s not yet singing Christmas carols, unless “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?” counts somehow.

She and Josh are off to spend Christmas in Huntington, Texas, with Josh’s mom and dad and sisters and her first cousins Katelyn and Wesley, and various others in the extended Denby and Wenner families.

More East Texas Christmas

Lillian sculpts in Play-Doh with her aunt Elli and cousin Katelyn:

Katelyn and Lillian and a keyboard:

Lillian in the sandbox:

Motoring with grandpa Keith:

Reading Kai-Lan with dad:

Christmas

Lillian Grace Denby

Christmas Eve

It’s an odd Christmas Eve this year: the weather outside, far from frightful, is quite delightful: a balmy shorts and flip-flop day. The family is scattered here and there: my son Richard is off to his friend Lauren’s in Navasota; my brother David and family are at the old family farm in Western Kentucky, driving old pickups around the back forty and shooting off their growing arsenal of advanced fire-arms. Nancy’s brothers and sisters are all in town; we hung out out with them and with her mom in the afternoon and ate beef and pork until we were sated. My mom went to the afternoon family Christmas Eve service, and I’ll go join the choir for the late service (even though they’d sound better without me) and sing the old songs and listen to the old words. And Lillian and Josh are up in East Texas with the Denbys and Lillian’s cousin Katelyn, so it’s pretty quiet around here.

Nancy and my mom and I went to dinner with the Robertsons and Walters, old friends and neighbors, who were gathered from every corner of the globe, last night, and spent a pleasant evening reminiscing about the old days, and hearing about the exploits and enthusiasms of children and grandchildren.

We view Christmas now through the lens of loss, thinking often of my daughter Ashley and my dad Richard, both of whom left us this year. Grief is a strange thing, walking beside you all the time, then grabbing you and overwhelming you when you least expect it. And yet, even when you are weeping, you find yourself laughing at a memory, or at a friend’s ill-timed but welcome joke, or at the surprise of a perfect stranger’s comforting hand on your shoulder.

We have been sustained by the prayers and love of so many people: it’s something of a marvel. And, to each of you and to those you love, and especially to those of you who bear your own sorrows and griefs, we wish a joyous Christmas.

Girls On Vacation

More on celebrity doings in Huntington from paparazzi Josh:

We started the day with a puzzle that made cool noises:

Then we went outside to the tire swing (you may have gathered from previous posts that Lillian loves to swing). Lillian pushed off, lifted her feet and swung herself:

Lillian’s cousin Kaitlyn and aunt Cari showed up in the afternoon. The cousins promptly drafted Cari as a chaser:

Two girls and a Christmas tree: Lillian can’t quite believe whatever it is that Kaitlyn is doing under there!

Lillian’s grandma Peggy has undertaken the task of potty training Lillian (have I mentioned that Peggy is a saint?). Ashley had begun this, but it was interrupted by her final illness. We are all praying for success!

Lillian, from time to time, feels called to demonstrate that she is a two-year old and throws a temper tantrum. Her favorite method is to get on the floor in a frog-like position and bang her head on the floor. Peggy says that she is beginning to learn that this is not as much fun on their hardwood floors as it is on the soft carpet at Lili’s house. So, in the middle of one of her fits, they moved her to an area rug and walked out. Lili was a bit offended at the lack of interest in her dramatic performance and after a few minutes came into the kitchen looking for hugs of reassurance — which, of course, she received!

Hat Making

The Bucket Hat

Lillian likes to make hats from various found objects and wear them until they fall off. She does not like to wear anything actually designed to be a hat.

Josh and Lillian are headed up to Huntington, Texas, where they will spend Christmas with the Denbys and Williams (Josh’s sister Elli and her husband Josh, and, of course, Lillian’s BFF, her cousin Kaitlyn). Nancy and I are going to take care of various cats and apartments, and celebrate a quiet Christmas here in Houston.

Josh and his mom Peggy promise reports and pictures for the blog while they are sojourning in the wilds of East Texas.

 

Cousins are cool.

Lillian and her cousins Nathan, Daniel (back to camera) and Miranda play with one of Nathan’s Christmas presents, watched by great-grandmother Anne. Lillian has spent time with Denby, Wenner, Williams and Graves cousins this Christmas, and thinks they are all pretty cool.

Hanging out at Uncle David and Aunt Michelle's swankienda