Winter 2001

Christmas

(with flash - clearer image, but colors aren't as good)

(without flash - blurred, but better color)
The Mesa Verde Advanced Band performs its Winter Concert in the PAC at the high school. Jenny is somewhere to the left in these pictures, playing her clarinet.

Jenny, Glen and I had fun decorating this year. I created a snowman that Glen says looks possessed but he likes it, especially because it's original instead of purchased artwork.

The larger view of the front yard.

Here's the other side of the driveway.

During the day, I raise the blinds and put the bears in the window, next to my 'forest'.

This is part of my Fimo nativity I've been creating. I'm waiting until Alan is bigger before I start working on it, or any other major craft projects, again. Amazingly enough, Alan has been a little bit interested in the figurines, but so far he hasn't broken any of them. I put them over the fireplace where they are somewhat out of the way, but Alan is perfectly capable of dragging over a stool or anything else to stand on.

Lisa, Wesley, Sarah and Jenny enjoyed having enough people around who were willing to play Monopoly. Wesley joined our household for his entire Christmas break, about 3 weeks.

Wesley gets to help make traditional gingies. Alan is anxious to plop his cookie cutter down before Wesley even finishes rolling the dough.

Wesley and Roger are intent upon one of the racing games.

I assembled this set of pewter-look ornaments for Glen's parents. The kids did a great job of posing for portraits.

Here's a clearer set of the portraits.

John and Daniel McGreevy, at the start of their annual Christmas party, and at the end.

Alan practices his jumping -- I didn't quite catch him in mid-air, but he was doing it. Then Lisa rewards him with a high five.

One of our 12-day presents from Mother and Dad was an absolutely wicked 1000-piece puzzle. The edges weren't straight and the pieces were irregular, but I love the picture; it's a Christmas tree full of all sorts of woodland animals. We started it on New Year's Eve, and finally finished a couple of days later. Many people worked on it; all of them who were still present in the house when we finished it were forced to stand still for a picture!

Roger and Granddaddy are all ready to show us slides of the year's activities. This year we saw family pictures, of course, including Vanessa, our newest family member, and trips to Exeter, Alaska, and Japan.

We had a fun time investigating Ojai Valley School with Wesley, even though he's decided not to attend it.

Daddy and I sit in my backyard forest.

Lisa gave me a couple of decorative logs for Christmas. The boys are standing on one of them.

Mother and Dad took us all to our favorite Chinese restaurant for a birthday celebration. They like to celebrate all of our birthdays while they're here.