You were a good camera.

I'm downloading the accumulated pictures on our camera. BECAUSE because because! - My parents gave us a new one for Matthew's birthday! I'm a bit sad to part with this old Coolpix 3200, as it was my first digital camera, a good-bye gift from my beloved co-workers in the HR department at Biola. But it's time. The Coolpix was a workhorse for 4 1/2 years. Behold its last stand on this blog.

So here's a random assortment of what's been sitting on the camera for the past month.

Below, the boys with their stockings on Christmas morning:

Bethany and Peter have been here about a week now and we have them until Saturday (as well as Mama & Daddy). Peter's been quite the chef with steaks, salmon, his famous spaghetti. . . Here he's sporting my apron:

And retreating in time, Harry and his buddy Naomi being partners in crime, as usual, trying to hide in the fridge:

And this requires no explanation:

And finally, here's a video that totally cracks me up from beginning to end. Typical neighborhood interactions here. Notice little Gracie (red shirt) as she first notices the camera and then works her way to stardom: (video missing)

a better effort

Due to the flood of requests for yet more photos, mainly of me, I have actually spent some time figuring out how to upload them.




If you don't recognize someone in the picture, refer to the Hot Springs phonebook.

If you think I have already posted some of these, further proof that the whispers about me are true, send money.






This one was hard to get: Karen talking and Pat just sitting silently.

I just figured out the limit to how many pics I can post at one time: my brain. Send money. BB

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAFFWA!!!

Since I'm not sleeping, I might as well beat everyone else to the punch. Happy Birthday, Joshua! 32 -- Wow, a difficult year, but worth it en route to the maturity and insight you enjoy at 34. When you get a chance, ask me a tough question. I'm thinking of you today, birthday buddy.

Christmas in AR

We had the usual suspects for Christmas: J&E&B&W are here, plus John, Karen, Suz, and ME as well as Mom and Pat Parker (son of Mom's friend Mary Ruth Evry), with Chuck and Paula Schwartzman the neighborhood waives. The names must be memorized for reference as The Amazing BB is about to attempt posting pictures!

There may be more forthcoming after I see what I just did. BB

We didn't forget you, Dave!

While perusing the blog just now, I realized that no one posted on Dave's actual birthday! Travesty! Not that anyone forgot that you were born on the 20th, Dave. I'm sure you got lots of calls, and cards, and large cash gifts, but I just wanted to make it official for the generations yet to come who will certainly be carefully examining our archives, and I don't want to leave any of them wondering what happened to our recognition of Dave's birthday this year. So, here it is: Happy Birthday, Dave! We all love you! And Cody, Sophie and I can't wait to see you and Lynn in a few days and get to celebrate you in person!

Merry Christmas!

To our wonderful family spread across the country! We have had a marvelous day celebrating with my family, opening presents with snow softly falling all day long. We had apple pie for breakfast, See's candy next, then a delicious egg, grits, and orange cinnamon roll brunch. Cody made an adorable snow Mommy and took Sophie for a ride on her sled. Soon we'll eat our leftover prime rib supper from last night and finish with coconut birthday cake for Jesus, then spend the evening relaxing. It's been a wonderful time, but we love and miss you all. Hope you're having a great celebration of Jesus' birthday. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill to men! Alleluia, Jesus is born!

Happy 30th to my parents!

We celebrated my parents' 30th wedding anniversary over Thanksgiving weekend, but I thought I would honor them on their actual anniversary with this post.  I love you, Mom and Dad!

Table-biter

Will got his first opportunity to sit in a high chair at a restaurant (okay, it was Chick-fil-a, but Benjamin needed some play gym time!).  He promptly leaned forward and chomped down happily on the edge of the table.  I did attempt to wipe it with baby wipe to sanitize it, as I've read restaurant tables are supposed to be one of the most germ-laden surfaces, but we were laughing too hard to do too much.

Advent in Flagstaff

I was just talking with Sarah about how we're celebrating Advent this year, and she thought I should post, so here I am! It's been such a special time this year, probably more than any other I can remember. Some of that has to do with Sophie's age and comprehension, but it also has to do with how intentional we've been as a family. We're using the Family Worship book Josh and Emily gave me for my birthday this year to focus a very simple worship service each night. We start by lighting our advent wreath:

Then we sing, "Joy to the World!" (Sophie's rendition of it on the phone today made Essie cry!), and read from the Advent book Cody had when he was Sophie's age. She loves finding the right number and opening the window to see the picture. Then we read a scripture (I found a list of readings for children online), and each pray, then say the Lord's prayer together. We close with the Doxology and a scriptural benediction from our worship book. Sophie blows the candles out, and we're done! It's been so simple and so meaningful. Also, every night, as I put Sophie to bed, we light a tea light in her room and recite John 8:12 "Jesus said, 'I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.'" She knows it verbatim now, and I love hearing her focused on the true meaning of Christmas! Merry Christmas to all of you! We love you!

An Advent Poem by Sophie

We want it to be nice.
I love You, God.
Thank You for this Christmas.
Happy Birthday, Jesus!

BB Hall of Fame

To my family: I have just read the HoF again and it is really fun. I want to thank everyone who made it necessary.
Sarah and I have been reading and remembering and laughing. It is so fun. I am surprized y'all remember some of the things, but lately I'm more amazed the I remember them. Over Christmas JP (wright) was telling stories at the table that Jack (Baldwin W.) had told him enough that he knew the names. One had a Bill in it and Jack explained that I was the Bill, which, judging from the wide eyes and stare, was news to him. The story involved the whole back yard being set on fire, the fire department, etc. I don't remember a thing, even after the telling.
It's tempting to add to each event, but I will add some info about the divinity that most of you didn't know. I didn't know not to make it in low humidity (the first time), and I wasn't sure how the color change went with the mixing. We figured out the the divinity was ready when the portable mixer broke ie divinity stiffer than battery. We would finish the batch, exchange the mixer, and make another batch. The third time the lady at Sears started asking pointed questions and we changed to snickerdoodles or some such.
AND the von Mises bookset. I'm sure you realize he is one of my heroes (with Churchill, Mandela and Reagan).
Thank you all, and to Keri for picture posting, This has been great. bb

Happy 60th Big Bill!

We wish we could have celebrated with you! In honor of the Big Birthday, I'm posting my five latest favorite photos of Big Bill. (And you all need to recognize the massive significance of ME, Keri Wright, actually posting a PHOTO on our family blog! This is a momentous occasion, folks! Doesn't happen every day, er....month...or is it, year?....)

I seem to recall the particular skill documented here mentioned in a "Gallery of Greatness" I viewed recently. For the uninitiated...here's visual proof! Sadly, you can't taste the amazing results of this feat of culinary genius, but let me tell you, they're remarkable!

Will at 6 months

At William's 6 month check-up, our suspicions were confirmed.  This boy is huge!  Will now weighs 20 lbs.  Due to this and his laid-back disposition, Will is lagging slightly behind on his gross motor development.  We think he's rolled over once, but no one actually saw it.  He does hold his massive cranium up well, but he doesn't like to fully extend his arms to reach for things.  His pediatrician was not concerned because he's doing well in all other areas, but she did put Will on a strict tummy-time regimen.  Unfortunately, this plan often fails as Will usually does this:

But, with increasing frequency, he's begun to do this:

And, finally, he's recently been doing this:

Other big accomplishments are babbling, razzing, sampling solid foods, and bouncing in the exer-saucer.  We are loving our sweet boy.  He can't wait to meet his new cousin/playmates this spring and summer!

The 22nd floor of Chicago

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought an abbreviated catch-up is in order (notice the clever segue from past to present). I did a hurry up trip to Chicago, as everyone knows. The second week was mostly wasted in a class doing tech stuff with techies. Between typong misstakes, never having seen the program before (some of the class actually work for the company whose software we are learning), and looking at the back end material from a front end user perspective, I spent the whole week behind and bewildered.
The highlights were few and dim: the company CEO dropped in with a CEO rah rah, but left us four tickets to the Bulls (basketball) game. Only three (out of 19) in the class wanted to go, so I decided to go. That's when I saw the $135 price on the ticket. The seats were good, but not spectacular--none of the Bulls know I was there. $135, one game, one seat, $135. What does it cost to be a pro sports "fan" for the season? $135!
On Saturday I walked three blocks (Chicago, dead of winter, one of those blizzards you can't actually see that Dad always was talking about) to a pizza joint a friend recommended. I took most of it back to the room and ate it all weekend. For the person in America that doesn't talk to my mother regularly, you can heat a one inch thick Chicago pizza in your hotel room by placing a sheet of newspaper (veeerry important) on the hotel's iron (on medium heat) held downside up and a piece of pizza on top. Flip for the thicker slices. It crisps up the crust nicely.
When I got home we started using the fireplace. I don't know where the grate is. I took it out to chase the skunk out of the air inlet. Rocks don't work well, so Friday afternoon 4pm we decided to go to Benton to get one. I called and they were open till 6pm but right then I got a call from the ER--med on call diabetic coma. Sarah picked me up at the hospital a little after 5pm and (she) started to Benton at a gas saving rate. In fact, we were making gas. At 5:45 pm she realized a) the tank couldn't hold much more and 2) we weren't anywhere near Benton. I tried to call them to say we are on our way but my battery died the death at that very moment, maybe from the whiplash of Sarah adjusting to gas-be-damned speed.
Then we got lost (yes, on the interstate). Actually, we took the Congo Road exit to get to the Congo Road Stove Works, which ended up being only an approximate name--it wasn't on Congo Road and is really Congo Stove Works, only near Congo Road. Soon (5:55) the residential part of Benton appeared. Sarah speeded up. We came back to the access road of the interstate downstream from the CRSW, but we could see the store. 5:48, DOWNSTREAM. Sarah said "Such is Life!", approximately, and gunned it down the one way street into oncoming traffic. I think she had it figured that it was Friday afternoon after a long week and all the traffic that would be on the access road was coming off the interstate at 70 MPH, tired from the week, and wouldn't be paying attention. She swerved into a parking lot and stopped just before creating a new drive through in the strip mall.
I crawled out of the car and was about to kiss mother asphalt. When I looked up we were at CRSW approx. We bought a good grate and were back on the interstate before the police arrived, if in fact they were called (my phone had died the death or I might have tried for the reward money to help pay for the grate). We got back home with a new grate and a little more gas than we started with.
Better than Chicago. BB