Holiday Happenings Part 2

A highlight of our holiday was a visit by Marta's parents and grandmother, who live in Spain. We had a lovely day together when everyone came to our home. Tony prepared a prime rib dinner which was enjoyed by all. Our winter is so mild this year that we didn't have concerns for snow and ice, the usual problems of a December visit. I was thinking this was a very special day for Gabriel (even though he wasn't really thinking about it) because he had all four of his grandparents plus a great-grandmother together in one place. Especially considering the travel distances involved for our international family, this doesn't happen often.
Gabriel now understands well the opening of presents, enjoying his new helicopter and truck from Aunt Kelly and Uncle Tom and his new Lightning McQueen from Grandma and Grandpa. He really loves all kinds of cars, planes and trucks. A funny thing I heard him do: He was saying a really bad English word several times and was puzzled; where did he learn this word? Then I realized he was talking about his "truck" but instead of the "tr" sound, he unintentionally substituted "f-"!! I'm sure that sometime soon, if not already, Gabriel will get these sounds sorted out. He is already bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish with equal ease.

Crafty report: Here is Marta modeling her new lace shawl that I knit for her. Lace is really interesting to knit because it is a challenge. You really have to think about what you're doing and cannot daydream! I like to have three kinds of knitting projects going all the time: one is easy and mindless that I can just do automatically without thinking. This is good for the car or while watching an interesting movie. The second kind of knitting requires some thought but not total concentration. The third is lace, where there is constant attention and counting of stitches. My projects right now: baby things for Tom and Kelly's baby due in May. I almost have two little sweaters done and will start a baby quilt today.