fall fun

autumn is a great time of year.

jack ... as he does with everything ... is making the most of it:

happy weekend, everybody!

day care day

roxana's daughter, poor little thing, was sick yestereday (double ear infection and throat infection), so jack spent another day at "school"




and another good day was had ...

(remember, you can single click on the image to enlarge it)

how can a day spent coloring, playing in the water, hanging out with other kids, and eating a lot be a bad thing?

but "mamaxana" is back at work today and jack is receiving lots of tlc. it's hard to tell which one of them missed the other more ...

weekend gobble

this is not so much a weekend update as it is a thanksgiving update ...


a little look at how we spent *our* thanksgiving day (held on friday). and of course, no "weekend" is complete without at least a few trips to the park ...

if you can't watch this video here, check it out on YouTube

new favorite

we owe you, dear readers, a proper weekend update. and we at llvj promise to make good, very soon. but ... for today ... here's a look at mommy's new favorite photo. taken this weekend at the park near our house:

Turkey Day + 1

Thanksgiving started out innocently enough. Alicia had to work, so Jack and I paid an early-afternoon visit to NBC. Jack had a great time in the newsroom -- so many cables to pull on! So many computers to crash!

We headed back to Wynnwood to await the arrival of Nana and Granddad Jennings. Then, the wind began to howl ...

Just as I was about to preheat the oven to roast our brined and beautiful bird, the power went out. And stayed out. And out. Jack had fun running around in the dark and "attacking" Nana and Granddad with the beam from the flashlight -- just like his very own light saber! By the time the power came back on, it was after 7:00, so we decided to try again on Friday. Things went much more smoothly on Thanksgiving Plus 1. As you can see, Jack particularly enjoyed Alicia's delicious homemade cranberry compote.

The other (and much more exciting) news from Friday was the arrival of Katharine Taylor Louise Winthrop, all 6 pounds and 10 beautiful ounces of her! When she and Jack decide on a china pattern, we'll let you know where their wedding registry is held. Please link to "The Bean Patch" (below/left under 'Crackerjack') to see her in all her glory!

gobble gobble

although mommy is working today ... we are looking forward to celebrating thankgiving with jack this evening.

the turkey is brined and dry ... ready for roasting and thick gravy

the butternut squash & crab bisque is creamy and cool ... ready for warming

the cranberry compote is a sweet-sour syrupy goodness

the skillet buttermilk-cornbread is crusty and golden

the homemade butter is smooth ... chilling in the fridge

the fudge is velvety and rich ... hardened and cut ...

and the other dishes -- green beans, asparagus, cheesy mashed potatoes and pumpkin chiffon pie -- are in progress ... mere hours away from gracing our bountiful table

jack and daddy spent some time this morning as mommy's official testers ... approving the food ... thumbs up to both the fresh butter and the fudge ...

and, as jack learned from daddy this morning, here's how you test the food ... you put some on your fingertip and then suck it off:

happy thanksgiving to one and all!

slide, slide slippety slide

jack is one slip-slidin' little fella!

if you can't watch this video here, check it out on YouTube