Family ties

My visit to Colorado last month was pretty fun. And my mom finally sent some photos. One niece is getting old enough that she drives me batty, but she has such good ideas and seems to feel things so earnestly, that the annoyance is short-lived. I actually told her shut up at one point when she started sounding all teen-y and full of herself (good thing I don't have any teens in my house, huh?). My sister laughed (and had already told her that whatever I said, she should say, "Yes Ma'am"), which was good because it could have been ugly. I didn't get a shot of just her and me, but here she is with my other niece when they both came to "help" in the kitchen.

My nephew (Before and After) was a lion for Halloween and learned to roar. He can also name lots of body parts, including the head. What he cannot do, however, is say, "Heather." I know the 'th' sound is difficult. When I go to other countries, I tell people my name is Maria (a version of my middle name, or I spend a lot of time pushing my tongue against my teeth in an effort to demonstrate the 'th' in Heather. The Italians have it best I think: Heazer -- sounds like hezair with the emphasis on the 'hea'), but this is my nephew, and he needs to step up. So we spent a lot of time practicing, based on his skill set: Head, rrrr. Head, rrr. Headrrr. It was like Sesame Street.
It didn't work and all he would do is laugh at me. Here's one of him looking cute, even with his clothes on.

My niece KARL (discussed above) is a great writer (and draw-er), and rather than listen to the boring conversations that were going on after dinner, she brought out a notebook and started writing. Here I am taking a great interest in their literary edification.

Turns out they are both fabulous story-tellers.


Here's my 5.5 year old niece with whom I might share a gene or two.
Looking forward to Christmas fun and sharing some time with four generations of Rowans. How lucky are we?