Timberrrrrr!

Sometime last week, in one of the intense bouts of wind we experienced, this tree fell right across my in-laws' backyard! Luckily, the only thing that got damaged at all was a crepe myrtle on the other end from this picture, which lost a few branches.

In case you're having difficulty with scale, since Ipo is so wee, here's me standing in front of it:

New Year's Eve (and Christmas Decorations)

Every year, we make a big fondue dinner for our friends for New Year's Eve. It works out nicely because fondue can drag out and keeps us busy until midnight!

I got fancy this year and folded napkins, with Ipo's help.

The table, set and ready to go. Ipo is doing his finest imitation of fondue.

The rest of the night gets insanely busy, what with chopping up fruits and vegetables, melting cheese and chocolate, switching out cheese for meat for chocolate and then making sure everyone has champagne before midnight, so there aren't any other photos, but it was a lovely time for all.

In other news, I was sick for about a week up to Christmas (Ipo makes a wonderful nurse, by the way) so I don't have many photos of what we got up to around then, but I do have him posing with our Christmas decorations:

I only have two Christmas houses: my grandmother's library (left) and a bookshop my Dad got for me.

The Santa hat is a little too big for Ipo.

My husband ordered this beautiful necklace from PhoenixFireDesigns, fellow LV swapper!

So, very belated merry Christmas, and only slightly belated happy new year!

Meeting Gimli

When Ipo first arrived, I tried introducing him to Gimli, our kitty. Gimli was more interested in eating Ipo's face, so we had to resign ourselves to trying again later. This morning, I caught Gimli napping and snuck in one photo before he woke up and recognized Ipo as "that toy I'm not allowed to play with and therefore really really want to."

Dock

My in-laws have a beautiful house on a beautiful part of one of our beautiful little bays. It seems like every time I get a new Little Visitor, they ask us to house-sit for a weekend... kinda weird, actually. But wonderful! Because we get shots like this:

Ipo Is Here!

Ipo has arrived from Hawaii!!! I'm so excited to start showing him around and going on adventures.

Ipo brought a gift! Chocolate coconut coffee made in Hawaii!
It smells delicious... Hubby has already said he's making some tomorrow morning!

Since it is, of course, Guy Fawkes Day, we settled in and watched V for Vendetta as we always do around here (not so big on the fireworks here in the states... at least not for this particular holiday, anyway).

Now we're going to work on my NaNoWriMo, because I'm behind on my word count today! Tomorrow Ipo can go to work with me (and a good thing too, because it's a busy busy day!)