In the pink

We're enjoying unseasonably warm weather this weekend and trying to take full advantage of it.

Charlotte & Claire continue to speak new words (or their diction has improved to the point that we can guess what they're saying more often). Charlotte's words of the day today: "purple" and "pink." She may be our fashionista - these words (used correctly) came out when she was selecting her wardrobe this morning.

Louise, by contrast, is preoccupied with music. She emptied Mummy's box of old CDs, looking for "cha cha" music. She emerged triumphant with a mix tape given to us by a indie-rock-friend many years ago, and she and Claire grooved to French chill-out music.

Rubadubdub, three girls in a tub

We are enjoying a very extended Christmas season. Thanks to our failure to tell most people that our address changed, we're still receiving and opening Christmas gifts. Louise's favourite bedtime story book is an anthology of Christmas tales (a wonderful gift from the Becknells). And, of course, she and her sisters still enjoy their Santa hat.

Otherwise, life continues much as normal. We saw "ammuls" at Petsmart this weekend - dogs, hamsters, birds, and fish. Louise earned three stars and cashed them in for a special ice cream treat with Mummy. Best of all, we took a walk in the woods with Judy and her dogs.

Claire's new phrase is "sit down!" (and her word of the week is "mine"). She loves saying both to her sisters whenever they might be appropriate. Charlotte's comprehension continues to grow, but her verbal skills haven't changed much in the last couple of weeks. We may need to find a new address for the blog, because Louise has begun to insist that her name is "Louise Mary Atherton WITKIN" (the surname of her best friend, Katie).

Christmas photos

Below are quite a few of the photos we took during our two weeks in the UK. Both Charlotte and Daddy have been ill with a virus/flu for the past week, otherwise adjusting back to the US time has gone fairly well. Everyone is now back at work or school. We all had a great time seeing family and friends in the UK during the trip and look forward to going back in 2012.