Une Envie de Sel

Scenes from Christmas...
Q playing grandpa's piano. Here's the funny thing: her finger positions are quite advanced. This is odd, since none of us has taught her. This is, again, 100% Q. My great aunt was a prodigy and a concert pianist, first touring Europe and, later in life, the US. I took many years of lessons as a child, but have since forgotten most of it. My mother can still play quite beautifully. Mike's father has been taking cousin Victoria through lessons for a few years now. But as for Q - as with so many things - she is just a superb mimic. Much of the time, we don't even know where she saw the things that she is able to pick up and reproduce.
Christmas mass.
I particularly loved the angels. Children make such beautiful and artless angels, don't they?

A friend gave me an Amazon gift certificate before the Holidays, which I used to purchase a box of fillable ornaments. I filled them with moss, lichen, feathers and small animal figurines from Q's overflowing collection, and then threaded them on heavy hemp twine. Q was rather taken with them.
Christmas at Mike's parents' house.
Stefanie's buche de noel, and Susan's table settings.
Notice, at top right, that Q still sports her Billy Idol smirk now and then!
Stefanie brought a Curious George activiy book for Q, which Q was nice enough to share with cousin Abby. The two are just a year apart, and absolutely adore one another.
Q trying on her new "cop kit", which included dark cop shades, a walkie-talkie, and a set of plastic cuffs. Heh.
While Q and I opened presents, my dog Sam found a quiet retreat from all the screaming, whacking toddlers...tucked deep under Susan's Christmas tree.

Q relishing in a well-deserved Holiday bubble bath.