January was off to a rocky start at my house. There was stomach flu, an infected finger, bitterly cold weather, burst pipes, livestock concerns. But I don't want to talk about any of that.

Last night we made a fire and ended up on the couch in front of it, playing rummy with the kids perched on the back of the couch, watching us, since their card proficiency does not extend beyond Go Fish. I'd already played Jenga with them anyhow. They sprawled. There was some tooting. Some teasing. So bitter rummy competition between me and K. It's easy to entertain ourselves these days.

Quotes I'd like to remember:

Annaliese with a birthday package on her lap, Caspian wistfully wondering if there was anything from Grandfather in it for him. Annaliese: "Don't worry Caspian. I'll let you play with my toys. Pinky-swear." 

(And there WAS something for him! A hand-tooled wallet with a $5 bill that completely made his day.)

Caspian, yesterday, as Annaliese handed him a yogurt she'd brought from the store for him. ""I've been waiting for the yogurt truck my entire life." 

Annaliese lost her first tooth this week. She took her gold dollar coin to school to show her class that the tooth fairy does exist. Her other bottom tooth is hanging by a thread but I haven't let K. pull it because I'm not adjusted yet to her missing one tooth, let alone two. 

The store is in the January woes and it's challenging these days to keep solvent, but it doesn't phase me as much as it used to. It's been this way before. It'll be this way again. In the mean time, I get to hang out with my favorite folks.