The Unparalleled Joy of Pushing Someone Forty Times Your Size

When it comes to kids, Grampy specializes in physical humor. Super-specialty: farts. But for toddlers, you really have to go that extra mile, so Grampy imitated a tree chopping himself down over and over again, tilting precariously and risking crushing the howling two-year-old on the Marriot bed. (Yes -- my whole immediate family -- parents, siblings, and their spouses and kids -- were in a Marriot room spending some QT together over the break. Hey -- when it comes to Christmas, it's time to pull out the stops. And party like a falling log.)

The resulting video, I think you'll find, is breathtaking. Enjoy.

Scary cat

No, not *scaredy-cat* . . . SCARY cat. Observe.

The pumpkin (is delicious)

Tonight the pumpkin carving happened. Olivia at first refused to approach the pumpkin's guts, and I can't say that I blame her. She did get into mixing the seeds, however, which added to the taste of the now-baked end product. I am proud to be part of a family where the main point of nearly every activity is to eat something.

Olivia the painter (aka "Oh-va-va")

Olivia received an easel from Uncle Todd and Auntie Erin. Here she is demonstrating how she has achieved the level of intensity and concentration required to be a great painter. The heavy breathing has less to do with painterly commitment than it did with a very bad cold. Thankfully, that's gone, but the easel is not.

Jam session 1: mellow riffs

This is when Olivia and her guitar, who also goes by the name "Piano," just met. Olivia opened the box to find him, a 2nd birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

Clearly they already have an electric connection.

Jam session 2: guitar jam en bateau

Here, Olivia and "Piano" bust out a few more licks--this time on the new chair Ahnee Kelly and Uncle Marc sent. (Note: chair goes by the name "motorboat," and demands pushing often.)

2 little monkies jumping on the couch

The title says everything.