Lisa n Tom (n James n Joseph)

Lisa writes: First, he didn't want to get on the bear, then he didn't want to get off of the bear. It's a really, really big bear.

Lisa writes: Thanksgiving in Vail, year 20-or-so. Tom is taking the picture. Esme is in time-out (she's 3 -- time-out is her life right now), James is starting without us, and I appear to be plotting something.   Kellen, Quetzi, Deb, Lisa, James, Madison, Grandma and Grandpa, and Tom behind the camera wearing a turkey hat.

Lisa writes: No, he didn't hurt himself. In fact, he didn't even move. He was game to go to the rink. he was game to put on the skates. But the second his blades touched the ice he decided, well, you can see what he decided.  

Lisa writes: It went about as well as could be expected.

Lisa writes: James is the master of the escalator. Behold that magnificent dismount!

Lisa writes: Racquetball is a fast and furious sport.   Earlier that day, James test-drove the new snowsuit, but wouldn't wear the gloves. Snow is "Hot! Hot!"    

Lisa writes: This was James's 11th flight in 19 months. (And probably the last time he'll be able to fly free.) We had the window seat on the way out and after James looked out the window for a little while, he held up his guau-guau so it could get a good look too.

Lisa writes: ... the neighbor's leaves. We haven't raked ours yet, and we don't own a boat.  

Lisa writes: There's a little kid playground and a big kid playground in our neighborhood. Tom and James headed off to the big kid one (without me) and I'm heaving 14 different kinds of heart attacks just watching this video.

Lisa writes: James showing off two skills: (1) arranging things. He loves to arrange books, shoes, and his stuffed animals. That blue dog is his favorite thing to sleep with, and it's the bane of his life that it won't sit up properly. (2) saying words. He has a vocabulary of about 20 words that closely reflect his interests -- dada, baba, helicopter.