Candlelight Dinner

My son-in-law, Steven David Johnson took this photo of a classic, chaotic dinner at Grammie Nete's house.  Magdalena created the collage of candelight.  It was so cold outside that night that it took both my electric base heater and stand alone electric heater to warm the apartment; therefore all that candelight provided some additional and welcome warmth.  

The "Babes" and I

My daughters will always be my "babies" and my granddaughters will always be my "grandbabies" (although repeated reminders from my friends have finally broken my habit of referring to the little girls as grandbabies!).
Eliza, now in second grade, seldom sits on my lap anymore. She is usually so busy doing things with me or engrossed in a book that I have to steal hugs. And at school it's "not okay to hug me because then the kids would tease me." But yesterday in Lost River I asked, "Eliza, are you to big for a piggy back ride? It's been a very long time." "I don't know," she answered. So I assumed the squat position and she climbed aboard. And then a few minutes and some quick foot adjustments later, Maggie hopped on for a "piggy front ride" as well. --Photos by Steven David Johnson.