Charlee the Model

Our babysitter and friend, Connie, started a photography business. She took these photos of Charlee for her portfolio. I wasn't sure about the concept when she told me about it, but I think they turned out great.










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The Cost of a Tooth

Kate lost her first tooth on Wednesday, February 27. The tooth was loose for months, and the permanent tooth is fully in.

She pulled it out at school and was thrilled that she got a tooth locket necklace from the nurse. Ellen picked her up from school, and she made Ellen promise not to tell Chad and me. Kate wanted it to be a surprise.

Ellen took Kate to get yogurt as a treat.




With her gappy smile, she met me at the door when I got home.

I bought tooth pillows back in December when her tooth was first loose.




She excitedly hung her tooth pillow above her bed for the tooth fairy. Claire and Charlee both said they were scared of the tooth fairy and hoped she didn't wake them up.

The tooth fairy must have been out of dollar bills but filled with creativity, because she gave Kate a ten dollar bill folded into a butterfly.

Kate has worn her tooth locket every day since she got it, ready for her other loose tooth to fall out.

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2012 Favorite Books

2012 was a good year for books. Looking back, my 3 most favorites were:

• "Unaccustomed Earth: Stories" by Jhumpa Lahiri
• "The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller
• "Round House" by Louise Erdrich

I read all three of these later in the year, and in a row. What a great couple of weeks that was! In addition, I also liked the following:

• "Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver
• "Yes, Chef" by Marcus Samuelsson
• "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" by Robin Sloan
• "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin
• "Contents May Have Shifted" by Pam Houston
• "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed
• "Beautiful Ruins: A Novel" by Jess Walter
• "The Is Not the Story You Think It Is" by Laura Munson
• "The Sweet Life in Paris" by David Lebovitz
• "Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova
• "Falling Together" by Marisa de los Santos
• "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner