more snow

while it snowed, we quietly watched it come down.  we tried to have a fire in our downstairs fireplace, but got smoked out.   we ate pumpkin chili.  we drank wine and coffee...not simultaneously...for it snowed a long time.   

baptism

carlyle and luella were baptized on sunday.  honestly, i'm not really sure what happens when someone is baptized. however, it was beautiful and mysterious...just like the God i believe in. 

their outfits are super cute, huh?  because that's probably really what baptism is about...how you dress for it, right?

grandpa the ken and grandma sheils

my parents came for a visit!  we had a wonderful time with them.  here's a sample of what we did:  gave them the tour of greeley, made applesauce, watched the kiddos swing at the park, ate lunch on campus, shopped at thrift stores, conversed.  all the tomlins decided to get sick...so, that was not the coolest.  but, we were very fortunate to have mom and dad here.  they took care of all of us--simply amazing.  i don't think t.j. and i could have made it through this illness without them.  it's been a long time since i've felt that puny.

 anyway, here are some photos...the babies made sure to be cute for grandma and grandpa...

thank you, thank you, mom and dad for all your extraordinary help and for loving all of us so well.  we miss you!

october and snow

apparently, it snows here in october.

fun people

they are this cute little band, pomplamoose.  i hope they become our friends somehow.  they are so, so fun as well as so, so talented.  i guess they mostly do covers.  i don't know a ton about them...maybe all you readers out there already know about them and are thinking, "hey katrina, get with the times". 
but, if you haven't heard of them, check it.  i especially recommend september, my favorite things and all the single ladies.

hooray for music and art!

visitors

the clouds were here.  that's kevin, allison, sam, ben, and andrew.  what a wonderful family.  the boys were so sweet to carlyle and luella.  they all played very nicely together.  the grownups had an excellent time as well.  i have not laughed that hard in awhile.  thank you, clouds.  the only disappointing part of the weekend was that i forgot to take pictures!! alas, you'll have to survive a blog post without photos.  muscle up, you can do it.

here are some highlights from the weekend:

1. watching away we go in our living room.  what's that you say?  we don't have a television in our living room?  you're right...we projected it onto one of our white walls.  tomlin indoor theater resumes.

2.  eating pizza from a local place here called roma's.  it is tasty...and there's a half off coupon you can use...all the time.  not bad.

3.  allison introducing us to a gillian welch/david rawlings cover of radiohead's black star.  later on, kevin and t.j. figured out the chords and allison sang it beautifully.  such a great moment.

4.  all going to boulder to meet up with the billings fam (steve, kristin, jonah, and eli).  we ate really yummy sandwiches while we watched the boys jump around in this rock park on pearl street. 

5.  discussing our enneagram personality types.  you know i'm mildly (or rather completely) obsessed with the enneagram.  it's like my favorite thing to talk about. 

6.  having friends around.

today

i have ten month old babies.
that is absolutely crazy.
in two months, they will be one.
what?

 

Lu's signature smile

Luella has started to mimic different things she sees us doing.  She has a very cute imitation of my smile.  When I am laughing, my nose crinkles and my eyes get very squinty.   Many times a day, Lu will look up at me with this expression:  

I obviously reciprocate.  so funny, so darling.  I can't get enough.

great grandma

T.J.'s grandmother, Carmen, turns 96 today.  That's right, folks, 96.  She is an amazing woman--loving, poised, sharp.  In the past year, it has been especially meaningful to watch her interact with Carlyle and Luella.  It is clear that she is a proud great grandma.  Thank you, Carmen, for loving all of us so well.  You have a very special place in my heart.  We miss you and send you birthday wishes from afar.  We will see you at Thanksgiving and maybe even drink a "short one" together (well, not the babies...just T.J. and me).