Fidget Trees

 Joe was kind enough to help me with gifts for my coworkers by using his 3D printer to print these for them.  He had printed a batch of these last year for our nieces and nephews.  I knew my coworkers would love them.  And I was right.  Let's just say that most of them didn't put them down after opening them.  Haha!

I love the way Míriel took time to hold the lettuce and take bites of it as opposed to just immediately shoving the whole thing in her cheek.  

Elendil wasn't actually interested in the lettuce.  He was just wondering why he was surrounded by the weird looking trees.  

Nativity Set

 Merry Christmas!  Today is a chill day for Joe and I.  We did our presents yesterday since I accidentally had already figured out what his gift to me was.  

I thought it was sooo cute that Míriel went straight to giving this cow a good sniff.  She's too funny!

Elendil looks like he is bowing next to baby Jesus to pray.  Pretty sure he was actually eating the treat I had for him, but at least he held still for longer than usual.  Haha!

Christmas Bells

 This year, I felt a stronger pull than normal to be connected to the past, so these bells made it out as part of our Christmas decorations.  They came from his family, but he doesn't know the history behind them.  Regardless, I know they were special to someone and I wanted to honor that.

Míriel was being so cute sitting in the sun.  But then she tried to take a bit out of the ribbon so I promptly stopped her session.  Hah!

By the time I got Elendil here for his time in the lime light, the sun was behind the clouds.  He was a perfect little model for me though.

Christmas Tree

 I really love our Christmas Tree!  It's not as big as our last one which means it fits better in the space we have, but also means we don't have enough room to actually put out all of the ornaments that we have.  The vast majority of what we have was passed down to us from Joe's family.  We have a little bit that we were given or bought since being married.  I realized this year that I want to know more of the stories behind the ornaments and that I want to continue getting more that are a reflection of our life.

Míriel looks so stunning.  I've always loved her coloring and markings, even though time is fading them some.  She's such a pretty girl!

Elendil looks so very tiny.  I love his delicate features.  I'm especially in love with the tiny white spot on his forehead.  He's a gorgeous boy!

Christmas Village

 My Christmas Village is out for the season which meant I had to get pictures of the hamsters walking through it.  It's been so long since I've gotten pictures of the hamsters.  I'm trying to get a balance back in my life where I feel like I not only have the time to do this, but also have the mental space to allow myself to be creative.  While I did finally take time to do pictures, all the spots I choose felt so uncreative and repetitive.  I'm still glad I did this as I'm realizing that as the months fly by, the hamsters are getting old which makes me so sad.  I love these two so much!

I'm seeing the signs of aging starting to appear in Míriel.  Her fur is lighter and she doesn't seem to have near the amount of spunkiness she used to have.  It's almost a bit sad how much she's calmed down.  I hope I have plenty of time to take a lot more pictures of her that are hopefully way more creative than these Christmassy ones I got last week.

Elendil had no desire to cooperate so I could get cute pictures of him in the little Christmas Village.  He just saw the opportunity to try to slip away between the houses unnoticed.  Haha!

Tigger

I've had Tigger on my mind due to seeing all for One's Winnie-the-Pooh sequel.  Tigger was not in their first one, but he made his debut in this one!  I'll be photographing the dress rehearsal tonight, and I'm so excited to see it!  For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://allforonefw.org/winniethepooh/

Míriel loved her strawberry so much!  She was quick to pouch it so she could have it for later.  She pretty much loves all the food I offer to her.

Elendil doesn't go after treats the way Míriel does.  He tends to be more interested in exploring his new surroundings before he checks out food.  I was pleasantly shocked when he cuddled up to Tigger and stuck his head under his arm.  It was SO cute!  I'm so glad I caught that precious moment!  

Gems from Ohio Caverns

 Today marks 11 years since Joe lost his mother and I lost my mother-in-law.  We've both experienced so much loss of loved ones, but her loss has been the hardest.  I don't expect the grief to ever go away.  She left a void, a crack in my heart that will never be the same.  Over the years since, rather unconsciously, I've surrounded myself with many wonderful older ladies who's friendships have begun to seep into that crack, slowly filling it.  But not of the same substance for the evidence of such deep loss will always be there under the surface.  Though different now, the mark remains, like kintsugi.  While I still wish I had more time with my mother-in-law, I'm so grateful for the time we did have and for how quickly she welcomed my into her family, years before Joe and I were even engaged or married.  ❤

Over the summer, Joe planned a trip for us and didn't tell me where we were going.  He kept the secret until we arrived at our destination.  We had a wonderful stay in an romantic escape room, explored a beautiful local park, and on a whim, went to the Ohio Caverns on our way home.  We had time before the next available tour so of course we went shopping in their gift shop.  I really loved seeing all the cool stuff they had, and I brought home these stunning gems.

I was admittedly a bit nervous that Míriel would try to pouch a stone, but thankfully she just gave them each a sniff.  I think she just wanted to be sure that there were no other pecans hiding among the gems.  Haha!

Elendil is a bit hard to photograph as he isn't too interested in food so there isn't much I can offer him to convince him to stay put.  I thought if I arranged the rocks in a circle, maybe he'd feel trapped, but he in fact was more than willing to wander out of circle, so the picture taking didn't last very long.  But that's okay.  He's still the best little boy.  😊

SETI Board Game

We got this game over the summer and have enjoyed playing it a few times.  It's longer so it doesn't make it to the table much now that we are busier with Joe being at work and overseeing IEN when he gets home from work.  We've paired down our game collection quite a bit, but we still have plenty of others to choose from when we do get a chance to play a game.  We really like this game though!

Míriel is getting old enough now that I'm starting to subtle changes in her.  She's a bit less active and her fur is getting a bit lighter in color.  But she still regularly surprises me with how crazy she is, especially when I'm cleaning her tank.  She is still quite unrelenting about trying to escape while I've got her lid open for cleaning.

Elendil hasn't been out as often in the evenings before we go to bed, so I don't see him as much as I'd like.  I know Chinese Dwarf Hamsters are known for being incredibly shy and elusive.  And while Elendil does somewhat fit that stereotype, he is also so incredibly sweet when I do get to hold him.