Well, I didn't take many pictures on my all-too-brief trip back to the States for Melanie's wedding (particularly at the wedding itself, since I figured everyone else with cameras had that covered),
but here are a few. Actually this first one, of my dad with a carved watermelon, is stolen from Sarah, but it is so oddly cute I can't resist passing it along:

It was a really nice wedding. The first dance in particular was very sweet (I have never in my life heard a DJ make a speech that long, but it set up the dance perfectly!) and I am still in awe of her incredibly gorgeous wedding dress:(Thought these were cute pictures of Marylou!)

Then I had a chance a day or two later to see Mei Li (AKA Lily) and her three little girls-- Eliana... Sianna (getting flipped over her dad's head and being silly as usual)...And Leilani, who was very sleepy after a long day (not to mention rightly suspicious of a strange woman with a camera who, as far as she can remember, she has never seen before):

Also spent some quality time with the new light of Brother Number One's life:

And hung out with Lorraine, Bella and Brooklyn, and Mersades on the day I was flying back:

(And yes, next time I WILL bring the baby!)

Susannah a couple of days ago outside playing with the neighborhood dog. Note very cool sneakers. And playing with her monkey-on-her-back thingamajig. We don't attach the leash to it yet, she just likes to play with it and try to buckle the buckles. Well, she likes to buckle ANYthing with buckles. And say buckle. And say monkey. And do anything else having to do with monkeys.

And here, ready to go out looking very equestrian in her leggings and slightly-too-big but very cute bug wellies.

Saying "ham." Other recent additons to the repertoire: she says Apple for apples and tomatoes, Onion for, of course, onions, Pop for snap crackle and pop (AKA Krispies, still one of her favorite foods), Moo for cows, and she calls the dog who visits us Bobby (her father calls him Bonzer). Her current favorite book: Big Dog, Little Dog by P.D. Eastman. Especially exciting for some reason is the page where the dogs say, "My bed is too little!"/"My bed is too big!" "What can we do about it, Ted?"/"I don't know, Fred!" This is acted out with inimitable dramatic intensity-- really, sometimes she actually shakes. Oh, and she seems to think fish make a noise similar to pigs. Not sure where that idea came from.