Christmas With the VanHoose Family

Well, I said that I would post these photos on my Roblog, so here they are. Only three months late. Not too shabby.

A few days after Christmas, Jon VanHoose and his family (wife Clarissa and daughter Elanor) were in Leavenworth visiting Jon's parents, and we went to visit them. As you can see, we spent some time watching a video.
It's one of those intellectual things for kids:
As you can see, they're learning all kinds of stuff there. The video is "Here Come the ABC's" by They Might Be Giants. This is still one of Maxine's favorite videos, and has been for six months or so. Luckily for me, it does not drive me right up the wall, like a certain giant purple dinosaur who shall remain nameless.
Elanor was a bit more interested in the book she had given Maxine for a Christmas present. If you haven't read "Good Night, Gorilla," it's a fun little book.

Jon's sister, her husband and their baby were also there. (Sorry! No pictures of Jenny or her husband!) Elanor seems to really like her cousin.
I mean when she's not stepping on his head.

We had a fun afternoon, and wished that it could have been longer. Hopefully we will see the VanHoose family again during their next visit, whenever that might be.

For those of you who don't know, Elanor has Cystic Fibrosis. It's a genetic disease that causes the body to form mucus that is thicker than it should be. This causes digestion problems, as well as making the body more susceptible to infections, especially the lungs. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a charity dedicated to advancing treatments that will help those with the disease to lead a more normal life. They have made significant advances, and will continue to do so with the support of people like you and me.

Clarissa keeps a fantastic blog named after their daughter, Elanor Mira. Jon is an occasional contributor as well. It is, of course, very much centered on Elanor, unlike my scatter-shot, what's-the-next-shiny-object approach to Roblog. It will definitely give you a sense of how Elanor's life is different from that of most three-year-olds, but it will only give you the barest hint of how charming Elanor is live and in person. It may also educate you as to how health care works for one American family in this day and age. I've been reading the blog and emailing with Jon quite a bit since she was born, but this Christmas was the first time to actually meet her, and it was certainly a pleasure.