week's end

The week has been wonderful and tomorrow we will be very sad to say goodbye to Granny Suki and Granddad Colin. Today we went to the Seattle Museum of Flight which was a highlight for granddad Colin. A tour through my old school and then a quick coffee ended the day. Yesterday's activities were lunch at a nice Mexican place in Everett, a town up north and then a few hours at the Children' Museum. I think Paul may have enjoyed it more then Gracie. The day before was hamburgers at a place downtown and a wet walk round the SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park.

Christmas Day

Christmas day was wonderful even if we did have to force G to open her presents and were still trying to get them opened at 4 pm that day! A snow fell which we ordered specifically for Colin and Suki's Christmas in Seattle experience!

Christmas Eve

Almost Christmas! Mom and Dad are stepping on the plane as I type this and soon they will arrive for the holiday festivities! Gracie is very excited and been going to bed very late! I can remember the excitement of awaiting Santa's arrival when I was that age too! Here are some pics of her watching the classic "Grinch" and mailing her wish list to Santa! Today will be spent running last minute errands and Paul will go pick up our Buche De Noel for Xmas dinner and I will clean the house. M and D arrive tonite and then we will put out the cookies and milk for Santa! Much love and Merry Christmas to all and to all a great day! Love W, P and G

Cafe Gracie

Well, three days to go until the big guy in the red suit arrives. It is a rainy drizzly day and P is off doing errands so G has decided to open a little cafe that sells coffee, tea and kleenex!

They are still around

For those of you who remember when Sammy and Paros were my only babies, yes, they are still around though starting to show their age. Paros has been living with diabetes for almost four years now and takes her twice daily shots like a pro. She has started to loose her fur/hair though and has big bare patches on her legs and belly. Another trip to the overpriced, x-ray happy, vet is imminent. Sammy is handsome as ever and is doing very well now that he takes "happy pills' everyday. The kitty Prozac has made his world very calm! He is hampered by bad arthritis in his hips as he is such a big cat, still weighing in at 19 pounds. Jumping has become difficult and he has a pronounced limp.They are loving and still going strong and so much a part of our growing family!

Christmas Concert

Gracie had her school Holiday concert last night. It was much improved over the last two years and was held in the sanctuary of the church (her preschool is in the basement of the church) and this helped add to the atmosphere! They sang three songs, or rather the teachers sang three songs and the kids either lip-synced or stared in stunned silence. It was cute but pretty overwhelming for small little ones with all the parents flashing cameras and videos in their eyes. It was fun though!

A jolly old soul

Gracie's patience paid off. After P and I hauled her around acres of Noble, Shasta and Grand Firs we were able to take her on a hayride (not the best.. think diesel tractor fumes and ice cold hay bales) but then we went inside the warming hut and found Santa! A wonderful friendly Santa who genuinely liked kids and took to Gracie immediately. He really was a jolly old soul!

Finding the perfect tree

A beautiful and sunny but cold, very cold, Saturday and we traipsed off to find the "perfect' tree. There is no such thing. The trees may look beautiful and ideal from 30 feet away but then you get up closer to the the range that you would be if it were in your house and all of a sudden the once stunning and majestic tree that you saw and shouted, 'That's the one!" becomes a scraggly bush with gaping holes, gaps the size of the grand canyon, thick stumps that won't fit in the tree holder, and a slightly yellowish cat pee tint! So we started off cheerily enough, Gracie picking trees that were so small they weren't for sale or ones that were twenty foot towers. Two hours hour later and still treeless it became "Just cut that one, I don't care if has broken limbs and the trunk is thicker then a dinner plate, I'm done!" Finally we found a nice tree perfectly acceptable for our corner! Gracie became an expert at inspecting the trunk size and finding the tags with the prices!

Gracie's Advent Calendar

Courtesy of Granny Suki and Grand dad Colin, Gracie has a wonderful Advent calendar in the form of Santa's slippers! It is the cutest thing and hangs from our fireplace (thus there is no chocolate) and every morning Gracie wakes up and races out to the living room to pick her next advent preset for the day. So far the Advent elves have left her a little finger puppet doggie, a "Shrek" toothbrush, a little container of play dough and a little purple witch ornament. More importantly Gracie is learning how to count down to Christmas and knows that on the last slipper day,the 24th, that is Christmas Eve and the day Granny and Granddad arrive at the airport.

December rain storm '07

Well, we were making fun of the news this morning for all the drama surrounding the rains we have had and Paul merrily drove off to work. Only to return 2 hours later having been driving around trying to find a way to work that wasn't flooded and he is now back in his jammies making bacon and eggs and looking forward to an unexpected day off. He cleaned out the gutters as I bailed water unsuccessfully from under the house and our yard is a swamp. These pics don't do the weather justice!

more snow

Well Sunday brought more snow before it all turned to rain and we are now suffering thru flooding and windy weather. I'm glad G got out there yesterday morning to enjoy the snow before her snowmen melted away! Today is a seriously soggy day with torrential downpours for the last 24 hrs. The lake in our backyard is inching its way closer and closer! eeek! Paul and Gracie made gingerbread ornaments on Sat night!

Winter Wonderland

A gorgeous wintry wonderland this afternoon and the snow is still falling hours later! Very unusual for Seattle! Gracie is in seventh heaven. We went for a drive up north to Everett to find a bakery that will make Buche de Noel! How festive.