Log Home Living

January

2012-01-31T14:50:00.000-08:00

One last look at the beaches of So. Cal for awhile. We are glad Miss Gretchie that you introduced us to the beauty of this place and love enjoying it with you!

Miss Munchkin and grandpa. This is her favorite spot in the house! Notice the book is in German. Gretchen is the only one that can read it but Etta doesn't care. It's an animal farm book so made up story line is great.

Early January snows. It is Etta's first for walking in. She is not so sure about the sledding.

In fact, it is pretty relaxing when you go this route.

Making bread with grandma.

Boulevard Park. Coffee. Delightful walk by the water. Photo op. Family. Love this.

Happy Birthday Kelly! Yummy cake by Janae~ entertainment by Etta~

Christmas --2011

2011-12-29T17:02:00.000-08:00

Grandpa's boat for Etta. It's called the South Whidbey "punt rocker". That's the type of boat it is. It turned out beautifully. Now, to convince Etta it's ok to "rock the boat"!

Janae made this farm for Etta. The barn and animals are so realistic. The goats even have ladders to play on. We all wanted to play "farm".

Special times. We went to Dan and Tonya's Christmas Eve. Travis had arrived Friday so we were all very happy to see him! Tonya had a delightful meal of Swedish meatballs and all the fixins.

And of course "fancy" would be on the menu as well.

Back up the the log house. All of us gathered here for Christmas Day +next day.

Janae, and Kelly brought a mystery jigsaw puzzle, "Murder on the Titanic". They all enjoyed it and are here solving the crime.

Kelly fixed "choucroute" a delicious french dish. Cabbage, sauerkraut and many kinds of sausages, baked to perfection. Mashed potatoes served on the side. Justin made homemade applesauce in the slowcooker.

Terry' toys. He has a train set for younger kids on the right, then new this year was a train/slot car set that brought lots of whoops and hollers as your try to out-run the train with your slot car. We all want to learn to do that, right?

Justin entertained with the guitar. Kids loved singing kid songs and carols. Most mesmerized was Braden. He couldn't get enough. It was pretty sweet to see how enthralled he was with it.

Cousins--first time all 6 together since grandpa Gordon's funeral in '99.

The Thompson clan.

The Matthews clan.

Next day: Early morning story time with cousins.

Janae made Taco Soup, Ken and Marianne joined us too. More jigsaw, games and cookie time to finish out the day on Monday.

And a wonderful time was had by all!! We are very, very thankful for family and friends. We were missing all the other family but know they were enjoying their families too.

Happy Holidays to all of you and Happy New Year!!

April happenings

2011-04-25T14:20:00.001-07:00

Well April here was the COLDEST on record. But we didn't stay in by the fire and mope, altho it was the topic of discussion far more than was emotionally healthy.

We had a very busy month, hmmm, guess they all are that way and that is good. Keeps us from sitting around commiserating about....

April doings:
Some of the cousins had dinner at Uncle Tom and Aunt Jeans in early April. It was a wonderful evening of stories, more stories (are you sure that was true?) and good food. We look forward to the reunion in August of this clan +the rest at Cape Disappointment. We're excited to see Marianne and Ken's branch of the family.
Uncle Tom shows Etta his basalt fountain. Cousin's, below, Brandon took quite an interest in Etta and she in him. Brandon's mom Margaret holding a future Husky, courtesy of Uncle J.

Over spring break we went with Tonya/Dan and family to the Science Center. We had a great day. Highlight of the center was the butterfly house, dinosaurs and the Lewis and Clark I-Max. Justin met us for lunch at the Center. To cap it all-- fabulous chowder back at Tonya's Cafe.

Tulip time! Anghared and Anna come to see the tulips. We had a delightful visit and stroll through the street fair.

Up to watch Etta for the day while mommy went to work to help daddy...bliss for g'ma and g'pa.
Etta comes to visit (her first over-nighter without mom and dad!) and g'pa takes her for a stroll. She kept pointing to the door. Loves being outside.--and Tucker. We loved our sleep-over!

Lisa and Troy had an Easter brunch. It was delicious and the SUN was shining so we just sat outside and lolled in the sun like sun-starved creatures that we are!! The kids hunted Easter eggs, then rehid them, hunted again and on... and on... Miss Etta rode in the airplane swing very content to watch it all. When she saw Tonya, she held out her arms right away. I think she thought that was someone who looked a lot like mommy!
Braden giving hugs--lots of them to his cousins.

Ready for meeting! Mommy and Daddy are back and as you can see by the picture below Miss Etta was pretty happy to see them.

Etta loves grandpa reading books. She is never done!

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

2011-04-04T12:38:00.001-07:00

Our precious girl turned "1" and her mommy (and daddy) had a terrific party. Friends, parents and babies that they got to know in the hospital were there and it was delightful to see them and their babies and hear the excited chatters of the parents as they discussed their year. The babies are all thriving, so the joy of that was pretty contagious!
They had a slide show of the year and it was pretty amazing to think and "see" back. Lots of thankful people and happy babies. Etta had a grin on her face all day.
She is standing alone and showing that off to Uncle J after first using him as a ladder to get there.

"I'm kind of a big deal"....hmmm..really?!
Janae made two cakes of Wembley, Etta's favorite puppet as seen in the background. They were very cute, delicious and admired. Below, she is watching mom light the candles. Having never experienced this before she seemed to know it was for her and was grinning all day long.

I really like the cards!
And my monkey bars (below)

Daddy you're so funny.

And a pair of happy grandpa's. Yes, she is loved.

Baby visit~

2011-03-26T16:52:00.001-07:00

Baby is crawling, pulling up, walking around things and eating sushi. Wow, amazing what a year can bring! An early bday visit from Auntie G.

Coffee enjoyment at JJ Bean. When we walked in there were many squeals. Seems Miss E is a bit of a hit there! It's pretty cute the baristas are jumping up and down and hiding under the counter making her grin and giggle.

Can I tell you how much I love to swing???!!!

And did you know they have the best sushi here--yum!-- avocado roll for missy.
Fluevog shoes in Gastown. Mirror reflection picture, great taste in shoes! Janae talking to clerk about a recent pair of boots she got there.

Last weekend we (and Justin) visited good friends across the mountains. We stayed at Corrin's. Here we are with him and his fancy restored GTO. We had a delightful reconnection with friends.

Dear friends Carol and Gary, soon to be grandparents!

February/March birthday weekend!

2011-03-07T19:12:00.000-08:00

Celebrating with yogurt (and Starbucks!) Happy birthday sweet daughter!

We had a birthday celebration of Kelly, Tonya, Suzanne and Chip. Great family time as usual!!

We see a fairly remarkable resemblance here to a certain auntie.
Etta has developed a new cheesy grin. She knows what the camera means and she
has it down pat--she says, "You want entertainment? You got entertainment!" We'll enjoy this phase while it lasts. Eventually she'll say, "Grandma-puleasse-stop!" But for now.....

Those bananas are slippery, hard to get in your mouth but oh the joy when you do.

--greeting Tucker(above) and below a present from Uncle J
G'ma Suzy and Braden
Birthday bunch + children Notice the homemade cheescakes by Lisa. They were decadent!
birthday mommy and sweet girls~

Snow Days!

2011-02-24T14:40:00.001-08:00

We're are having a wonderful February snow break. It's record for us in this corner of the world. I think around 18 inches. Wahoo!

Terry gets "batty" for kids.

2011-02-19T13:43:00.001-08:00

Terry did a lesson on "bats" then made bat houses with some local students. Dave and Jim (above) helped them put them together. Alexa (above right) is quite happy to help our neighborhood start our bat colony. Goodbye mosquitoes!!

We head north to visit our favorite little person and her parents. She's doing lots of chattering and scooting. Here she is doing her best imitation to match her kimono.

We head down to get dessert after our delicious home-cooked baby back ribs(below). They were amazing. Baby loved her new perch and is hanging on to Dad's tuk and hoping the ride will go on!

Kayla Rosebud--precious girl

2011-01-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

Kayla (on left) and her sister Steph.

We love you dear Kayla. From the time you were a "little bitty" sitting at the table making up stories in your cereal bowl, I was sure just to keep us all at the table, we loved you. We have very precious memories of you sweet girl and you will be so missed it breaks our hearts.
Thank you for loving us too. You will be missed our dear sweet niece, cousin, daughter, sister and friend. We love you.....

Family and the Holidays

2010-12-31T19:51:00.000-08:00

The dress Miss E is wearing is the same one her mom is wearing in the picture beside her. Mom was 1 year and Miss E is 8 months. The dress was a special gift 30 years ago from Pete and Peggy. I guess I was keeping it just for this special photo. There is a remarkable resemblance!

This first Christmas holiday time was delightful with our granddaughter. She made us all laugh, smile and sing. The hand-knit blanket, below, was made by Auntie G. It was delightful to have her with us this year too.

We wake up to SNOW! I hear a very excited little girl in the loft yell, "It's snowing! Look, it's snowing!"

Story-time with "uncle-grandpa" is a favorite.
The girls loved working with Uncle Terry in his workshop. They were busy making gifts out of wood pieces.

Below, another favorite is cookie time with Auntie Tonya. She cranks them out, doing the hard part while all the girls cut them out and decorate them. They taste wonderful too.

Great Uncle Tom and Aunt Jean meet Miss E for the first time--
Tonya and Dan had Christmas dinner for us. It was lovely and delicious. Swedish meatballs and all the trimmings. And a Christmas dessert of red and green (meringue and fruit). And of course beautifully laid out. Let's see, Martha would say that differently I'm sure....beautifully appointed? delightful ambiance? nostalgically inspiring? ok...
We also had a choco-chili feed/trifle dessert Christmas Eve at Troy and Lisa's but ALAS, I forgot my camera! It was also wonderful, the trifle was decadent! These ladies can cook!

The delighted "trio" cousins. Auntie Ton gives her a vintage "golden" book, lots of the old stories, just right for this little girl!

Miss E got a vintage Fisher Price record player (Uncle J)and vintage FP milk truck(her mom and dad). hmmm, how did Santa know? But g'ma and g'pa gave her mostly books. She loves them, esp. when grandpa reads to her.

Garden Huette

2010-12-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

Our girls with European "roots" and connections. Michelle, Terri and Gretchen. They know about these garden huettes.

A garden huette in Austria is a little garden "cabin" that city people set up by their little garden plot out in the country. Many of these are clustered together. They are pretty rustic but in Austria, it's all pretty grand. When we went to visit Gretchen there 4 years ago, we loved the "old worldness" of Austria.
Well that "old worldness" has come to our house. Terry has built our very own "garden hut". He has added his log touches and I'm a very happy gardener. I picture my rustic garden bench inside for potting, sorting seeds, starting veggies, transplanting, and maybe even doing some painting out there. I will have all my tools hung over the workbench, a tub of compost and soil beneath it and a stool. Yep, the stool. Every handyman has a stool. I just have to say again (and again) my husband constantly amazes me by what he comes up with. He's a great man to "ride the river with". I've been blessed, yes, I have. I'm looking forward to retirement and hope I can be just a little bit as productive as he is! And if not as productive, I'd like to at least be a little bit of the wonderful person he is.
And if he read this, he'd be mortified!--so guess it'll be our little secret www.

up North

2010-12-07T20:00:00.001-08:00

JJ Bean and The Christmas Market..

How do I love thee?--let me count the ways...

very festive!

The 1st annual Christmas Market in Vancouver was reminicent of the markets in Austria that we visited when Gretchen was there. It was delightful. We mostly ate--schneitzal, brats, streudal, crepes, mulled cider..and took lots of pictures of E at her first open air market. Grandpa enjoyed taking her over by the bands where they were both enthalled. E by the band, G'pa was and is pretty smitten by his granddaughter.

Someone needs to straighten this "stache" for the picture.

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire"....

Ode to the DAWGS

2010-12-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

Two "unmighty" football teams
heading for the snow,
One ends its season,
the other wants a bowl.

The dawgs are led by Locker,
the cougs are led by Tuel
Who is the team--
that will make the other look a fool?

We're goin for the DAWGS,
They've been mighty in the past
And Locker needs a victory
to make his NFL career at last.

GO DAWGS!!

Turducen for Terry--FINALLY!

2010-11-26T13:06:00.001-08:00

So this is what Terry has wanted to get for Thanksgiving for a long time. This year we ordered one and it was delicious. It's a turkey, stuffed with a duck, then a hen. All boned and with a cornbread/wild rice stuffing, Creole style from the south. We all loved it. I think a new tradition has been born. Glad you prevailed, honey! Above you can see the 3 different meats.

Wonderful family and friends~ missing Tonya and girls visiting Minnesota grandma for the holiday. So happy that our Aussie friends, Ben and Anna, got back from their homeland ( Wed) to join us again this year.

A walk for "pie"..no pie till we go for a walk.

Special cuddle times...bliss, yes.

Etta's first snowfall as well as first American Thanksgiving...and did I mention that we are VERY THANKFUL for her? Oh, ok...guess you knew.

Justin entertains all of us, mostly Etta and Braden. They loved it.

Can I try that Uncle J?

Family and Sushi

2010-11-08T19:26:00.001-08:00

Love this bunch!!

Sushi Party
Janae and Kelly brought a sushi making event to our house this weekend. It was originally going to be staged at their house but plans changed. If you see Justin's passport anywhere, let him know :o)
So that's how we got to be included. It was amazingly delicious--wow! We made our favorites
from the ingredients our Canadian chefs prepared. We had shrimp, scallops, salmon, tuna, all the veggies-the works. And I'm excited because for the first time Terry really liked sushi--yay! Thanks Janae and Kelly!

Justin's masterpiece.

Miss E even had an international feast. Mommy bought her organic Tokyo Tum Tum! She wasn't real crazy about it and after I tasted it I wasn't either. She's such a happy baby though. Life is always pretty good!
There was lots of guitar playing from her uncle and everyone singing along. Miss E loved it!!

The outside of the "garten huete" (garden hut--more on that later) nears completion!

2010-10-22T20:19:00.001-07:00

Harvest moon

The garden cabin's builder is moving rapidly along.--wahoo!
That same builder is absolutely smitten with his granddaughter!

Some great big belly laughs! She was laughing at her goofy grandma.

Our new Garden Cabin takes shape!

2010-10-08T20:01:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited! Terry is building my retirement gift. Well ok, we will share it and I'm not sure he's heard about the retirement gift part. But I think he'll go with me on that. You've heard of a "man cave". We this is "our" cave (cabin). He's building a potting bench inside and I'll have my cozy corner (side)--hmmm, is my space growing as we speak?--
He is a gardener too, actually much more knowledgeable than I am, so yes, we will share, cuz I really need him when I'm gardening (mulching, weed-eating, spraying, mowing, making new raised beds, planting trees).. on second thought what is it I do? Oh yeah, the fun stuff. He does the work. Thank you honey! You make my part of gardening a joy!
And I've promised that this will not mean "more stuff". True, caves must be uncluttered -or they feel like root cellars. That conjures up all kinds of "growing up on the prairie" thoughts.

He and Justin framed it in and put the roof on...and the work continues. More updates as they develop.

Tucker likes the break time.

And no post is complete without our precious baby!

I love my Uncle J!

2010-09-19T19:00:00.001-07:00

Manicures anyone?

2010-09-07T18:56:00.001-07:00

I think I like story-time better but my daddy is pretty good at it even though I'm not so sure of this process.

Flower Power

2010-09-04T16:27:00.001-07:00

Zinnias and Bells of Ireland. I planted them from seed and have a garden full of them. I'm sold on how enjoyable they are and will plant them again for sure! They're easy!

Ok, this is a sunflower with a droopy head because it is so full of itself...good lesson here!

Zinnia and pesty friend.

Happy 30th Birthday sweet daughter!

2010-08-17T17:28:00.001-07:00

30 years....our journey together has been a wonderful joyous one. You were our 3rd..our last sweet baby who came along to complete our family. And now..you are mommy yourself. As we've grown with you, we have learned so much from you. We loved your "growing up years", your choice of our dear son-in-law and now both of you with Etta. Etta is a very fortunate little girl to have you both. Thanks for being in our lives..we love you!
Mom and Dad

just yesterday.....

graduation

marrying Kelly....and baby makes three....

Our Montana Roots--family reunion 2010

2010-08-09T16:53:00.001-07:00

Four of my brothers with most- not all - of our families. We had a wonderful 4 days, eating, laughing, playing, singing,reminiscing... and enjoying the beautiful northwest. As Nathan put it, it was like we just picked up where we last left off. And for some of the cousins, it had been awhile. It was truly delightful, better than we imagined. I think Mom and Dad would have been very happy to see that yes, family is a big deal. Thanks all of you for your help and making it truly memorable!

**click on picture to enlarge it

Sweet nieces Kayla and Stephanie. Below, Duane makes a biscuits and gravy breakfast (with help from his wife). It was delicious!

We head down to the waterfront, stopping first at Ivars, of course. Then off to Pike Place. Kayla brings her board and we're all quite impressed with her skill.

Then off to the Mariner's game. We took the bus from downtown. Here we are coming up from the tunnel. That was quite an adventure--just staying together, of course we nearly filled the bus and at every stop Julia loudly shouts, "Aunt Donna is THIS the one?" Justin told us ahead of time so when we got to the international stop she shouts again, "This is IT everyone!" and by that time the whole bus knew we were together!

3 cousins below. Jacqueline and Julia stuck close to Janessa all week. Janessa was a great "big sister" cousin!
Be careful, Zack, the bug will bite! Cousin Steph enjoys Etta.

Who needs to get a picture of Ichiro? We have Mel!

Etta is at her first Mariner game. It was Braden's first too. He and his daddy even have the "gear". Justin arranged our downtown tour and busing/tickets to the game. But alas, he couldn't arrange a win. sigh..can anyone?

Friday--to the beach at Deception Pass~wahoo, gorgeous day!
Jack Nicholson?

Roger will go the extra mile to give his grandson Zack a drink..oops..forgot to tell him, shoes and pants don't dry out quickly in the northwest!

The pro (above), the novice (looking like a pro) below..after all isn't that what it's about? Actually Kayla shares her board.

The kids swim in Cranberry lake and it was so warm, well, pretty warm.

Kelly, went all the way in and swam a bit. We all love the water but I'm pretty sure we've never done that in the salt water at Deception Pass..SO COLD! If Gretchen would have been here, she'd have joined him I'm sure! Terry grills burgers, below.

My sweet nieces (above and below). We end the day with s'mores and popcorn at Troy and Lisa's.
The cousins (in birth order)..3 not here Tim, Gretchen, and Casey. They'd be below Justin and in the order mentioned.
The bunch! Justin got better pictures but this will do for now. Our last day was dinner, pictures, games, and more visiting and finally singing around the piano, just as we did growing up. We leave with happy hearts having reconnected again.

Playing bocce ball--3 sibs, Clay, Steph and Kayla on the left, Travis, Logan, Kelly and Dan.

And finally to cap it all off, Tonya published a wonderful recipe book/biography of our family. It was a tremendous amount of work and we appreciate it very much!

It's going to be a great week!

2010-08-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Son!

2010-07-31T11:52:00.000-07:00

Wow..34 years, yep, seems like yesterday(actually your birthday was yesterday :0) I would love to be more like you. Thanks for the love, care and inspiration you are to us!

2 Fathers, 2 Sons,.. Ross Lake

2010-07-25T19:10:00.001-07:00

Brian, Matt, Terry and Justin had a great fishing/camping/boating/eating trip at Ross Lake. They'd wanted to do it for some time but it isn't a simple thing which is what makes it more of an adventure. First, after getting their wilderness permit at Marblemount, they parked at a trailhead and walked about a mile with all their gear down the trail to Ross Lake. On a tree (yes, really!) they called Ross Lake Resort who then boated over to pick them up. The only other way to get in there with your own boat is to go through Canada, a rather lengthy trip. Anyway, they rented boats and went uplake about 10 miles camping on an island. I think that's a good choice since bears like food and they were well-supplied. Matt and Justin brought most of the food, which was a good thing as Terry was thinking backpacking and had granola bars and instant oatmeal. Luckily the sons were thinking "real food" so they ate well.
They did lots of boating, fishing and hiking and had a great time. It was beautiful up there as the pictures show. A good place to go again, but I'm eyeing the floating cabins for rent, just in case I'm invited. Justin and Terry have much more patience for fishing than I do. Of course I could stay at the floating cabin and read a book, hmmm...nice!

**Pictures courtesy of Justin.

Proof

2010-07-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

After reading previous post, you know what "proof" means. In picture below she seems to be saying, "Wow, my grandma is really goofy when she talks to me!" Kelly would agree :o)

Etta also knows how to put grandpa to sleep. Is there anything more relaxing than this???

Grandma got a smile

2010-07-17T18:56:00.001-07:00

Now there have been lots of smiles but I hadn't gotten the "intentional" one--just the random ones. This one was my grandma is really silly and goofy singing "itzy, bitzy spider" a million times ..so I guess I'll smile and grin at her. And the squeaks that went with it..oh yes..it looks like this with momma. I couldn't get it with me cuz how do you sing "Itzy, Bitzy", and take pictures. You'll just have to trust my euphoria. It was for real.

The Green From the Garden

This is one sprig of red leaf lettuce from the garden. It was too pretty to eat, so I let henny penny have it.

Two of the three raised beds Terry has made me. I add one each year. He sees the handwriting on the wall on this one! Retirement..? --a yard full of raised beds!

This was June 26th, below was July 10th. Oh what 2 weeks will do with SUN!

What do ya do in this HEAT???

2010-07-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

Make your "green" daughter proud~set up your clothes line, just like hers!

Or.....
.......enjoy a fabulous mocha your granddaughter's mommy brings you on your birthday (and sushi--wow!)
or.....get out your best fancy hat that mommy got you that amazingly matches the outfit Auntie G just sent. hmm, sister intuition? This was the Skype call to Auntie to show it off~ guaranteed to beat the heat!

or you can take a lukewarm bath to cool off.

Or if all else fails, Daddy has the right idea..cool washcloths "wherever", cuteness baby bubba!

I'm pretty sure, this is the best for grandma's and grandpa's.. yep, even in the heat, life is good, very, very good.

Fourth, Fireworks, Family, Friends, Food and yes, a "Fifth birthday"!

2010-07-05T11:14:00.001-07:00

Well, Tonya, Dan and crew did it up right again for the 4th. It was a red, white and blue feast and spread worthy of a magazine photo shoot but alas the paparazzi didn't find us. Well they may have tried but in this city I'm sure they couldn't get down the street. This neighborhood does the 4th BIG! All the neighbors were in the streets by dusk, lighting off their fireworks and hot air balloons. Those were quite exciting and the kids loved to see them disappear into the sky. Braden liked them best..no "boom"! Julia's 5th was celebrated and she couldn't figure out whether to be more excited about that or the fireworks. In years past, the girls alternated between joy and fear but this year only frazzled excitement abounded!
Grandma Suzie did her magic with the patriotic bear cake, cousin Tami was there too, helping Martha put it all together. Dan and Chip were pretty much on fire all night, wearing out lighters. And the rest of us, well we did what we always do, ate, cheered and covered our ears!
Thanks Dan and Ton--ya did it up good! On our way home, the entire sky was alit with Americans saying "Happy Birthday" to their country. Judging by how many we saw, I think maybe that fireworks sales could easily turn this country's economy around!

summer.... well, or is it?

2010-07-03T08:37:00.001-07:00

Foxglove
Our snapdragons are in their 2nd year. They didn't freeze last winter and are gorgeous this year.

We went to Ebey's Landing and Ft. Casey on Whidbey. There is so much to explore in the NW, we've decided this summer to do just that. The above marker was on a headstone. Sometimes the "going home" is an unexpected journey.

The bluff hike. Beautiful!

Fishing on CL. It was a sunny evening last night (rare so far his summer) so I decided to bring my camera.

Early this morning, he takes off as he sees the fish are jumping. That's him, the speck on the water to the right.
zoomed in...I'm enjoying my coffee on the deck.

Baby Etta

2010-06-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, Etta has reached her due date in style. You'll have to read Janae's blog to see a complete descriptive account of what that means from the viewpoint of Miss Etta. Grandpa hadn't seen her for awhile so we spent a few days there and the pictures below pretty much capture Grandpa's complete devotion to his granddaughter. What a wonderful "Father's Day" gift!

Grandma got her snuggles in too. There can't be anything much sweeter!
We took some walks--this one around the neighborhood-- and enjoyed the fresh air.

Happy Father's Day Kelly! Miss Etta is a very lucky little lady to have you and mommy for her parents!!
We were giggling over this picture because Etta had just had a good nurse and her belly was full! --" Life is good" she says!

Being grandma--how sweet it is!

2010-05-29T11:47:00.001-07:00

Baby is HOME and what a thrill for her mommy and daddy (and all the rest of us too). I'm pretty sure I could do this all day long and never, ever tire of it. She is precious and I know now what all you grandma and grandpas are talking about!

Mommy reading me a story and me putting daddy to sleep (below). Who knew I could make mommy and daddy so tired? Could it be that my "best" time is from 3-5 a.m.? I love to eat and nuzzle and be wide awake then. It was fine in the hospital...hmmm...wonder why it's so sleepy during that time here at home? They were wide awake over there!

I love my cradle grandpa built for me. But mommy always finds me like this when I'm ready to eat. I scootch my way over here so I feel the side with my head and hand. I like being cozy.

Our sweetheart.

2010-05-14T20:58:00.001-07:00

Yes, baby is doing so well. She's amazing us all. And yes, she is so loved. I had to hurry and post this as Uncle Justin is up there and I'm sure he's getting some great pictures. I have to put one of mine on before I steal his. We're trying to keep Auntie Gretchen supplied with photos too so she can "grow" with us.

And here is the cradle boat that Grandpa Terry made for her. He loved making it!

"birthdate" is the boat registration~

Precious Baby Etta

2010-04-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

Baby Etta Gretchen has arrived! She is very precious and has immediately stolen all our hearts. She came early at 3 pounds but she is doing well. She's very active and responsive. Her mommy and daddy are very thrilled too and love holding her. She loves that too. She'll be in NICU for awhile but doctors and nurses are very pleased with her progress. Auntie Gretchen came the day she was born and has had wonderful sister/auntie time with them. Uncle Justin has been up for a few days this week too. Kelly's family has also been adoring her. So she is very loved already and "cooed" over. Grandpa Terry is almost finished with the "boat cradle" that I will post a picture of soon. So welcome precious baby girl...we love you!

Babies!

2010-03-14T20:51:00.001-07:00

An evening at Don and Carol's where their grandson Emmett has arrived with his parents Char and Adam. They had a reunion of babies and parents and grandparents. Jamie,Katie and Max--Korwin, Kellie and Henry and the rest of us thoroughly enjoyed "oohing and ahhing" and taking lots of pictures. The babies were all so adorable. Thanks Don and Carol for including us! Janae and Kelly get Emmett/parents time next weekend up north.

Farming in Mesa--a look back

2010-03-04T17:50:00.001-08:00

Justin and his cousins Laura, Alane and Margaret on Terry's beloved "Farm-All C". I'm pretty sure he was trying to "get this show on the road"! We lived in Eastern Wa in a little place called Mesa for about 8 years ('74-82) before moving to Tri-Cities. This is the desert, wild and free (where the sand does blow but the sun shines too). The tractor moved to Tri-Cities too.

The Olympics!

2010-02-23T21:09:00.001-08:00

The Yankee and the Canuck

You'll notice I got a lot of "backs". That's cuz I was always walking behind someone and was fascinated by their country of origin.

Athlete's Village across the water (False Creek)

Curling, the Danes vs the Norwegians. The Norwegians get "Best of Show"--for their pants.

The Victory Ceremony--live from Whistler above. Notice the flags going up, Norway won gold (that's his back) America the silver and bronze.
It was NW Territories night at the Victory Celebration. It was their "cultural" night. Very neat.

At the cauldron. Gotta love those RED MITTENS. I have one for sale :o)

The Olympics were quite an experience. The people that you rubbed shoulders (literally) with as you walked all over downtown Vancouver, at events, at the cauldron (above), were from all over the world. I took pictures of coats--Russia, Belarus, Czech, Norway, Sweden. I'd put them on here but you know really our son Justin's blog just says it all and the photos are so good. I see Janae added some very good "local" views as well. I'll try to get some on here too. But do you really want to see the Russians from the back? My gorgeous red mittens were pretty photogenic though.

So head to their blogs--and you'll get a very good look at the Olympics. Thanks Justin! Thanks Janae and Kelly for a"royal" treat.

P.S. Yes, I've now added mine.

Happy "One" Birthday Braden!

2010-01-31T14:44:00.001-08:00

Braden turns one and his cousins are delighted with his 1st attempt at cake. He wasn't so sure but soon adapted! Grandma Susie made an adorable "farmyard" masterpiece.

Braden was pretty delighted with the whole evening. He is much beloved and a very sweet boy!
Birthday paparazzi~
Uncle Terry makes Braden a truck.

A few goons...

A few more goons...
Grandpa Lennox enjoys Braden time.

The New Year

2010-01-31T13:53:00.001-08:00

Dave, Angela and Justin come for pheasant dinner. It was from the "fall hunt" Justin went on with Terry to North Dakota.

New Years Day--Wanda and her girls came with Troy and Lisa. Since they moved to Montana, we don't see them much. Her girls are growing up and so delightful!

New Years Eve we had a lovely dinner at Dan and Tonya's. Tonya's very creative gingerbread house had us all "oohing and ahhing".
I kinda like you Uncle Justin!
Storytime by the fire.

S. Cal. in December--a great place to be!

2009-12-30T21:48:00.000-08:00

The only kind of snowman you'll see down here!

Wonderful sunsets, coffee, restaurants and friends, beaches..........

Crossing the border(maybe?)...scary!

The beaches were fabulous and we got a lot of beach time~

Tanya and her sibs and ours grew up together in TC. So nice to see her!

Huntington Beach--cool people hang-out....like the cool dude below, soon to celebrate his 35th wedding anniversary. Wonder who his very lucky wife is???

The beaches are ENDLESS! and did I mention ________?
And need I say more??? Yes, we got our "sun" fix..as in sun attached to warmth!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T17:58:00.000-08:00

Waking up to coffee~!

Kelly and Terry carving the turkeys. Our power went out about 11:00 a.m. 2 hrs b4 turkey done time. So we put it out on the grill and decided we may do that every year. It was juicy but nice and crispy skin.

Ben and Anna Byrd from Australia, now living in Vancouver joined us. They were a delightful addition. I lived with Ben's great Aunt Galvesta Taylor in Bozeman in college. We were delighted to connect with the "Aussie Byrd's" again. Lots of family and friends were with us--so much to be thankful for!

A familiar sight with Suzanne--she's always washing dishes. Yes, we do appreciate that sweet sister!

Classic Wayne...he was waiting a LONG time for the pie (or should I say the whipped cream). He sure would hate to be caught smiling. We did catch him but unfortunately not on film. We do love it when you come tho- and Uncle Chip too, below with Braden is "part of the family".
Everyone wants Braden time. He is a precious little guy, taking it all in.
Trying to walk, jump off, our dinner to make room for pie.

Friday is COOKIE DAY! Wahoo..Tonya brings the makins and the kids and Ben had a wonderful time decorating. Unfortunately, Janae and Kelly had to leave just before this excitement.
Whew--at the end of the day. Ben, Anna and I took in "Black Friday" at 10:00 p.m. a great time I might add. They hadn't experienced it and they still really haven't as things were very calm at that hour. When we got home at 11:15, Tonya was a picture of relaxation. Kitchen all cleaned up!

We did miss Gretchen who was in Hawaii for convention having a lovely time and Justin who was camping in the snow in the "Enchantments" near Leavenworth!--we're waiting to see his blog pictures--Justin??

What to do with your old skiis

2009-11-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

Terry made this "ski" adirondack chair for Justin. It really turned out great and is very comfortable. Some of the skiis Terry used to make the chair were used by Justin on the slopes. These are the "antiques"now.

Natalie and Eliseo were married in Sicily this summer but the stateside reception was Saturday in Tacoma. It was lovely. And so nice to see Natalie and Eliseo sooo happy! We saw slides of their wedding at a castle in Sicily. It was amazing. Natalie was so gorgeous. The bottom 2 pictures were slides from the wedding. We'll miss you Natalie but we know where to visit you! Natalie was a good friend of Janae's in Bellingham.

What does this look like again?

2009-11-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

The last time we saw one of thse was a month ago~ We miss you sunrise!

UDub football

2009-10-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

The game? Not so good. The tailgating--great! But hey that stadium is a great place to see all the sights in Seattle. And on this particular day, the sights off the field were the best!
Cute sisters~

A great organizer and wonderful "brunch" food~