This is becoming a tradition for the Christmas Concert. Mugging for the camera with funny glasses.

Grace 2009

Hannah and a friend 2007

Results of our current arctic blast!!!!

It is still running, but a few more nights like this and I'm afraid it will freeze solid. The pond is about 2 1/2 ft at it's deepest. The ice is about 6in thick in some places. Yikes!!!

The lights still work!!

There are about 13 fish in there somewhere. I hope they don't turn into popsicle fish!!!

7th Grade Choir Christmas Concert

Today Grace's class sang in Seattle for a Christmas Concert.
Steve and I were excited to go and watch and give Grace some moral support, but as with all good intentions, it went south. We missed the whole performance, much to Grace's and our great disappointment. Not that we didn't try. We didn't know exactly how to get there, but we knew it was at the Seattle Center, close to Key Arena. We had our "trusty" GPS, known affectionately as "Zelda" (as in the witch and she comes by it honestly). To begin with, the 12v plug wouldn't work and the battery was low. Just how do you charge the battery on one of these things if the 12v plug doesn't work? Do they make an ac power charger?? Anyway....... We turned it off thinking we would save the battery and wait until we got closer. Should of done our homework. Our much loved GPS took us down the primrose path, again. Well, not so much wrong, just not accurate. As we sat in the ever present "gridlock" on I-5 with cars zooming by in the HOV lane, we followed Zelda's advice - "stay right on I-5". If we had driven in the HOV lane we could have saved much time. As it turns out we should have been in that lane, as it left I-5 exactly where needed to exit the freeway. Zelda informed us to "exit left at Seneca" about 5 seconds before the turn off!!! Thanks, Zelda. By the time we reached the Seattle Center the performance was over. Now we were wandering around Seattle Center looking for the building, freezing our fannies off, and didn't have a clue where to go. I was believing by this time that we would never connect with Grace at all......
Well, we finally found her and Megan, Lindsey, Lindsey's mom, Roxy and Megan's dad, David. I think we were able to salvage some of the day. We (Grace and her friends) went ice skating while the parents watched and took pics, had some lunch and then we took Grace for a little shopping. Even though it started as a stinker, it ended up fun. We love spending time with her
We LOVE YOU Gracie!!!!

Let's see....with the hot tub fiasco on Hannah's birthday and now this, Papa and Gramma are
batting 0 for 2. We've got to do better!!

A not so happy Grace

First time ice skating, needing the wall for support

Strength in numbers

Letting go!!!!!!

A little ice dancing???

Megan giving Grace a little "encouragement"

Ok...I got this down now!!!!!

obligatory pose in front of the ice sculpture to appease Gramma

Happy 14th to Riley
December 2nd
~~ Forever in our hearts ~~

Hannah is 15!!!

This is probably my most favorite picture of Hannah!!
She was a Fairy Princess for Halloween the year she was almost three.
Instead of saying "trick or treat" she would say "Goodies"
She was so happy to show us all her candy that night. She kept saying
"Goodies, Papa, Goodies!!!"

She is still a princess!!!!

Hannah and her peebs:
Hannah Rose aka "Jonesy", Makaela, Hannah Rose & Taelor Danae

Hannah celebrated her 15th birthday on Friday December 4th with a few friends for movies and hot tub at Papa and Grammas.
Taelor Danae, Makaela, and Hannah's friend from 1st grade Hannah Rose, yes, I said Hannah Rose, also known as Jonesy, ate snacks, watched tv and jabbered on into the evening. Steve and I retreated to the upstairs to give them space and let them have the downstairs to themselves. Sometime around 9:30 they decided to try the hot tub. Great! It was cooollldd!!! outside and the hot tub would feel awesome!!! so we thought........
The girls changed and hurried outside to the tub, Steve and I heard giggles and screams and we thought ~ we will have to keep an eye on the clock to keep the noise under control according to quiet hours in the neighborhood!! ~Well, within a few minutes Hannah came in and asked if we could heat up the water real fast because it was only 85 degrees, WHAT?????? I checked it earlier, steam was rising, chemicals were balanced, water was clean......WHAT THE HECK?????
First thought, oh great, its broken... upon checking, we found that somehow the settings had been changed to sleep setting and needed to be reset. We had to tell the girls the hot tub wasn't going to happen (it takes an hour to heat up 4 degrees, that would be about 4 hrs to get to 102) The girls went RUNNING into the house and all together jumped into the hot shower to unfreeze their feet, Yikes........Well, needless to say, Steve and I felt terrible. I'm sure Hannah was disappointed, but being the sweet, lovable girl she is, she said "that's ok, it was still an adventure!!"
I so, so love her~~~~ :)
So, when she asked if she could rent 2 movies from OnDemand, what could we say???
Of course, Hannah, whatever you want..............,
She now has an open invitation to bring some of her friends over for a HOT tub party whenever she wants
HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY HANNAH ROSE ZITNY!!!!!!
WE LOVE YOU!!!!
~~~Your Papa and Gramma are so proud of the
beautiful young woman you have become~~~