Various Dangers

So we went on a short hike to Weahclelah Falls. It wasn't that short a hike, really. Just right, some said. But Miki wanted to race away from Grambee from the get-go.

And Grambee was out-pacing Jim,

but she waited up for him!

There were treacherous bridges!

Look at these beauties:

Only Ida and I ventured this close to the falls and the Turbulent Pool. It was windy and cold.

Then we settled down to eat a bunch of cheese and m&ms. Jim suffered an injury right before this and his knee bled through his pants but he didn't complain that much.

I made myself a delicious steak sandwich but somehow it got left behind on the counter.

Boy it sure was nice to have Jim and Grambee visit for Christmas. NOw they're gone, and the tree is already chopped up in the yard waste/compost container (it tipped over on Ella tonight, as if to say, "you're really attractive" or "these holidays are OVER"), but we're happy that Jim and Grambee are still in one piece, even if they're far away in SLC.

Hold on! There is also serious business afoot! Look carefully at this image, of a person who stole $1,000 worth of textbooks at ReedCo and was caught on a video camera.

He is still at large, but they have these images. Many have "Fingered" Arthur as the culprit, but I have tried hard to enlighten them that Arthur has an alibi: he's been out of town since Christmas night (or so he said). One has to admit there's a very strong resemblance:

Oh, Arthur. I would've given you the books or the money, either one.

Grambee + Jim vs. Christmas!

On Christmas Eve, Grambee and Jim flew in from SLC! Here are their official portraits, taken by Ida:

Jim's lap: always popular.

And then, a special Xmas morning visit from Hugh!

The spirit just got right into everyone.

Even Maggie had a real positive attitude!  Yes!  And Ella was cooking it on up!

There were occasional tears, but Arthur got a very fancy shirt and eventually he cheered up.

You may have wondered, "That foxy look Ella was sporting in that previous picture, could that ever be replicated?"  Yes.

Candelabras came into play.

To all good girls and boys,

good night.

Further Winter Reflections

We're getting pumped for the visit of Grambee and Jim; getting prepared. For one, we went to the dentist. "Look at how helpful this big brother is," said the hygienist.

This was Miki's first trip to the dentist. She did very well indeed, and got a sticker, a toothbrush, and another disgusting "sticky hand" prize.

She is really interested in becoming a ballerina, it seems, though Ella won't allow it.

Ida says "butts have cheeks!" She also is liable to argue for another story before bedtime by saying "it's like the other wing of the airplane; you tell a story, and that's one wing, and then you sing ABC, which is the body of the plane, and then it needs another wing." She's really into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory lately.

Ella is really, really into this swing.

Holiday Train III

Yes, this was the third time. The first time Ella ever got to go. There's her delightful mouth:

Meanwhile, yes, you may have noticed that Ida got her hands on a ballpoint pen and spent some time turning herself into a cat. Three weeks later, this appears to be permanent.

What was that noise? Marshall Landers was quite worried and perplexed. 

This man declared that everything was going to be all right... 

...because Zanta Clause himself was coming to town: And yes, a whole team of Tumbleweeders were on the scene. Dominating.

Winter Reflections II

We can feel the holidays breathing on us, now. Lots of Frosty the Snowman singing, lots of discussion of how much Santa ("Zanta") knows--"Are you sure he knows where we put those craypas?" "Does Santa know when everyone's birthday is?" "Does he only eat cookies and milk?"

Recently we got our first tree ever--stay tuned--and Ida says, "I never knew how happy it would make me to have a tree in the living room."

We are training her to be a champion free climber. With her strong little hands and low body weight, combined with her fearlessness, it seems an obvious choice.

Winter Reflections

The other day Ida was telling me, "When I die, I'm going to get all burned up...

...and then I'll come visit and talk to you about things."

Dangerous Hike after Thanksgiving!

The skies cleared, the storm surge surged, we headed out into the wilds of Cape Mears.

People got their game faces on.

It was kind of sweet.

Miki's taken a real likin to Aunt Maggie.  Mostly you can't blame her.

The cool new thing is to zip your baby into your coat.  It is actually cool.

I tried it out and everyone was a lot nicer to me.

These two!  They really made our trip like a nightmare sometimes with their crying.

Vinings!  'Nuff said.

Ah. The ocean.

This is up by the Octopus Tree, which may have been made or developed by Native Americans as a part of a plan they had.

The whole area was flipping haunted! No one had ever seen a wheelchair traverse these paths, either.

Later, Maggie took Dr. ER Vining to the bank playing "Operation."  ANd even later, Arthur took her way downtown by playing his "dumb guy" routine in a game called Terrace (harder than Chess; they say a computer will never learn it).

The next morning we had to pack things up.  Keeping the girls outside was key.  So the big girls could fight about grocery packing, inside.

Arthur was mostly quite helpful in keeping them occupied.  And by standing around outside breaking sticks he avoided cleaning up a single thing!

Whew!

"No more hikes," says Mr. Vining.

Okay, lots of holiday action happening, here.  Get ready.