First Cutting

Today was the last sunny day before several days of rain, so I thought I better mow the new lawn - for the first time. This photo actually makes it look better than it really does, but still, it's a big improvement over the past.

And one more set of photos from Trevor and Michelle's visit. When I was a kid, the best toy in the world was a big ol' empty refrigerator box. After using it for a fort until it was falling apart, we could then cut it up and use the pieces to slide down the levee (which always had long grass growing on the sides). Like sledding down a hill in the parts of the country where it snows, only you could do this nearly year round

So I took our empty fireplace and microwave boxes and built a little tunnel/fort for the kids to play in. They probably would have played in it more if there wasn't the draw of the trampoline. But they had fun enough.

The Train Museum

The Butchart Family (as presently constituted) in front of the giant Christmas Tree in Old Sacramento. We drove down there this morning to see the Train Museum, and the weather was beautiful.

The light was in the wrong place (okay, I was in the wrong place) so the sun created havoc with this shot. But it has some important people in it, so I included it anyway.

This is probably my favorite photo of the day - the three kids all holding hands and walking down the boardwalk along the river in Old Sac. It was actually a staged shot, but the girls were holding hands of their own accord, and Michelle asked Atticus to join them (which he did). How can anybody say they have cuter grand kids than we have? The rain coats were absolutely unnecessary. By the time the museum opened at 10:00, the sun was so warm everyone had stripped down to their T-shirts.

Inside the museum, Elizabeth got fussy and camera shy, but I managed to get a couple of poor quality photos of her and Jane (in the blue) as they sat in the engineer's seat on one of the MASSIVE trains.

And of course, the day became spectacular when we stopped at McDonalds for lunch. Atticus downed copious quantities of McNuggets, and the girls did their share too. After the main course, we had warm chocolate chip cookies - which Lizzie mostly got in her mouth.

Mom bought a Family pass that's good for a year, so everyone needs to plan on getting down there with us sometime during the next year (you too, Kim and David).

More Good Stuff On Christmas

Here's a link to one of the new Church websites on celebration of Christmas. It has downloadable Tabernacle Choir music, video clips, and a link to the Church's Bible Video site. It' a good place to send people who want to celebrate Christ's life with us. Click the link below.

Christmas Joy

Race Day

Last Saturday was the 4th annual Hand of Hope "Turkey Trot" 5K race. It's held this same weekend every year, and the first two years the weather was relatively clear and cold. Last year was rainy, but only enough to get a little wet by the time the race was over. This year was quiet a different matter. It was the nastiest weather day of the year I think. Wind howling in from the south, heavy rain drenching everyone who ventured out after only seconds. The picture below, and the video below that, don't do it justice.

But I had paid my $15 (going to a good cause) and I didn't want to cheat myself out of any of the action. I was completely soaked through by the time I'd run 10 yards. Well, okay, I had on a good, light weight rubber rain coat with a hood and a hat, but everything from the waist down was drenched. Into the wind I trudged (along with the other 200 crazies) and around the streets we ran till we ended up back at River Valley High School. It was not fun, but the free pancakes and sausage afterwards made it worthwhile.

Me. After the race. Still wet, but glad to be home.

The Butcharts Visit

When I got home from the race at 10:00 Trevor and Michelle and their cute kids had just arrived. They drove though the night (a smart thing to do with young kids), and it was great to see them. Later in the afternoon, just as it was getting dark, I was up in the twins' room playing with them on the bed. Jane is bouncing on the bed with the cow pillow, and Lizzie is at the window looking at the sights.

Below is Lizzie playing with the dress-up glasses from the diaper bag. Where did she get that look?

A This an' a That

A few photos and comments on the passing scene (a la Thomas Sowell). 

First, a short, very poor quality, video from the gathering in honor of Peter O's birthday. I just used my phone, it was shot in low light, and there's not really much going on at this point in the proceedings. But you get a quick view of all the major players, including: Leigh-Ann, her mother Katrina, sister Abby, brother Thomas, James holding Chelsea, Peter, Grandma, Melody and Sabrina.

I think the really funny part of this was when someone was describing Peter asking Leigh-Ann if he could have a few family members over for cake and ice cream for his birthday, to which she replied: yes Peter, you can have a birthday party. I don't know how they managed to do it, but all of the Rich and Peter Hall kids have married wonderful spouses, and into great families.

Now for the really important stuff. FOOD! (Like from the musical Oliver! Food, glorious food!) Anyway, Mom and I spent most of the day down in Sacramento, Citrus Heights, and Roseville shopping (well, she did the shopping, I did the waiting), for Christmas and what-not at stores that are only available there. My favorite stops were IKEA (see the hard bread and cheese below, yum!) and World Market (see the two ginger items at the bottom). We also hit Deseret Book and the Distribution Center, and the Hobby Lobby in Roseville. It's a good thing we don't live closer to that place. I think Mom and I  both would spend too much money there. Her on crafts and gifts, and me on solid fuel rockets, rubber band driven airplanes, DNA and other molecule models, mini-observatories, solar cars and robots, and etc., etc., etc.

The label says to pour it over pancakes, waffles,
or ice cream or in hot water to make a tea. Wow!

Absolutely the best ginger drink I can find, bar none!

So to reward me for being a good peanut and waiting patiently for her, Mom took me to "The Habit Hamburgers" in Roseville. It's a kind of an up-scale burger place, with food at least as good as In-N-Out, but a bigger menu. Even though we got home later than I had hoped, it was a good trip.