Almost forgot...

I almost forgot about this past weekend! We occasionally get the opportunity to spend some time housesitting for some great friends in Enumclaw. This past weekend was so much fun. The house and gardens are beautiful and there are 3 horses, 2 kitties and 1 River dog to look after as well. It is a wonderful little vacation from the monotony of life at home and Maxwell really loves all the space and freedom to explore and hang out and "talk" to the animals. Each morning we went out and mucked the stalls. Max was in my carrier on my back and talked to the horses the whole time. He would laugh his hinder off whenever Doc would sneeze or snarfle. The horses are really good with him and keep there distance for the most part. If he puts out his little hand they will wander closer to smell him and nuzzle his head. Super cute!

The kitties are a little bit scared, having never really seen a little person before and generally run away.

River dog on the other hand, loves the attention. Especially since he is pining for his daddy. Max is very gentle and snuggles up to him while River is sleeping in front of the fireplace. River just lifts up his head like, "oh, it's you, okay" then lays his head back down. 

There are all kinds of fun farm vehicles around. Max really, really likes the duelly whopper. A four wheel ATVish thing with a hauler for lugging wood and hay around. He would sit in our laps and drive around waving at River or the cats. Always with a big smile. Then there is the tractor! I am not sure if I have mentioned this before but Max likes anything with wheels on it. The bigger the better. Here is a cute picture, the only one from this weekend, of Max ready to plow the north field.

We all had a great time this weekend, even if Max did come down with another cold, preceeded by 2 sleepless nights of a very feverish little man. You would never tell it by looking at him. He was all smiles the whole time. We are truly blessed to have such a good, easy baby! Does that mean it will get harder later? I don't even want to think about it!!

Thanks Aunty Lucy and Uncle Richard for letting us have so much fun at your house! Can we come back and play again soon??

Cheap Thrills

Here in Washington you might know that we have quite a few days of rainy weather. Lately we have not allowed that to stop us from having a good time. Just up the road from us in North Bend is the Outlet Mall. It is a sprawling open air mall with a covered walk area that circles the entire mall. Strategically located throughout the mall are what I call "Cheap Thrills." When the weather is to ugly and we can't get out and take our normal walk we drive over to the mall and have some fun. For exactly $6 we can ride all of the rides, walk the mall and get throughly exhausted and ready for a nap.

The pictures are not the greatest quality because the ride is moving and they were taken with a cell phone, but you get the general idea. He loves it. It is sometimes hard to get him to walk on to the next ride because he does not realize or remember that there are more. The carousel was a little bit of a challenge in the beginning but now he likes it also.

So that is what we do here for fun on rainy or snowy days when we are tired of being cooped up in the house and need to stretch our legs. Who knew that $6 dollars could bring so much happiness? Money well spent!

Ximena Salas Sibley 1922-2011

Yesterday morning at 10:30 my Gueli finally passed. After years of suffering she is finally at peace. It will be a long time before I can say the same. I am so sad that I could not have been with her for the final years of her life after being so close in the past. She finally moves closer to us all in California and I move away. Oh the injustice! The smartest, bravest, most beautiful woman I have ever known. I was so lucky to have her as my grandmother. She alone was the reason I fell in love with History and The Arts. I can remember countless trips to museums, art galleries, theatre and the ballet when I would visit her in New York. 90 years is a long time, but not nearly long enough. I only hope that I can grow up to have her courage and strength.

Aunty Dixie!!!!!

Aunty Dixie came to visit! Yippie! She is the greatest! Though she really isn't mommies sister, she is mommies bestest friend and she was there the day I was born. Mommy and daddy really enjoy spending time with her and so do I!

I really wish that she could have stayed longer and I really wish we lived closer together so that we could see each other on a more regular basis.

 I really don't remember the day I was born or the few days that we all spent together when I was only 6 weeks old, but I will remember how much she loved on me this time!

Here is a picture of me and Aunty Dixie on our camping road trip through Zion National Park when I was just a peanut.

You can just see how much she loves me! I can't wait to see her again. Mommy and daddy are planning another camping road trip to Idaho and Utah at the end of this summer. 

I love you Aunty Dixie! Mommy, daddy and I miss you already!