DADDY/DAUGHTER DAY

Dad was planning to go skiing today becuase we got some fresh snow
these past couple of days. However plans were changed when Mimi came
into the room this morning saying that she wanted to give me the day
off and spend time with dad. I have a feeling that she understands
that her alone time with dad is numbered. So off to breakfast and a
movie they went.

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MIMI AND HER BOYZ

After the visit to the lake it was time to head on home. We had been home for about a half hour before Blake called looking for his friends. When I said that it was ok for him to come over, he was here in less than a minute. So of course Mimi was in heaven with her two boys to play with. Micah came too. I was in heaven too just listening to them play. Kids and dogs go together. They just make the house come alive.

Blake no sooner arrived at the house when Keri called to tell him to come home. She wanted to take him to the store to exchange some items. I said good luck with that one. Sure enough Blake no sooner went home and came right back. Who wants to go shopping when all of your friends are here??? Can you blame the boy???

We all enjoyed chicken soup on this cold day then it was time to head outside while the weather was still clear. Blake got a electric scooter for Christmas and unbeknownst to Mimi she is getting hers for her birthday in a couple of weeks. It is hiding in the shed on the side of our house. It is not as big as Blake's but that is okey dokey by me. She will have fun with it come this summer.

TODAY AGAIN AT LAKE WILDERNESS

Only this time Shad and Micah came with us. We had a light dusting of snow last night and I thought that if we hurried, we could make it to the Lake Wilderness golf course to go sledding. Unfortunately by the time we got there the snow had melted away. So on to the park we went instead. You can't see it in the video but Butch did not know quite what to make of the ducks in the lake.

SHOOTING

Last night I read in the news that there was a shooting on the Lake
Wilderness trail just after Mimi, Butch and I had left. There is a
trail that goes all around the lake that is quite popular for everyone
to jog or stroll.

There was a 16 yr old girl walking with a 19 yr old boy. The couple
came upon two other 19 yr old boys. Apparently they all knew each but
were not bosom buddies with wach other. Words were exchanged. One boy
drew a gun and shot the boy who was walking with the girl. He was hit
in the left shoulder. The bullet went through the shoulder and hit the
girl in the head. Both were still conscious as they were being
airlifted to Harborview Hospital in Seattle. The suspects were caught
at Rock Creek Elementary school. Investigation is ongoing. News said
that these people were not new to the police. All the teenagers attend
Tahoma High School. This is to be the high school that Mimi is
assigned to.

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ADOPTION PAPERWORK

Recieved an e-mail from Mike our homestudy guy. He sent the documents for us to look over and sign. However a couple of mistakes were made. One is, he made reference to our doctor as a male when in fact SHE is a female (don't know if that makes any difference) and then he wrote the wrong date for Greg's birthday. He made dad even older than he already is.

INVENTORS

Good ol' tinker toys. What's old is new again.

SKIMMING STONES

DOWN BY THE LAKE

Today I thought would be a great day to take Mimi and Butch to Lake Wilderness before the rain/snow is to hit this evening. Otherwise that child would be happy to stay home and watch tv all day which is something that is never going to happen.

It was kind of nice because usually this time of year there is hardly anyone at the lake and I can let Butch off the leash which is something that he really likes. We got down to the water and he went running in like he was shot from a cannon. Then he realized how freezing cold the water is and caming running out as fast as he went in.

Mimi and I had a really good time together just talking about everything under the sky. The highlight of our outing was when we saw not one but two bald eagles soaring over the lake and perch themselves high on a treetop.

SNOQUALMIE SNOWMAN

........Yep folks, that's an intertube for the hat.

TUBING

Mimi has no problem tubing by herself. Wade shown here giving her a shove said that she slid down the hill on her bum one time and her stomach the next.

SNOQUALMIE'S WINTER WONDERLAND

MIMI, SAVANNAH AND BLAKE

TUBING AT SNOQUALMIE

Blake's family is visiting with them for the holidays and today they invited Mimi and myself to join them up in the mountains. Mimi says that she wishes her "Disney" Samantha was here to go tubing with her.


To start off with....I'm not sure what website dad looked at last night to get Mimi's ticket but he did not get it. Being that she has a season ski pass, we only have to pay $5.00 to go tubing. Keri got their tickets last night online. She tried to do it for me this morning but the computer said that there was none available, they were all sold out. Mimi was quite bummed about it. Then the computer dummy that I am tried to do it myself and this time it worked! Surprise, surprise! Then I thought that I would check the site out again and it said unavailable. What's up with that?

We got there just after the 1:30 session started and lucked out. Found a spot to park right at the lodge. There were a gazillion people there. Just as we entered the tubing area we saw Keri and Bailey. I still had to go through the humongous ticket line. I asked the guy working the entrance if Mimi could go through with her pass while I went to get her ticket. I showed him my papers and all and he said that would be fine. That way she could go with Keri and not lose any time waiting with me in that long, long line.

The session was to go to 3:30 but at 3:00 she kinda peetered out on me. That was fine though as it was starting to snow a bit harder and it was cold and wet. When we went with the Fratkins earlier this year, the weather was fantastic. We brought Butch with us and he had a ball. He is soooo tired now that he is snoring as he is sleeping.

THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

Today the girl spent the whole day with Blake. It's kinda nice because they can entertain themselves pretty good. All it took was a tent and some imagination. Plus there is the Wii. Blake tells me that Monday thru Friday is his school time. Saturday is the time for friends and Sundays are spent playing video games till he passes out.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE FAMILY

LET'ER RIP!!!

Was going to wait for Christmas morning that is......till I had a couple of glasses of Champagne with dinner. Then I thought......what the hell, let's rip them open tonight. Of course everyone else agreed. Santa did good however he forgot the Kung Fu Zhu Zhu pet. Oooops! She got everything else for the Kung Fu Zhu Zhu pet but not pet! A phone call was put into Santa and he will get one for her birthday.

The items that Mimi is holding is what she made for dad and I in school. Dad and I believe it or not gave each other the
SAME present! Mariner tickets! I figured that by this summer we well better have gone to China and if I can't go with dad to the Mariner's game, at least he and Mimi can use it for their daddy/daughter time or he can take grandpa. When I mentioned this to grandpa, he lit up like a Christmas tree.

HARRY POTTER

Also at the Pacific Science Center is the Harry Potter exhibition. It will be here till the end of January. Mimi said that she wanted to go there with dad all by herself so the she could give me the day off. What a thoughtful child she is. It was nice to have a couple hours of alone time.

PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER

Mimi knows that we are going to China to get her Mei Mei. She also knows that the one slight downside to getting a sister is that it will cut into her time to spend alone with dad will be cut down. So although I have made sure that her and dad spend time together at least once a week, she is really wanting to spend time with him even moreso now. This past Saturday was one of those daddy/daughter time well spent at the Pacific Science Center. While there, they briefly saw Corey and her family at the Space Needle.

TAIPAN

After the visit with the doc., we headed over to the Great Wall Mall just around the corner. Needed some Asian groceries and they are a bit cheaper than Uwajimaya for some of the same products however they did not have some items that I can get at Uwajimaya. Darn it!!! After getting the groceries we were famished. So on to Taipan we went. Really good Chinese food for a decent price. Mimi ate the two bowls of egg flower soup w/corn and half of the orange chicken. Way better that Panda Express. It even has bits of orange in it. Then I found that the mall has a new Filipino/Hawaiian bakery. I was in heaven. I could finally get some delicious Hawaiian bread and chicken empanadas without going into downtown Seattle for these delicacies. I found out that Mimi absolutely loves the empanadas but not dad. Oh well...... more for us then.

Boy was the rain coming down hard that day. When lunch was done and the shopping done, I was planning to go to the Costco in Covington to make more pictures for my Christmas cards but the place was packed to the gills and Mimi fell asleep in the car so I just decided to just drive on back home. So sorry to all of my out of town friends and family. Your cards will be coming late.

MIMI AND DR. SUMMERFIELD

.....who happens to be my Orthopedic doc as well.

THE CAST IS OFF ! WOO HOO !!!

Last Thursday morning was the beginning of a long, long day. Started off with a visit to Dr. Summerfield's office out near the Valley Hospital. Mimi was excited, and a bit scared of the saw but the girl is a trooper through and through.

YESTERDAY'S PHONE CONVERSATION WITH DAD

Since dad works hard for the money, we try to keep in touch with him as much as possible.

WHAT MIMI WILL TURN YOU INTO.......

At least that is what Mike (Zoe's dad) says. This stemmed from the day that Shelley heard Mimi over the phone when Mimi was having a complete meltdown. This is my present from Shelley.

AFTERSCHOOL FUN

Our friends in California is getting pounded with rain. Although we did not get any rain today, it is still super cccooold! Brrrr. After school Mimi and I went around the neighborhood passing out our goodies for our friends and neighbors. By the time we got home we saw Shad and his family taking advantage of our so called "good weather". They were playing outside and that is what Mimi wanted to do and so we did. All she could really was sit on the sidelines so she and Halli entertained us with Christmas carols.

POLAR PARTY

Today was Mimi's last day of school for 2010. The school mascot is a Polar Bear so therefore todays theme is the Polar Express party. Parents were invited to come and join them too. They made tortilla snowflakes by cutting and brushing melted butter on it and sprinkling cinnamon and sugar and popping them into the microwave. The next table they made marshmallow snowmen, then another table was for Christmas crosswords/wordsearch. Oh my stars! The kids are soooooo excited about Christmas.