Welcome to Twenty-Ought-Nine!

Happy New Year! So far, so good. We made it through the 'snowpocalypse' that hit the entire NW just before Christmas. Chad measured 13 inches of accumulation in our backyard after the biggest storm blew through. The snow was really fun for a few days, but cabin fever definitely set in after awhile.

We hope everyone reading this had a great Christmas. We spent the weekend before Christmas at the coast with my side of the family. Here are some shots of Gracie at Grandma Jan's. Our camera battery ran out of juice shortly after we arrived that weekend (and of course we forgot to bring the recharger), so these are about the only pics we got:


Here are some pictures we took of Gracie at school a few days before Christmas. Isn't she cute in her Christmas dress and coat?

This is GG with her friend, Natalie. They are BFFs.

We spent Christmas day at home, just the three of us (and Normie, of course). We did not set up a full-sized Christmas tree this year due to the dangerous combo of GG's naturally inquisitive personality and the irresistible allure of a twinkling tree in the middle of our living room. Instead, we opted for a 24-inch, pre-lit, potted variety which sufficed quite well, I must say.

My mom and Ron got Gracie a miniature table and chairs set, which Chad put together on Christmas Eve after G went to bed. Then as a surprise for Gracie on Christmas morning, we set the lit Christmas tree and all of the gifts on and around the table. Santa even knew just where to leave his presents! Here are some precious photos of our baby girl's 2nd Christmas:

The next two pics are of Gracie in the new bathrobe that Grandma Debbie made for her:


And here's GG playing with the fancy dollhouse she got from Great Grandma Z:

Beyond the excitement of the holidays, another significant event that occurred since my last post was Gracie's very first haircut. It was a tough decision for us because we truly loved GG's funny hairdo just the way God made it. But... it was getting a bit unruly, so we took her to a place called "Little Snippers" where all the stylists specialize in cutting kids' hair. It was such a cool place, and Grace did really well! Now she's all sassy with her big-girl bob.

Well, just like the last time I uploaded photos using this format, it took forever. So I'll add more to the sidebar after I take a short break. See you back here soon...