Almost ChristmasI

We've had a copy of The Little Drummer Mouse written and narrated Mercer Mayer on tape for as long as I can remember. Ever Christmas, we listened to it many times! It is an excellent story about a small mouse who ends up at the birth of Jesus. It's getting harder and harder to keep a tape player around though, so this year I sought a digital version, and sure enough, there was one! You can listen to samples and order a copy here.

Julia got an early present from her Grandma Gini, a handmade Christmas dress!

cute, eh!

The house has been full of siblings coming home. Christopher and Caroline and Grace and Caroline's boyfriend Matt all came for a couple days. I was shocked to check my camera today and realize that not only did we fail to get a family photo, I failed to get hardly any photos! next year.....

The rest have gone back to various homes, but Grace has stayed on and has been vastly entertaining for Julia and Olaf.

Some early Christmas presents were exchanged! Chris and Erin sent us each a troll picture!!

Grace picked the strawberries by the ocean

Olaf picked the skier

Anna got the kite flying

Caroline picked the flower bouquet by the hills of Seattle

I picked the picnic scene with the baby hanging in the tree

and Joe picked the fishing boat

Here's the original picture that has been hanging in our house forever. Now we each have one!

Grace has been sick for weeks and finally for a diagnosis of Mono. She's been resting up in classic English invalid style but taking a steroid medicine that the pharmacist warned us might make her REALLY angry. We're waiting for that! We learned that Grace does not respond well to getting blood drawn. She fainted in such a dramatic way that she got sent by ambulance to the ER! They didn't find anything else wrong with her, thankfully!