Last Day of 2019

Now I'm so far behind remembering the Christmas season that I'll never remember everything.  Tomorrow starts the improbable year of 2020.  So strange to hear that number.  So strange that I've lived long enough to be in that year - in a few hours.

I thought I would be babysitting, but Emily and Ryan called off their plans with friends because of various illnesses with the other family and I think really would like a quiet evening at home.  I did keep the girls while they did some errands around Bellevue and bought groceries, but now everyone is safe inside, just like I like it on a rainy and windy day.  I'm still not hearing anything about snow in the future, so that's a good thing, but the rain is supposed to be nonstop for days and cause potential mudslides and flooding.

Elise gave Katherine a kit for playing school, and it's a big hit.  This was the first night they played with it.

The pointer is the best thing ever, and, as JoJo, the perennial "bad kid," I had it pointed at me constantly.  I think I missed a lot growing up being so good.  I get a lot of attention as Jojo.  I say what comes into my mind and am encouraged to do so, because that causes lots of laughter.

Katherine is, of course, the good kid who sits quietly and doesn't blurt and frowns at JoJo a lot.

 

 Graysen with her best no-nonsense teacher face.  There are hall passes and homework cards and reward stickers and all the things that make teaching so much fun!

But a pair of glasses is the icing on the cake.

 This was more fun that playing school - modeling glasses.  Elise had several pairs she wanted me to donate, and I popped the lenses out of two of them for the girls.  This was before the popping, and they were having a field day "walking up a hill" in them.  According to these pictures, this was before the Christmas clean-up vacuuming.

That was last week, and they came over again today for a few hours.  I got them a magnetic board with letters and dry-erase markers, and that was good for hours of play.  Unfortunately, I was involved in most of it.  

 

This was what the visiting scientist drew for our example, and we were to make up our own experiments. I guess it makes sense.  Pour water over French fries and a milk shake, and you get a volcano.

Elise also gave Graysen a science experiment kit too, so we're looking forward to getting into that.

Graysen went to Harper's birthday party this weekend, and I walked over and picked her up when it was over.  It's a cute little pottery-painting shop, and I think Graysen said she made a pug.  They pick them up later.  It would take youth and a lot of money for me to work in a place like that doing birthday parties.

We met Jessica and James walking downtown, and I felt like I truly belong now.  It probably takes a couple of years of living in a place before I randomly run into people I know well enough to stop and talk to, so I guess I've arrived.  I see people I know in the grocery store too almost every time.

I'll add a few more pictures from Christmas morning and comment or not.  It's time to leave 2019 behind.

These are the sweetest and hopefully will solve some of the turf wars upstairs.  They love creating and drawing, and someone is always putting their stuff in someone else's space.

But one bed is enough for sleeping!

I'm glad they love making things and learning things, and they got so many things for Christmas to encourage that.  I'm not sure who gave them all these, but they're neat.

I think this is kind of like rug-hooking, which is the only crafty thing I tried that I hated immediately once a long time ago.  Maybe they've improved the experience.

Emily says they're fascinated at all these stories of famous women and asking a lot of questions - some hard to answer.

They do love Legos, and this is one of several sets they got, I think from Grandma and Grandpa.

And what's more creative than making a plane out of a cardboard box.

This was Graysen's gift to her parents that they made at school.  I was totally impressed at the art work that went into every month.  These are some of my favorite months.

Katherine made coasters at school for Mom and Dad and even made her own wrapping paper.

I was pleased to find something for Ryan that he liked.  In fact, everyone in the family liked it too.  

He's psyching himself up to pretend to like whatever it is I gave him.  Reading the original box and note.  Mike Tucker.  Hmmm.  A gift from Mike Tucker.

 Then he sees Littlefield, TX, and the light begins to come on.  Mike's Jerky Place.

This was a place Mike frequented when he lived there and sent numerous gifts of jerky to people, so I knew Ryan must have gotten some as much as he likes it.  I contact Mike Tucker and told him who I was, and he was happy to package me up a bunch and mail it.  He said Mike took a lot of photographs of the shop, and he had them still hanging on the wall.  

We keep finding ways....

Another gift he loved was a new bird book, and we all learned a lot about birds as we opened the rest of our gifts!

Ryan gave Emily this gong thing - I don't know if it has an official name.  She had gone to a neat yoga class earlier and really raved about the sounds it made.  Everyone gave it a try.

Those cute hair ties are some Millie sent them.

Emily gave the girls a box of prints from one of their favorite bedtime books that they can frame for their walls or give as gifts.

The doggie grooming set I found for them was a good choice.  They had those dogs in the tub in no time.

This is bound to be lots of fun too.  I haven't been back over there to hear it played since then, but I'll see it (and hear it) tomorrow. 

That covers most of it.  I played Mah-Jongg at the Si View Senior Center yesterday with Debbie, Abby, and Nancy.  It was fun, and I learned a little bit more.  I'm considering getting a membership.  There is always something fun going on there.  I remember how much I loved the senior center in Meridian even before I was considered old enough to be a member - all the quilting and crafts and activities.  Yesterday, the main room was full of people playing all kinds of cards and games and doing puzzles.  There are snacks and coffee and lunches offered too, just a warm and fun place to be on a cold afternoon.  I'm just afraid I wouldn't make the trip very often so have to weigh whether it would be worth it.  I might take some yoga classes and strength-building classes if they coincide with when I take Katherine to school - and am pretty close by.

It's always fun to have a new year coming up and to make new beginnings.  This year has been very nice, so I hope 2020 can be even better.