By Now, You Know...

Dear Loyal Readers...

Of course, all of you must know by now that our beloved Grand-mama B passed away on Feb 17 after a hard-fought battle with late-stage ovarian cancer.  Grand-papa, Alex and I were by her side.  We miss her daily, and dearly.

This blog has by no means been written exclusively for her, but I knew she checked for new posts almost daily, and always imagined (and usually heard) her delight each time I published - no matter how mundane the subject.

It's with a heavy heart that I begin to blog again, wondering whether she will be able to read this.  I suppose she probably has an even better view now...but I can't help feeling a bit sad to be posting news of life continuing on without her. 

We love you, Mama.
NBH&Z

The Gingerbread Man (and his sister)

This year, a friend organized gingerbread house-making through our local Whole Foods Market. For $30, each family got a pre-baked and pre-assembled house to frost and finish off with an array of delicious treats. A pretty good deal, if you consider the labor (and margin of error) involved in the initial baking and assembly stages. Hope and I did well, decorating and transporting the house home relatively intact - but decor quickly started disappearing once Zane showed up...

Birthday! (belatedly)

Hope celebrated her 4th birthday (back in December) a couple different ways - very early, with Grandmama and Grandpapa B and Uncle Alex, then over tea and cupcakes with Caroline on her *actual* birthday, and a few days later with an afternoon playdate featuring Hope's Bake Shoppe! These kids are growing so fast...we were delighted that all her "original" zBaby girlfriends (and their siblings) could join in on the fun.

A Child's Work is Play

Hope was so eager to get back to school after the long winter break. The night before her first day in January, she lay in bed excitedly reciting the names of all her classmates - all 16!

Here are some photos taken by the teacher in December and early January. If nothing else, I think these provide definitive photographic evidence of strong left-handedness. ;)

The Polar Express 2011

The day after Thanksgiving, we headed out to Hood River to ride The Polar Express - a special event train run by the Mount Hood Railroad each year (our first time). We prepared in advance by reading the book and watching the movie (with Hope, not Zane - there are a few intense moments where the train derails and such). They do a great job including details on the train ride, so the kids and families get a nice holiday excursion. I think next year we may try an evening ride, since it looked as though holiday lights come into play, especially at the "North Pole." Several characters roamed the train, including Santa of course, who handed out silver bells to all the children. A nice way to usher in the Christmas holiday season.