Look who's...

FOUR!! Happy Birthday, sweet Esther! She got to pick out a new toy at Snap-doodle Toys so she picked a "dactyl".

And now to introduce our newest family member: Ollie! He is a 3 month old boxer/ dober-man/ terrier/ hound? mix. He is a big boy, and so sweet. Gene has waited 15 years to get a dog (patient isn't he?).

Fun at Chuck E. Cheese's.

Look at that face.

Our cat, Sydney, isn't very sure about Ollie yet. He usually hisses at him and sometimes charges towards him. Ollie so wants to play with Sydney.

Using Ollie's crate as a hideout.

Getting Ollie used to taking walks.

Playing with Ollie using the cat's toy. I don't think Sydney was pleased.

Teacher Kathy had a teddy bear picnic at her house for class one day last week. The kids had a blast. There was lots to do with the doll house being a favorite.

Eating her birthday cake from Nana Marilyn.

A new dinosaur from Nana and Papa Blakefield.

Chillin' in the dog bed. Notice E's toys strewn around... she likes to bring Ollie her toys to "play" with. She doesn't quite understand that he will chew them to pieces.

Wow, the puppy looks huge in this picture!

Here's hoping the rest of the year gets much better.

I have to admit that this year hasn't started out as well as I would have hoped. Gene's still in-between games at work. For months now, we've waited ever so patiently for good news on this front. Then we had to make the decision to put our cat, Audrey, to sleep, after a couple months illness. And to top it all off, Esther has been sick all week, coughing tons and waking herself up at night.
So like I said, here's hoping the rest of the year improves.
Little Audrey was almost 13 years old and although her person-ality was pretty meek and mild, she was a sweet cat. Poor darling was throwing up several times daily, losing weight and not eating. The vet found she was hyperthyroid, had a high white cell count, and roundworms. She prescribed two pills, one for the thyroid and a steroid to make her eat. Two pills twice a day...yeah, cats LOVE pills. She started eating a lot but wouldn't keep it down for long. She wasn't getting any better. She seemed to be in agony and we couldn't watch her suffer anymore. Did we do the right thing, should we have waited longer? These are questions I'm struggling with. But I know this is the price we must pay for having pets in our lives. I was there with her to the end and am glad about that. So, adieu sweet Audrey.

How do you explain to an almost 4 year old why our cat didn't come back from the vet? Well, with honesty and brevity. We told her Audrey died, plain and simple. She was old and her body was giving out. We didn't want to say we put her to sleep, because we didn't want Esther to be afraid of sleeping. We didn't want to say she was sick and it was her time, because Esther is sick right now and might think her time was next. So far Esther doesn't seem to fazed by it, so that's good. In fact she enjoyed playing in the cat carrier for a few days.

On a positive note, our family is happy and mostly healthy. Our girl is silly and funny and such a joy.

"Helping" mom clean out the fridge.

Avoiding eating.

I haven't taken this many pictures in forever!

Our "quiet" holiday break has been very busy. Lots of family visits. Lots of presents for Esther.

Patiently waiting for the Christmas cookies to bake.

E helped me decorate by generously shaking the sprinkles on. More of the sprinkles ended up in her mouth than on the cookies, I think.

Daddy and Esther waiting for our friend, Karin, to show up to her surprise birthday party. Esther did great even though it was past her bedtime.

Karin's "Stumpy" characters were part of the theme. These cute masks concealed our identities for the surprise.

Having fun with Daddy.

Sharing is something E is still trying to learn. Here she's deciding which of her game systems her 2nd cousin, Dewey, can play with. It was a hard decision and one she kept changing her mind about. Dewey is very patient.

Nana Marilyn made Esther a cute coat for Christmas. She added robot patches on each arm to make it extra special. Our little angel promptly exclaimed that she didn't like it. Nice...and embarrassing! Sorry Nana, if it's any consolation, I think it's pretty darn cute.

She has since warmed up to the coat, and really likes the robots.

We got to see our nephew, Bela, for the first time since he moved to Alaska 2 years ago, while he was visiting his dad in Bellingham. So we went bowling...and Esther loved it. Of course the bumpers helped (all of us).







The two cousins.

On the way home from B'ham, Nana Carolyn and Esther had a good time, laughing and carrying on.

A few days later we got to see our niece, Halie, who has been up in Alaska with her mom, too.

Esther trying her hand at driving. Uh oh, looks like she's driving through the forest.

Joy! Bring on the presents!

She got a lot of robots this year. First robot Plex (from Mommy and Daddy).

Next, Wall-e (from Nana C).

Hanging out under the tree.

Hey, there's a robot dump truck, that talks and dances (from Santa).

She also scored big on the dinosaur front (not pictured) as well. She got two robotic dinosaurs from her aunt and uncle. And some little dinosaur figurines. All in all, Esther made out like a bandit.

The Blakefield's Annual Christmas Quiz

Yep, it's time again to test your knowledge of our family.


1. Huddle decided to do this quiz on the blog because:
a) she's feeling lazy.
b) she's wants to do her part to help the environment by not using paper (although she did send out Christmas cards...hmmm).
c) she hopes to get more traffic on our blog.
d) all of the above.


2. Gene worked on a video game that is now out in stores. It is called:
a) Pretty Kitty and Her Fancy Outfits.
b) Zephyr: Rise of the Elementals.
c) Tornado Outbreak.
d) Tornado Alley.


3. Esther's favorite things are:
a) baby dolls, dresses, and unicorns.
b) dinosaurs, robots, and trains.
c) spiders, bees, and snakes.
d) vegetables, loud noises, and brushing her teeth.


4. This year, we:
a) sold all our possessions and traveled like gypsies.
b) bought a house.
c) got a puppy.
d) refinanced our condo.


5. Esther loves preschool.
True or False


6. Huddle is reading a book called:
a) "Raising Your Spirited Child"
b) "Raising Your Shy, Quiet Child"
c) "Plumbing for Dummies"
d) "Way to Go! You're Financially Secure!"
e) none of the above


7. Gene still longs for:
a) a puppy.
b) a VW GTI (he still mourns his previous one).
c) any new hi-tech gadget he can get.
d) none of the above, he is completely content.
e) a, b, & c


8. Huddle longs for:
a) seven more children.
b) financial security.
c) a house.
d) a Twitter account.
e) b & c.


9. This Dec. 18th will mark:
a) our 20th anniversary.
b) four years since Huddle stopped chewing gum.
c) three years with Esther.


10. We hope our family and friends have a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic new year.
True or False

Now for some pictures:
We went searching for a Christmas tree on a beautiful, crisp, sunny day, where Esther and I got to take a little train ride.

Ah, the perfect tree.

Yummy, candy canes!

Esther, the egg.

Another birthday for a preschool buddy, this time the kids got to go on pony rides.

I didn't think Esther would be very keen on riding, but apparently we have a cowgirl on our hands. She rode three separate times, and would have gone more if she had the chance.

Yes, the pony is wearing a princess outfit.

This picture makes it look like she's holding a dagger, but with an innocent expression.

answers:

1. d)

2. c) but it's kinda a trick questions since the game was called b) & c) at one time

3. b)

4. d)

5. True

6. a)

7. e)

8. e)

9. c)

10. True

More Witness Protection Photos

My desire to blog has diminished...but don't worry, faithful readers, I'm still committed to keeping it up (every few weeks or so).
Over the last couple of weeks, we went on a preschool outing to the Zoomazium at Woodland Park Zoo, attended a birthday party, and enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving.
The Zoomazium is pretty cool. They have a great play structure for the kids to get out some energy, lots of cool things to look at and a great program with live animals. When we were there, they brought out an armadillo and the kids were allowed to pet it.

I think this was the first time I've ever seen a real armadillo. They have hair under their shells that looks like an old man's beard.

Esther decided bouncy house birthdays are fun!

Of course, our little darling loved the birthday cake with the truck on top. So much so she managed to remove it from said cake at one point. (Sigh.)

Blue frosting sticks around for a while. Not to gross anyone out, but we had a nice bathroom surprise a few days later. (OK probably too much info.)

Above all the action.

Modeling her pea coat and umbrella. The only way she would let me put this coat on her was if she could bring her umbrella with her. To say she is picky about what she'll wear is an understatement. Anything with robots adorning it is acceptable to E. Pretty much anything else is iffy.

She loves her trains. If anyone needed to be told, our daughter is a tom boy. Dinosaurs, robots and trains all the way!

Relaxing in her usual way after helping Daddy start a fire.