Wonder Man Bakes Bread

Thanks to an awesome Christmas gift from Marla and Bill, Robb is in bread baking mode. After pouring over his bread machine recipe book and collecting all of the ingredients (including buttermilk, eww) he loaded the machine and we headed out for a late stroll in the snow. When we finally got back home the house had that special aroma that only home-baked bread can lend. Awesome!

Little One!

Thank goodness Robb has connections. His awesome Rad Tech instructor, René, gave us an ultrasound! Given that we are at 15 weeks and still haven't seen a doctor yet, it was a happy relief. The best part was seeing the busy little heart and watching it kick it's legs.

A Craik Family Christmas

McKenna poses at the hearth.

Mom and Annaliese check out the quilt.

First baby gifts for Christmas.

Robb and Grandma Edna.

Everett and Jelinda open gifts.

Dad tries out his new bass.

Annaliese demonstrates her mad violin skills.

Jeremy, Taylinn and Tara lunching while I finish the quilt.

Christmas was as perfect as could be this year. We got mom and dad down from the arctic; Jeremy, Tara and the girls from Montana and gathered at Grandma Edna's house with Everett and Jelinda. Jeremy, Tara and the girls stayed with us so we had a full fun house. McKenna and Annaliese showed off their violin skills, so impressive! And one of the highlights of the whole week was the bright, toothy smile that Taylinn flashes every time she wakes up from nap. Family is the best!

Happy Birthday, Annaliese!

Today Annaliese turns 4! Here is the apron I made for her that she'll get when they show up tomorrow. I think we'll throw in some frostings and cookie decorating supplies as well. Happy Birthday little one.

Happy Birthday, Robb!

Robb turned a huge 29 years yesterday, and we celebrated by going out for Mexican food. Joining us were Everett and Jelinda, Grandma Edna and mom and dad. Robb turned a nice shade of red when mom and dad insisted on serenading him. Okay, maybe I was a bit red as well.

Snow!

That's right folks. It has snowed in Walla Walla before Christmas yet again. It was so beautiful on Sabbath afternoon that we could not resist a bit of a winter walk. Though, as you will see, Pat and John couldn't resist a bit of a run. Those crazy marathoners...

Vegas Thanksgiving

We had the awesome opportunity of visiting Kris and his family for Thanksgiving. Highlights included a four-hour Rock Band session, a tour of Kris' company (GES), a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Don and Michelle Truscott and the water and light show in front of the Bellagio. But, I would have to say that the best part, by far, was spending time with a super cool family. Thanks guys!

P.S. A couple of these pictures where taken by our niece Nyiah. Can you guess which ones?

Hermiston Hardys

Using the excuse of an international food fair, we took to the roads this weekend to visit Hermiston. Mostly, as usual, we were just going to see the kids. Oh, and Sid and Zara.

Fall Harvest Party

McKenna and her new kitty.



We had an awesome weekend with Jeremy, Tara and the girls in Montana. It was crisp and cool, but beautiful and the perfect weekend for a giant bond-fire, corn roast and all-out harvest party. We had great food and fun with the girls.

Portland Weekend

We took a bit of a road trip with Jesse and Rachel. We stayed with Jesse's grandparents, Harold and Ellen. Robb had a blast learning about Harold's main hobby, wood turning. He has an amazing collection of bowls, vases and other pieces that he's been working on. He even gifted us with a gorgeous pedestal bowl! On the way back, we ate at this perfectly authentic Thai place in Hood River. I think it may be my favorite Thai so far.

The Year Was 1979...

...and little David Crawford came into the world. We commemorated the event with a surprise 1979 party. Everyone wore clothes from the era (we made a quick raid of the Fackenthall's vintage clothing trunk). The Hartman's hosted the amazing event, complete with homemade coconut truffles, a custom photo booth (thanks for the pics—Nicole Reedy) and the coolest iPod playlist.

Grateful

Just wanted to take a moment to count our blessings. Grandma is doing remarkably well following her Monday morning aortic valve surgery at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland. She was even walking about yesterday. Robb got to go see her on Tuesday, and will go again today. Her spirits are good and she is as sassy as ever. (These shots are from the fall of 2004.)

The Results Are In

We ran a 10K! Okay, so I ran it sorta slow and came in with a time of 1:11:03, but I figure that it's a start. Robb, on the other hand, came in first for his category with a time of 56:58. He even got a prize. It was a gorgeous track through the local vineyards, except they incorporated a bunch of hills... The best part was that Gene and Adrianna were there too and Adrianna stayed with me the whole time even though I know it slowed her time considerably. Gene came in at an amazing 45:40. The man was booking! (He is in training for a marathon in November.) Photo Credit

Home Sweet Garden

Robb's garden was quite fruitful in our absence. He is actually out there right now, snipping off little green tomatoes, because the vines are so heavy they are falling over. Still don't know what we'll do with the jalapeños.

Goodbye Hawai'i

Fancy dining room table at which we never ate.

Open lanai with table at which we always ate.

A few parting shots of our Kona residence.