Georgia!!

 

Great trip to the Atlanta area to visit Chris and Francie, meet up with Linda and Jeff.

 

This lovely Gibbs Garden--

 

 

filled with millions of blooming daffodils.

 

 

 

Riding the tram,

 

 

 

mugging for the camera.

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous branches.

 

 

 

Dinner that night with the Peakes:  Caroline, Emily, Sara Cate and Whitney with Auntie Lou.

 

 

 

Rings on Sara Cate's fingers. 

 

 

 

At the Speers' cozy cabin in the mountains.

 

 

 

 

Better than brownies?  Licking the spoons.

Fun, fun visit. Thank you all!

 

Last Week

 

Lea came to visit--

 

 

 

Very silly selfie.

 

 

 

Walking back from Maddie and Max's school.

 

Toby in van on the way to a neurology appointment.  He loves these rides--the bumpier, the better!

 

Showing Toby domino tricks at his board and care.  Sam videoed the chain reaction when they all fell down.

 

A cool mural sent by the folks in New Zealand.

Taking Maddie Shopping...

 

to Michael's, the candy store for crafters.

 

 

Things that were enticing

 

 

 

 

but beyond her budget.

 

 

 

Maybe for her birthday?

 

 

 

 

So we took photos

 

 

 

 

of everything she liked

 

 

 

which was a lot. 

 

 

 

 

After that, we went to Planned Parenthood to volunteer making posters for their upcoming demonstration.  Maddie's was, well, quite pointed.

 

 

And two days later, Maddie was awarded "Student of the Month" for her class.  

Congrats to a busy lady! 

 

And a whole bunch of smiles from our New Zealand clan!

Women's March on Washington DC

Didn't think I'd get there, but I did!

Stayed in a VBRO near DuPont Circle with a cool group of women: artists, professors, analysts, accountants, students, and one mid-wife:  all activists and all wonderful.

 

Rode the metro in our pink pussy hats. 

Joined the march 

but stayed together as a group (not easy in that crowd although our white sashes helped.  They also caught the attention of reporters from the Huffington Post who interviewed us).

So many different people there, all extremely friendly!  Loved this man in his child's kitty hat--loved the good men supporting the women.

The signage was amazing:  

my favorite-

Signs came to rest at the fence facing the back of the White House.

March over, marched back to our VBRO, tired legs, sore feet, but finally found a place to eat dinner.  

Happy, happy campers!

As the New year Started...

Rachel and David and Gwen and Simon arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday evening all set to fly to New Zealand for the year.

Sam and Jess and Maddie and Max arrived at the same time from Cleveland after their week-long whirlwind visit to family and friends on the east coast.

 

 

They met in the terminal!  There was much hugging and many hellos and then goodbyes as the Page/Bethel clan left for their 13+ hour long plane trip to halfway around the world and the Page/Kender clan left for the much shorter trip back to their home in Burbank.

 December Events 2016

 

Lots of activity...

 

Day after Thanksgiving, Toby falls and breaks his hip. He's been in a Burbank Rehabilitation Center since then--slightly chaotic but a very good physical rehabilitation crew.

 

 Christmas activities go ahead--

 

 

 

Handsome men at The Nutcracker Suite 

 

The Page Kenders decorating their tree.

 

 

The Page Bethels arriving--Simon entertaining Toby.

 

 

Maddie earning her advanced green belt!

 

 

Page Bethels at the Santa Monica Pier.

 

Dinner at Benihana's 

A rainy day at Legoland...

but we loved it.

Sam's big 40th!!!!!

 

And Christmas photos:

 

 

Goings On...

 

 

A visit to the Feinsteins--here's Lea and sweet granddaughter Lucy in Palo Alto.

 

Festive table setting for Thanksgiving at the Page Kenders--the grown-ups' table

and the kids. 

Meanwhile the Page Bethels traveled to Tulsa to be with David's family for Thanskgiving. 

Gwen and Simon standing under Rachel's picture at the Smithsonian exhibit in the Panama airport.

The love of dogs.

Big boy haircut!

Big boy total concentration.

Much to my amusement on a recent trip to Michael's Maddie suddenly realized that she really liked shopping.  Ahhh---join the gangs of us that feel the same way!