Nonni & Papa B Visit

We happily welcomed Nonni and B for an extended weekend this month, although it has led to some grandparent withdrawal for all of us after being so spoiled with company.

With Nonni & B, our first stop was to Snoqualmie Falls, just a 15 minute drive from Gabby's school.

It may not seem like a very pleasant time of year for a waterfall, especially since it was extra cold last weekend, but it may have been even more impressive.  The mist from the waterfall had created a shell of ice on every plant in the vicinity.  So remarkable.  (You may need to click on the image below to see what I am referring to.)

As you can see, the girls are quite comfortable with their grandparents.

We enjoyed the French tradition of eating galette des Rois (king cake).  The pastry is sold in France during the month of January (especially January 6th) to celebrate Epiphany / the three kings arrival to visit Christ.  In the cake, there is a figurine hidden.  The person who finds it in their piece becomes king or queen for the day and gets to wear a crown.  Gabby found a little king in her piece and was very excited.  Lucky for her, she was already wearing one of her royal gowns.

[On a side note:  The first time my family had this pastry in France, my dad discovered a figurine in his piece and we thought the baker had accidentally dropped it in.  At least until he bought another one and bit into a second figurine.]  :)

The next day we went to the Museum of Flight.  The highlights for the adults were going aboard Air Force One (from the Eisenhower/Kennedy/Johnson/Nixon era) and the Concorde, not to mention seeing the historical and experimental planes.  The kids on the other hand, enjoyed anything that they were allowed to ride on and steer themselves.  

Then came the snow!  We tested out the kid's snow gear.  After Claire face-planted into the snow, we determined that her hand-me-down boots were too big.  Gabby, on the other hand, was so toasty that she would have stayed outside all day if we had let her.

Our drunken snowman defied gravity... for a little while at least.