We were fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving in Idaho with the Buckley clan. The week was fun and went by quickly.














Jake and Ellie playing Hide-and-Seek. They also enjoyed dancing together.  It's not hard to see why those two are best buds.


Ellie enjoying a stack of "delicious" pancakes made by Grandpa. She ate 6!  Then helping Mommy open her Christmas present.

















Ellie enjoying Scooby-Doo movies from Nessa and Nate and then giving kisses for her presents.
It really was a wonderful week. As seen above we did our gift giving with the whole family there (except Nessa and Jake who have to wait until Christmas). Thank you to Nessa and Nate for our wonderful gifts--we'll let you know what we buy in Florida with the loot. We gave Grandpa a universal remote for the HD TV and DVD player system downstairs. Steve made sure everything was wired correctly and then programmed the remote so with the push of one button you can choose whether you want to watch TV, DVD, HD DVD, etc. Steve also fixed my Mom's digital picture frame (a gift from last year which was still under warranty). It is so nice to have such a handy man around--I LOVE HIM!

After a long and difficult (and expensive, says Britney) journey the rebuilt 2000 engine is now in the Datsun with the new 75 amp alternator, aluminum radiator and electric fan. Still to be replaced is that crappy battery (note the charging connectors) and the exhaust system. I will try and start it up in the next few days. I'll let you know what happens.

Today Steve is, as the Primary song says, 'one year older and wiser too'. I asked if he felt any older or wiser and he said, "lets wait to see if that happens when I graduate". As for the festivities, I got up early with Ellie so he could sleep in. When Steve got up Ellie was so excited to say Happy Birthday Daddy! She then said, "you get presents and cupcakes today". Of course that is all a birthday is to her right now. We fixed him a special breakfast of eggs benedict and a yummy lunch. We relaxed, played games, and decided to go out to dinner at On the Border--yummy Mexican food. I would like to say that we sang Happy Birthday and cut into the cake, but to be honest we started eating the cake last night. Steve loves Miami Beach Birthday Cake which is a tradition in his family and since I haven't been able to make it for him for a couple of years (we have been out of town on his birthday and have celebrated by getting a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory) we decided to start eating the cake early. Well Steve Happy Birthday! I hope this year is full of fun new adventures for you!