Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to all my friends and family. Wow, we have made it to 2009! I can't believe that we are in a new century already. When I was a kid I thought the year 2000 would never come. Now we are almost into the teens. My children range in age from 27 to 11 and my seven grandchildren are all under 5.

We had a small Christmas this year. On Christmas morning Drew and I and the four kids hopped in the car and drove across town to watch the twins open their presents. Last year they were almost five months old (three from their due date since they were preemies) so they didn't have any idea what Christmas meant. They ate their breakfast (and we ate cinnamon rolls) and then we sat watching them while they opened wrapped boxes from Santa. Their big toy was a play kitchen which talks. They loved the pots and pans and the food.

We headed home to see if Santa had left any presents at our house. He had; lots of gift cards, gift certificates and movies. The boys received Guitar Hero for their PlayStation video game. It has been very popular with all the kids, as well as Drew. William has especially excelled at the game. I received a gift card to Lowe's Home Improvement Center from all my kids for a new dishwasher. Kate organized the gift for me as she knows that now that the girls are in school and Michael works full time I do many of the dishes by myself. I want to get one of the new Fisher & Paykel drawer dishwashers but I don't know if that will be what we end up with. I can't find a store with an F&P demo in stock so I will keep looking. Thanks kids!

Fisher & Paykel two drawer dishwasher.

June Cooper, Drew Cooper, and George Cooper at the Charleston Nursing Home where George lives. He has very limited vision and didn't really know me but was very polite by saying how glad he was that I came to visit. Drew and Sue visited them the Sunday before Christmas. Drew gave his mom a digital frame with photos already installed for her to look at. Each month when Drew visits he will bring a newly loaded memory card with new pictures for her.

Joey, Carrie and the twins were in an automobile accident with a pickup truck the day before Christmas. The Edge was hurt and Joey went to the hospital but everyone is ok now. Well, ok, the Edge is in the body shop to be repaired. Fortunately Joey recently bought both a used van and a new Mini Club Wagon, so they still have the use of two vehicles.

Audrey and Addison watching a movie during December.




Kate on the London Eye. She and I visited London for a couple of days by ourselves. We flew on the London Eye, saw the musical "Mamma Mia," spent the night at a nice hotel, and shopped at the famous Camden Town Market. We also rode the train to and from the greater London area where we hopped on the tube for the rest of our transportation.

In Piccadilly Circus (the theatre district area), we ate at the Al Anon restaurant for lunch. I had fish and chips which came wrapped in newspaper.

A raspberry dessert we found late in the day at a bakery/cafe. Yum!




The tea tray at the hotel.




Lily waiting for lunch.




Logan liked to draw on grandma's notepad while he waited for food.