Grandma Eidse came over on Christms Eve & had a sleepover with the boys. Here they are - it's Christmas morning. Grandma is looking over the books the boys received at the Eidse gathering the day before.
Larry & Elliot peruse a book & puzzle Elliot received.
Jonas is engrossed in his new books. They are the best gift in his mind!
Grandma Eidse takes some time to read to him.
Grandma D joined us on Christmas morning. She fell & cracked her hip 3 weeks ago. She is getting around quite well with her walker but we wondered how she would navigate the stairs at our house. Larry had the bright idea of carrying her up the stairs in a wheelchair. But we didn't have one, so what would we do? Suddenly, Larry remembered they have one at the shop for their medical emergency room. Between Larry & Dave, they carried her up the stairs. Dave commented that he can hardly wait till it's his turn to get a ride! Well, maybe not!
The wheelchair, of course, was an instant hit with the boys and they had to have a ride in it.
As you can see, they are quite pleased at the prospect! 
The two great grandmas played rummikub first with Larry, then with Dave. I think they all had a good time!
In early November, Connie & I flew to Las Vegas to join Stan & Larry at a conference they were attending. We toured the immediate vicinity of the hotel we were staying at. This the Eiffel Tower, beautifully lit up.
This is the famous Bellagio Hotel where we were enthralled by the "dancing waters" choreographed to beautiful classical music.
On to Caesar's Palace. Las Vegas is very impressive, but we were all very much anticipating moving on to Palm Springs - peace, quiet and natural beauty!
The purpose of our visit to Palm Springs was to scout out a few hotels to determine what would be a good fit for the annual Decor dealer meetings that take place in February. We tried out four resorts, but this is the only one I took pictures of. As you can see, both Larry & Stan had their ever present computers along & it seemed like a good place to crack them open - along with coffee and a muffin!
As you can see, it has a definite "orange" theme! It was a beautiful sunny morning which made the place seem quite nice. However, it was a bit rundown and not really suited for what the guys wanted. 
Connie & I enjoyed being "along for the ride"!
We discovered a new golf course during this quick trip to PS. It's called Eagle Falls & is one of the best courses we've ever encountered. Seeing our favorite course, Desert Willow, was not available to golf, this was a great option.
These are possibly my most favorite flowers on the golf course. I don't remember what they are called - maybe someone can help me out.
Then, of course, there are the bougainvilleas that grow so well in this warm climate.
Larry - probably sailing one over the water!
Our last evening in Palm Springs we decided to go to an old favorite hangout for dinner - Ruby's. It's a great corner to sit and watch the world go by! However, it turned out to be a more eventful and noisier evening than we had anticipated. A parade marched by with horns blaring & people shouting! So much for a nice, quiet evening.
Breakfast the next morning was a lot quieter! We ate at the Rock Garden Cafe, which is another favorite dining spot. Farewell to PS till March, or perhaps even the end of January.
Jay & Andrea flew home for Jonas' birthday on October 31st. Auntie Adrea playing "No More Monkies Jumping on the Bed" with Jonas & Elliot.
Reading to the boys - always a favorite activity.
Uncle Jay playing hockey with Jonas.
Jonas is quite into it!
Jonas' birthday falls on Halloween. Since Larry was leaving for Las Vegas on the 31st, we decided to have 2 parties. The guests for party #1 included Papa & Gigi, Mommy & Daddy, Elliot, Grandma D, Don & Jenni & Beth. Party #2 which will take place on Sunday, will include Uncle Jay & Auntie Andrea who are flying out from Vancouver this evening, along with a bunch of cousins and Great Grandma Eidse.
For reasons known only to Jonas, he had his heart set on a white rabbit cake. That was fairly easy to accomodate & the pink outline was "the icing on the cake" as his favorite color is pink!
Happy anticipation...
... waiting for the lighting of the candles.
Neither Jonas nor Elliot has any problem polishing off a good-sized piece of cake!
Jonas received this game from Papa & Gigi. The comments on the box seemed to indicate that it had all the marks of a great game. However, when put to the test, it was a little less than a total success! It needed a lot of parental guidance & for the 2 & 3 year olds playing, it was a bit of a test of patience!
Beth is concentrating very hard on her next move.
Jonas is not quite so willing to wait!
Even Elliot gets in on the game & plays his very own version of it!
