merry christmas- love, the garys!

living nativity

My sweet girlfriend, Sarah Simmons, called and invited our girls to play angels along side their kids in the church living nativity. Johanna was Mary, Aldus played Joseph and Payson, Kohl and Finn were the cutest shepherds around!

pnb nutcracker

Last Friday, I took my girls to Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker. I am getting better and better at navigating myself around Seattle- and so this trip was smooth. The show was spectacular and as usual, after the performance, Myka and Haily wanted to dance all around the theater, so I waited and watched and fielded questions from all the curious passersby who were interested in the 'Little Claras' dancing. 'Good times, good times' - to be said like the laides of Delicious Dish from SNL Christmas Special.

noyes' famous poem

(me likey)

The Highwayman

The wind was a torrent of darkness upon the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight looping the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding-- Riding--riding--
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.

He'd a French cocked hat on his forehead, and a bunch of lace at his chin;
He'd a coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of fine doe-skin.
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to his thigh!
And he rode with a jeweled twinkle-- His rapier hilt a-twinkle--
His pistol butts a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred,
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter-- Bess, the landlord's daughter--
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim, the ostler listened--his face was white and peaked--
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter-- The landlord's black-eyed daughter;
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say:

"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart; I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light.
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight, Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

He stood upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair in the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the sweet black waves of perfume came tumbling o'er his breast,
Then he kissed its waves in the moonlight (O sweet black waves in the moonlight!),
And he tugged at his reins in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.

He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon.
And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon over the purple moor,
The redcoat troops came marching-- Marching--marching--
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.

They said no word to the landlord; they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed.
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets by their side;
There was Death at every window, And Hell at one dark window,
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.

They had bound her up at attention, with many a sniggering jest!
They had tied a rifle beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" and they kissed her. She heard the dead man say,
"Look for me by moonlight, Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though Hell should bar the way."

She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,
Till, on the stroke of midnight, Cold on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it!
The trigger at least was hers!

The tip of one finger touched it, she strove no more for the rest;
Up, she stood up at attention, with the barrel beneath her breast.
She would not risk their hearing, she would not strive again,
For the road lay bare in the moonlight, Blank and bare in the moonlight,
And the blood in her veins, in the moonlight, throbbed to her love's refrain.

Tlot tlot, tlot tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hooves, ringing clear;
Tlot tlot, tlot tlot, in the distance! Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding-- Riding--riding--
The redcoats looked to their priming! She stood up straight and still.

Tlot tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment, she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight--
Her musket shattered the moonlight--
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him--with her death.

He turned, he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the casement, drenched in her own red blood!
Not till the dawn did he hear it, and his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter, The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs in the golden noon, wine-red was his velvet coat
When they shot him down in the highway, Down like a dog in the highway,
And he lay in his blood in the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.

And still on a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a gypsy's ribbon looping the purple moor,
The highwayman comes riding-- Riding--riding--
The highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred,
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter-- Bess, the landlord's daughter--
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Alfred Noyes

three shots!!

Three shots at the doctor appointment! (Her sisters were traumatized at having to witness the actual shot getting). And we were a little late getting her some infant motrin- oh mom and dad! So-Josy has been feeling yucky. To help, we walk her around holding her tight, tight, tight and give her lots of love and kisses.

hudson carlyle reece

Look at this little boy! What a precious baby delivered to my cousin, Meikel, and her husband, Luke, on November 4th. Josy and I hopped on a plane from Sea Tac and had a lovely three days getting to know baby Hudson. And it was also fun to watch his new parents- they are head over heels for this sweet, little one. Congratulations to the Reece Family!

marley mae

Here is our darling friend, Marley Mae, in a light green, 'Emma' style dress made by her mother, Bronwyn.

halloweeny

Haily wanted to be Dracula for Halloween! She did have fangs and she had wanted blood dripping down her mouth- gosh, so gruesome!



The ever lovely Princess Jasmine.



Tons of candy from the North End where people hand out whole candy bars to each kid- wow!

ward party pic

Fun! Josy and I did not go halloweening- but Jasmine and little Vampire Queen were escorted all evening by this tall, cute computer nerd...

grape & white polka dot baby

birthday girlfriend

Our girlfriend, Tessa, had a birthday this weekend! Myka and Haily llllloooovvvvvee Tessa and they loved playing in the Y gymnastics room at her party!

haily & denisha

Here is Haily and her friend Denisha from preschool. Denisha had a birthday and so we made twin twirly skirts in her favorite color, red.



I asked Denisha to tell Haily a joke and so ensued a five minute run through of all the knock knock jokes both girls knew- some making sense, some not making so much sense- but who cares, I caught Denisha's dynamite smile!

mykamermaid

Here is our natural born swimmer, Myka. She lives for swimming! And she progresses speedily through the swim classes at the Y. The next level is 'Guppies' which she'll begin next week!






(head in the water! yipee!- that's a big change from previous dog paddle-)

girl night

Friday night was girl night at our house! Myka and Haily invited friends over to have dinner and do girl stuff.



Here is our dear friend, Aisy, showing off her pretty make up and nails.






Dinner time! Aaron made cheeseburgers and vanilla milkshakes topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.



It is safe to say each girl had a fabulous time at girl night. We may just have to do it again...

chubby overnight!

My baby just got chubby! She was kind of long and scrawny for a while so I thought for sure she was just a little female copy of her dad- same hairline, same skin color, same nose- but on Saturday I looked down at her as she was eating and I saw this chub! Yay!

purple 'o' josy

scott's mission call

superhaily!

Here is our supercute little girl in a sparkle skirt and red boots ready to fight the bad guys and restore peace to the world! (Haily got invited to her friend's superhero birthday party at Pump It Up- she had a blast)