Dear Sofie,

It was so much fun seeing you this weekend!

It will be fun all over again when we show everyone the photos mommy took. We will tell them about our trip with you to the zoo and Grampy's birthday dinner and going to our first live professional football game with you.

You did a great job cheering the Jaguars to an amazing victory! It was fun watching you cheer on television:


Thank you for taking us on tour of your beautiful home and back yard and for drawing those happy portraits of Grampy and me (with my braid) and even signing your name!

We love you!
Grammy & Grampy

Meet Gabriel!

Dear Sofie,

You have a sweet little cousin named Gabriel.


His Mommy and Daddy celebrated their second anniversary yesterday. (We showed you Sonnie Kpangbai and Alvin Johnson's wedding photos from October 2008.)


Gabriel spent quite a while in the hospital when he was born six months ago.


Now he is the healthiest, happiest baby you can imagine.


Right after he arrived, his Mommy graduated with honors from Rhode Island College.



Gabriel has loads of grandparents, aunts and uncles who all take turns holding him. (Grampy thinks he's even better than a football!)


November is a very special month for all of us. Gabriel will see his Daddy for the first time. (His Daddy is working hard to rebuild the country of Liberia, West Africa.)


November will be very special for us, too, because we will get to see you and your Mommy and Daddy. Maybe you will show us all your favorite animals at the zoo.

And maybe you will teach me everything I need to know about football!

Love,
Grammy and Grampy

Merry Christmas 2009!

Dearest Sofie,

Our friend Rishwanth Jayapaul took this fishbowl photo of us in our living room (which is also Grammy’s office).

Grampy Phil is sitting on your Great Great Grandma Camilla Foss’ Victorian sofa. Her Norwegian embroidery hangs on the wall. All around us is the furniture of your Great Grammy and Grampy West. Uncle Lars built our bookshelves.

And pictures of you are EVERYWHERE!

Can you find them? Here are some clues:











We LOVE seeing you all over our home!
Grammy Anne & Grampy Phil

Sara's kitty bears

Dear Sofie,

Can you find Daddy in this photo? (Hint: He was 2 years old and had LOTS of hair!) Can you find Uncle Lars? Can you find Grampy Phil?

Their friends are Dana and Sara (who is the littlest person in the picture). Can you find Sara?

Sara is grown up now, and she has been doing something very special. She has been in the hospital many times with an unusual problem called Intracranial Hypertension.

Sara is amazing! She likes to make beautiful things, and she created a special little kittybear to raise funds for the Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation.

Sara made THIS kittybear just for you, Sofia. We know that Kittybear will love living with you. The best news is that, after Sara’s last trip to the hospital, she is a lot better!

Love to you,
Grammy & Grampy

Christmas 2009

Owwwwweeee!

Jumping around is so much fun,
except when we take a tumble!

We were so sorry that your elbow got broke
that Grampy went for a walk in the park
and asked these baby geese
and their mommy and daddy
to come say hello to you.



Can you guess where geese
keep their elbows?



Love,
Grammy & Grampy

Striped Ice

Dear Sofie,

We still have snow all around us in Providence, but not like THIS snow in the Antarctica (on the bottom of Planet Earth). I am SO HAPPY that we do not have to shovel this snow!

On January 21st, 2009, a person named Terry Worth sent these amazing pictures, called Striped Icebergs, to friends, who sent them to more friends, who sent them to more friends . . . .

When our friend sent them to us, we wanted to save them in cyberspace for you. We hope that someday you and your friends can see them, too.

Here's what Terry wrote:

I thought you might enjoy these pictures .



Icebergs in the Antarctic area sometimes have stripes, formed by layers of snow that react to different conditions.



Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with melt water and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form.



When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty sea water can freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a green stripe.



Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea.



Isn't this amazing?



The water froze the instant the wave broke through the ice. That's what it is like in Antarctica where it is the coldest weather in decades.



Water freezes the instant it comes in contact with the air.



The temperature of the water is already some degrees below freezing.



Just look at how the wave froze in midair!



Having the Internet means that we get to see something that we never imagined! Pass it on for others to enjoy!





That's what Terry wrote. So we wanted to be sure to pass on these pictures for you to enjoy.

We love you!
Grammy and Grampy

Light in the Window

Someday, Sofie, we will tell you about your Great Grandpa West. We called him "Pop." He made this stained glass for us with 2 flowers and 3 leaves in a beautiful frame.



Do you like to paint pictures with words? Here is one:

neighbors’ light
raindrops shimmer
against Pop’s stained glass

Pop is one of many special people who would have been very happy to know you.

Love,
Grammy & Grampy