Kendall is good if your wife is a good skier. It is best on weekdays and after a good dump of snow. On light weekends there are lots of hikers, snowshoers and dogs to contend with. This can make it difficult for a beginning skier. On the other hand, sometimes they pack it down wide enough to mimic grooming. There are a lot of variables, so it is hard to tell, but if you hit it right it is great for everyone (plenty of backcountry turns along with lot of fun road skiing).
Amabalis is a lot easier, but there are fewer places to make big turns. I know they are there, because I've seen people with big skis and plastic boots head up there. I'm just not sure where they are. Someone here might be able to tell you. If you are willing to go the distance, that would be my bet for the best of both worlds. They have groomed it all the way to the top recently, which makes for a very fast (and easy) ascent/descent.
As mentioned, the Nordic area by Snoqualmie Pass is another option. Hyak is closed midweek, so I would go up that way if you can go on a weekday. If not, then maybe skirting Silver Fir is best. Here is a recent trip report from Mount Catherine, with the lowdown:
www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8003731
The Park Butte area could work as well, although you wouldn't do the best stuff. You could both ski the road and the lower meadows together and then you could ski the hillside by yourself. You would have to contend with snowmobiles until the spring, though.
For all of these trips I recommend waxless skis. You can always make do with skins or kickers, but if approach is long, you will want a faster kick and glide. Of course you can kick wax your ski, but that doesn't work too well in this climate. There are a bunch of great, big, fat waxless skis available right now. The best of the bunch are probably made by Viole, but you can get other fat skis as well (which are cheaper, if nothing else). Going skinless is really nice for yoyo skiing as well. You can ski down a steep hillside then follow the gradual track back up without putting on or taking off skins.
