Sushi Lover

Some of you may have heard of the famous hot-dog sushi roll, served at several of the finest conveyor-belt sushi establishments around town:



We had looked at hot-dog rolls whir by on many prior occasions, but this week, Soren decided that looking at them was no longer good enough and took matters into his own hands:



Using his well-honed grab-and-stuff technique, Soren put one piece



and then the other in his mouth at the same time



and polished them off before anyone else had a chance to grab one (not that any of us were planning on it)! Total elapsed time, 12.8 seconds! Next stop: Coney Island for the 4th of July hot-dog eating contest!

Funny Mirror

We went to dinner a few nights ago at our favorite Greek restaurant, Cafe Vios, and Soren spent a lot of time with one of the mirrors in the play area. When we asked Soren what he saw, he told us that Big, Upside-Down Soren was in the mirror. We could hardly pull him away from his new friend!

Car Track

Amelia and Soren received a lot of wonderful gifts over the holidays (thanks everyone)! The one they've been playing with the most is a great jeep track. As this video shows, the kids have had a great time sending the cars racing around the track, and the room!

Fashion Plate

With Nana and Taid in Seattle for the holidays (and for Daddy's operation), the kids have spent a good deal of time at the local playgrounds. Taid asked Amelia to pose for a few photos in her new jacket and for once, she obliged!

Chanukah Rocking

We headed over to the JCC's Chanukah party for a rocking evening. The kids got to play dreidel, make - and eat - dreidels (marshmallow and a Hershey's Kiss on a pretzel stick) and color pictures of dreidels. After the dreidel fun, we rocked out with the Not-Its and their opening bands. The kids are already asking about their next concert!

Spicy Kisses

We found a great new Sichuan restaurant over in Redmond this weekend and the kids chowed down on some of our favorites, including ma po tofu and dan dan noodles. Soren discovered that stabbing tofu with his chopstick was both effective and a lot of fun. Definitely a good way to get him to try some new food, and the kids gave us "spicy kisses" after every bite...what fun!

Decorating Grandpa's Tree

We went over to Grandpa and Grandma Becky's house for dinner and the kids got a great surprise: Amelia and Soren were put in charge of decorating the Christmas tree for the first time. They had a great time checking out all of the ornaments and hanging their favorites on the tree (though there were a few minor adjustments after Soren hung his fifth golden ball on the same branch)!

Thanksgiving Fun

After all of our travels this year, we decided to host Thanksgiving in Seattle. Nana, Taid and Auntie Zoe flew out, and Goggy and Uncle Wavy joined us for our wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. The kids had a blast over the holidays, from decorating the windows with Zoe, to hitting the local restaurants and ice cream/pinball parlor. Soren had a few days alone with Zoe and gave her a tour of his favorite spots, including showing off the local indoor sandpit and kids' yoga studios. We can't wait until they come back to visit us!

Sunny in Seattle

Nana and Taid just arrived in Seattle and brought the nice weather with them. We took a great hike on the Arboretum Waterfront Trail. The kids loved the hike, as well as pointing out all of the ducks, herons and kayakers we saw along the way.

Tough Choices

Amelia not only enjoyed watching us vote this weekend by filling out our mail-in ballots, but she also gave Mommy and Daddy some helpful suggestions for write-in candidates that she thought could get the job done!

The Bumblebee and the Witch

Amelia and Soren lucked into a two-day Halloween extravaganza this year. Amelia helped prepare the house by picking out some scarecrows for the yard and making a sign for the window. Then the kids got to go trick-or treating twice, first on Sunday at the local stores with Grandpa, Grandma Becky and our friends Autumn, Sonia, Keith and Denise, and then on Monday to some of the neighborhood homes. Amelia and Soren traded outfits several times during the festivities, so we always had at least one bumblebee or witch running around, as well as an occasional princess or ballerina.

Dinner with JoJo

We went out for dinner this weekend with Amelia's au pair Joyce ("JoJo") and her husband Scott, to celebrate their recent wedding. We had a great time catching up and the kids had a great time showing off for JoJo - and in Soren's case, flirting with her. We look forward to joining them down in Sao Paulo for the big wedding celebration they are planning for early 2013! Just for comparison's sake, we've also included the picture from Amelia's first dinner with Joyce, nearly four years ago...pretty amazing how much Amelia has changed, and how little Joyce has!

Big Boy Bed

The day we have long feared has finally arrived. After months with no interest in climbing out of his crib, Soren figured out how to get out overnight. He immediately began running over and climbing in Amelia's bed, jumping her and then laughing hysterically...again, and again, and again. The travel crib with zip-on top only gave us one night's relief. Finally, there was no other option: it was time for the Big Boy Bed. After a few rough nights, he seems to have gotten used to it and we are all sleeping again...at least until we move on to phase two: Bye Bye Binky.

Cardinal Pride

We took a quick weekend trip to St. Louis to visit our friends Sharon, Al, Ryan and Jared. Luckily, we were there during the World Series, so we got to see a lot of Cardinals pride, including a frighteningly red water fountain. Ryan and Jared made sure to plan a fun tour of their favorite kid-friendly spots for Amelia and Soren, including the Children's Garden at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Haunted Hayloft at Purina Farms (the pigs and the hayride were a much bigger hit than the ghosts), a picnic in Forest Park and the largest cupcakes we've ever seen. We had a fantastic trip and the kids are still asking when they will get to play with Ryan and Jared again!