Best Friends

Soren and Amelia really love each other, almost as much as they love blueberries!

Young Photographers

Amelia and Soren really enjoy grabbing the camera and snapping off a few shots...maybe an impulse they inherited from Uncle Michael! While many of the shots are not exactly professional-grade, we wanted to share a few of their better recent ones, as well as a couple of nice tries (Soren hasn't really figured out how to include people's heads in his shots yet...

Scottsdale Railroad Park

The kids' favorite attraction in Arizona was the Scottsdale Railroad Park, where they got to seek some locomotives up close and then ride on a kid-sized train. Despite the long wait (preparation for Hong Kong Disney?), the train ride was a massive hit, particularly when Soren got to ride with Mommy in the cattle car.

Arizona - Hiking and Family

We just spent a few days visiting Grandpa and Grandma Becky down in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was a great break from the rainy Seattle winter, and Amelia and Soren had a lot of fun new experiences. They enjoyed seeing all the different types of cactuses (real and fake), hiked down a dry river bed, and swam a lot at the pool. Soren tried his hand playing tennis, while Amelia was the ball-girl (at least until she decided that trying on Mommy's tennis jacket in new ways was more fun)! Unfortunately, we didn't see any javelinas, but there is always next year!

A Young Artist is Born

Jello

After enjoying Jello at school, the kids asked if they could try making some at home. They worked very hard helping Mommy stir the Jello, and we have been enjoying the dozens of cups of Jello they made ever since!

Happy Valentine's Day

Children's Museum

With the rainy weather returning, the kids had a blast at the children's museum by Mommy's work. After a bit of time playing house together, Soren discovered the water area and spent more than an hour sending boats and balls down various rivers. He also played with some Guk (TM) that the museum staff made before his eyes. Meanwhile, Amelia spent a lot of time "painting" rocks, testing out the pulley and lever area (the blue ball was by far the heaviest one!), and doing some art projects. We'll definitely be heading back here soon, and are hoping that we remember to bring a few more changes of clothes this time...the protective vests in the waterplay area were no match for Soren's splashing!

Early Football Practice

At first, Soren was a bit confused by this activity at his friend's birthday party...then he decided to try it along with the birthday boy...before doing it himself...and then cutting in front of other kids to go again. In all, Soren must have knocked the block over 25-30 times. We'd love him to be a soccer player when he gets older, but it looks like football may be a more likely outcome!

Little Gym

Over the weekend, Soren went to the birthday party of one of his friends from daycare, Walter, which was held at a Little Gym nearby. He had watched Amelia getting dropped off at similar parties over the past couple of years, and Soren was very excited to be invited. It didn't take him long to try out most of the equipment and activities they had, from kicking soccer balls and shooting baskets, to an obstacle course, and of course, his favorite activity: taking turns running and knocking over a big foam wedge. Unsurprisingly, the pizza and cake were also a hit. Soren already has his eye on having his own party at the same place!

Breakfast Rocks!

Since the kids began regularly waking up at 6:30 am on the weekends, we have stopped going out to brunch with any regularity. However, they managed to sleep in last weekend, so we headed to the Hi-Spot, one of our favorite local brunch places. Amelia was quite impressed that they were able to combine two of her favorite things - pancakes and Mickey Mouse - and make them so delicious!