Fun with Utah Cousins

Amelia and Soren got to meet some of their cousins from Utah earlier this week - Zina and Elsie.  We had a fun dinner at Grandpa and Grandma Becky's house, and the kids had a blast playing together.  Even better, the kids all even got together later in the week to go swimming!

Whidbey Island

We just got back from an awesome long weekend on nearby Whidbey Island.  After taking the ferry over on Friday morning, we dived into our explorations of the island.  Some highlights included walking out on the Coupeville Wharf, lunch with pie at the Knead and Feed, an amazing castle playground in Langley, several meals of local Penn Cove mussels, shopping at the Goose, a fun playground and wading pool in Oak Harbor, the Loganberry Festival at Greenbank Farm, watching movies in the evenings in our room at the waterfront Boatyard Inn in Langley, and lots of chocolate, candy and fresh fruit!  We then capped off the weekend with a whale watching boat trip in the San Juan Islands, where saw five or six orcas, including a couple of very close breaches!  We can't wait to head back to Whidbey sometime soon!

Thomas

This weekend, Thomas the Train came to town (actually to nearby Snoqualmie), so the five of us headed on out to meet him (Amelia, Soren, Mommy, Daddy, and Soren's stuffed Thomas the Train).  The kids had a fun time getting Thomas tattoos and watching the model trains, but the highlight was definitely taking a ride out to Snoqualmie Falls on Thomas himself.  Topham Hatt, on the other hand, was not a big hit, and I can't really blame Soren for his skepticism!

Day of Birthdays

Today, we managed to set a new record with three birthday parties for the kids to attend:  Livy's pirate house party, a pool party for Amelia's school friend Laila, and Sophie's party at Whirlwinds!  Amelia and Soren got their groove on and had a great time throughout, though by the third party, even Amelia finally admitted that should couldn't take another bite of cake!  Definitely a first!

New Friends

JoJo has introduced Amelia and Soren to some new friends this summer.  Here are a couple of the cutest photos of them playing!

Swimming with JoJo

Amelia and Soren have been having a great time with JoJo this summer, including lots of swimming with her, both at nearby beaches and at the pool at her apartment complex.

Outstanding in the Field

We realize that this is Amelia and Soren's blog.  However, every once in a while, their Mommy and Daddy get to do something extraordinary enough to break into the regularly scheduled programming.  Today's Outstanding in the Field dinner definitely qualifies!  The location - a 140-person table between two rows of Asian Pear plants at Old Chaser Farm on Vashon Island - was amazing, and the food lived up to the setting.  While everything was very good, we had a couple of particular favorites:  the whey-braised goat and the sesame seed cookies.  Definitely one of the most memorable meals of our lives.  Who knows, maybe in 15 or 20 years, all four of us will attend one of these dinners together!?

  

Grandpa's Birthday

On Sunday, we went to Grandpa's birthday party.  Grandma Becky made a wonderful barbeque dinner, which we got to enjoy in the backyard on a beautiful, sunny evening.  Soren and Amelia had a great time eating dinner and dessert, but probably had the most fun bouncing on the air mattress with Grandpa!

Family Reunion

We had our annual Jorgensen reunion last weekend while cousins Max, Sophie and Gavin were in town.  Everyone got together at Goggy's house for a fun pool party.  Amelia and Soren had a great time playing in the pool with Daddy, and had a great game of hide-and-seek with Sophie, Max and Gavin, who ended up spending the night at our house.  We're definitely looking forward to the next time we see them!

Happy Fourth of July!

Summer is finally here in Seattle, and we got to celebrate a beautiful Fourth of July with a barbeque on Goggy's back deck.  You'll definitely be seeing more shots from here in the coming days!

First Camping Trip

This weekend, Soren, Amelia and Daddy headed out for the kids' first ever camping trip with a group of friends...Pacific Northwest-style rain-camping that is.  Happily, the kids didn't let the rain bother them at all, tramping through the woods (and the puddles), throwing stones at a nearby "beach", roasting marshmallows in the rain, and cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast.  Soren's favorite part was the marshmallows, while Amelia particularly loved snuggling together in the tent.  The kids are eager to try camping again, and are hard at work trying to convince Mommy to join us next time!