Spiderman versus the Butterfly Ballerina

This Halloween, Spiderman (aka Soren) went up against his greatest rival the Butterfly Ballerina (aka Amelia), in a candy collection contest!  We had a great night of trick-or-treating and both kids used their own tricks to scare up some extra treats:  Soren dared the lair of a scary spider, while Amelia charmed some extra sweets out of the neighbors on a return visit.  The night ended with a memorable candy-eating contest, which Soren probably edged with his trick of eating two lollipops at the same time!

 

 

 

Off to Singapore!

We are just back from New Jersey and the kids are already excited about our next big trip.  They have certainly found an interesting way for us to get to Singapore...

Fun with Friends and Family

We had a great time hanging out with friends and family in New Jersey and New York City, both those who were in town for Auntie Zoe's wedding and some old friends we hadn't seen in a while.  In addition to Taid's amazing Indian feast (including soup served in pumpkins) and soup dumplings at Grand Szechuan, other highlights included Amelia working with Uncle Ger to send some clementines aloft, Soren's tour of Taid's Asian garden, and the hard work Amelia put in to help get things ready for the wedding.

Zoe's Wedding

The big event:  Auntie Zoe's wedding.  Amelia was a flower girl, while Soren was a ring-bearer.  Despite some pre-ceremony nerves, both kids did an awesome job and made it down the aisle in style.  Then they cut loose at the party:  Amelia was inseparable from her new friends Lala (her co-flower girl) and Kaitlyn, while Soren wore Mommy and Daddy out with his dancing, before posing for a few photographs by Uncle Michael.  It was a truly beautiful event and both kids agreed it was the best party they had ever attended!

 

 

The Dog Days of October

We had a wonderful trip back to New Jersey and New York for Auntie Zoe's wedding.  One of the unexpected pluses of the trip was the amount of time Amelia and Soren spent with various canine companions - not only Auntie Zoe's dog Sumo, but also Dexter, a Chiweenie who belongs to Daddy's friend Tim.  Both kids were very comfortable petting both dogs, and kept interrupting other activities to go visit Sumo.

Climbing High

Soren has been watching the bigger kids (including Amelia) climbing on some of the more challenging play areas for a while, and finally decided that he was ready to conquer this local spiderweb.  Definitely a proud moment when he made it most of the way up!

First Haircut

After more than three years, we finally decided it was time to give Soren his first haircut.  After some initial hesitation, he ended up having a fun time, especially as he got to sit in a car and play with a toy Blue Angel.  By the end, Soren insisted on a dusting of glitter, and he seems very happy with the results!

Queen of the Rings

Amelia spent a lot of time this summer mastering her skills on the monkey bars, and has now added the rings to her arsenal.

Soren the Teacher

After years of being the student in "Ms. Amelia's night school", Soren has now started giving his own classes to his new friends at school.

Playground Adventures

Since the nice weather has hung around longer than usual, Amelia, Soren and Mommy have been heading out to various parks after school.  Here are a few of our favorite shots from their adventures.

At the Hana

We helped Kaila celebrate her birthday this weekend at her favorite restaurant, Benihana.  Amelia and Soren spent a bunch of time running laps with Alexei and Kristina to work up their hunger, then demolished their plates of shrimp, chicken and beef.  Definitely one of our favorite annual traditions!

Back to the Museum

We took an impromptu Friday evening visit to the Factoria children's museum, where Amelia and Soren rediscovered some of their favorite play areas and explored some new ones.  They had to kick us out at closing time, so we'll certainly be heading back sometime soon.

Preschool Fun

Soren has been having a lot of fun at his new school, and has definitely started picking up a lot of French words, including his favorite new word:  jaune (yellow).  As you can see from his artwork, it is also his new favorite color!