And Then There Were Five...

kiddos at the beach. We spent time with Nicholas, Raleigh, Scout and their corresponding adults yesterday afternoon. A solid 1.5 hours with no rain -- success in a relentlessly wet city.

Anders tempting Scout to climb high.



Five kiddos (and one attentive adult) enjoying the endlessly exciting task of throwing various pieces of nature into the water.



Anders and his log. What size log will he be carrying next spring?



Jorja and Scout givin' love.

Runnin' Rampant

A portion of our recent Portland visit included running free through Grandma's courtyard with various outdoor "decorations" -- a flamingo wind chime and hummingbird lawn ornament being the big hits. All of this in a courtyard reserved for quiet, mature adults who generally stay on the concrete pathways...oops.

Naptime: 0, Anders and Jorja: 1

Naptime is losing.

Other than the afternoons in which someone other than Momma and/or Mommy transition the kiddos to naptime, Anders and Jorja are successfully keeping their eyes wide open from 6am until 6pm. What happened to napping until 4 -- or at least 3? Isn't that what all the child-rearing books mention? Isn't there some kind of guarantee?

Here we have Anders and Jorja lounging in my bed, wearing my pajamas, and reading my books that they retrieved from the top of my dresser that they accessed by standing in a drawer of my clothes...during "naptime" in their bedroom.

Overdue

Yes, yes, I know. I've somehow managed to neglect this blog for nearly two months. Days roll into weeks, weeks roll into months -- but at least I have pictures to share. So let 'em roll...

Nothing out of the ordinary here. Anders not napping and Jorja napping.



Alki Beach explorations.



Honey Bee fascination.



Grandma and Jorja walking the farm trails.



Anders, Jorja, Scout, and Tasya at the Dragon Park.



A favorite pastime -- sitting on the potty reading stacks of books. Check out the new hair-do!

Winter Frolics

Between preschool, playgroups, in and out of town excursions, visitors, baking, coloring, and stickering, our little family unit has been quite busy. Layer in my full-time massage school schedule, Gailyn's tkd school business, and our individual attempts to exercise and be social and you've got a borderline "Family that Over-schedules" situation.

Day One in the Toddler Bed Transition Event. Anders and his diverse assortment of animal friends explore the vastness of toddler bed freedom.



Anders and his Panda Friend take a moment to color together.



Outdoor silliness.





Jorja with her, ahem Anders', new organic cotton moose undies. Layered outside her pants of course.



Baking cookies with Grandma Ruth.



Stickers, stickers everywhere. Really. On books, carpet, hardwood floors, legs, bums, pets...

Trekking

New Years Day was spent frolicking with all the amazing animals residing about an hour south of us -- bison, elk, mountain goats, rams, cougars, wolves, bears, wolverines, owls, and on and on. After an hour long tram ride to see the larger mammals roam -- or rest in most cases -- we spent time wandering the walking paths leading from one animal viewing area to another. In all 723 acres, we crossed paths with about 10 other visitors -- a blessing indeed. Jorja needed to poop in her portable potty right next to the eagle viewing area -- no problem. Anders decided to lie face down in the middle of the walking path and roll around like a bear cub -- go for it. If no one's around, why bother with reigning in toddler twins?

Anders and Grandma Carole, Ma, inspecting the first of many Anders-identified "Christmas Trees" scattered along the walking paths.



With dried mango in their mouths, Anders and Jorja run full-steam ahead in a race to see who can reach Momma first.



Lovin' Mr. A.



Lovin' Miss J.



Anders livin' out his koala bear fantasies.



Ma snuggling down with the kiddos and an awesome book (Hooray for Richard Scarry books!). Thanks for the fun visit Grandma Carole! Ma!

Christmas Climbers

Sunny winter days certainly deserve a romp outside.

Dressing Oneself

Jorja's moved up a rung on the ladder of independence. She's become quite fond of selecting her own attire.

Hence this afternoon's selection. Who's she modeling after?



Reconsidering?

Christmas Decoraters

Apparently Anders is in charge of the lights...



while Jorja orchestrates ornament selection.



Guess the adults will just have to sit back and enjoy a festive drink or two...

Santa Train - Year 2

With Grandma Ruth and Friends Tasya, Tyler, and Scout in tow, we headed east for our annual ride on The Santa Train. The kiddos weren't interested in Santa Claus (other than exiting his house ASAP), but the train was a big hit -- along with the cookies and spending time with their favorite people in the world.