Spring Break

With the twins on Spring Break, it's been quite the week for us.  With four kids in the house, it becomes even more of a necessity to get out and about.  So...

Iver and Meg took their first bike trailer adventure.  Iver ready to roll with his Snack Trap and Elmo.

And they're off.

Stella taking a moment to explore the comfort of sucking on one's fingers.

Heading out to the Meadowbrook Pond.

Chatting.

A and J enjoying the view at Boy and Dog Park on Whidbey Island.

Running the streets of Whidbey Island.

Our Lil' Miss Stella on island time.

The kiddos exploring the beach.

The abundance of driftwood at Double Bluff Beach was awesome!

A local trip to MOHAI in South Lake Union.

Our Easter crew showcasing the 72 eggs found scattered around our backyard.

Our Three Month Old

Our growing girl:

Full of big smiles, laughter, chatter, and awesome hair.

Hangin' out.

Big Boy Iver.

Our foursome.

Meg and Stella chatting.

A recent family trip to the zoo (with attentive older siblings assisting a falling younger sibling while one parent tends to picture-taking and the other desperately tries to look put together for the camera).

In other news, we're in our new house.  We moved in on February 28th and it's been a whirlwind ever since -- pictures to come!

Our Two Month Old

Check out our bigger girl:

Our awesome cousin Lori came for a visit (while Meg headed east to Washington, DC to give a lecture).  We took all four kiddos to the Museum of Flight -- and managed to make it home with all four as well.

Cuddling with Miss Stella.

Stella heading out in her carseat.

Valentine's Day

Jorja and I were recently chatting about school, life in general, and a particular classmate named Alexander. While on the topic of friends, she casually mentioned that she and Alexander weren't "exactly" friends -- that they were "something different".  I tried unsuccessfully to tighten up her ambiguity with terms like best friends, buddies, pals, companions, etc.  At which point she cut me off and impatiently informed me, "Momma, We're in LOVE!"  And then on Valentine's Day she came home with this:

This kiss is one of those BIG ones in a box.  Alexander even personalized the box with a marker. "Love" at 6!

In other news, check out Meg's cute, new hair style.

Stella's first trek in snow.

A and J helping with Iver's nightly bath.  Between the three of them, they're pretty adept at saturating the bathroom floor.

Go Seahawks!

Dressed for the big game.  

Smiles -- beyond the ones associated with, ahem, gas -- emerged a couple of weeks ago.

Exhausted after an afternoon stroll in the Bjorn.

Iver and his friend Zeek.

Our One Month Old

Check out our big girl:

The Last Few Weeks

Prior to Stella's arrival I thought that a shift from 3 to 4 kids in our household wouldn't be significantly more difficult -- different, busier, but overall a similar level of energy.  Being the "veteran" parents we are, I assumed we'd slip seamlessly into the caring-for-a-newborn phase while simultaneously managing the original trio.  We've certainly slipped into parenting all four kids, but not without seams -- many, many seams.  Fortunately, as the days and weeks pass, the seams become less prominent and the awesomeness of all four of our kids takes center stage.

One week old.

A favorite napping spot for both of us.

First bath at home (not the most accurate photo because she LOVES bath time).

Iver and "his" baby.

First trip out in our jogger.

A family stroll to the espresso stand (often frequented multiple times a day).

Anders and Jorja "playing" with Stella.

Wakefulness.

Snoozing in her carseat.

Cuddling.

Three weeks old.

Iver post-bath.

Iver "visiting" Stella.