Mister is one!

Hard to believe, ain't it? He's definitely a toddler - getting better at walking, and taller for reaching, and trying so hard to communicate, something.... I couldn't love any one more than i love my chubby little mister.

Picture is from 'Shake Rattle and Roll', at the zoo - an extravaganza of percussion instruments for the littlest set. He's definitely a shaker!

The dog

Here he is, with a brilliant new winter collar on. Today we went for a run. I got him a new type of collar which worked splendidly. (Real test comes the next time he has to follow some of my running buddies.) I recently stopped training for a half-marathon. My calculation was, in part, that i would have to finish my training without taking the dog, and i wanted to spend more time running with him. I was pretty happy to be out there running with him today. I don't quite hate running when i get to share it with the dog.

Walking boy

The boy took his first step today. We all agreed it was a true step. He's been standing alone for a while now, but it took the potential to mop (just like Rachel was sweeping) to take that step. It was short lived, but i think we see greater mobility coming up soon.

He is closing in on his first birthday. My favorite moments with him lately have been when he has responded to Madeleine's horse play by mimicking her - i get two happy kids. That, and the rare quiet moments when he snuggles up next to me.

William looks at SAM

my little pumpkin

my little pumpkin, originally uploaded by meganursula.

The girl went out trick-or-treating with some friends. She was really excited to be a pumpkin this year. And to get candy. She's ready to go again.

Penguins

We stole a Friday with the girl's bff and went to the zoo.




I think that the boy may have had a good time, too.

company

We both grew up with fond memories of having siblings. We're hoping that our kids will have a good time growing up together, too. It is fun to watch them interact already. Of course, actual togetherness is a bit short-lived so far.

more family

My sister came to visit recently. We had a wonderful weekend, and took a little 'girls only' time which made the girl ecstatic. Nothing better than to share her world with her aunt!

Family

In August my Aunt and two cousins came to visit us. We had a wonderful wonderful time with them. Here is the girl showing them some of our favorite haunts - the aquarium and the zoo.





A little story, too. My Aunt gave the girl a little pink tutu skirt, with pink tights and a shirt with a ballerina on it for her birthday. She also gave her a little cat wearing ballet clothes. The girl says 'Its just what i've always wanted!'. She also started dancing around the living room, spinning while holding the cat above her head. It reminded me so much of the dance the little girls do with their dolls in the first act of Nutcracker. Growing up that dance always seemed a little false to me - too sweet to ring true. But i've never seen anything sweeter than my girl doing that dance. If i could go back and redo prologue at this late date, i know i'd do a better job, just picturing that joy.

The three musketeers, cuter

Story times are back

After a long end-of-summer hiatus. Check out today's activity. Bonus points if you can spot all three of us.

http://www.mygreenlake.com/2010/10/firefighter-story-time/

The three musketeers

The littlests are on the move. Have you ever seen so much cuteness in one wading pool?

In other news, my sweet photobucket-blogger arrangement has gone somewhat sour, and not only have i been having trouble uploading photos to photobucket (like the cuter versions of this one i know i have), but posting from photobucket to blogger proves to be hard. This is my meager excuse for my lack of material lately. I will work on a remedy.

Komodo Dragons around

The girl, visiting one of the zoo's more patient animals with friends.

Big girl haircut

The girl recently decided she wanted to convenience of a fashionable modified bob.

Feet first, Mister

We're so proud of him for figuring out that faceplanting is NOT the preferable way to descend stairs....

Baseball Team Game

We got a chance to go to a Mariner's game. Madeleine got a chance to see her beloved Moose.



She also got to run around the bases with her dad. You can see them on the home stretch - that closeup finger looks like its pointing towards them. I think it may have excited Josh just as much as Madeleine.

afternoon walk

On a walk home from story time today the kids were so cute i needed a picture. Shortly after this the boy fell asleep in the girl's arm. It was awfully sweet.

Sunday

The boy got four new teeth today. We decided to forgive him for being a cranky-pants.

We also took advantage of a summer afternoon to take a paddle boat out around Greenlake. No one even fell in. The girl says Daddy is her favorite. I don't think that is entirely because he buys her sno-cones.

camping trip

P1010138, originally uploaded by saska01.

We went camping with some friends last weekend.

Finally!!

Summer has arrived.

nursenancy2

nursenancy2, originally uploaded by meganursula.

This is from a few months ago. Baby Jill's head has healed, the stethoscope still lives in the bed, and she's progressed to physiology books. Still likes some Nurse Nancy, though.

What is sweeter than mango smoothies?

The boy says 'Hi, Veronica! I'm working on sitting up, too.'



(At his six month appointment he was two ounces shy of twenty pounds, and 28 inches long. Declared healthy and on-track.)

bffs

Busy day for the big girls. They're getting good at the sleep-over thing - it is awfully sweet.

in lieu of photos

Since i have to upload some, but am slow.

The boy is going to be six months old in a few days. He is a chubby, happy fellow. He has started rolling and can move around pretty well for a dude who can't really crawl yet. He also, just this week, got to the point where he can sit on his own. Bathing is much more joyful now that i can just throw him in the tub next to the girl. We've been feeding him solids for a while now, but just this week discovered a food he'll lunge for - chicken!

The boy's favorite activity at home is jumping in his jumping-jack, and he has a few toys that he is pretty attached to - Orange monkey from Elaine, his rattle from Mamo, a hedgehog from Grandma and Grandpa, the monkey from Bob, and a squeaky horse from Becky. He is very focused when he sees something he likes, and often wakes up clutching his big monkey (which lives in his bed). He grins when he catches sight of the girl, and flirts with Rachel. He's also quite ticklish.

The girl is all about two things: her new tree swing, and story time. We put up the tree swing a couple of weeks ago, and she will go hang around for quite a while on it. She also likes being pushed 'fast!'. Story time is my saving grace because it gets us out of the house, and saves my voice somewhat. There are a variety of free ones offered around here, and we are connoisseurs. This week we went to three.

The dog is hanging in there, trying to hold on to his sanity. He believes that i ought to be running more often. I think i might agree with him.

boy snuggle

i think they were up to no good.

The boy thanks his cousin for the beautiful knitted sweater and hat she gifted to him. He sure did look cute in that ensemble, and I got two of my favorite people in the world in this picture! Thanks, Elise!

Olympic Penninsula

Our friend Rachel has Wednesday and Thursday off from work, so she kindly agreed to join me in a little jaunt to the Olympic Penninsula this week on those days. A mid-week getaway is excellent, and nice to be over there in such peace and quiet. It is an amazing place.
Preview of some of our fun - day one found us in alpine snow (the girl enjoyed wearing her gear and eating snow, and golly was the world just so incredibly beautiful). The boy hung out in his bjorn, but generally seemed to enjoy the ride. Day two found us on the wild and windy pacific beaches (where the girl mostly collected rocks and built a variety of different sand structures).

The girl wanted to take her dad to a baseball game for his birthday, so we did. Boy, was she excited - moose hat, baseball team shirt, dad... everything was perfect. (We lost the game, but had nice seats and a beautiful day to watch it happen.)

The girl also got to meet her idolized moose - the one she has admired from afar for half of her life. He was a bit bigger than she had imagined, so she was a tiny bit shy, but, also giddy with excitement.

And happy birthday to Josh, who i hope enjoyed basking in some spring sun with his kids.

The girl, she loves animals, and has been very into climbing lately.

Spring was springy today, and we found a nice new playground. The boy had his first go at a real swing, while the girl just enjoyed being an old pro.

spring friday afternoon