The Grand Daddies Are Here!

We took the kids sledding at Lake Wenatchee before heading back home for the second half of break. The kids had a blast on the super-fast icy hill.

 Grandfather Herbert and Grandfather David enjoyed each other's company at dinner the following night. These contemporaries both have an engineering background, have connections to Boston, and are writers, so there is a lot to talk about.

 New fad: Charlotte started making herself fresh-squeezed orange juice for breakfast.

 I finally got around to hemming the curtains I bought last summer. I bought a little sewing machine and Edison and I figured out how to get it working. The kids were pretty interested so each one got to make a pillow with the extra curtain fabric. It was actually a really fun experience. I can remember sewing with my mom, so hopefully my kids will get the hang of it, too. Edison wants to make a Patriots pillow next. It should be fun to go the fabric store and pick out a cool textile for that project.

 Eben's friend Bill and his wife Katie came by on Saturday. Bill had gone home to Buffalo and brought back a giant box of his old Star Wars figures with him. He is loaning them to Edison and Charlotte in exchange for lots of Star Wars play dates.

In addition to finishing the loft's drywall, we did a ton of yardwork this weekend. Spring has arrived early and there was weeding and pruning to do, not to mention lawn maintenance. Eben and I are talking about the plan for planting bushes, trees, and flowers which is pretty fun. Eben did some major pruning on an oak tree in the backyard and we had to burn a lot of branches to clean up the yard. Edison was fire tender number one, which he loved.

Skiing at Stevens Pass

Eben took the kids up skiing three days in a row. Though there hasn't been much snow, there is a enough for most of the groomed runs to be open. With 40 degrees and sunshine up there each day and no lines, it was the perfect time for the kids to work on their skiing skills. I took Reed up in a backpack one of those days so I could see how much progress the kids have made since last year.

Grand Daddy David is Here!

We are so happy that Grand Daddy David is here for a visit! He is helping Eben finish up the new loft drywall and electric. He has jumped right in with the grandkids, picking up where he left off last winter. Reed enjoys getting hugs and face time with him.

 

 They did some work on it and then we took off for the cabin. The kids and I had the week off for Midwinter Break and Eben was able to take time off, too! There isn't much snow up there this year, just enough for a little snow play.

 Still quite a bit on the deck, though.

 

While Grand Daddy was napping one day, Eben and I went over with the kids up the White River to a short hike to a nice look out over the valley.

 I was so impressed with Edison and Charlotte on the hike. No whining, no asking "are we there yet?," no stopping, etc. They did such a wonderful job - so much progress from last summer!

 

This was the lookout spot. So many nice nooks and crannies for each of us.

 

 

 The view over to Nason Ridge was amazing.

 We stopped down at the White River on afterwards. So peaceful!

 The next day we drove into Leavenworth, had a nice lunch at Gustav's and then walked to Riverside Park and enjoyed watching the kids playing in the sun.

A Peek at the Schools and Happy Valentine's Day

Lake Forest Park Montessori has been trying something new: I've been getting emails with photos from Reed's class. The one below is of music time with Ms. Shelly. They combine the Toddler 1 (12-18 mos) and Todder 2 (18-24 mos) classes. I am pleased that Reed is engaged in the activity. His teacher, Ms. Paz, wrote last week that "Reed likes to do the right thing and encourages others to do the same. When music time is over, he puts his maracas away and takes maracas away from children who are not putting theirs in the basket. He clears his own tray after snack and washes his hands by himself." Ahhh - so proud of my little toddler who wants to do it all himself. I have caught him taking kleenex from the bathroom and pretending to blow his nose, wadding up the paper and tossing it in the garbage. So adorable.

On the playground. It is actually more fun than it looks - kids don't always hang out at the gate waiting to escape.

 See - sometimes they play on the slide....

 I was able to take a couple hours off of work on Friday to run over to Edison's class to help with the Valentine's Party. They had a sub that day who had whipped them into shape - I can't believe she could get 23 kindergarteners on task just minutes before the party.

 Here is Edison in the midst of a Valentine's frenzy amongst his best friends: Zach, Anna, and Cosmo. None of them would stop for a moment to look up for a picture.

 The kids were treated to GIANT kisses for Valentine's Day from mom and dad. Yum!

Sunny in Seattle!

What a great weekend we had! Jen and Heidi came over for dinner with their kids. Maggie and Charlotte had fun playing princess.

 Sunday was 60 and party sunny - quite a treat for early February. We spent the morning at Golden Gardens Beach - can you find the turtles below?

 Reed is a rock star on the playground - he can climb up the equipment on his own, slide safely down slides and stay away from the edges.

 

We grabbed take out from our favorite college-era Thai restaurant on the Ave and walked with the kids over to the University of Washington's Red Square for a picnic. Never could I have pictured being here with my family when I was an undergraduate student here 17 years ago.