Joseph is 2!

Life is busy with two little ones -- here are some updates!

Joseph turned 2 on Friday, April 4th.  Coincidentally, we went away to visit friends on Orcas Island that same weekend.  So Joseph's birthday began with something novel -- a ferry ride!

Both kids enjoyed the ride, and as you can see, Joseph is very taken by his sister.  He copies so much of what she does as best he can.  After the unique morning and lunchtime, Joseph took a snooze while we were driving to a scenic park.  He woke up in time, though, to see some sights at the top of the mountain (Jadyn, however, did not).

Ed and Marcela were able to set up the kids with movies each evening so that we could have some adult conversation.  The kids loved being treated as extra special guests!

We brought a few gifts with us on the trip so that Joseph could enjoy his birthday properly.  Here he is enjoying a new dump truck. Interestingly, he and Jadyn quickly found that it would support him sitting in it while she pushed him around the living room.  Fun!

Joseph seemed to enjoy us singing Happy Birthday to him, and he definitely enjoyed the chocolate cupcake and ice cream for his birthday.

The weekend was to feature some rain, but it really didn't affect us much, and we found that the boots were overkill on our walk along a small strip of land to a slice of publicly accessible water.  They didn't mind, though.  Cuties!

The following weekend we had a gathering at our house to celebrate Joseph's birthday.  He helped put the sprinkles on the cupcakes before all the friends arrived.  When the whole houseful of people sang happy birthday to him, he became very serious and pensive.  Wonder what he was thinking about!

There was no question that the cupcakes met his approval.

Happy Birthday to our sweet little man!  What joy you have brought to our family!

More February and March Madness

Some documentation of our escapades from February and March….

Viewing a full moon from our kitchen window with help from Jenny's colleague and his telescope

 

 

Joseph enjoying a local park, helping in the kitchen

 

Kids at their semiannual visit to the dentist

 

Joseph all dressed up for a birthday party, making some art before leaving the house, and enjoying a party favor (super hero mask) after returning home

 

Each February, the kids' school sponsors a night at a nearby kids museum.  Jadyn and some of her friends enjoyed painting their faces all by themselves, and Joseph spent most of his time there playing at water stations.

 

And when basketball season heats up, it's good to show Mommy's favorite team some support.  Go Heels!

Jadyn ended her winter "season" of gymnastics classes with a medal, and she moved up a class level for spring.

 

You might notice Jadyn's shorter hair -- she opted for more of a bob in a recent haircut and is very happy with the shorter length.

Joseph playing outside at school, wiping up a mess at home (he really loves helping out in any way he can)

 

We got Jadyn a belt-positioning booster seat, and then we graduated Joseph to Jadyn's old seat, finally facing forward.  This photo was captured one of the first commute days with the new seating arrangement.

We've got kids very enthusiastic for reading!  Jadyn reads very well on her own; Joseph loves books (dare we say?) even more than Jadyn did at a similar age.  Most nights we read many books with the kids as part of the bedtime routine, and lately Joseph has been interested in reading a little longer in bed before he finally passes out for the night.  Sometime he even fetches more books from the shelf in the kids' room -- well after Jadyn has fallen asleep, we can hear him talking his way through books.  

Joseph is no longer "contained" in his crib at night (he climbed out at 20 months) and joins his parents in their bed in the middle of the night far too frequently.  Plus Jadyn has a newly developed fear of the dark and of monsters that may be in her room, which makes Jadyn a too frequent visitor to the parental bed as well.  So, in an effort to decrease sleep interruptions for everyone, we suggested that the kids sleep together in Jadyn's bed, and they were into it.  There is plenty of room for them both, Jadyn always takes the side with the edge, and they actually make it though the night together without waking Mom or Dad at least some of the time.  Angelic while sleeping, don't you think?

It's hard to believe, but Joseph is less than a week from his second birthday.  We'll probably have a few photos to share of that momentous occasion….  ;-)  We hope you'll check back in April!

Highlights from Winter '14, Jadyn turns 5

This winter in Seattle was milder than the rest of the country's winter, for sure, and after our first Christmas season at home, we settled back into business as usual.  Sort of.  After the New Year rang in, one by one, we all got colds.  Jenny's escalated to bronchitis, and then Jeff had his hernia surgically repaired.  As could be expected, we hunkered down and limped along, and so there are fewer than usual pictures for winter.  Here are a few cute ones we did manage to take.

With a couple of friends on a Monday holiday morning spent at Woodland Park Zoo

Playing drums next door

Cute new sweater and hat!

Joseph enjoying Jadyn's new poncho

In case you can't tell, the kids get along remarkably well most of the time.  Joseph adores his big sister and tries to do nearly everything she does, even if he is clearly under-sized or under-capable for the task.  Jadyn can be an amazingly protective big sister, and we suspect that Jadyn has been a very positive influence on Joseph's love of books and art.

This winter we did watch more football than usual, with the Seahawks run to the Super Bowl and all.  Joseph learned to chant "Go Seahawks" with us, and he associates green and blue together as Seahawks colors.  ;-)

On the morning of Jadyn's birthday party, the kids woke to some wet snow that had fallen overnight.  They quickly dressed for making a snowman.  Unfortunately, there wasn't really enough snow for the endeavor, the temperature increased above freezing quickly, and the snowman never got completed or photographed.  No matter!  The kids had fun.

 

Jadyn's 5th birthday party was at the Inflatable Fun Zone at Arena Sports in Magnuson Park.  Taking pictures of kids who are jumping up and down on "bouncy" equipment is challenging to say the least!

 

A good time was had by all, and everyone loved the cake, made to Miss Jadyn's specifications by Mommy with some help from Jadyn herself.  One of the best parts of all the February birthdays we celebrated this year is that Joseph picked up the Happy Birthday song quickly, and he loves shouting it out frequently, especially when we mention anything that has to do with a birthday.  Happy Birthday, strong, independent, smart, and sweet Little Miss J!  We all love you so, so much!

Holidays Catch-Up, Part 2

This year we spent Christmas in Seattle, our first with the kids.  We got a Christmas tree, and one evening we all pitched in to decorate it.

Jeff's parents came out to visit us for about a week at Christmas-time, and the kids loved all the extra attention from their grandparents.  Their presence definitely helped make the holiday feel special!

While we don't make a big fuss about Santa, Jadyn picked up quite a bit of Santa information at school from her friends and just from living and breathing in the U.S.  She had Joseph saying "Santa" before the big day.  They both were excited about Christmas morning.  Here's Joseph brushing his teeth on Christmas Eve, and Jadyn reading a note from Santa first thing on Christmas morning.

There were many, many presents to open, and it turned into an all-day affair, with breaks for coffee (for the adults), a big brunch, and Joseph's nap.  Here are a few photos of the kids opening gifts and playing with new toys.

The new set of play-doh was a huge hit for both kids.  They played well on their own with this for a good 45 minutes to an hour after all the gifts had been opened.  At bed time, they both looked a little zombie-ish, staring at the TV, Joseph in a new set of pjs, and Jadyn in her new robe.

The fun continued in the ensuing days, with puzzles and playing in Jadyn's new rain boots.

We had great fun all Christmas week, including a trip to Wild Lights at the Zoo with our dear friend and neighbor Cleo -- what a cute photo with the Otter!

And just before we bid farewell to 2013, Joseph got his first haircut.  It was time.  His curls were so cute -- for about 12 hours after a fresh washing, and then they started to look pretty shaggy.  He didn't cry at all, but he didn't really sit still for it, either.  Jenny took Jadyn and Joseph for trim together, so they both began the new year lookin' sharp!

Hope your 2014 is off to a great start!  We're heading into birthday season, so stay tuned for more fun photos, coming soon.