The Molar Monster

This is Gretchen: our happy, dramatic and somewhat easy-going girl.  That is until the ugly molar monster came for a visit . . .

And this is what we've seen more often than not lately.  Her little gums are so swollen and tender and she is letting us know that she does not like this teething business one bit!

Her brother doesn't know it yet, but pretending to be like him cheers her up quickly.  Sitting in his chair and playing with his computer makes her a happy girl - at least for a few minutes!

Girl Time

I have been completely spoiled lately by some serious girl time - all the way up to dinner last night with my neighbor, Sarah, who happened to be a dear friend before we moved next door.  Thank you, sweet husband, for making it possible.  Last weekend I helped host a shower for my sweet friend, Jaime, who is expecting her second baby and first boy next month - yay!  

Later that evening, I pulled off a super duper surprise for my super duper friend, Jessie.  Her husband and I conspired together to shock her to the point of tears!  We went up to Cananda to stay the night with my sister and then played in Vancouver the next day.  It was the perfect girl's get-away!  It's not every day that two moms get to hang out without stopping for naps and talk to the point of being hoarse without being interrupted to remind little ones to share, right?!  Yummy food, a bit of hiking, no traffic or border lines, lots of talking - a complete blessing! 

Playing

We decided it was time to introduce Gretchen to Playdoh and coloring . . .

She watches her brother intently

Revealing her masterpiece

She is getting to play with markers much earlier than Rooke did!

One day last week the kids both woke up early from their naps.  I decided to roll with it (obviously the best choice, but unfortunately not always the one I make), and took the kids to Pike Place.  Why not when it's just a 10 minute walk away?!  We had a great time wandering around, grabbing a few of our favorite market snacks, and pausing for plenty of people watching.

"That's cheese?!"

A Special Visit

Last weekend my dear friend, Tricia, and her daughter, Myla, flew up to visit us!  What a blessing!  Tricia has been a faithful friend since our days together as music majors at OBU.  It was so much fun getting to spend time together and to be around her daughter more.  Although, on several occasions I think my kids were slightly overwhelming for mellow Myla, to which I thought, "Oh no - we are one of those families".  Nonetheless, our time together was fun-filled and over too quickly.

Gretchen and Myla are 4 months apart and were quick to "give kisses"   

The kids had fun playing together in our courtyard

My bohemian baby . . . you get a better shot of the entire eclectic outfit below

Thank you for coming!!

Play Gym . . . and other stuff

There are lots of reasons why I love living in Seattle.  Community center play gyms are close to the top of that list.  During the winter, the community centers all over the city open their gyms and pack them with toddler/preschool-aged appropriate toys for a few hours on most mornings.  For a couple bucks, my kids can run and play and burn some energy when it's just too cold and/or wet to be outside.  The kids and I had a lot of fun on this particular play gym morning . . .

He made me a chocolate cake, but didn't want Gretchen to "mess it up", so I had to eat it off the roof.

I let her have a whole apple for the first time.  She loved it, although I'm not sure how much she actually ate.  Mostly, she like chomping of bites, chewing it for a bit, spitting the peels into her bib, then going back for more!

Thanks to my friend, Katie, for mentioning Starfall on her blog.  If you have a pre-reader or beginning reader, you definitely need to check out this website!  Rooke and I (and Gretchen) have enjoyed practicing two or three letters each day this way.  

Post-Nap Abnormalities

We have a working camera and are back in business . . . yay!

This series of pictures capture some very abnormal and almost weird moments between my kids.  First of all, they woke up from their naps five minutes apart (meaning they were sleeping at the same time for almost their entire nap - something I would love to happen more often!)  I had Gretchen snuggled in a blanket in the kitchen and we were going for some graham crackers when Rooke sleepily joined us.  He was excited about graham crackers, too.

A gentle hug - the gentle part being a bit abnormal

Sharing his post-nap snack?!  Love it!

He wasn't even phased that she snagged his last cracker.  Look at the determination on her face!

Puppy Dog wanted a kiss . . .

. . . and then she outlasted him in eating.  Odd, indeed.