Hippity Hoppity Easter Events

This was our first year to dye eggs for Easter and Soren really enjoyed the whole process, from the coloring to the eating.


Sevi's first egg hunt, he even found the eggs buried in the sand.


Soren counting out his eggs.


Cracking open the eggs and gathering his loot.


Proof to why dentists hate gummy chews and how they stick to teeth.


A rare family portrait......

Tower of Flowers

This is the second year that we went to the Macy's flower show with the Grandma's. This years theme was Tower of Flowers and it was a beautiful show. It was a nice taste of what Spring may be like, though with tonight's snow forecast, it already feels like a distant memory. With Randy now working downtown, he was even able to meet us for lunch. Add the light rail train ride and it all made for a wonderful day of adventure.


The professional photo in front of the flower show logo.


Soren assisting Sevi to look at the camera and smile pretty.

STOMP

Soren and I had a special date night last week to take in Stomp at the Ordway. He has enjoyed watching Stomp YouTube videos and was so thrilled to take in the show live. It really is the perfect musical performance to take in with kids. It is 90 minutes of banging trash cans, broom sticks, kitchen sinks, inner tubes and making music out of paper and plastic bags and even zippo lighters! As you can see from the second photo, the performance left an impression on Soren, who then enlisted Sevi as his Stomp sidekick!

Arty Pants

There has been a big interest in art projects lately in our household. Every day there is some new creation going on from salad spinner "spin art" with his friends, collages and free drawing, and even to visit museums. It has been fun to see Soren's drawing progression, with him creating more recognizable figures and heads and the stories that go with them.


Even Sevi loves to get in on the art action



Heln, Soren and Kai working on Spin Art


Soren and Graham doing an art project


Soren's magazine collage


A drawing Soren made of him and papa biking on the tag-a-long. They had just returned from their first "Spring" ride.


Soren's first family portrait. Yup - there are 5 with two Soren heads. Nothing like the art ego......


Checking out the art at the Walker Art Center with Helen

What our future may hold......

Teenagers that:



Raid the fridge for a midnight snack.



Engage with technology instead of his parents.

Mr. Turtle and The Dragon

With winter just not wanting to loosen it's grip quite yet, we have had to get a bit creative on our continued snow play. We made snow animal sculptures and colored them with our favorite snow painting method: food coloring in spray bottles.

Entering....... Toddlerhood

Sevi has entered a new stage; full blown frustrated toddlerhood. He either wants his independence or is at my heels wanting to be up in my arms. I can't leave the room without returning to find him climbing up on some object or getting into some drawer, cupboard or Soren creation. I feel like my days are full of intervention. I am just waiting for his first word beyond "Mama" to be the big NO.

My Groupon Book Deal

Click here to view this photo book larger

Winter Activities

While we are in the midst of a winter blizzard and just coming off a week of temps in the high 40's, we have had fun taking full advantage of all that this winter season has had to offer. Soren has fallen in love with ice skating this season, while Sevi enjoys all the rides via ice or sled.

Homemade Cruisin'

We may still be in the heart of winter here in MN, but that hasn't stopped us from creating our own warm weather dreams of cruising along, convertible style, in our own homemade car.

Frog and Toad and The List

One of Soren's favorite story in his Frog and Toad collection is called A List. It is about how Toad makes a list about the things he will do that day, then crosses each thing off as the day progresses. We have been making our own daily lists this week. The other morning he woke up and went right to work creating his own list. We had no idea he could even write any letters, let alone in such great line formation. The next day he mastered S's and N's. Thanks Frog and Toad for inspiring this fun and exciting new milestone

Frog and Toad and The Things They Say #3

The Scene: Andrea just finished reading Soren one of his new favorite books about Frog and Toad. (Thanks Grayer for that great birthday gift!)
Andrea: "If you were Frog......"
Soren: "No mama, I want to be Toad"
Andrea: "OK then, If you were Toad, then who would you pick to be your Frog?" (I was curious to who he thought of as his best buddy these days)
Soren: "You mama, your my best Frog"
Andrea: Then my heart melts......

Presenting......Mr. Walker

It has been about a week now that Sevi has been walking. He has this same awesome smile and sense of pride with every step he takes. He still has the Frankenstein arms to help with balance, but that just makes it all so adorable. Randy is the most excited, as he won the bet we had, almost to the day, for when he thought he would walk. For the record though, I won the bet, to the day, for when Soren walked. Both boys were the same time month wise for when they walked, so no competition there, just between Randy and I!

The Fireman Party

It is going to be tough trying to top the party that Soren had to celebrate his 4th birthday. We reserved a two hour time slot at the local Fireman's Hall and Museum in Minneapolis, a small little gem for anyone who is obsessed with firefighters. The kids all had a blast, though I think that Soren spent most of the time stunned that this was all actually happening for him. Following is a visual tour of the party.


The front of the party invitation


Members of the Minneapolis Fire Department come to wish Soren a personal Happy Birthday


The Big Rig that the kids got to hang out in


Only the party boy got to sit in the driver seat and even turn on the lights


Listening to a firefighter history lesson as part of the museum tour.

Kids climbing on a vintage firetruck


Handmade thank you tags that went on the goody bags


Thanks to Etsy, I was able to find crayons for the goody bags that had a fireman theme


Soren loved the firetruck cake


Saying goodbye with his new fireman friend

How a 4 Year Old Celebrates a January Birthday in Minnesota

First he starts off the day early, eager to open his present - the Mighty Knight outfit. Then he heads off to preschool with both is mama and papa (who took off the day from work). At preschool we all go for a hike, climbing a snow boulder hill, sing songs, eat snack (Soren's treat of his favorite; warm ginger snaps with applesauce), and listen to books on CD. For lunch we meet the Gramma'a and Grandpa Henry at the Longfellow Grill. Then we end the day at the Mall of America to take advantage of the free rides at Nickelodean Universe, where he runs into his music class pal Maggie, who has the same birthday and was celebrating with the free rides also. Whew, it was a busy but grand day!

Mr. 4 Year Old

Happy Birthday Dear Soren!
This has been a year of many hats for you. You have blossomed into your role of Big Brother. It was tough at first, having to share mama and papa, but now you and Sevi laugh and play like old buddies and we are all a solid team. You have grown so mature this year. You use your words, clearly declaring when you are angry as opposed to the physical outbursts that were common in the beginning of the year. More then anything though you are full of love, always hugging and giving kisses and trying to sneak into mama and papa bed just to snuggle. Your perfect smile melts our hearts.

Your favorite thing of all is dramatic play and now have a nice collection of costumes and hats. For your birthday today you picked out a knight costume to add to your collection of policeman, fireman, construction, marching band, car racer, and african play clothing. You are a big boy now, going to preschool at a place you love, Dodge Nature Preschool. We love how excited and happy you are with your new friends and all the fun things that you explore outdoors at school. You also love the dramatic play area that gets changed monthly, it really is a perfect fit for you. You also love family days (weekends) where we keep busy with music classes, biking, playground explorations, sledding and tunnel digging, and eating out.

We thank you dear one, for your love, your laughter, your great ideas, your flexibility and sense of adventure, and your passion for family teamwork. You are our Best Soren, and we love you dearly.

Hugs and Kisses - Mama and Papa