T'was the season

Now that's what I call Christmas! We hit all of our Christmas traditions and added a few more for good measure. When you kids are this good all year long, you pull out all the stops. Well, all except for the full production of Nutcracker, the people that went to see that "must have more dollars". Maybe in a few years when their attention spans approaches the running time. Veronica and Mama did attend a holiday panto called "Sleeping Beauty & the Pea". It was much more her speed than some boring Russian ballet.

Veronica met Santa this year. Which sounds exciting, but that guy will let anyone sit on his lap. Simon didn't see what all the fuss was about. One of Santa's elves visited Veronica everyday before Christmas. He would sneak into the house and leave a present in one of the advent buckets. Sometimes a treat, sometimes a toy, but nothing until the house was tidy. I love that elf and miss him dearly. Veronica built her first gingerbread house this year. I would like to thank the person that created gingerbread house kits for saving us hours in the kitchen. It's quite a product, especially given that it was clearly created by somebody without children since the instructions have phrases like "after constructing the house, wait two hours before decorating". The Woodland Park Zoo introduced Zoo Lights this year. You might think that outdoor nighttime events in Seattle in December would be a bad idea and you'd be right and smarter than us. It was cold and rainy, but Veronica introduced Simon to the carousel and they got to see a real reindeer. They are actually a sub species of caribou, the only member of the deer family in which both genders grow horns, and really can fly. Very educational. There was even an indoor snowball fight with white fuzz balls and snowman building with marshmallow shaped pillows. Very Pacific Northwest.

On Christmas itself, we maintained the tradition of attending a non-denominational celebration... well, it wasn't so much non-denominational as not our denomination. But it's a lovely kid's mass at 4 PM on Christmas Eve. There's nothing in the bible against convenience. Auntie Julie joined us on Christmas Eve and continued the cookie decorating tradition. Veronica knows what she likes when it comes to decorating cookies and she knows how to get it. And this year, Mama got to read the The Night Before Christmas.

As for Christmas morning, Veronica needed a few years to get into the spirit, but Simon jumped right in on his first Christmas. It took nearly 3 1/2 hours to get through everything with breaks for fried English muffins and a full breakfast with scrapple. Big gifts this year for Veronica were a pink unicorn, the cast of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and a variety of Brave themed gifts.

The most surprising gift of all? Simon took his first awkward step Christmas night. He's standing up on his own and will be walking soon. Not surprising given his ability to climb.

Christmas is over now. The tree is at the curb, surrounded by several trees worth of cardboard boxes from all the deliveries. Thanks to everyone that sent presents that fueled our celebration. And thanks to Grammy and Grampa for flying out, er up, for it. Just a few more returns to make and we'll wrap this Christmas up.

Super Halloween

Veronica is getting her trick-or-treating legs. She hit more houses and lasted long into the night this year. Her pumpkin basket full of candy might last past Christmas. Assuming nobody else gets their hands in it...

Veronica's Halloween started out by eschewing her carefully planned Ariel costume in favor of a princess concoction of her own creation. We couldn't be prouder to be raising such a strong willed and independent daughter, but we may need to focus more energy developing her fashion sense.

Halloween night was spent at the Hall of Justice in Sammamish. The whole crew, young and old, dressed as super heros. We were able to put our DC vs. Marvel differences aside and have a wonderful night under surprisingly dry skies. And more importantly, sway Veronica into a more appropriate princess dress.

Simon couldn't have been happier. He was outside, with lots of people, and carried everywhere. Wait until he discovers the candy.

Looking Gourd-geous

 

After a rainless stretch that ran from the 4th of July to mid October, it's Fall in Seattle. That means you have to seize the sun breaks to enjoy traditonal seasonal fun. The family headed north to Edmonds to visit what described itself as a farm, but is better described as a petting zoo. Veronica got to feed the ducks, pet some goats, and learn to keep her distance from stinky pigs. Simon just took it all in. Veronica picked out the biggest pumpkin in the patch.

 

Simon's favorite part of Fall so far? Butternut squash risotto.



Veronica's 4th Birthday

There is still cake leftover and, according to house rules, that means it's still Veronica's birthday. Requesting two cakes is a good way to make one's birthday last a few extra days. Veronica has been saying for weeks that she wanted a vanilla cake with chocolate icing. But just a few days before turning four, she started requesting a chocolate cake with vanilla icing as well. She is wise beyond her years and continues to outsmart her parents.

Veronica's birthday party was at the Little Gym and she invited all of her friends from school. The folks at the Little Gym know a thing or two about kids. They know that they like to be in charge and Veronica planned the party herself. They know that kids always like to go first, love silly games, will jump on anything, and don't let anything get in their way. And why do something fun once if it can be twice as nice.

And the parade of presents hasn't been bad either. Grammy blew Vivi's mind with a line up of princesses. And Aunt Mary, Uncle Bill, and Jenn gave Vivi more than she could ask for, but that didn't stop her from looking for more.

Veronica wrapped up the birthday weekend with a request for pizza and milkshakes. Don't worry, a sugar filled weekend had no adverse effects on her behavior.

Summer fading fast...

Summer may be fading fast, but Simon is growing faster. He's crawling faster than we can keep track of and climbing up everything he can reach. Simon still smiles at everything and everyone. Seriously, where isn't he happy?

Veronica is roaring into her fours. She's nearly unstoppable on her bike. And with her brother smiling so adorably everytime the camera comes out, Veronica raised her game. And she resents being called a goofball. Embrace it sweetie.

CAMP!

Camp, the way life should be. Well, maybe with a vegetable and a glass of water once in a while. Post-camp detox seems to take longer and longer each year.

This was a big year at Camp. It was Simon's first camp and it mixed his two favorite things; being held all the time and being outside all the time. Mix in never having to take a bath and it's baby paradise. Veronica took the plunge this year too. Literally. Vivi spent the first few days jumping off the ladder, but by mid-week generated the courage to jump off the dock (with life vest on, of course).

There aren't as many internet appropriate pictures from Camp this year. Somewhere around the second day of camp, somebody got the OK to go nudie-rudie underneath their swim vest. That was it for bathing suits for the week. The time we saved on wet bathing suit maintenance was lost of extra sunscreen vigilance.

The other new addition to Camp this year was boys. In addition the aforementioned Simon, Uncle Sean and Jackson made their first foray to Camp. Which not only brought the estrogen-testosterone equilibrium closer to balance, it also meant doing more boy things.

Nighly s'mores, countless jumps into the lake, communing with nature. Yep, that's the way life should be.

Summer? In Seattle?

After another Junuary, it wasn't looking good for Summer in Seattle. But it's been perfect since the 4th of July. We've taken advantage of the good fortune by travelling around Puget Sound each weekend. We've headed down to Tacoma for a walk along the water, up to Edmonds to visit a park and a short hike, and to Queen Anne for well... another park. It might be a few years before we venture for more adventure than that.

And what says summer more than a sprinkler and the backyard? I could get use to this.