Whidbey Island
We decided to take a last minute trip out to Whidbey Island today. I had never been. The kids loved the ferry ride (and so did mom and dad - they served popcorn, beer and wine!). We went through the town of Langley and then headed north towards Deception Pass. However, we got held up at the Loganberry Festival and never made it to the Pass. We did see Mike on the way home finishing up his 24 hour race - so random and very cool!
No more naps for Skyler
It takes about 10 minutes after putting Skyler down for a nap before I hear her door slowly creep open. She then sits in the hallway and reads books until someone comes to take her back to bed. She fights it and fights it and then finally goes down. But then, come bedtime, she is wired. We have been thinking about dropping the nap altogether the last couple months. But today was the day. Not only did she unbuckle her own seatbelt in the car (sigh...the freedom!), but she made a very adamant argument for no more naps. I heard her come out of her room and I yelled up for her to get back in bed. She articulately and forcefully stated that "3 YEAR OLDS DON'T TAKE NAPS. ONLY 2 YEAR OLDS DO." So that is that. No more naps for Skyler.
Jensen Family Time
Leif and I were sitting down in his office on Friday both in desperate need of sun. We were passing ideas back and forth - where could we go that wouldn't break the bank but would provide guaranteed sunshine. Our ideas ranged from camping in Leavenworth to boarding a plane to Vegas. When Leif remembered Suncadia - 1.5 hours away with a forecast of low 70's - we went for it. The place was perfect for a weekend getaway. We stayed at the lodge which was just across the street from the family swim center that had an outdoor and indoor pool, hot tubs and two watersides. Just down the road was a winery. We spent most of our time swimming with the kids and soaking in the sun. We sat in the restaurant at the inn and let the kids have the key to the room. They felt so grown up as they went back and forth between us and the room until inevitably they locked the key inside. It was really nice to just escape for a few days. We need to do more of that!
Skyler turns 3!
What a fun party - 6 little girls sitting out in the sun and playing with the endless activities contained in their little princess buckets (courtesy of grandma Nancy thank goodness!). They were all so cute and Skyler was SO excited to have a little mermaid party with her "best friends!"
What's the problem?
Tonight Skyler was trying to show Leif a picture that she drew as Leif was in the middle of making dinner, answering emails, and trying to have a conversation with me. He is usually so good at the endless demands for attention that the kids throw at him after a long work day however, tonight he just did not hear her. She kept asking for him to look and after about 3 or 4 attempts, she stopped dead in her tracks and asked -
"Dad - what's the problem here???"
Super Hero, Princess or Both?
Skyler cracks me up. One minute she wants to wear only pink dresses and the next she is telling me she wants to have a Super Hero birthday party. I took her to the mall last night and her brain just about exploded as we walked into the Disney store. She ran from princess to princess tripping over herself with excitement. When she saw the Cars 2 toys, she started picking things out for Liam. When we sat at the make-up counter in Nordstroms she very seriously told the make-up artist that her name was "Wonder Woman." This was just after she asked for some lip gloss.
She was playing with her brother the other day and told me that she was going to "knock him out cold." Then she disappeared upstairs. After a few minutes, I heard her coming down the stairs saying "a princess is coming!!!" She appeared with her Wonder Woman costume still on but with a pink tutu over the top of it. I thought to myself "yep - that pretty much sums her up!"
How do you say no to puppy dog eyes?
Leif and I were able to celebrate Valentines Day early this last Friday since the actual Love Day fell on a Tuesday. We went out to dinner at DiStefano Winery where they hosted a 5 course dinner paired with wine. Our friends Jon and Maria came with us and we had a wonderfully romantic evening. :)
On Tuesday we decided to take the kids out to Red Hook - one of our favorites - for hamburgers to celebrate. Skyler, of course, had to wear her pink EVERYTHING, and even little Liam got dressed up (actually he didn't....that was wishful thinking! He wore sweatpants and his Volcom shirt - the only thing he currently likes). It was a really fun dinner and I am so grateful for my family!
On a side note, I took Liam and Skyler down to Walgreens to pick out a toy that Liam had earned. After he contemplated all the different toys for what seemed like forever, we finally reached the check out line. As we were standing there, Liam spotted a huge stuffed animal that was set out for Valentines Day. It was a brown and white dog with gigantic puppy dog eyes holding a heart that said "Love Me". Liam stopped dead in his tracks and asked, with almost as big of puppy dog eyes, why the puppy was sad. I told him what the heart said and he immediately handed over his toy and said he wanted to take the doggy home and that he would love him so he wouldn't be sad anymore. He was so empathetic and sweet I thought he might start crying. So, I caved, and regretfully decided that I would pay $15 for the silly thing. I obviously did not think that one through because Skyler was standing right there watching this whole thing transpire. We then had to go pick out a stuffed animal for her and for her, it was an easy choice: the most obnoxious pepto bismo pink dog she could find. $35 later and I am walking out of Walgreens thinking to myself: what just happened???