Mom and Liam Day
We were driving home from church today and it was gorgeous out! Not a cloud in the sky. Leif says to me "this is the day to take Liam skiing - you should take him!" It was Super Bowl Sunday and we were throwing a party that afternoon/evening but Leif was adamant and Liam was so excited. It did not take more than 10 minutes to grab our stuff and jump in the car with PBJ's and we were off! 50 minutes later we were at the hill.
Liam was timid at first wanting me to ski behind him. I was trying very hard to stay calm, cool and collected because, as we all know, my expectations for this kid are through the roof! I really wanted him to ski on his own but didn't know how to convince him that he would be okay. And then, out of nowhere, Liam took a tumble, and I fell right on top of him! He ended up skiing over my hand and slicing my finger. There was so much blood I thought it was really bad but it ended up being a tiny cut that, for some reason, bled like my finger had been cut off! Liam saw all the blood and did not want to have anything to do with me! From that moment forward, he skied on his own - far away from me! Ha ha - it was the best thing that's happened to his skiing!
He did awesome - his legs figured out how to snow plow and he figured out how to make himself stop. I was so proud of him and we took about 10 runs. He did not want to leave when we had to which only made me more proud.
When we got home, Leif and Skyler were relaxed and happy, house was spotless and our friends were just arriving. It really was a perfect day!
Super Hero Family
So the kids decided to dress as wonder woman and batman today - since Christmas, I'm not sure a day has gone by without them dressing up. On the way home from Red Hook, Liam decided that we would be the Mr. incredible family instead. Skyler, very seriously says to Liam, "no Liam, can't you see this costume under my sweatshirt? I'm Wonder woman!!!"
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Basketball
Liam started basketball this month. Actually, I think its been just as much of a learning experience for me as it has been for him! He is learning how to play basketball and I am learning that I am one of those crazy competitive moms who is totally out of control at practice! Leif has actually banned me from coming! Ok - I wasn't THAT bad. I wasn't yelling at him from the stands or anything like that but it definitely got my competitive juices going and I might have made a sarcastic comment or two to Leif about not teaching Liam to dribble before we got to practice! :)
In just 3 practices with the Kirkland Boys and Girls Club and practicing at home (Leif put a basket up in the garage), Liam has turned into a little basketball player. He wears a pair of old school black and white canvasses and looks ridiculously cute as he goes off to practice.
I LOVE YOU!!!
As I was leaving for work this morning Liam came to the door and yelled to me (I was warming up hue car) - "I love you mommy!". I yelled back but he did not hear me. He started yelling at the top of his lungs - "mommy!!! I love you! I love you mommy!". He really wanted to hear it back. Meanwhile, I am screaming from Inside my car - "I love you too Liam. I love you too!". He finally heard me and, satisfied, walked back inside. I cracked up as I drove off thinking "I wonder what the neighbors think!".
Then Skyler, as we drive up the snow covered Goat Hill the other day says "the snow is SO beautiful...the trees are SO beautiful...you're beautiful too mommy!"
I don't write these stories to gloat but I just don't want to ever forget their sweetness!
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SNOWMAGGEDON!
After a beautiful week of sunshine, the snow hit just as they predicted (for once the weather guys got it right!). 8-10 inches they said - and that's exactly how much sits on our back deck. I LOVE when it snows! The kids LOVE when it snows. We can never get off our hill and suddenly time slows WAY down. We spent 5 days bundling up the kids and taken them out to sled, build snowmen, and play. Leif left on Monday after building a snow man with the kids in the backyard. He was gone all week which I thought was going to be really hard but as it turned out, we fared ok. We have great friends who pulled through to support the kids and I and our new nanny, Lisa, walked up the hill every day so that I could get a few things done. Although I am looking forward to getting back to "normal life", this has been an exciting little break!
Highlights were: building a snow man in the back yard, sledding down our driveway, walking/sledding down the entire Goat Hill so that Monica could pick us up for school in the morning, walking down to Brix with Chabree for a glass of wine, and of course, Leif coming home after what seemed like forever, on Friday night!
Skiing with the Jensen Boys
The day after Christmas was a Jensen Boy (and mom) kind of day. Grandma Stephie stayed back to have girly time with Skyler and Leif, Liam, Grandpa, Mike and I headed to Crystal. Liam skied all day and didn't even want to break for lunch. Leif and I skied with him for a couple hours in the morning and Grandpa skied with him in the afternoon. He is getting more comfortable on the snow - still working on building the muscles for "pizza." He loves to chase Leif who skies backwards in front of him. We ended the day at the Bull Wheel for beers and burgers. I love this picture of the three generations of Jensen boys!
Christmas 2011
Christmas this year started on the 23rd. We went to Mike's house for dinner with Ted and Stephanie, and a few of Mike's friends. The kids love being over at Mike's house - so do we for that matter. He lives right on Lake Washington and has, arguably, the best view in all of the Puget Sound - both the Bellevue skyline and the Seattle skyline sit squarely outside!
Christmas Eve was a celebration at our house. Mom, David, Kent, Ted, Stephanie, Mike, Aunt Chris, Sean and Yuko were all there. As usual, Leif and I were a bit laid back about the set up but it turned out beautifully - with Leif's christmas lit bar, our fun and festive blue sparking table (thanks to a very last minute trip to Michaels), great wine provided by Sean and Yuko, an amazong salad provided by Aunt Chris, and a yummy pumpkin pie thanks to mom (and Costco!). Funny - I can't remember what we cooked for dinner. Hmm...I guess its already starting! We went to church at 3:30 and were ready to party by 5!
Christmas morning was so exciting. It is amazing how much having kids brings back the excitement and magic of Christmas. The kids woke up to their stockings full and the cookie crumbles on the floor. Liam got a red piano, a ton of new cars, an captain america costume, and a transformer toy. Skyler got a vanity "ariel" set, little mermaid EVERYTHING, a wonder woman costume, cars, and more. They have it SO good. It was fun for all of us.
Everyone cleared out around 1 and we were left to basque in the joy of the four of us. It was nice to have that time to gather ourselves and focus on the true meaning of Christmas. We had "family time" on the couch, the kids played with their new toys and we relaxed the rest of the day away.
Snowflake Lane
I loved tonight because it so embodies Leif and my style - in raising kids but also with life in general. We decided, relatively last minute, to take the kids (and Grandma) to Bellevue to watch snowflake lane and all its magic. We bundled the kids up because it was freezing and they both looked like little snowmen about to fall over. As we were driving to Bellevue, we started talking about Santa pictures which we had not yet gotten. Leif had heard that there was a 2 hour line most times of the day. But, just in case, we parked on the opposite side of the mall so that we could check out Santa's house on the way to Bellevue Way. Sure enough, there was a concert going on in the mall that had pulled almost everyone away from Santa. The line was only about 15 minutes long and we didn't want to miss our chance. But, Santa pictures in jackets on top of sweatshirts on top of sweatshirt? I don't think so. So, while Leif stood in line and grandma showed the kids all the decorations, I ran down to Gymboree (the kids store) and picked out Santa outfits. We stripped them down right there in Santa's shop and got them in their new and improved outfits just in time for the picture. Skyler wailed but stopped when we told her she could have a lollipop - however, that did not mean she was happy about the whole thing! Liam told Santa he wanted a red piano, a yellow camera transformer, and captain america.
Once the pictures were over, we went out in time to catch about 15 minutes of the snow and drums and princesses and snowmen. It was Hector's for dessert after that and to bed at 9:30 - I think the latest the kids have ever been out! It was a crazy but magical night.
More and more books...
I know I have wrote before about how much my kids love books but it has become pretty ridiculous with Skyler lately. We had to move the basket of books out of her room because she would not go to sleep (for her nap or at night). She would just pull book after book into her bed and lay there turning pages. Grandma brings them new books on a monthly basis and yet Leif and I are still sick of every single one! We read them over and over and over. We put the basket of books in the hall so now, when the kids wake up in the morning, they do not come into our room. We wake up every morning to the sound of either flipping pages or the sound of the kids "reading" to each other (they have all their books memorized). I thought to write about this now because this morning, I had to get up extra early to get to work and I walked out of my room quietly at 6am. There was Skyler on her tummy, kicking her feet up and down, and flipping through a book using the bathroom light to see. It was crazy cute and melted my heart. I wonder how long she had been up!
Whistler
I can't keep up with these posts!!!
We went to Whistler with Liam at the beginning of December (i am having to pre-date this post by two months!) My mom stayed at our house with Skyler so that Leif and I could take Liam. The purpose behind the trip was twofold: (1) it was our friend Anders's 40th birthday and (2) we really wanted to take Liam skiing.
We had a blast - Liam took a full day lesson and we were so proud of him. We had the perfect blend of friend time and family time. Leif and I got to ski two days - it was my first time ever skiing there. The highlight was the Peak to Peak Gondola with the glass bottom! Amazing!
We stayed at a ski in ski out place called the Aspens. Maddy (11) and Aly (9) stayed with us as well because the place their parents, Monica and Jer were staying at was a "no kids" thing. It worked out perfect because we had built in baby sitters at night.
On the second night, little Liam fell asleep at 4:30 and slept until 7 the next morning!
Skyler and Grandma had fun girly time back home!