Simpsons in Seattle

When Dad's away and Mom has to put dinner on the table PRONTO! that means it's pasta night for baby girl. I can't decide if I should get her a mask for easy cleanup next time, or just let her go naked so we can hose her off afterwards.

I surprised Scott with a quickie weekend getaway to the lovely town of Leavenworth this past weekend as an anniversary present. For those who haven't been before, Leavenworth is about a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle and is this little town that's Bavaria themed. It's similar to Solvang in kitschy-ness except it's smaller and all about the Alps, Beer and Brats. We've only passed through the town years ago so wasn't sure what to expect but I'm happy to report we had a good time! The drive wasn't terrible and we discovered some parts of that area that we'd want to explore more. In winter, they have a whole network of cross country ski trails, a sledding hill for kids and lots of Christmas celebrations and night markets. In the summer, you can lazy down the river that meanders along the town, go wine tasting or go cherry picking in nearby Wenatchee. So much to do! Evie and Nora loved it too. They weren't too interested in shopping at the tourist tr

I've told Evie that she can have long hair once she can wash and comb her own hair. She's made a few valiant efforts with hair washing. For combing, she's not too bad at it so long as it's not one of my round brushes. She found out first hand why those round brushes can be pretty pesky!

I took this picture of Nora the other day while she was playing with her spoon. I remember Evie doing this around her same age! Look at me, Mom! heehee! Here's Evie's picture, from 2012. 

Unlike her big sister, Nora loves splashing around and getting her face wet. It took Evie years to get comfortable with water on her face. Bath time is always fun with Nora while she squeals and screams at the water splashing around. Nora got a kick out of seeing herself on the iphone screen in the pictures below.

Not to be confused with Ronald McDonald, last weekend Patrick, Becca, and Ellie McDonald stayed with us in Bellevue. Evie loved having a little buddy to play with -- they made a stage on the fireplace and sang Frozen songs, played with their kitchen set, and practiced on bikes/scooters in the garage. We went to the zoo on Saturday, then over to Fremont Brewing, followed by a boat cruise. On Sunday we decided to walk to the grocery store and Evie insisted on riding her scooter all the way there and back (except for the hills, which was daddy's sherpa duty).