Simpsons in Seattle

Evie had been SO excited for Hadley's Frozen Princess party and it didn't disappoint! Elsa came for a visit and truth be told, she WAS the party. She led the kids (all girls except for one boy who must've felt totally out of place) through singing Let It Go and wowed them with her special magical powers where she could make snow. She then topped it off with dance lessons and face painting. What a talented princess! Given how much little girls love princesses, I'm kind of surprised actually we haven't gone to a Frozen party until today. Evie is almost outgrowing the princess phase but she had a ton of fun today.  So excited to hear a story from Elsa.  Crowding around Elsa to watch her make snow. Snowflake face paint.

Look who was sharing Daddy's pillow the other morning! 

One of the best things about Evie and Nora's school is that they are open when most other daycares are not. The only 3 days of the year they are closed is the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. That means while Scott and I had President's Day off from work, Evie and Nora could still go to school! We took advantage to celebrate Valentine's Day a little bit late.  First, we went to lunch at Boiling Point - not terribly romantic but one of my favorites and since it isn't child friendly, it was a good choice for us! After a delicious lunch, we went to do some shopping and errands and finished off trying out a few new breweries in SODO. Happy Valentine's Day! At Counterbalance - Happy as a camper trying a new brewery!

Wow, I can't believe Nora turned 18 months on Saturday. Where do the days go? At 18 months, Nora is sweet as can be - always ready for hugs and kisses and tickles. She just started saying Mommy yesterday. She constantly says "mama mama mama" when she's talking to nothing in particular to it caught me by surprise that she started to use Mommy. She has lots of words already - hi, bye, kiss, hugs, up, down, shoes, sit down, no, Elsa, Anna, car, airplane and too many others I can't name right now. She's still a very ticklish little girl, loves to play "row row row your boat" and is trying to learn how to jump. She loves her big sister and follows Evie around everywhere. It was very sweet this morning when Evie woke up in a bad mood, Nora was patting her hair trying to comfort her, and even got a tissue and tried to wipe (unsuccessfully) Evie's face. Nora is still a screamer, unfortunately, but at least she's getting a bit better about sitting

Last weekend was awesome! We had so much fun going to Methow Valley. Scott already posted his pics, but here's a few more from our weekend. The drive to Methow can be brutal. It's about 4.5 hours away and with 2 toddlers, it can see like a lot longer. Leavenworth is a 10 minute detour about half way through and while we weren't really hungry for lunch yet because it was only 10 in the morning, we decided to stop anyway so we can stretch our legs and grab some coffee. Bundled up just to get a pastry! Nora's face here is so funny. And now, Evie's turn. Our little coffee break actually lasted almost 1.5 hours! We skiddaddled after we noticed the time and continued on. There was snow on the ground the entire drive, starting from Snoqualamie. It wasn't just a little dusting either - there was a good inch or two everywhere! It made for a really pretty drive. We made it all the way to Winthrop before we stopped for lunch. Sadly, most of the restaura

Last weekend we visited our favorite cross country ski destination, Mazama Wa. Our seattle buddies joined us in a rental home and the kids had a blast playing inside together and in all the fresh snow. Jeff and I tried out new corn cob pipes that made us feel right at home easing into our 40's Skiing was tough when pulling the girls behind, luckily Nora sleeps well in the chariot. Pit stop in Leavenworth  Cowgirls in Winthrop  Snow angel - more out of sheer exhaustion than anything else Snowed in Munchkins square off - Nora couldn't handle sweet little Winston getting within 5' of her Olaf Pull ups Snow patrol Too bad the snow plows were so speedy in clearing out the car, we would have liked to stay awhile longer