Simpsons in Seattle

A few months ago, when we asked Evie what instrument she would like to learn, she expressed interested in the Flute. Fast forward to several lessons in and it's been such a struggle getting her to practice! It was really hard for her to get a hang of blowing properly, finding the right notes on the instrument, and reading the music. I tried it along with her and man, it's tough - I can't get the blowing part down at all! Anyway, I think she's finally turning a corner! The first song she learned was "Hot Cross Buns". She's learned a few others that I can't make heads or tails of the melody, but I can definitely hear it in this one! She's sounding great!

I spoke too soon. The girls decided to sleep together again last night unbeknownst to us. Here's how I found them when I checked in on them before I went to bed: Both girls swear they didn't feel anything last night and said they had no problems sleeping together and had plenty of space!

The girls wanted to sleep together in Evie's bed the other night. When I went to check up on them a few hours later, this is how I found them: So far, Nora hasn't been too keen on sharing a bed again!

The first 17 minutes of Nora's first swim class was this: But then she got used to water, the teacher, and finally quieted down enough to hear our bribe of tv and a popsicle. She ended her lesson like this: 

We made it to the 10 year mark!! Happy anniversary to me and Scott!  To celebrate, Grammie and Grandpa graciously offered to watch the kiddos for the weekend so we can have some time to ourselves. We eagerly accepted and took a short roadtrip to Portland and Cannon Beach. Our plan had been to get some good eats in Portland, do some shopping and wine tasting, and then explore the coast. We got a late start on Saturday so had to skip wine tasting, but got to do everything else we wanted. And, we had such a fun time in Cannon Beach that we can't wait to go back, this time with the kiddos. Here's to many many more anniversaries together!  Happy anniversary to us! Dinner at Andina in Portland. I wore the same earrings that I had on for the wedding! Ableskivers for breakfast the next morning The next day, View of Haystack Rock from our hotel in Cannon Beach. Watching all the beach action from our room. Washed up driftwood Watching the su

We had a blast last Sunday going to Remlinger's Farms with our buds Vivienne, Winston and Cecily. This "farm" is actually a kiddie paradise with tons of rides for the little tykes and a seasonal u-pick area. The last time we can here was a few years ago and Evie was way too scared to go on any of the rides but now she's brave and was first in line to try any ride! Nora was shy at first but she got the hang of it and was having fun too. The weather was miserably hot (90s and humid) but I can't complain much because we had the park practically to ourselves! It was so nice not having to wait in any lines.  Evie got to ride Strawberry, a sweet mini horse. Not sure what Evie is doing here, but she wasn't holding on! Nora, a bit unsure about this twirly ride....She ended up loving it. I love this pic. Jeff's pumpkin was "broken" and wouldn't go high. You can see Nora sitting with Scott just barely peeking her head out a

Evie started at Sunset Elementary yesterday! She was pretty excited - she woke up bright and early and rushed to get dressed and ready for school. She normally also whines when I comb her hair and try to do something with it, but she was feeling magnanimous and let me put her hair up in a pony tail. :) She was a bit scared walking into school because she couldn't remember where her classroom was so we walked her in. Once we got to her room though, her teacher (Ms Bland) was getting nametags out for everyone and the minute Evie got hers, she went inside and didn't even say goodbye! I had to stick my head in the classroom and shout out a "bye! Have a good day!" and she waved. After school, we asked how it was and she said she had a great day. She couldn't tell me anything about what she learned, what they did or any of the names of the kids in her class (including the kids sitting next to her) but I guess she still had a good day.... Hugs before they part wa