Lil Si Hike

Today we went for a little hike - Ken heard about a trail called Lil Si, so Ken thought it was a kids' version of Mt. Si. Yeah, not quite. About 5 minutes and 3 stumbles into the hike, Marilynn asked if she could be carried. So, that meant Erika got kicked out of the backpack and into the Baby Bjorn and both Ken and I hiked with an extra 19 and 35 pounds on us. But, it was nice to get out in the fresh air and enjoy some exercise.

We started out with Erika in the backpack, but that didn't last long as Marilynn started going up the steep incline. Soon, we heard "carry me," so out went Erika and in went Marilynn.


Much happier now.

Stopped for a little snack of apples and goldfish crackers. Not sure why Marilynn looks so exhausted here.

Took a family shot on the way down the trail, and yes, that is Erika completely zonked out.

Erika at Play

It was so fun to see Erika also enjoying herself at the Children's Museum - she is getting to be so advanced and loves to explore everything around her.

Going Bananas

Marilynn found her Heaven on Earth. The Seattle Children's Museum is having a Curious George exhibit and as soon as I found out about it, I knew that we had to check it out. In case you didn't already know, Marilynn LOVES Curious George. So, we ventured out there on Saturday and I was amazed at how great it was. The exhibit was totally themed to Curious George - Marilynn got to play on the farm with him, ride his apartment's elevator, ride in his space ship, shop at the grocery store, build a building with him, etc. We were there for over 4 hours, and still had to pull her out kicking and screaming saying she didn't get to see enough.

Young Love

I wasn't the only girl in the house to receive chocolates and flowers on Valentine's Day. Marilynn got a special treat from her boyfriend next door - a rose, chocolates, a teddy bear, a ballon and a card. It was quite adorable to watch the little lovebirds.

Man Camp

Here's a few photos from Ken's camping trip last weekend. His friend, Rick, is an amazing photographer! I couldn't for the life of me imagine why Ken likes to camp in the snow in such extreme conditions, but after seeing these photos I now know why. That doesn't mean that you'll ever catch me up there in February though . . . .

Erika at Nine Months

Today Erika celebrates her 9 month birthday! She has now officially been out of my belly for longer than she was in it. Some of the things that she's doing at 9 months:

• Trying to get up the stairs
• Eating everything in sight. She no longer likes mush - she'd much rather have what the rest of us are eating. And, yes, that is a rib bone that she's gnawing on in the picture.
• Wanting to play ALL the time - yes, even in the middle of the night. She has suddenly decided that sleep is overrated and would much rather play with Mommy in the middle of the night.
• Is starting to babble - saying da-da and ma-ma.
• Is wanting to do everything that big sister Marilynn is doing - it's adorable watching her imitate her.

Happy Birthday, Ken!

We just concluded the weekend of Ken. He escaped to Mount Pilchuck with his best guy friends for a snow camping trip - yes, sleeping in the snow with a bunch of guys. Then, today (his actual birthday) Marilynn made him some cupcakes and we headed out to the Rain Forest Cafe for an early dinner. The girls loved seeing all of the animals and we got to sit next to a waterfall. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

A Date with Mickey

Marilynn's boyfriend gave her a very special present for her birthday - tickets to the Mickey Mouse Playhouse concert at the Paramount Theater! Marilynn had a blast - she was dancing, singing and waving at Mickey the whole time. During the car ride over to the concert, Marilynn took Nathan's hand, gazed into his eyes and said "I love you, Nathan." And, he dutifully responded "I love you too, Marilynn." Wow - it's all happening too fast. I was at least in the third grade before I told a boy I loved him.