Pretty day for pretty pictures

Ok, so I haven't been able to take many pictures lately because our camera is on it's last leg. So, naturally I was delighted on Friday when we got a chance to spend the afternoon with a dear long-time friend Lisette who just so happens to also be a wonderful photographer! We headed out to Lincoln Park in West Seattle where we were met by a beautiful day - what a delightful surprise! The kids weren't much in the mood for saying 'cheese', but Lisette worked her magic with the camera and moody kids and managed to still pull off lovely shots in her seemingly effortless way. Here is the link to her blog post with pictures from our day: http://lisetteandcameron.blogspot.com/2009/04/friday-i-had-opportunity-to-spend-day.html

We finished off the outing with a stop at a yummy bakery for pizza and bread before diving into tasty treats at Cupcake Royale. The kids left West Seattle with happy little tummies and promptly passed out in the car as soon as we hit the road. Definitely a good ending to Spring break! The fun beach at Lincoln park is begging a revisit this spring...

Hissss...

Just had to share this snakey smile!

Grandpa and Buddy

Here's a sweet photo of Haydn sharing a drink with grandpa Brad on Sunday. Don't they look like buddies?
Looks like they're up to something here, and I'm probably right!

Alligators, Snakes, and Turtles, OH MY!

Haydn had a huge adventure this Sunday with his grandma Bobbi, grandpa Brad, and cousin Logan. They went to the reptile museum. Haydn LOVES turtles, so he was pumped about this and could hardly make it through the morning waiting for his ride to come. They saw turtles of every shape and size, even a two-headed turtle! They got to see alligators up close, and he even held a boa constrictor over his shoulders! I was amazed at his bravery, especially since he went to the museum a little nervous about the snakes that would be there. He didn't understand why I thought he was brave - 'It wasn't a poisonous one, mommy'. Here's a fun photo Bobbi took of Haydn and Logan getting a close look at an aquatic turtle. A great picture of Haydn grinning ear to ear while holding the snake will be coming soon...
They met up with some more cousins for dinner. See his buddies Lacey and Ethan join Haydn and Logan in the pictures below. They're all growing up so quickly!

Haydn gives a tour

Haydn enjoys looking at pictures of himself as much as any kid, but he thinks we need a little more balance in the blog. He took me around the house pointing out a few things to take pictures of so I could show you (pardon the lighting and focus...our camera is on its last leg, and I'm no Dani or Lisette!). I threw a couple of cute kid photos in there too because I happen to believe that they're the best items in our house.
Here is the living room (when all of the toys are cleaned up, a state that the kids have proven can be completely reversed in 2 minutes flat).

Haydn's world lamp. We often look at the globe with Haydn and talk about what kinds of animals live where, places we've been or would like to visit, and point out where loved ones live.

Stool that rolls. Source of much entertainment.

Haydn's kitchen and stool. The stool was mine as a child, and is appropriately in his room now.

"This little stool is mine.

I use it all the time.

To reach the things I couldn't.

And lots of things I shouldn't."

His stars and alphabet that we painted and hung when he was still in my belly. I was crazy in my last trimester when I thought that it would be a good idea to stand on a little ladder and hang those stars. Surprisingly, I still managed to pull off an arrangement that resembled Orion (or at least Jimmy wouldn't have dared to admit it if I had not).

This is a funny one. Haydn adopted our old bread maker as his 'washing machine' when he was one year old and obsessed with washing clothes. His favorite activity then was to help Grandma Karen do laundry on his Fridays with her :)

The piano and picture wall...looking a bit crooked.
I go through phases when I have time, trying to learn piano again. Thank you, John - you're an amazing teacher!

The kid table lovingly painted with blueberries, Naomi's favorite snack.

Nothing better than naked baby skin.

Tired sweet eyes.

I'm like a pretty alligator, mommy

This is the quote of the day by Naomi. At the top of the step on the play toy at the park today, Naomi turned around to tell me out of the blue 'I'm like a pretty alligator, mommy'. She cracks me up by copying her brother's every word and move, but then also choosing times to do totally her own thing. Naomi had mastered making us laugh by the time she learned her first word and enjoys cracking us up every day. The best part is that when she's napping or not around, Haydn starts saying sweet things like 'Naomi would say...', 'she says things so cute', and 'I want to play with Naomi'. They amaze me with the way they love each other.

Stylin' Shades

Haydn and I were entertaining ourselves yesterday while Naomi snoozed in the back seat. He took this opportunity to try on every pair of sunglasses he found in the car, blew bubbles on the sidewalk, and then met daddy at the park when Naomi woke up!

A couple of cute Naomi-isms of the week:

'Nice to see you daddy!'

'Sometimes I play with babies.'

Talking about the Zoo

Saturday was a big adventure for the kids. They went to the zoo with daddy and came back with some great stories about roaring lions and tigers, and much more. Naomi hasn't stopped talking about it since the outing. Here's a fun clip of Naomi telling me about it right after she woke up from her nap yesterday (awoke with cute unicorn style hair!).

Snapshot of Preschool

Last year we were lucky enough to find a fantactic preschool for Haydn to attend 3 days a week while I work. I just finally looked at the Blog that one of his teachers set up this fall tesseraarts.blogspot.com and was delighted to see a lot of great pictures. A few of the fun ones of Haydn are posted here for you to enjoy too.

Haydn's teacher even caught Naomi literally red-handed devouring the bowl of watermelon at the Valentine's day party. I can't say how many slices disappeared into her belly; she was focused.

They end the school week with a fun dance class where they can learn fun new ways to get those wiggles out. Haydn loves the obstacle courses she sets up at the end of class.

The highlight of Haydn's week is the Quiet Heart Wilderness class where a naturalist comes and talks with them about wildlife, habitats, and nature. They investigate real bones, fur, horns, and often enjoy a walk in the 'Magical Forest' in the park behind the school to look at nature first-hand. You can see him standing up to get as close to the teacher as possible.

Halloween was a day full of spooky flashlight activities. You can see Haydn letting out his inner-'Wild Thing' in honor of the special day.

A puddle is all it takes to make his imagination run wild. Toy trucks, a puddle, and friends to share it with is heaven.

Hot glue! Haydn's favorite way to create these days is with the low temperature hot glue guns they have at school. He goes to town glueing all kinds of things together - see one of his favorite creations at the top of this post. These are affectionately called 'proj-dacks'.

A joint hot glue creation. I think it was a space ship.

Thirsty kids

Just came across this cute video of the kids after they brushed their teeth at grandma's a couple of weeks ago. They're obviously thirsty, but it's also a good example of what a little echo Naomi is these days (you'll also see some lively hair on the back of her head).