A little update

I feel bad since it has been over a month since I did anything besides send pictures from my phone to the blog.  Oh well, none of my readers have been complaining.

Ethan is getting really good at bike riding and I am letting him ride in the street with me (he knows to stay back and to the right of me for safety).  Two days ago Willa went on the third whell for the first time.  She can't peddle, but she can hold on to the handlebars and rest her feet on the peddles.

Ethan has decided he does not like his lunch at school most of the time, so he now has a lunch box and he gets to choose two days a week when we pack lunch for him.  X-wing fighter lunchbox is a big hit.  Willa also gets a lunch on those days, but we still hope she eats at KidsCentre.

Ski lessons are over - overall, not a big fan.  Ethan did not seem overly happy with them and not sure how much he learned.  However, he loved riding the chairlift and skiing down Julie's chair with the harness.  This weekend I think Willa will get her first shot at skiing.  Probably mostly on the magic carpet.  Zayde will come up and ski with Ethan on the harness, while I help Willa out, should be a hoot (yes, a hoot.)

It is back on with birthday season for Ethan and Willa's friends.  Girls this year are getting Princess Stories with Attitude.  In honor of Willa our little princess with attitude.  Boys are getting one of Ethan's all time favorites, the story of Thelonious Chipmunk.

Sometimes we think the kids are conspiring against us, taking turns being the late sleeper (I'm cold, I'm hot, Where's purple bat, Where's baby furrball, I need a drink, I had a bad dream (when he's only been "asleep" for 5 minutes)) or early waker (pre-6 and sometimes pre-5:30).  However, by comparison to what I have heard from others, we have nothing to complain about.

Looks like our next three family vacations will be Maui (fall 2010), Disneyland (spring 2011), and Florence, Italy (summer 2012) plus camping, beach, and grandparents.  No current plans for a kid-free vacation, but I'd like to take Karri to New Orleans at some point, maybe fall 2011.

Dad retired about a month ago - was really great to hear all those people that he worked with say what a good person he was (I was pretty sure he was a good doc and he clearly practiced during a revolution in cardiology, but to hear the people that he worked with speaking so highly of him as a person was great.  Also, kids got to see Boobie as she was in town's for Dad's retirement.  Nice to be able to make that connection for them.

Now, we are just on pins and needles waiting for a week from tomorrow when we get the news on kindergartens.  It would be a big financial sacrifice, but I think Seattle Country Day would be worth it.  Pretty sure UCDS would be a great school.  Evergreen and Bertschi will take some serious family conversations before making the final decision.