Our First Race... and Big Win!

Yesterday the girls and I ventured out into the chilly winter weather to brave our first big race in the Chariot running stroller.  They've been excited all week, and after bundling up like crazy and a good pre-race milk meal, we were on the road.  We were running the low-key Seattle Ghost Half Marathon that runs right along Lake Washington here in Seattle.  We got there late, but fortunately the race started late too, so we ran up just as folks were taking off, which was perfect.  We started in the very back (which was good since we were the only stroller), but quickly made our way up toward the front.  The rain held off, and it was a lovely cool, gray winter day.  Katherine and Annabelle did amazingly well, and were actually awake and taking it all in for much of the race.  Despite Dad's stops for photos, baby adjusting, etc., we still managed to finish strong and the girls tied each other for 2nd woman overall (though Katherine claims she leaned into the tape at the finish...)!  I'm fairly certain we took the twin stroller division quite handily as well.  The girls didn't want to quit, so we did a bonus loop of 4 or so more miles, then hung out and got warm by the fire post-race and enjoyed some well-earned recovery milk.  It was a delightful day, and Kirsten really enjoyed sleeping in and relaxing a bit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are a few quick shots of what now greets us in the girls' room when Annabelle wakes up from a nap (or in the middle of the night...).  She's figured out how to pull herself up and is quite proud of herself.  I'm sure Katherine won't be far behind!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Our First Snow Day!

It's been a rough last week or so here at the Thompson home, but we've been having a great Monday snow day today.  The girls have been sick and not sleeping well at night, and Kirsten and I have been getting sick on and off as well as the germs move around the family.  (Lucy the dog, fortunately, seems quite healthy.)  It started snowing yesterday here in Seattle, which isn't all that normal, and it's been snowing most of today.  So despite all of us feeling a bit lousy, the girls really wanted to go out and see the snow.  So we headed down to our favorite neighborhood park for a hike and some playtime in the snow.  We offered the girls snow to eat, but they weren't that into it.  They got a kick out of the falling snow though, and Katherine couldn't seem to stop laughing.  Hopefully the breath of fresh air will be good for all of us, and we'll all be feeling better very soon.  Tired Mommy and Daddy are certainly hoping for more sleep again sometime soon. 

9 months plus!

Sorry, no pictures today, but just a little update from our 9 month doctor's checkup on Monday.  The girls have now been out in the big world longer than they were in the womb!  They're growing incredibly concordantly and the doctor thought they looked just great.  They are a little small and have dropped a few curves on the weight growth chart, but apparently this is normal for breast-fed babies.  Anyway, we are working hard at adding plenty of butter and oil to their yummy solid foods and hopefully we'll get these lean little athletes a little chubbier pretty soon!  Annabelle caught up to Katherine and is now 1/4 inch taller and 1 oz. heavier.  Katherine weighs 16 lbs, 1 oz, and Annabelle is 16 lbs, 2 oz.  Katherine is 27 inches tall and Annabelle is 27 and a 1/4 inches.  We're branching out with solids a lot lately, and the girls eat really well.  For example, yesterday they had roasted red pepper and goat cheese puree!  They're liking most everything so far, which is great.  Just gotta keep these little lean girls growing!

Bath Time Fun

These videos were taken a week or so ago, but I just got around to some quick editing down to a manageable version (although it's still almost 2 minutes!).  As you can see, the girls love their bath time. 

Bath Time Fun from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
The girls LOVE taking their nightly baths, and are loving them even more now that we've added bubbles to the mix. 

Our 2nd Plane Trip

Well, we packed up our entourage and headed down to the Bay Area this past weekend for an unexpected trip.  My Grandma Ruth had a stroke and is not doing well, so we decided to go down for a quick visit.  The girls did great on the plane, and it was really a very smooth trip.  These are pictures with Grandma, Grandpa, Great Grandma Ruth, Great Aunt Eda, and Aunt Helen.  The girls had some big firsts this weekend too.  Annabelle officially crawled for the first time on the floor in Great Grandma Ruth's hospital room, which was really sweet (that's the pic on the blue blanket).  And Katherine and Annabelle had their first big girl meal in a restaurant in high chairs.  They did great and loved being part of the action.  

 

Picasso... almost

Last night Kirsten and I took the girls out for a cosmopolitan night out on the town.  We went downtown to go to the SAM (Seattle Art Museum), since it was 1st Thursday and therefore free.  Also, they are currently having a huge Picasso special exhibit and although tickets to that weren't free, they were much cheaper yesterday.  Well, needless to say, the museum was a zoo and there was absolutely no way we were getting in to see Picasso yesterday.  So we'll go back a different time for Pablo.  Last night we cruised the rest of the SAM and enjoyed the rest of the exhibits with the girls.  It was a lot of fun, and a cool evening adventure for the girls (and for us!).

Crib Time Fun

Crib Time Fun from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
Annabelle and Katherine love playing together now, sitting up, and scooting around in their cribs.  Here's a bit of the fun.

Happy Halloween!

Well, we didn't exactly make it out trick or treating with the girls last night, but we did get their costumes on in the afternoon and go to... yep, you guessed it- the zoo!  It's just a really fun place to go, it was a perfect crisp fall day, the girls love it, and yesterday they were having a special Pumpkin Bash where many of the animals had their own pumpkins to enjoy in their enclosures.  The bears seemed most keen on the pumpkins, whereas most of the other animals just left them alone for Halloween decor.  Annabelle was a puppy and Katherine was a bunny, and the zoo was full of kids in lots of fun costumes.  Annabelle and Katherine were also pleased to hear that that would finally be the last time we'd put them into those silly costumes!

We had a good many trick-or-treaters stop by last night, which was fun.  I had a TON of candy leftover from the Carkeek 12 Hour race on Saturday, so we were very generous with the candy and the kids were very happy.  Once the girls went to sleep, we didn't really want people ringing the bell, so I did a quick child psychology experiment...  I filled our candy cauldron to the brim with candy (a very large cauldron), and put it on our doorstep with a nice little sign wishing the kids Happy Halloween, sorry we missed them but we're asleep, and please help yourself to 1 handful of candy.  I was optimistic that in the spirit of Halloween kids would be honest and be happy to take just a handful of candy (or perhaps even 2).  Unfortunately I was wrong; when I went out to retrieve the cauldron only an hour later, it was bone dry.  Oh well, I'm sure some kid had a very full pillow case, and some dentist will be very happy.  Next time I'll plant a video camera!  Hope everyone had a very happy Halloween!