SeeSamParent

Forward Facing

2012-02-17T13:20:00.001-08:00

With the girls reaching the milestone of 2 years, we were able to turn their carseats around! They're loving the new perspective and think they're pretty hot stuff.

Valentine's Visit

2012-02-14T14:14:00.001-08:00

The girls dressed as little Valentines and we surprised Mommy at work with flowers today. We even got to ride the elevator! In other news, the girls are now certain that every older male with a grey beard is "Santa." This has made for a few awkward moments, but mostly it's just pretty funny and cute.

Zoo Valentines

2012-02-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today the zoo had special animal enrichment activities to celebrate Valentines Day a bit early. It was extremely busy there, but the girls had a ball, and it was so nice to see Annabelle with a little more energy and closer to her normal self.

2 Year Checkup

2012-02-10T16:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had our 2 year checkup for the girls, which ended up being very conveniently scheduled as we were able to just use it as a followup appointment to check on Annabelle's recovery as well. The doc thinks she may have come down with roseola (which sounds a lot more fun that it is), but she's doing much much better today. Appetite is up a bit, she's drinking a good bit, and she is actually up and about and playing some more too. Thank you for all your prayers through this crazy week!

Also, both girls were right on track for their growth charts, etc. yesterday. Annabelle fell way off her curve for weight, but that's because she's gotten pretty skinny from being sick this week. She should be doing fine once we get her back to her normal.

Here are some photos from the last few weeks from different things.

Annabelle on the Mend

2012-02-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Annabelle is recovering now, though it's been a long few days. We ended up back in the Children's ER today after talking with Annabelle's doc this morn. She's on pain meds now which has helped her to eat and drink, which is great. They think she has some sort of virus, and we just continue to pray for a quick recovery. Thank you for your prayers! Here's a handful of photos from my phone and a quick video;

Some little video snips from Annabelle being sick this week.

2nd Birthday and a Big Scare

2012-02-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

The girls turned 2 on Saturday and we had a really fun party for them that night. They had a great time with friends and loved their cupcakes and blowing out candles. These photos were taken by our friend Michael Hanson (who, by the way just released an awesome new book about urban farming!).
On Sunday, Annabelle woke in the wee hours of the morning with a really high fever. We gave her ibuprofen, but she had a really rough time. Her temp kept climbing, and a little before noon we had our scariest moment of parenting to date- Annabelle had a seizure as she was on the couch. It was incredibly scary and lasted a few minutes. We called 911, and they were here in no time. We then ended up at Children's Hospital (where Kirsten works), and they took amazing care of us. The type of seizure Annabelle had is a febrile seizure, and it's fairly common in little ones, and her prognosis is very good. There shouldn't be any lasting effects or anything like that, and she's slowly becoming more herself again today. Her temp is still high, so her little body is still fighting whatever caused all of this, but we're praying she gets better and is running around again very soon. Please keep Annabelle in your prayers!

Snow and Disaster

2012-01-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

These are some really fun photos of Kirsten sledding with the girls yesterday. This smiley fun belies the realities on the home front though. Kirsten and the girls were at Aunt Amy's house while I was working on our kitchen all weekend. To make a long story short, we discovered a detached hose in the dishwasher about a week ago, and life quickly became very complicated and busy. The kitchen is entirely ripped out now and we're going hard to get this project finished quickly to minimize the girls' exposure to anything bad and get ourselves a functional kitchen as soon as possible. In the meantime, I built a quick temporary "space bubble" room to enclose the kitchen and keep stuff out of the girls' playroom. They don't seem to mind it, and are handling all of this amazingly well. Oh, and Annabelle is sad in most of the snow photos because her fingers are cold and she didn't know what to do about it (but she wouldn't wear her gloves...). Now back to the trenches!

Christmas and New Years Fun

2012-01-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

Here is another barrage of photos (I'm playing catchup). These are from Christmas Eve at Kirsten's Aunt and Uncle's house (where cousin Matt appeared as Santa bearing cookies and presents), Christmas morn in Bellingham, 2nd Christmas morn on our own in Seattle on Monday, various other photos, and some New Year's park fun with cousin Evy and her parents. It seemed all our girls really wanted for Christmas was cookies- that's all they said they wanted from Santa (well, cookies and peas in Katherine's case), but they just loved opening all their gifts too and all the new wonders to explore!

Why-eeee

2012-01-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas we went to Hawaii (Maui) with Kirsten's parents and brother Joel. There were a zillion photos to go through, but here's a large sampling of the fun. Oh, and the girls pronounce Hawaii simply "why-eee," hence the post title.

Christmas Festivities

2011-12-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

There is a pending barrage of photos, but in the meantime, here's another quickie from this week. We went downtown a few nights ago with friends Colin and Kire to see the gingerbread houses, watch the snow fall in a downtown mall, enjoy hot chocolate, and ride the carousel. All things were a big hit with the girls, and they didn't want their carousel ride to end. Last night we went to Bellevue to see the Christmas lights at the botanical gardens, and the girls loved the lights, but they were a bit difficult to keep contained (as you can see from the craziness of that one photo). We had plans to go to snowflake lane last night too, but headed home for bedtime after the lights. The girls are very excited about Santa.

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes

2011-12-21T14:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from several weeks ago- a couple from a playground we all visited while shopping, and also a few from the girls' first official 1 mile long walk on their own feet (with a bakery aid station stop right in the middle of course). Many more photos to come very soon.

Thanksgiving and More

2011-11-29T11:04:00.001-08:00

Here are some shots from Thanksgiving and a few nights ago when we went to pick out our Christmas tree. Unfortunately my camera has been messed up lately, and I'm in the process of trying to figure it out. Anyway, these are the best of what I got, but even some of these are a bit blurry, and I missed a lot of fun stuff, as we got to have a really festive huge family Thanksgiving at our house. Despite not many photos to show for it, we had a wonderful time and the girls couldn't believe their good fortune with having all their favorite people in the world under one roof!

Turkey Toss, etc.

2011-11-22T12:04:00.001-08:00

On Saturday we all went to the zoo to take in the annual "Turkey Toss" where many of the animals get special Thanksgiving turkey treats (or pumpkins for some). It was chilly, but we all had a great time, though probably not quite as great a time as the bears. Yesterday we went to the Pacific Science Center to see our first official movie with the girls. It was 45 minutes and a really cool IMAX movie about elephants and orangutans. The girls loved it, despite the fact that they weren't so hot at keeping their 3D glasses on. We had a great weekend and are really looking forward to Thanksgiving!

Baby Evy's Birthday and More

2011-11-16T12:03:00.001-08:00

We went to cousin Evy's first birthday party this weekend. Annabelle and Katherine love Evy and love babies, and have now started calling most babies they see Evy hoping it's her. Here are a bunch of photos from the party and also from the park where both girls did big girl swings for the first time and a few from the Pacific Science Center on Monday where we saw dinosaurs (another thing the girls really enjoy).

College Campus Visit

2011-11-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have their kids in some sort of pre-preschool already before age 2, and that's just dandy for those who choose to go that route. We, on the other hand, have decided to forgo such mundane learning avenues, and have already begun college hunting. On Monday, we went to visit our friend Bo at his dorm at Seattle Pacific University. The girls enjoyed college life. Pretty much it seems to consist of skateboarding and biking down the hall, eating, and playing outside in the leaves and grass. I think they're ready.

Face Dive

2011-11-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

Last night we made a tunnel using a blanket and the couch. Annabelle loved doing laps and going through the tunnel. Katherine had other intentions...

Halloween Remix

2011-11-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

I know, I know- 3 posts in 2 days?!?!? Yes. 3 posts in 2 days. But this is it for this short intense burst. These are some shots from a new playground the girls and I tried yesterday. They wanted to wear their Halloween costumes, and I thought I'd capitalize on the commonly heard comment, "oh, their Dad must have dressed them," so we went all out with fun clothes. They were wearing matching mouse hats too, but those didn't last too long.

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

We debated about whether or not to take the girls trick or treating this year. I mean, they don't eat candy or know what it is, so the act is a bit pointless. But sensibility prevailed, and we headed out to visit a few folks on our block. Kirsten's brother Tim joined the fun, and the girls had an absolute ball. Annabelle particularly enjoyed darting into people's houses as soon as they opened the door. She also put most of her candy into Katherine's bucket. Katherine was adamant about making sure each door was tightly closed after each transaction was complete. It was a roaring success of an evening.

Carkeek 12 Hour

2011-11-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was the 5th annual Carkeek 12 Hour race that I put on every Halloween season. Kirsten brought the girls down and we had a little cheering and playground time. I also added a few shots from a few days before the race where the girls were helping me scout the trail. They loved it!

Birthday Fun

2011-10-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

My birthday was this week, and so we did a lot of celebrating with the girls and had a ton of fun. My parents were in town, too, so the girls had a great time getting lots of extra love and attention. Here are a bunch of shots from the beach by our house at Carkeek Park, the playground, the Pacific Science Center, the butterfly house, and birthday burger lunch.

The Track Meet

2011-10-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took the girls to the track for their very first time to go for a "run." They made it one full lap (1/4 mile) and did amazingly well. It was like watching the tortoise and the hare unfold in real life. Annabelle stopped just after we started to watch a garbage truck and school bus, then spent most of her loop darting this way and that off the track to explore things. Katherine, meanwhile, stayed the course and just happily made her way around the track, stopping for a breather every now and again to watch a plane go by. After such a great run, we scampered over to the playground to shake out our legs and recover with some lunch.

Friends and Fun

2011-10-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, a great friend from Atlanta came to town for a quick visit, and we had lots of fun with the girls enjoying many adventures. Here are a few shots from the Ballard locks, and also from a restaurant where we had lunch on Saturday, bumped into the girls' buddy Tate, watched a little college football, and of course played a little Buck Hunter and Golden Tee.

Football Saturday

2011-10-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we don't do this every Saturday, but this was an exception. The girls both had mysterious 1 day fevers and were feeling lousy, Kirsten had to be at work all day for a special training, and the weather outside was just plain crummy. So the girls and I snuggled in our jammies for a very large chunk of the day and enjoyed game after game of college football, always tracking 2-3 games at any given time. The girls actually loved it, and got extremely into throwing their hands in the air and sort of saying, "touchdown!" (sounded more like "duh-dohhhhn") anytime someone scored. It was a great lazy day, and they're feeling much better now. We also went down to Steilacoom to visit Kirsten's grandparents and take in a local cider squeeze festival on Sunday. No pictures unfortunately, but the girls especially liked the fresh apple pie a la mode.

Camping, Caspar Babypants, Zoo

2011-09-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from some of our recent adventures. We went camping (real camping... like outside in a tent!) with the girls a few weeks ago in the N Cascades with Kirsten's family. The girls loved it, though it got a bit colder at night than we'd planned for... oops. We also splurged for this monster tent with 2 rooms; Kirsten, Lucy and I were in one room, and the girls in their pack and plays were in the other side. Deluxe. This past weekend we all went to a nearby festival and got to see Caspar Babypants (pretty much the U2 of the baby world). The other photos are just from a field a few days ago in the zoo where we love to play and run around.

The Annabelle Squnch

2011-09-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Annabelle started doing this recently. We don't know why, but it makes us laugh hysterically every time. We also figured we'd better try to capture it on video before she stops doing it. For lack of a better word, we'll call it the Annabelle Squnch. Enjoy!

Annabelle Squnch from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
We don't really know what Annabelle's doing when she does this, and she does it very randomly, but whenever it happens- none of us can help but laugh uncontrollably...

Blog on the Go

2011-09-20T16:04:00.001-07:00

This is a quick post to try a new blog app on my phone. These are just a few phone photos from some shopping trips last week. The girls love squeezing in side by side in a shopping cart.

Hurricane Chasing :: Part 2

2011-09-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

Here are more fun scenes from our trip to the East Coast. Included here are a belated birthday celebration for Sarah, Gavin, Preston, and Blake, some playground fun, Kirsten and Sarah brushing hair, and the girls' first ever McD's ice cream cones. They each got their own and after some hot playground time, they really hit the spot!

Hurricane Chasing :: Part 1

2011-09-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

Last week the 4 of us headed to the East coast to visit my brother and his kids and my parents. They had rented a beach house on the DE coast and we were going to have a lovely week at the beach... until Irene reared its ugly head. We were on the fence about even making the flight as the hurricane tracked right for the east coast, but fortunately we decided to go anyway. While the DE coast was evacuated and we never made it to the beach house or the beach, we had a wonderful time in the D.C. area staying with my brother and going on lots of fun adventures with the whole gang. It was a whirlwind of a trip, and taking photos while 7 young'uns are running about is no small feat, but here's a first batch from our trip. Scenes here include a trip to the National Zoo (where the girls and everyone else loved these spray mist cooling fountains they had along the way), and a trip to a super fun waterpark where the girls got to go down their first waterslides and really enjoyed floating the lazy river with us.

Ahhh Summer!

2011-08-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a huge barrage of photos from the last few weeks. Activities include swimming in the backyard (a lot), playing cornhole in the backyard, going blueberry picking, playing naked in the sprinkler, going to fun concerts like Recess Monkey at the beach and Caspar Babypants (essentially the U2 of the kid world). The girls also took in their first Shakespeare play last week (a fun outdoor production of As You Like It), and we spent all day this past Sunday at an ultimate frisbee tournament playing in the grass and cheering on Kirsten. Now the rainclouds are back in Seattle so we're resting and recharging.

Annabelle Eats a Banana

2011-08-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is video of Annabelle eating a banana all by herself (mostly).

Annabelle Eats a Banana from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
Fast-motion pure banana enjoyment.

Katherine Kissing Monkey

2011-08-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm long overdue on posting lots of fun pictures from our many adventures of late (trust me- we've been busy!), but here's a great video from bedtime last night;

Katherine Kissing Monkey from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
The girls have a favorite bedtime story starring "Monkey." Last night, Kirsten asked if Katherine wanted to give Monkey a goodnight kiss... here's what happened.

Fun at the Farm

2011-08-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Kirsten surprised all of us with a family fun trip for the day out to Remlinger Farms. We'd never been before, but it's a working berry farm that also has an amazing fun area with rides, animals, etc. The girls were in heaven and powered through without an afternoon nap with no trouble. Their favorites were driving the antique cars, roaming around in the hay tunnels, picking a few blueberries, sharing ice cream, and riding the train at the end of the day (note the very tired eyes in those photos). We also braved a teacup-type spinning ride and even a small roller coaster, although Katherine let us know that was not her favorite. This was also one of the first times Katherine has gotten to walk around a good bit in shoes (they've been barefoot all the time lately), so watching her clunk around in her high tops was pretty fun. Enjoy the video clips and pics. We all had such a fun time!

A Roller Coaster Day from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
We had a flat out awesome day at Remlinger Farms, complete with a very very funny tantrum from Katherine after she got frustrated with the slippery hay-filled tunnel she got herself stuck in.

Park and Pine Cones

2011-08-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the girls and I went to a new park to see a cool juggling show in an amphitheater there. We actually saw the first half of this juggling show the night before when we all went to see him at the library right near our house, but we had to scoot home for bedtime about halfway through. So we tried to catch the 2nd half the next day, but managed to miss everything but the finale due to traffic. Ah well, we had a great time nonetheless just playing in the park and eating lunch, and learning that pine cones aren't necessarily the best nourishment.

Party Time

2011-08-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Summer seems to have finally arrived here in Seattle, so we've been capitalizing on using our pool as much as possible. We've been swimming most every day with the girls, and they are really loving it. We also got to go celebrate a friend's 1 year birthday this weekend, and the girls had a blast running around, playing with Tate, playing with new toys and books, and of course eating cupcakes. Oh, and one of our friends arrived dressed as a turkey, which always makes for a good time!

Summer for the Weekend

2011-07-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well, summer finally arrived in Seattle this weekend, so we made the most of it! Unfortunately summer was gone Monday morning just as quickly as it arrived as the sky let loose with a barrage of thunder and heavy rain. But we had a great weekend and soaked in the warm temps, sun, and finally made good use of our pool. We had some friends over on Sunday, and the girls got to hang out with their buddy Tate. Katherine and Annabelle are both getting more comfortable in the water, and both really love to splash. Also, the girls are no longer into high chairs, so we've moved on to booster seats, and they much prefer being a part of the action at the table.

Hamping Trip

2011-07-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

It seems glamping is the trendy new "outdoor" adventure, and staycations are all the rage, but I've yet to hear of anyone going hamping. We had big plans for our first family camping trip this weekend, but were foiled by the absence of summer and the strong presence of rain here in the Pac NW. Not to be discouraged, we stayed home and set up camp in the sunroom, toasted marshmallows out back (in the rain), and even went swimming on Monday (the sun actually came out). The girls loved it and are hungry to get outdoors with the tent very soon.

Park Pics

2011-07-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun shots I got this weekend when we all went to a new park to play. There was a huge grassy area, and the girls loved the freedom to just run around as much as they pleased.

4th and Other Fun

2011-07-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

We were up at a friend's house on Whidbey Island for the 4th of July, and the girls loved playing out in the sand and tide pools at low tide again. Here are many photos from that, a fun 4th parade, and some random photos from other some fun stuff this week (parks, zoo, etc.). The girls and I happened upon a sprayground in Ballard yesterday after going to the library for story time. We had no swimsuits, but we had to go for it on such a nice sunny day. So Dad stripped the girls down to diapers, got some awkward looks from other folks, and we got soaked and had a lot of fun. (no photos, as chasing 2 naked little girls around in a sprayground was about all I could handle, but there's a post-sprayground dazed photo below where you can see the spray in the background).

Twin Kisses

2011-07-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well, there's been some pretty cute stuff on this blog before, but this new video just may take the cake. Enjoy!

Twin Kisses from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
Annabelle and Katherine have decided that giving each other kisses is one of the funniest things on the planet. And we think it's pretty darn cute.

Naked Bikers, Dedication, and Playtime!

2011-06-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from the last week or so. We've been super busy, but this is a quick photo recap of some of our activities. My parents were in town for the girls' dedication at church 2 Sundays ago, and there are a few shots from that (Annabelle totally flipped out...). We also went to the renowned Fremont Solstice Parade on that Saturday where we saw a plethora of naked bikers.

Golfing and Sliding

2011-06-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from a few different park adventures this past weekend. Katherine was indeed unhappy for a moment in the one pic with Kirsten and Annabelle by the water, but the sliding faces are looks of pure delight!

High Fives All Around

2011-06-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the girls had their 16 month checkup with the doc, and they got their next round of booster shots too (never fun, but good to get it done...). The doc said both girls look just perfect and healthy, so we're very thankful. Annabelle is just slightly ahead of Katherine in growth, but they're really close and both growing really well. Annabelle weighed in at 20lbs, 7oz, and Katherine is 20lbs, 3oz. The girls love giving high fives to people, so yesterday I tried asking them to high-five each other. Here's the result;

High Fives All Around from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
Katherine and Annabelle high-fiving. And a quick dance party too.

Sun, sun, sun, fun, and Mrs. Bush!

2011-06-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend it seems Seattle finally got the memo about summertime and the sun came out! Kirsten had a full weekend of ultimate playoff games, so the girls and I went out to cheer and play in the grass both Saturday and Sunday. (Note: Kirsten's ultimate team is headed up by the owners of Georgetown Brewery, and the growler of beer Annabelle has is well capped... she just liked the cold hard bottle.) Saturday night we all went down to a bike crit race in Ballard too. The girls loved cheering and clapping each lap (about every minute). On Monday, we had a great family outing to the zoo where we played in the grass some more, made lots of animal sounds, and then had a yummy burger and fries lunch out. This morning a friend got us tickets to see Laura Bush speak at Key Arena, so the girls and I packed up and made it happen. We were seated right in the front VIP area, and we got a lot of unhappy looks when we arrived so I was really nervous about how the girls would behave, but they were really super, munched on cheerios, and enjoyed all the action. Whew.

A New Baby

2011-06-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night, I picked Roy up at the airport. He flew straight over from Taiwan and is another rescued street dog. He's about 4 months old and we are fostering him until he finds a permanent home. He turned our lives upside down the first night he was here, but has since settled in a bit more and is becoming easier. Having a new baby (aka Roy) to care for has made us realize how relatively easy life with just the girls and Lucy actually is. Anyway, here are a few shots of Roy, and if you know anyone in Seattle who might be interested in this sweet, cute little guy, please send them here.

Go Mariners!

2011-06-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we took the girls to their first Mariners game, and we had a lot of fun. They made it for 8 full innings, the Mariners beat the Orioles, and we even had sunshine! Katherine doesn't like loud cheering, but other than that, they had quite a time. We took the bus to and from our house and it made for a really easy family outing, with two exhausted little girls sleeping on our chests for the bus ride home.

Mama Birthday!

2011-05-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated Kirsten's birthday, which was a lot of fun. Fortunately we had some great weather too, so we ended up going up to Whidbey Island on Saturday evening to relax at a friend's house there until Monday morning. The girls had a ball and had such fun roaming around at low tide and getting dirtier than they've ever been. I know this is a plethora of pictures, but again it was hard to choose, and I assure you these are distilled down from well over a thousand shots... Enjoy!

One more...

2011-05-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo a friend got of me dancing with Annabelle at the wedding. The girls loved the band and were both tearing up the dance floor with us!

Beach Weekend!

2011-05-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Kirsten and I took the girls down to the Gulf Coast for the wedding of some great friends. We flew into Gulfport, MS Thursday night, and on Friday morning we returned to Bay St. Louis, MS. We went to the church where Kirsten and I first met, and just seeing the town and the whole area brought back a rush of memories for both of us. The girls had a ball being barefoot and in dresses all weekend long. Friday afternoon, we made our way over to Fairhope, AL for the wedding festivities. It was a great weekend. The girls were not as excited about the pool or the beach and water there as we thought they might be, but they seemed to just love seeing the sun and feeling so warm. With the difference in time zone, they got to stay up pretty late too, so we had fun dancing at the wedding reception Saturday night. Here are a bunch of shots from the weekend. I wasn't able to get as many shots as I would have liked because the girls were cruising around so much it was nearly impossible to have a camera in one hand!

Cuttin' Grass

2011-05-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Just a few quick shots from another fun grass-cutting adventure last week at a friend's house...

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

We had a big Mother's Day feast on Sunday and lots of family from Kirsten's Mom's side came over to celebrate. We had a great time, and here are a handful of shots from the day. The girls were delighted with all the extra attention and love.

Wildflowers?

2011-05-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the girls and I went on a grass-cutting adventure. They also gave me a fresh perspective (as usual) on things. We went to mow a friend's yard, and when we got there I saw a backyard totally overgrown with weeds. The girls, on the other hand, saw a beautiful field of wildflowers to enjoy! The dandelions really were very pretty, and the girls had a ball running around in the waist high grass/flowers while I pushed around the yard with the mower.

Playground Connoisseurs

2011-05-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

We've been to a lot of playgrounds lately, but we found a super fun one yesterday that is quite something. We had big plans to go out to the mountains as a family and go for a nice hike up to a peak with the girls, but the return of the rain threw a wrench in those plans. So we figured a trip to REI was the next best thing... turns out, they had an awesome indoor playground made to look like a huge treehouse, and we all had a ton of fun. Not exactly the mountains, but we made lemonade for sure.

May Day

2011-05-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Springtime I think has finally arrived here in Seattle, and the sun made a strong showing this weekend, which was fantastic! The other big news of the weekend is that Katherine took her first steps unassisted! She still has a ways to go before she's chasing Annabelle, but she's definitely getting more comfortable with vertical locomotion. Here are a few shots from the park yesterday. Annabelle is already training for ultimate frisbee. Also, we woke up to find a duck in our pool Saturday morning... he was camera shy though, and was gone as soon as I started snapping.

Egg-ventures

2011-04-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

We had a busy, but really great Easter weekend. On Saturday we all went to the zoo for their annual Bunny Bounce. There was a special enclosed area for little ones to "hunt" eggs. As you can see, they weren't too hard to find. With a solid training day on Friday, Katherine and Annabelle did very well, despite not having any vessel in which to collect their eggs. They seemed content with just what they could carry though. Saturday was a glorious day, and the first time this year Seattle has hit 60 degrees. On Sunday the rain was back, but we went to church very early, and the girls made it through their first full big church service (as there was no nursery open for that early service). After a morning nap at home, we headed up to Bellingham for a huge Easter feast with Kirsten's family. The girls got a kick out of exploring a new place and lots of extra love, played right through their afternoon nap, and got to enjoy another fun indoor egghunt. Then it was back home after a very full day. In other news, Annabelle finally has 4 upper teeth breaking through, and Katherine is getting closer and closer to walking unassisted.

Training Day

2011-04-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

I figured the girls better learn what a plastic Easter egg looks like and get a little practice in before their first big hunt in a few days. So we grabbed a few eggs and headed to the park today in the sunshine for some serious training. They're ready.

Flower Girls

2011-04-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we all went up to the Tulip Festival (just a bit north of Seattle), and had a blast playing and roaming around in the blooms. There are fields and fields of daffodils and tulips, and we even found some alpacas. I know this is a zillion photos, but we just had so much fun it was tough to whittle these down...

How Big is Katherine?

2011-04-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

How Big is Katherine??? from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
This is Katherine's latest trick. She thinks it's just great. So do we.

Solo Swinging

2011-04-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we headed to the zoo to enjoy another sunny day, but first we stopped to play in a great playground right next to the zoo. This playground had 2 swings side by side, so the girls got to try swinging solo for the first time. Needless to say, they loved it. At the zoo, we got to see the bears wrestling in the water, which was also pretty cool.

Cherry Blossoms

2011-04-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

Today it's gray and dreary out, but we are remembering fondly soaking in the abundant sunshine on Friday. The girls and I went to the UW quad to take some pictures amongst the cherry blossoms (this is a place Kirsten and I took photos on our wedding day... and probably the last time I was actually there...). They absolutely loved playing in the grass and just being out in the sunshine, although it's a bit tough to corral 2 squiggling happy little girls and get decent photos with only 2 hands. Then we went to visit Mom at work and have lunch, and both girls were fascinated by the pinwheels that were all over the place at Children's Hospital. Annabelle was in hog heaven walking down the halls and saying hello to Kirsten's coworkers too. A fantastic day in the sun!

Seattle Girls

2011-04-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today the girls and I went downtown to indulge in the First Thursday of April (free museums!). We went to the SAM to check out a new special exhibit of really colorful soundsuits by Nick Cave that a friend thought the girls would really like... and boy did they! They were captivated by all the colors and shapes and sounds. There was even one suit made entirely of little stuffed animals. After the exhibit we walked down the street and ate lunch in a coffee shop right at Pike Place Market. That's when I realized just how very Seattle-ish we were being. So after lunch we went outside (in the rain of course) and snapped a few shots with the iconic Market sign in the background.

Fun in the Park

2011-04-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week or so, but all is great. Annabelle is getting more and more comfortable walking (and fast!), and Katherine is getting pretty close to joining the parade too. Today we ran down to the park for some fun in between the rain. We enjoyed the swings, went down the slide all together, and Annabelle got a kick out of roaming around in the grass.

Ultimate Babies

2011-03-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today we went out to cheer on Mama as she had a double header of ultimate games. We only stayed for 1 game, but the girls were glued to the action, and just loved taking it all in. We set up a tent too and played in there for a bit, but they really just wanted to be outside watching the game despite the rain- girls after my own heart!

Kitty Cat K

2011-03-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Katherine insisted that we go visit the zoo. She also insisted that she wear her Kitty Cat Katherine outfit. Then she insisted that we only hang out by the jaguars, snow leopards, tigers, and meerkats. We had a blast.

Swinging and Croquet

2011-03-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

We've had some really nice sun over the weekend, which has been very welcome. So as a result we've been taking full advantage of it and had lots of fun adventures with the girls. Here are a bunch of shots from this weekend. The girls played croquet (in their own way) at some friends' house during a bbq. They also got to try a big girl swing (magically somehow they both fit in perfectly at the same time...) at our favorite park for the first time, and boy did they love it!

Girls on the Move

2011-03-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

April showers seem to have arrived a bit early here in Seattle, so we haven't been out for too many adventures lately. However, we've been camping and exploring and having lots of fun at home, and we're all healthy, which is great. Annabelle is becoming quite good at walking now and Katherine loves to crawl very very fast. Here is some video from this morning.

Girls on the Move from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
Video taken 3/16/2011- Annabelle is quite adept at walking these days, and Katherine is a very fast crawler. They both love to get around!

Still Truckin'

2011-03-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a rough couple of weeks here at our house (as might be evidenced by the absence of updates on the blog...), but we are back on the upswing now. I have been down for the count with a nasty case of shingles. Fortunately the girls did not catch it (it's the same virus as chicken pox), and they got their vaccines last week, so we're really grateful that they managed to stay healthy. Kirsten is also healthy, so we got really lucky. Kirsten's parents were able to come help out with the girls last week, so that made things much easier. Anyway, I'm still recovering, but we're back to mostly normal functioning at home, so that's nice.

The girls got a huge new play structure with tents and tunnels for their birthday, and they've been really loving playing with each other and chasing each other in and around it. Here are a few shots.

Movie Stars

2011-02-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

The girls really love watching videos of themselves. This is video taken while they watched their Birthday Cupcakes video on the computer. We think it's pretty hilarious.

Movie Stars from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
This is computer camera video of Annabelle and Katherine watching themselves in their Birthday Cupcakes video. They literally think watching themselves in videos is one of the funniest things around. Then again, I guess we do too.

Gettin' Dirty

2011-02-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

The sun was out in Seattle today, and although the ground was still pretty wet, the girls and I went to the park to play in the grass and dirty up our overalls a little bit. They had lots of fun. Annabelle took off and was all over the place, but Katherine went exploring too after taking it all in from the blanket for a while. She let Annabelle be the guinea pig.

Photo Updates

2011-02-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a smattering of photos from the last week or so... We had a great time with my parents in town, and the girls and Lucy really loved all the extra love and snuggles. Some other things of note in the photos- I put up a tent in our house and the girls now love "camping" inside... this is usually where we have story time. The photos where it looks like we have the girls in some sort of construction zone where babies probably shouldn't be was on a tour of historic Underground Seattle- very cool, and the girls did amazingly well. We've also found that the girls eat much better when they are out to eat... much more to take in with sights and sounds, and it's far more fun to eat off of other people's plates than to eat their own normal food. They even got to order their first menu item for themselves- a shared kid's grilled turkey and gouda. Yum.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

Kirsten and I got to celebrate Valentine's Day a little early with a really fun date night last night and my parents spending time with the girls. Short on time, I entered us in a local video contest to win a Valentine's getaway, and although we didn't win, Kirsten really liked the little video Valentine... and that's what matters. Happy day to all!

My Three Valentines from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
This was a super quick video Valentine I made for Kirsten in an attempt to win a local video contest for a special V-day getaway... we didn't win, but Kirsten still loved it.

Birthday Cupcakes

2011-02-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week here, but another good one. The girls seem to really be embracing the thought of being 1 year old. Here's a fun video of them getting to try cupcakes for the first time last weekend at their birthday party. Both girls reacted pretty much exactly the way we expected them to, and it was quite hilarious.

Birthday Cupcakes from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
This is Katherine and Annabelle enjoying their first cupcakes ever on their 1st birthday (2/4/11). As you can see, Katherine really enjoyed the frosting, while Annabelle really dove right in and enjoyed it all.

Some Birthday Shots

2011-02-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an exciting and fun weekend we've had! We had a wonderful birthday party on Saturday with many family members and friends, then a fun Super Bowl on Sunday! Whew! Here are a few quick shots from the girls' birthday party. I'll post more and some really fun video later this week. In the meantime, I'm hitting the road and running down to Olympia tonight!

Happy Birthday to Us!!!

2011-02-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

One year ago today, Annabelle Ruth and Katherine Amelie came into the world. What a year it has been, and we are so thankful to have 2 happy, healthy, beautiful little toddlers now just one quick year later. It's hard to even remember them being so tiny just a year ago, but here are some photos from their birthday a year ago, and a few fun shots from today, too.

Front Back Fun

2011-02-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Kirsten and I have been using the front pack carriers for a while, but they really seem to pull our backs in very uncomfortable ways whenever we use them. So we recently added a backpack to our gear menagerie, and it's been awesome! Yet another benefit of having twins- with one in front and one in back, you're able to create a much nicer balance!

To celebrate Katherine being back at full throttle, we took a trip to the zoo yesterday and went for the front/back setup this time instead of our usual stroller situation. The girls loved having a better view of the animals and we had fun taking it all in. We've also starting doing Dad's favorite running trail loop with the front/back setup through the woods, and you can check out some of that fun in this new video.

Front Back Expeditions from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.

This is a little sample of some of the fun the girls and I have on our normal hike/jog in our favorite park by our house. Lots of singing and babbling and exploring for all of us!

Katherine's in the Clear!

2011-02-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much for all the extra thoughts and prayers for Katherine! Since getting on her medicine after the ER visit, she's gotten much better incredibly quickly, and we had a fun weekend all together. Katherine's appetite is back and she is back to her jolly little self, crawling around with her sister again. Kirsten took her in for a followup visit with the pediatrician yesterday (the first time in their lives that the girls have been split up!), and the doc pronounced her totally fine. Her lungs are clear and he though results were inconclusive as to what she had, he thought it was some mystery virus that came and went. Either way, we're so thankful that we're back to normal here at home with 2 happy healthy little exploring girls. Katherine wore her cozy kitty cat outfit to the doc, and was tickled pink about it...

E.R. Adventures...

2011-01-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well, Katherine's mystery infection wasn't going away yesterday so we decided to go see the doc. She just wasn't herself and had been really irritable (which isn't like her at all). Unfortunately our pediatrician was triple booked, so they recommended we go to the E.R. up on Capitol Hill. So that's what we did. I packed lots of food and drink and snacks and we headed out for a loooong adventure. We ended up being at the hospital for about 5 hours, the girls totally missed their afternoon nap, and poor little Katherine endured lots of poking and prodding. Both girls were troopers and did amazingly well. Kirsten came and met us at the hospital, so fortunately we were all there to support each other. So after a catheter urine draw, blood draw, and some chest xrays, Katherine was diagnosed with some sort of lung infection. Her blood white count was high, and her lungs were visibly inflamed in the xrays. So she is on Amoxicillin now and we'll go in for another checkup on Monday. She seems to be in much better spirits already this morning and is more giggly than she's been, so it seems like she's already getting back to her normal jolly self. Please say some extra prayers for Katherine and her little lungs though! Here are some photos I took in the E.R. yesterday. As you can see, both girls did really well and Katherine really liked her special tired tiger xray dress.

Big Girl Bath

2011-01-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

This week the girls got to try their very first big girl bath in the big girl tub (no small baby tub within the big tub). They loved it and were less eager to scamper and climb right out of the bath as they've been prone to do lately. In other big girl news, they are both drinking a bit of real whole milk now mixed in with their bottles, as their upcoming 1 year birthday means a transition to big girl milk. Katherine's been fighting a weird infection, but after a really rough night last night she seems to be doing a little bit better.

Big Girl Bath from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.

Mom and Dad take our first trip!

2011-01-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

(without the babes, that is) Kirsten and I have been really looking forward to going down to Atlanta this weekend for quite some time to celebrate a good friend's wedding and spend time with many of our friends, and it did not disappoint. We were a little nervous about missing the babies a lot, but we did fine, and so did they. Kirsten's parents came down from Bellingham to stay with the girls while we were gone, so I think the 4 of them had a lot of fun hanging out. We Skyped them each day we were gone to say hi to the girls, so that was fun. Katherine is officially crawling now, and started this weekend while we were gone, so that was exciting news. This weekend was a wonderful much-needed break for Kirsten and I, and we're so grateful that it all worked out.

We're back in the swing of things at home now, and I took the girls to the zoo today to enjoy a rare day of Seattle winter sunshine. They wore snazzy outfits, but as you can see, Annabelle simply is not that into wearing hats... no matter how cold it is or how cute they might be.

Nanny Cam

2011-01-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

We don't of course actually have a Nanny Cam (a surveillance video camera hidden inside a teddy bear, for those who might not be familiar...). The girls often make the sweetest sounds and play together so well when they are by themselves for a little bit, though, so I attempted to catch some of their sister playtime on camera, but they noticed me pretty quickly. This video isn't edited down as much as usual; rather it's just a lot of fun sounds and smiles from both girls. Enjoy. Oh, and yes- we were indeed listening to Johnny Cash.

Nanny Cam from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
No, we don't actually have a nanny cam, but this was some sneaky surveillance footage I tried to take of the girls playing together in the crib. This video is replete with cute baby sounds and laughs.

Trailrunning... sort of

2011-01-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

The girls have been hounding me to take them out on some legit singletrack trail for a run for quite some time. They love pounding miles in the Chariot stroller, but today they really wanted to be out in the woods so they could take it all it... so Dad obliged and gave his new idea a whirl. We have a couple of front packs to carry the girls in, and we recently got a backpack carrier. So... one front pack + one back pack + 2 eager babies = successful implementation onto Dad. It was definitely a bit tricky to get us all situated, but the girls had a blast and we did a loop through the woods on the trails in our favorite park. It was more of a fast hike, but the girls just loved it. So did I.

Flu Shot Fun

2011-01-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

This morning we headed out to the doctor's office to get our 2nd round of flu shots. For the first year, I guess babies have to get 2 shots for flu, and they have to be at least 4 weeks apart. The first round didn't go great, so today the girls wore funny shirts to lighten the mood and lift their spirits... apparently it worked! They were little angels and didn't make even the slightest peep when they got their shots. We may have a few nights of bad sleep ahead of us (that's what we found last time around), but who knows- maybe these great shirts will help with that too!

Zoo Animals

2011-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

The girls both got fun zoo animal hats for Christmas (Katherine a giraffe, and Annabelle a zebra), so Kirsten and I took them to the zoo yesterday on a beautiful clear cold day here in Seattle to let them hang out with their zoo animal friends. They felt very comfortable yesterday with their new found zoo animal identities. Katherine even borrowed Mom's sunshades for a quick photoshoot by the penguins.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

It was a fairly quiet New Year's Eve and Day for us, but we had a lot of fun as usual. On New Year's Eve, Kirsten and I hiked with the girls and played a bit on the playground. They loved going down the slides, though I think they each enjoyed watching the other go even more than doing it themselves. Then after the girls went to sleep, Kirsten and I had our own "stay"te (not sure if that's a word or not, but if "staycation is a word, then we can have a stayte)... We grilled steaks and watched a movie and celebrated the East Coast new year by going to bed well before midnight in our time zone. Then on New Year's Day, the girls and I were up early for another half marathon nearby in Seattle (The First Call Marathon). They were itching to better their last half marathon time and I was happy to oblige. It was super cold, but they stayed snuggly warm in the Chariot and ran strong. It was 22 degrees when we finished and though Daddy had ice in his facial hair, the girls finished strong for first woman overall! We ran something like a 1:37, but I'm not exactly sure of the official time. Regardless, the girls were very pleased and happy to relax and watch some football when we got home. Another fun hike with Kirsten and some friends in the afternoon made for a perfect New Years and lots of time outside for the girls to enjoy some spectacularly clear, cold, sunny Seattle winter weather!

Annabelle Stands

2010-12-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

This is a quick and dirty stop motion video I just made with Annabelle playing with one of her new Christmas toys and Katherine rolling about in delight in the background.

Annabelle Stands from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
Annabelle experiences one of her awesome new Christmas presents for the first time!

Christmas in Bellingham

2010-12-29T11:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our Christmas Eve/Christmas morn in Bellingham this weekend, where we all had lots of fun. As you can see, Katherine's teeth are growing like crazy and she has 4 now! Annabelle still has none, but she's very much on the move. We're having a very busy week this week with Kirsten working 6 days straight, but trying to recharge as much as we can from all the Christmas activity with quiet evenings.

Our First Christmas

2010-12-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

Our First Christmas from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
This is our very first Christmas with the girls, and they LOVED opening all their fun presents. (We loved watching them too...)

Merry Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy week here in Seattle, and unfortunately Kirsten and I have been sick for all of it... yet another cold in our house. Fortunately we're on the upswing now and the girls seem to have dodged it other than runny noses. Yesterday evening we celebrated our own new little family's Christmas with opening presents and a visit to the Bellevue Botanical Garden Christmas Lights display. The girls were thrilled with opening presents and are beside themselves with exploring all their new toys and outfits. The lights were really incredible too, despite a fairly steady rain. The girls loved being outside and seeing all the sparkly beauty. It's funny- Kirsten and I had talked about going out to see these lights for the past several years and never made it. Now that we have babies to share it with, we're finally motivated enough to make the trip out there! Merry Christmas to you all!

Annabelle Claps

2010-12-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

I've been remiss in posting videos of late, but here's a short and sweet one capturing Annabelle discovering the art of clapping last night.

Annabelle Claps from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.
On 12/15/2010, Annabelle was playing and snuggling with Kirsten on the couch and decided to give clapping a whirl for the first time ever. Fortunately the camera was nearby and I got it on video! Needless to say, she's very proud of herself.

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure everyone is these days with Christmas coming up, we've been busy lately, and having lots of fun enjoying various Christmas festivities. The girls have both been sleeping really well lately (knock on wood...), which has been really nice... perhaps all this Christmas fun is tiring them out a bit more. Here are some pictures of decorating our first tree. We also went downtown last night for a fun nightly indoor snow event (fake snow, but still really fun). They play Christmas tunes and drop snow from the heavens. Kirsten and I danced in the snow with the girls for a while and they just loved it!

Our First Christmas Tree

2010-12-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

We'd had every intention of going out and cutting down our own Christmas tree with the girls this year. The reality of life became a quick trip down to Home Depot yesterday with the girls. Ah well. We picked a good one, the girls had fun, the house smells delightful, and we'll go out to the woods to get one maybe next year... or the next. This way certainly was easy!

Yep, this one's a winner, Mom!

Picasso... and Friday Dress-up Pics

2010-12-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

Last night we braved the crowds once more to take the girls downtown to the SAM to see the huge Picasso exhibit. This time I got tickets in advance online, and we went straight in with no problem! The vastness of the exhibit was almost overwhelming- this is just a sampling of his work, but Picasso was incredibly prolific in all mediums. The girls really enjoyed the first several galleries, but soon became very very restless (largely I think because it was very crowded and got really warm in there). So, we probably weren't able to spend the time at the remaining exhibition rooms that Picasso is due, but we did the best we could and still had fun seeing such iconic works in person, even if briefly and in a somewhat hectic manner. There were no photos allowed in the exhibit, and the girls were in no mood for photos anyway, but here are some photos from today when we were playing dress-up with some fun new clothes and hats.

Healthy Family and Back to the Zoo

2010-12-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the whole Thompson gang is finally healthy again, and boy are we happy! Kirsten's feeling much better, I'm better, and the girls' congestion and runny noses are pretty much gone too. Whew! Annabelle had a really rough patch over the past few weeks of not sleeping well at all during the night, which was very negatively impacting our sleep too, but all is well again... at least for now. We now have Annabelle in the guest room by herself in the pack and play and Katherine in her own crib in their room. Hopefully we can transition Annabelle back to their room for sleeping again soon.

Yesterday, the Seattle rain let up a bit, so we headed to the zoo. The zoo is really fun in the winter- hardly anyone is there and many of the animals are far more active and fun to watch- yesterday we hung with the gorillas and jaguar for a while and the girls got a kick out of getting so close to them. Oh, and yes- this is a new blog layout. Bigger pictures, a more fun background... the old layout was just too boring.

Our First Race... and Big Win!

2010-11-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-25T09:08:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-11-04T14:00:00.001-07:00

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.