Mt. Rainier

Two year old with 200 foot, 1000 year old trees.

Diana and Dad Visit Seattle: April 2015

This is long overdue:

In April, Diana and Dad made the cross-country journey to visit us in Seattle.  We had reasonably good weather (better than New England!) and enjoyed a lot of the Seattle sites.

Diana and I walked Elsa down to the University Village shops where she played on the playground and enjoyed the fountains:

We had dinner at Aqua Verde, a mexican restaurant and kayak rental boat house along Portage Bay. Afterward, we had a walk along the waterfront:

Diana, Dad, and I visited Pike's Market (where the fish are thrown). We enjoyed sampling chowder (smoked salmon and seafood) and had a drink in my favorite Rachel's Ginger Beer storefront. There's nothing like a Moscow Mule in the afternoon!

We walked to one of our local playgrounds at Bryant Elementary school.

Our ferry ride out to Bainbridge Island was clouded by the classic low hazy clouds of the Puget Sound, but after exploring the main town, the clouds cleared and we had a sunny return ride:

On the island, we enjoyed a morning coffee, strolling along the shops, a visit to the local bookstore, and a lunch with a view of the marina.

We spent a lot of quality time together at home, reading books, listening to Dad play the piano, and eating great meals.

It was such a great visit! Looking forward to the next one!

Elsa age 2

At age 2, Elsa is really blossoming into a busy, active, expressive child. 

She is walking, jumping, running, and walking up and down stairs by herself. She dances to music and can do forward rolls. She likes to say, "Elsa do" when she wants to try something herself and I've recently seen her tucking items under her elbow to carry them up the stairs.

She is interested in art and will paint, scribble, and otherwise color anything we place in front of her. yesterday, while painting she said, "May-may kitty." I guess she was painting a picture of our cat...

Her language has really blossomed in the last few months and my favorite phrases are those she copies from Sam like"Oh, maaaan!" and "Watch this!" She used to do roll-call, especially at meals time: "Dadda here? Mamma here?" and now she keeps track of everyone in a new way: "Mamma love me, dadda love me, Teeb love me..." She still can't quite say the "S" sound, so "Sam" remains "Day" in Elsa-speak. I often catch myself nearly referring to Sam as Day when talking with Elsa.

Elsa likes to help, just like (and often mirroring) her big brother. She helps unload the dishwasher by placing the plastic kids tableware into the correct drawer. Lately, she's been helping me sort the cutlery. She is also excellent at putting clothing away. She knows exactly where Sam's clothes belong.

While she sometimes seems like she is quietly studying everything about her, other times she is spunky and full of laughter. It has been a wonderful year watching her blossom into a toddler and I'm excited to learn more about her as she grows!