Princess Ariel

Anyone that has been around Nora the past few months would know about her newest obsession: Princess Ariel. She often tells people that her name is Princess Ariel and asks if they like her red hair. She also refers to Ronan as Prince Eric. She even says, "We're getting in love. We're getting married." And Marley has once again been renamed. He is now Max. We were very lucky to have a package from Aunt Susu waiting on our door step when we came home from Vancouver. Nora has never been so happy as she was when she opened it to find a Princess Ariel barbie. This doll has gone every where with us. Aunt Susu also gave us the soundtrack and we have been listening to "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" nonstop.

Vancouver, BC: Outtakes

No captions needed.

Vancouver, BC: Train Ride

Nora and I took a train ride while we were in Stanley Park. Nora loved it. There was even a tunnel to go through.

Vancouver, BC: Granville Island

Granville Island is just like Pike's Place, except that it has it's own children's market. We actually went twice. The first time there were acrobats hanging from a bridge, and the next morning there was a marching band and bugs on stilts. We also took a water taxi to Yalestown, which is a neighborhood like the Pearl District.

Vancouver, BC: City Views

Vancouver is a beautiful city. The city backed against the mountains is amazing. I'm so glad that we were there for such nice weather.

Vancouver, BC: Hotel Pool

We found a great deal online for the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel, which is why we decided to take this trip. The hotel was great and Nora kept calling it the Princess Ariel Castle. The best part though was a wading pool for kids. We had to visit the pool at least once a day. Ronan hadn't been in a pool before, and just like his sister he loved it!

Vancouver, BC: Sea Wall

One of the best parts of Vancouver is Stanley Park. It's HUGE. It has ten miles of "sea wall." It's beautiful with views of the city and the water. There are several parks, a pool, a zoo, beaches, the list goes on and on. In the summer we could spend days here.

Munchkin Playland

Munchkin Playland is a coffee shop for kids in Beaverton (or maybe Hillsboro). At first I was in love with this place because they have coffee and a playground. What more could a mom want? I have to admit that I love the concept. Nora loves reading books here (as she did with my mom) and Ronan doesn't seem to mind hanging out here either. The one draw back is that the owner is always lurking around complaining that he isn't making any money and that his employees aren't working. And now he is charging for Ronan which makes a trip here quite expensive. Special occasions only now.

Indoor Playground

I really have no idea how I would've survived the last two years without our Indoor Playground. We have spent so much time there, and I feel like I haven't taken enough pictures. They recently added some new equipment, including this castle. Nora is standing at the top with a view of the entire gym. I wish that Ronan's eyes were open in the top picture, because he was so happy to be under the castle.

Forward Facing

The view from inside the van! Can you believe I finally turned Nora around? As many of you know, I'm obsessed with rear facing carseats. Jeff finally convinced me that the time had come, even though I protested that it would be safer to keep her rear facing. Really this all came about at Ronan's six month appoinment when we discovered that he was too tall for his infant seat and needed a convertible just like his big sister. If we had kept both kids rear facing, Jeff wouldn't be able to drive the van, and no one would've been able to get into the back seat. So, I really had no choice but to give in to him. Nora seems to like it!

Bath Time

Is there anything cuter than babies taking a bath! Both of our kids love the water and we have to drag them out of the bath tub at the end of the night. After the mess they make eating it's the only way to clean them.

Dinner Time!

Just what everyone has been waiting for- an update on Ronan's eating progress! As you can see, he is beginning to enjoy himself. Apparently sweet potatoes are more fun to eat than oatmeal. And just in case you were wondering, Nora hasn't made much progress when it comes to manners at the dinner table.

Nana is visiting!

We're so happy that Nana is visiting. We lucked out with more beautiful weather today and took advantage of it with a bon fire in the fire pit from Aunt Susu. Nora and Ronan love speding time with Nana!

Johnny Jump Up!

We set up the Johnny Jump Up for Ronan. He loves it! He's always bouncing around it while I am cleaning in the kitchen. I love the picture where he is sticking out his tongue.

Lego Tower!

We have spent a ton of time indoors the past couple of weeks with coughing and runny noses. I can't wait until these kids are healthy and we can start running around Portland again. Even though the kids have little colds, they are otherwise doing great. There has been no lack of energy here! Nora has been building with her legos. She is usually building castles for Princess Ariel, but sometimes they are just tall towers.

Take that California!

Who knew the weather could be so nice in February! Who needs California, we love Portland!

Ronan is 6 months old!

It's hard to believe that Ronan is six months old! Yesterday, at his six month wellness appoinment, Ro tested positive for RSV. It's a common respitory virus in children, but is especially nasty in infants. Fortunetly, it hasn't been too bad for Ronan. He's actually slept better the last few nights than he has in weeks! But, it is highly contagious. We'll be stuck in the house until he is symptom free, which our doctor said might be as long as two weeks.

Aside from this cold, Ronan is doing wonderful. He's actually starting to stand up to Nora. He grabs her hair every chance he gets, and holds on for dear life. Nora loves when I scold him for it. "Ronan, don't pull your big sister's hair. Be a good baby!" There's nothing funnier than Ronan being in trouble for once! I'm looking forward to the day when the two can actually play together. I'll be less mommy and more referee at that point.
As grown up as he's becoming, he's still such a baby. He's actually asleep in my lap right now as I'm typing this. Lucky me.

Magnolia Park

This is seriously the Slide of Death. I could not believe how high it was! Nora loved it.

She's on top of the world! A neighbor told us about this park in Hillsboro, so we had to check it out. All the equipment is brand new and there were a ton of things I hadn't seen before.