Belated Birthday...

On December 9th, Linden turned 3... and we had a modest party planned for her with just a couple of friends. Unfortunately she woke up that morning with a fever and was unable to shake it all day.

Although we had to cancel the party with the friends, she was still up for a little cake and carousing in the evening w/ the family.



As you can see, she likes to wish "Happy Birthday" as much as she like to receive it! And yes, she was still in her pajamas...

Family Photos

We've never really done the whole "family portraits" thing before... in the past, friends and family had taken pictures of us, which in turn became our Christmas Cards, blog postings, etc...

Well, we finally had the opportunity to do an official photo shoot with an old friend from college who visited us in mid October. His name is Bryan Wiepert and we are very excited and pleased at how they turned out! If you're ever in the Portland, Oregon area, look him up!

Here is a sampling of some of our favorites!

Moment of Pure Joy

Maybe moreso on the part of dad than daughter... But regardless, it was fun teaching Linden how to use the "big girl swing"!

Thank you Obachan!

Thanks for my new friend Ashleigh!



Showing Ashleigh her new favorite TV show: Word World


And yes, that is a bear praying... and one in a kimono...

Hammer time!

I debated whether to add a music track to this video, but felt that it could stand on it's own.

During this one evening, Linden decided that dancing was more appealing than going to bed...

I have to agree!

So to continue our dancing theme...

Dancing Fool

Linden has developed quite a love of dancing. 

Well, let me qualifiy.  Her definition of dancing usually includes a combination of lots, and lots, and lots, of tiny turns in a circle, peppered with LOTS of lifts from whoever is dancing with her.  It's more like a jungle-gym moment. And it's dizzy-making for the adult.

Side-note: when did I get so old that two turns in a circle makes me sit-down-dizzy!? Wrinkles, bags, aches, gray hairs... I expected these. But must I lose my equillibrium too? Oh, the humanity.

Ok, back to my dancing girl. The only time she will dance by herself, and without the relentless spinning, is when she does her "crazy dance."

During a recent trip to the Mission rose garden Brian caught it on video. Please enjoy.

This and That

A little of this. A little of that. Nothing co-hesive or pre-meditated. Just felt like posting a few of these pics I took with my phone (usually to capture a moment to show Dad at the end of the day).

Linden is really coming into her little personality these days and it's SO much fun to see and discover. Here she is chilling outside on our patio. She decided she wanted to be outside, put on her glasses, grabbed a blanket and pillow and proceeded to... "chill."

Then there are the outfits. Oh my, does this girl L-O-V-E playing dress up. She takes a very active role in getting dressed every morning. She loves shopping for clothes and observing and commenting on other people's clothes (thankfully she's very complimentary so far). Almost every time I put on a skirt or a dress she tells me "Oh Mommy, you're a beautiful princess!" She is constantly dressing her baby dolls, and even tries to dress Otto from time to time. We have a girly girl on our hands. It's official.

The latest look for the season... princess top, tutu skirt and large red flower clip. Magnifique.

And the pink ensemble (she will tell you all day long that PINK is her favorite.) Pink pearls are always appropriate... for staying in, and going out.

Until next season....

Life's a Beach!

With all the great weather we experienced last week, Kacy and Linden got to spend a few days soaking in the sun at the beach!

Here's a picture of Linden and her buddy Logan determining who will carry the bucket once it's filled up...


(Thanks to Logan's mom Jess, for her mad iPhone photographic skills.)

Fun in the Snow

Although a month late, we are finally posting some pictures of our adventure up to Tahoe last month. We ventured up with two other families and their kids and had a great week of fun and relaxation.

It was Linden's first time in the snow... and boy was there a lot of it!

This is literally the first thing Linden did when she touched the snow.


It wasn't long before she was enjoying some sledding...


Then Dad pushed the envelope a little further with a faster model...


And pushed it too far...


Someone was not pleased.


Kacy got in on the action!


About halfway through our trip, it started to dump!!! About 5+ feet in 2 days!


What better thing to do than to venture out onto the slopes??? (a big mistake for a novice)


Better weather meant better skiing. Kacy and I got to enjoy Valentines day on the slopes!


We enjoyed a short hike along Lake Tahoe one afternoon. (I know Linden looks absurd... absurdly cute.)


Here's a picture of the group. An awesome week, with awesome people!

Snow!

We were lucky enough to spend a week up in Tahoe last week. And boy did we get dumped on!! During our last 3-4 days we experienced about a 5-7 foot pile up!!!

Prior to that, Linden got her first sled ride... that subsequently resulted in a small crash. And as you can tell from the video, the snow was pretty icy!

The video is of her 2nd ride. After much coaxing, dad was able to convince her that he was going to be much more careful this time around...



Whoops...

Sassy singing...

I know I'm skipping Christmas here, but yesterday was my (Brian's) birthday... AND Linden gifted me this precious moment that I am so glad to have caught on video.

Typically she shys from the camera, but I was able to sneakily film unbeknownst to her. Enjoy...



Let's just say she learned her singing (and head/hand motions) from her Mommy...