Sydney and her food...

... don't get in her way! Sydney is picky when she chooses to be, but in general she is a good eater. When she loves it, she doesn't mess around! PS. She's also pretty good with a cup like a big girl but really likes straws.

feeding the ducks

We went with some friends to feed the ducks. The girls loved it, although I think Sydney loved eating the bread more than sharing the bread. Silly girl!

Oh, the love!

Don't get me wrong, it's not all roses and chocolate with these two but they DO love each other SO much! We are so excited for the best friends they are already, and the relationship that will develop and deepen over the years. They are super different in personality and temperament but I really do think they complement each other, and will help each other stretch and grow. Lately all I hear is: "Sydney, play with me! C'mon Syd - play with me!" Sydney is so content to just wander and do her own thing. 

Love these girls!!

{pictures from April 2012}

hideout!

One day I helped Seoul build a fort and then every day after that she wanted to keep building more. Our rolltop desk has the space for a chair so I capitalized on that - used the card table to set up next to it so there was an extra hidey hole for the girls. It was pretty dark so they didn't like it until Kelley introduced the lantern and flashlight. Once it was up Sydney would run and hide in there. Good times!

North Bend Visit

We took a day (in April) and made the drive to North Bend to visit family. {Grandma} Dubbee, Aunt Klorissa, Uncle AJ, and cousin Cason [and Buddy the dog] live there. Aunt Kendy and Ken were also able to come down for part of the day also so it was a fun family day!

Cason is getting to be such a big kid and we're so glad to see him! We got to check out their new digs - they have a pretty cool back yard with a huge tree that makes a fort. The cousins warmed up to each other pretty quickly even though we haven't been able to see them as often as we'd like. It made us happy to see them playing together!

{Grandma} Dubbee has a new place we could check out also - it's so cute! Seoul discovered the funny rocking pig - hilarious! Dubbee also had another Easter egg hunt and baskets for the kids - heaven for them. Sydney gathered candy and cared less about the eggs - ha!

Check out this awesome candy face.

We hit the beach and the weather was decent. Sand castles, holes, and water - a kid's paradise. We all had so much fun! Sydney is a champ - she totally face-planted multiple times but it didn't phase her one bit... eating sand and still going. Love that girl!

Last but not least dinner at a favorite family restaurant: Kum-Yon's.

We love our family! Chances to get together are such happy times!

Easter Extravaganza 2012

Easter was so fun with the girls! Every day leading up to it Seoul would talk about the Easter Bunny, and not wanting to do a picture, and memories from last year. Their pure joy and excitement makes being parents and hosting holidays all worth it.

Event #1 - Easter Egg Hunt at Hope Village

There were lots of kids this year but both girls were in the same age grouping so that was nice. Sydney was pretty satisfied with the two that she got - one for each hand! Seoul was a bit nervous to get started but then had fun gathering. The girls loved the chocolate! It's such a nice little community event that isn't too overwhelming for the young kids.  

{I do have a small gripe about parents gathering eggs by the handfuls for their kids. Not that I think my girls need any more eggs but that isn't so fun for the kids. The announcers even said multiple times that the kids should be the one gathering eggs!}

Event #2 - Coloring Easter Eggs

Our friend, Amy, joined in the fun but somehow she didn't make any of our pictures - oops! Seoul had a lot of fun doing the eggs on her own. Independent girl! We got the kit that had glitter so that was exciting. Sydney wanted to do her own eggs so badly, and had fun with the ones she could help with.

Event #3 - Traditional Easter Bunny Photo

Thriftway here in town does photos and hands out a little goody bag. Every year there are tears and this year was no exception. There was no line so the girls didn't have time to warm up. Both girls cried. Loudly. Seoul even tried to run away. Oh, the memories!

Event #4 - EASTER DAY!!!

Seoul came into our room SO excited asking if the Easter Bunny had come! We got up but we had to wake Sydney (notice her sleepy expression). The baskets were fun yet simple and the girls LOVED what was inside. While they were inspecting those, Seoul noticed there were eggs everywhere... what a novel concept! They went to town and had fun collecting. Sydney even was totally into it although she kept sitting down trying to open the eggs because she knew candy was inside. They got a good haul - no complaints from mom & dad either - haha!

I'm pretty excited about the Easter skirts this year. I wanted simple (since of course I waited until the last minute) and Seoul loves skirts lately. My mom made Sydney's and I made Seoul's. Seoul picked out the fabrics, and I think they turned out darling!

After church we caught a few family pictures. Of course we have to include the silly face photo that Seoul never lets us forget. We are a cute family, yes?? Too bad I couldn't get any of the girls together - still trying to figure out how to get two kids to stand and look at me simultaneously.

One of my favorite pictures. Seoul is so beautiful in her joy and innocence!

Event #5 - 2nd Easter Egg Hunt

More Easter treats for the girls from Uncle David and Aunt Ashley! Plus Uncle David hid more eggs outside for the girls so that made Seoul ecstatic! They didn't like picking up the hard-boiled eggs, though, because they were wet so the color bled a bit. They wanted to keep going but the eggs ran out. 

Another favorite picture. Sydney is so beautiful in her own enthusiasm and innocence. 

Event #6 - Easter Dinner

This year my mom hosted our family, Mindee, and a friend for a yummy ham dinner. No pictures of the delish food, but I did get one of the Easter basket cake I made for dessert. I think it turned out cute and was super simple. It was fun to visit and relax and make more memories. The girls love the piano and being silly!

Happy Easter! It was a beautiful time to spend with family and make memories. It was extra special to watch Seoul and Sydney interact - Seoul sharing with Sydney and making sure she was having fun also. Such a lovely remembrance of our Savior Jesus Christ and why we celebrate Easter.