Monday, April 22, 2013

Playing Catch-Up . . . Again

As usual, I'm behind, so here's a smattering of snapshots and stories from the past few weeks. First, a couple of Oma and Opa with Tor:

Learning to pass

Pajamarama!!

New blanket, blanket cover, and pillowcase = instanap (thanks, Oma!)

Party's at our place, kids

Helping DaDa with Saturday breakfast







































































































































































Tor finally repeated his January achievement of pooping on the potty, so as Lars had been promising him for weeks, we took him out for ice cream. The kind where you get to choose your own toppings. Turns out he's more of a fruit guy than a chocolate guy, but he picked a healthy mix of options.

"Hey, this is soy froyo, not ice cream! No more toilet for me!"
Taking his seat at the Super Friends table


Fisherd

A chance to dance sans pants





I mustered my courage to hook up the bike trailer while Lars was at a conference in Vienna, and over the course of the week, I took Tor to day care, all over the neighborhood, and to a nearby regional park where we enjoyed a picnic and wildlife-viewing.
Tor was not even a little bit intimidating

Ready for our "hike"

Trawling for reeds

Falafel fiend

Also during Lars's absence, Tor and I enjoyed a visit with Mormor. We got deli sandwiches for a picnic at the park and Tor tuckered himself out.
Lower math

He groused until Mormor would take a turn

Did not want to leave his "fairy house" 

Five minutes after our departure

We got together with a few moms and kids from our Bible study at a local park.
Inventing a tetherball/dodgeball hybrid

Unequally yoked on the teeter-totter

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Easter Retrospective


Tor's Easter week involved--count 'em--FOUR egg hunts: one with our mommy-and-me music group, one at Little Hugs day care, one at church, and one at our house after church. Fortunately for my data storage fees and this blog's reader attrition, we just have pictures of the ones at Little Hugs and our place.

At day care, Sonia helped each kid dye a hard-boiled egg with his or her name written on it in crayon. Then she released them to hunt for the plastic eggs hidden in the backyard, each with a treat inside.

"Pink for the 'Tor' egg, please."

It's a fine line between excitement and concern about what's
going to happen when those eggs come out

"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!"

Circle of life: stuffing a chick with eggs


Too busy flirting to mug for the silly picture
Once the Sunday school egg hunt concluded, we took Tor home for an Easter brunch with Oma, Opa, Tim, Caitlin, Christina, and Caleb--the Oregon branch had rolled into town the previous Friday for our cousin Paul's wedding. Tor had been consuming Easter books voraciously for the week before Easter, so he was excited about celebrating the actual holiday. (Although it turns out that the Resurrection is hard to explain to a two-year-old, he got into the idea that we were happy Jesus is alive.)

Both awesomely and bizarrely, Superman and his pup Krypto were introduced into the mix when Tor opened a package from Ah-Bee and Pakka. After helping them punch through a brick wall, Tor conscripted them to hunt eggs with him. He ended up being a little disappointed that in our yard, far more eggs contained stickers than candy, but since we'd rehidden a few from the previous hunts, at least there were some hidden treats.

"WHOOOOOA"

"Leaping lizards, a superpunch feature!"
The mounted portion of the hunt didn't last long

Please don't call Child Protective Services

Opa with the assist


Inspecting the goods

By the way, photo credits go to DaDa for these
"THIS ONE HAS CANDY, MAMA?"

Eagle-eyeing the next target

Superman and Krypto were fading by this point

But Tor was still up for another version of the Easter story