Dylan Blue & Cole Torin: March 2013

Nana's Birthday

The boys are always amazing us...yes Cole is playing Boggle in the picture. He doesn't really like to play with other people...but he will sit and try to find words to write down!

Here is a pack of boys to watch out for!

And here is the prime suspect! This was all inspired by Dylan. Don't exactly know where he learned about the gangster look!!?? But he thought it looked cool!

Nana came down for a visit to celebrate her birthday. We had a nice day or two so her and Cole got to work digging and planting peas in our garden.

Singing Happy Birthday to Nana and her gluten free volcano cake!

Nana and her guys!!

One day Mom and the headed up to Portland for a day of adventures. We first ate lunch at Elephant Delicatessen (yum!), then we hit the theater and watched "Seussical the Musical" (great costumes) and then went for a stroll and had tea at the Chinese Gardens in downtown Portland.

The boys were most excited about the Chinese Garden since they had been studying about China and the Chinese New Year Celebrations.

They kept commenting about how much work these paths must have taken to make since they are made out of very small pebbles.

We had tea and Chinese sweet treats at the tea house.

Tried our hand at a few Chinese characters.

And enjoyed the beautiful day together!

Winter activities

A fun winter activity we like to partake in...making fresh pasta!

Here Dylan is making his dough into the shape of a chicken.

Way to work that dough!!

Kneading the dough is the best part of the activity!!

Work it boys!

We also like to do art projects on rainy days...which are plentiful! So much so that Dylan is becoming a bird painting expert!

It was actually quite in the house...for about 10 minutes!

Cole working on an activity book Dad brought home from the National Gallery of Art from DC.

Spending a day off in Portland,where we learned all about...

...Dutch Babies! We've been making them ever since Aunt Julie!!

And reading is always a favorite.

Never knew as a parent that I would have to say "stop reading", "no you can't read while you are walking down the sidewalk", "stop reading so you can get out of the car and go into school" or "no reading at the table"

One wintry morning, mom got to sleep in a bid and came out to this scene...Dad and the boys playing Chess, drinking tea out of tea cups and saucers and some Chinese music playing in the background.

It was truly a delight!

Holidays

Well I guess we took a small break from the blogging world...but we're back! With the last installment of holiday photos.

Cole was so excited to get this HUGE nutcracker from Dylan for Christmas. He said it was his favorite gift!

Bountiful bag of mushrooms from Nana for Christmas. The boys loved making the humidity chamber for the mushrooms, sprayed them with water everyday, and helped harvest the mushrooms...but we still couldn't get them to eat them!

Dylan also loved the cool alien legos that Cole got him for Christmas.

Yes. They are wearing matching Christmas PJ's! But they are so cute!!

They do like each other!!

Cole loves Qwirkle!!

Grandma's stockings are always fun to open!!

Hanging out with the cousins at Grandma's house.

More cousins means more stockings to open!

Needless to say both Dylan and Cole were besides themselves with excitement when they each got a HUGE lego set from their cousins for Christmas!

Cole, cousin Miles and Aunt Pernille relaxing on the couch together.

Dad and Dylan...a couple of happy guys!

Cole couldn't put down his Big big big book of Tashi that he got from Grammy Carol! He is almost done in this picture and had just opened the book that morning!