It's Been Too Long

We've been slow on our posting lately so here are some updates.

Last Saturday we drove up to Park City/ Heber. It was nice to get up in the mountains and fresh air. We've been having something called an inversion here in Salt Lake which basically means the air isn't too great. We had lunch in Heber at the Dairy Keen (yes that isn't a typo). It is a super cool place full of trains- one is even on a track up high that loops all around the place. Kai was in heaven. Here he is by one of the ones outside.

On Feb. 11 Kai will turn 18 months old which means that he gets to officially start going to Nursery at Church. We have 3 nursery classes in our building which is tons. The class the he will be going in to only has 2 kids in it right now because there are several kids right around Kai's age that will be adding to it over the next few months. So, the nice teachers have been letting Kai come check it out for the last few weeks. So far, Kai goes running in to the room and doesn't even look back for his Dad or I. They have tons of toys, music time, stories, a lesson, and they even get a snack so he thinks it is great. We just hope that this keeps up. On Sunday he was in there the whole time. So far so good.

In other Kai news he is currently obsessed with puzzles. We got him a few new ones and he already has them mastered. He can do them faster than I can. :)
I finally have accomplished a few projects that have been on my list forever. Yesterday, I was feeling quite handy when I pulled out the tool box and got a few things done- re-setting some door handles, adjusting my closet bars etc. What I am really excited about is I FINALLY got our London album and Kai's 1st year album done. Kai has a baby book too, but this book is just pictures. We have taken tons of pictures of him but have only gotten a few developed because they have all been digital. Now I just need to work on getting our family album updated.

Gymnastics

Last night we went to the gymnastics meet at the University of Utah. If you have never been to a college gymnastics meet I would highly recommend getting to one. Gymnastics is big at the U and that is super cool. At the beginning they do an introduction much like you see at an NBA game to introduce the players- spotlights, music, pyrotechnics etc. They also have cheerleaders, a strong large cheering crowd (note the top picture for an idea), a pep band, grown men leading cheers in between events etc. It is really quite the experience. I grew up doing club and then high school gymnastics so you know I love it, but anyone who enjoys a sports atmoshpere (men and women) would think this was fun. This year the University of Utah hosts the NCAA's which is also pretty cool.

It started snowing again late this afternoon. We haven't had snow since the last time I posted about it so we are enjoying a cozy Saturday night indoors. Snow is so much more wonderful when you are enjoying it from the inside of a warm room.

Give a Boy an Inch ...

And he takes a mile.

But give a boy a wicker basket, and he turns it into his own personal playpen.

Keeps Coming Down

It has been snowing since we got up this morning. Here is a picture of Kai checking it out from the warmth of inside our front door. As I'm writing this it seems to be coming down even harder and at an angle.

Such A Boy!

Kai loves cars and planes. He figured out how to work this one that has a little kick to it when you give it a push. He is such a boy!

Last night we watched the football game on tv and monitored the Malibu fire on the internet. The fire was actually very close to Pepperdine but on the other side of PCH. We have spent a bunch of time on Old Malibu Road and the small beach it borders. The homes on that road are big beautiful mansions that are right on the sand. It was sad to watch it last night.

Happy Birthday Cousin Kennedy!

Cousin Kennedy turned 2 yesterday so happy birthday wishes to her. Sorry we couldn't join you to celebrate today. Hope you are having fun and we'll see you soon.

Sick Boys

A little less than 24 hours after we got back from CA Kai began to throw up. This was the first time we had ever seen him throw up. The cycle has been throwing up one day, acting fine but weary of food for the next day or two, and then throwing up and starting the cycle over again. Sunday morning (3:30am)was the last round of throw up so we are sure hoping that we are finally getting over this awful thing. The strangest part is how fine he seems on the days right before he throws up again- laughing, playing etc. Yesterday, Lance decided to finally join in and feel sick too. So needless to say it has been a long week. Here are the boys having a saltine, juice, and soup snack today.

Christmas Take 2

We had a fabulous Sorenson Christmas on Thursday night. Great company, super yummy fondue, lots of things/ people to play with, and lots of presents. A fun time was had by all. Here is an action shot which shows what it is like to celebrate with 4 kids under the age of 3 and a picture of Kai with his newest treasure from the night.

Clap Those Hands

Here is Kai first getting to break in to his other new Leapfrog toy- it has legs it can stand on or it can be flat like this. As you can tell he was very excited. Yeah for toys that make learning fun!

Merry Christmas

We had a great trip and Christmas Day in San Diego. We spent the last few days in San Diego enjoying the great weather, going to Sea World, going to Church, talking to great-grandparents in IL on the phone, enjoying great feasts prepared by my Mom, and watching Kai dance and play. Kai was apparently a very good boy this year because he was swimming in cool gifts- a bike, tons of puppy stuff, some super neat Leapfrog stuff, and on and on. In my family we go around in a circle opening gifts. Since Kai is the youngest he gets to go first. When it would return to him he would often seem a bit confused about having to put down his latest tressure to go on to the next. The present part of Christmas really is so much more fun with little ones around.

We flew back to SLC late Christmas night and are now looking forward to our second Christmas celebration with Lance's family tomorrow. Lance and his 2 siblings all have spouses from out of state so this year we were all able to coordinate our holiday schedules. It is nice to be able to stretch out the holiday a little longer after all the anticipation.

We've enjoyed getting home and finding more holiday cards giving us updates and photos from friends from the different adventures life has taken us on so far. It is great to hear what everyone is up to. We feel very blessed.

Sunny San Diego

Lance joined us last night and boy was it great to see him. Today we hung out at a park by the ocean, ate some yummy food and just had fun hanging out. Another beautiful day in sunny San Diego.

San Diego

Kai and I arrived in San Deigo on Sunday afternoon. We are having a good time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Whitney. Yesterday we went to the Poinsettia Bowl- Kai's 2nd Poinsettia Bowl. Kai is already swimming in toys and we haven't even had Christmas yet. That is the joy of being the oldest/ only grandchild I guess.

Santa

We had our Church Christmas Breakfast this morning.

Santa made a visit.

In theory Santa is super wonderful. In reality Santa is super scary.

Christmas Prep

Last weekend we put up our Christmas decorations and Kai has been loving it. So far he has been fairly gentle with the tree and ornaments which has been a bit of a surprise. He loves helping Lance water the tree- he gets down just like Lance and likes to look like he's doing something important under there.

Last night the 3 of us had dinner with Wes and Amy and then went and looked at the lights at the Gateway and Temple Sqaure. It was great- not too cold and beautiful. Afterward we went back to their house to check out Wes's new under the tree Christmas train. Kai thought it was super cool.

It hasn't snowed here since we got back from our Thanksgiving trip so Kai and I have really been hoping that it would before we leave for San Diego. After Kai's bath tonight he and I took a look out the front door window to do a snow check and it was snowing. YEAH! We took this picture of Kai looking which we think turned out really great. So.....let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Kai's Latest Stats

Head Circumference - 60th percentile
Weight - 50th percentile
Height - Off the chart

And, best news of the day, Kai is expecting a baby boy cousin in April. "Finally, someone littler than me."

Was that your tummy rumbling?

On Thanksgiving morning we were sitting by the beach when a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck, the epicenter of which was virtually right under us. I've heard earthquakes before in the sense of windows rattling and what not- but this one I really felt - my chair was bouncing along the ground. Anyway, no tsunami warning, thank goodness, I wasn't up for a swim.

I'm impressed with modern structural engineering - a 6.3 magnitude struck the same spot about a month ago, and we are more worried about the damage the little cousins could do to the place than the earthquake. I guess nothing is completely earthquake-proof, but its nice to know that modern buildings are relatively safe.

Home Again

We're all back in UT safe and sound. We had a fabulous time in HI and tried to soak up as much of the warmth as possible. Lance's parents accompanied Kai and I on the red-eye trip home. Once again he was quite the little traveler. We had to fly from Kona to Honolulu and then from Honolulu to SLC. The first flight went by quick with the help of some of his favorite puppy boooks. Then on the long flight he fell asleep as we were taking off and woke up about 10 minutes before we landed. I was very grateful. We returned to snow on the ground in UT which has really helped put me in the mood for Christmas.

Many thanks to Lance's parents for a magical trip. Kai had a great time playing with his cousins Jake, Kennedy, and Emmeline. His favorite memories are probably swimming, playing at the Beach Club, the Turtle (which he says quite clearly), the boat ride at the Hilton, the kid fridge, riding in the elevator at the Condo, and anything he did with his cousins- "Come on Emmyieee, it will be fun to go in the water I promise".

Turtle

Today we were swimming in the ocean and this turtle swam up right on to the shore.

Some Sample Pictures

Lance is back to work in UT, but Kai and I are still enjoying the good life in HI. Here are a few sample pictures from our trip.

Happy Birthday Lance!

Happy Birthday Lance!

We hope that this is a great start to another exciting year of life for you. How nice to get to celebrate in such a fun place.

We love you very much!