The Crane Fly Incident

(Note: this is a very rare Steph blog post!  Originally written in cursive on a sheet of paper... very old fashioned like)

Today as I walked toward Kenzie's classroom to pick her up from school, her teacher (trying hard not to laugh) said "ask Mackenzie what she has in her pocket."  I did as I was instructed, resulting in a devious little grin.  Teacher Cathy said "Mackenzie, tell your Mom what you have in your pocket!".  I knelt down to Kenzie's response: "A CRANE FLY!!"

Our sweet little ballerina has a HUGE love for all creatures, big and small.  Not just butterflies, but slugs, snails, beetles, snakes... all of it!  So, when I began to explain to her that we needed to release the crane fly when we got outside, she burst into tears before I could finish.  "No, no, noooo!"

When I finally convinced her that the crane fly would have a better life outside her pocket than death inside her pocket, we walked outside and slowly unzipped her jacket pocket to find: 3 pieces of bark, a few rocks, a leaf, some grass and dirt, and finally a crane fly came tumbling out.  We couldn't find him, so he must have "flown away", right?

Snowpocalypse 2011

Snow finally came!  After our early Thanksgiving snowstorm, the kids have been sorely disappointed in old man winter.  Finally, snow arrived...  5 inches to be exact.  Just enough to do some sledding, build a snowman, and go on a nice winter hike on our neighborhood trail.  I took the day off and played in the snow all day with the kids, Steph, and Smokey.  Once again, Jackson and Kenzie both declared it the funnest day ever.  This is becoming a frequent phrase, so I guess we are doing something right:)

Catching snowflakes

Jackson quote: "What are we going to do about THIS?!?"

Ready for a big day!

Backyard snowscape 

Our snowy house 

Kenzie's best effort at a snowball

The kids with Frosty the Snowman

Steph and I with Snowy the Frostman.  We agreed to disagree on his name with the kids.  Jackson was the photographer here.  Nice work buddy!

The unimpressed expression notwithstanding, Smokey had a great time playing in the snow. 

Lovely snow hike on the neighborhood trail

Snow queen

Daddy - Kenzie ballet date day!

On Saturday I was blessed to be able to take my little girl on a special Dad - daughter date day.  Steph and I love our one on one time with the kids, as it allows us to slow things down and really focus our attention on each of them.  While Kenzie and I were out, Steph and Jackson had a Mom & kid sports day, going to his basketball practice and later to the Huskies basketball game.

For our date day, I took Mackenzie to lunch at the Edgewater Hotel, followed by the Cinderella Ballet in Seattle.  I tried to make everything fancy, and even if certain things weren't fancy, I told her they were.  She loved it!   I dressed her up in her special Disney Cinderella dress, complete with "glass" slippers, tiara, and wand.  I dressed up in a suit and let her help pick out my tie and put on my cuff links.  When I explained that cuff links (which she calls cup leafs) are like jewelry for boys, she was thrilled.

Lunch at the Edgewater was divine.  We valet parked, and got a table right on the water.  Everybody we passed complimented her and commented on what a beautiful princess she was.  I got several nods of approval and one thumbs up! 

After her lunch of "fancy" grilled cheese sandwiches, we moved on to the ballet.  We lucked into front row seats, so Mackenzie had a perfect view of the action!  The ballet was beautiful, and the nice thing about it being Cinderella was that she was able to understand the storyline, as she knows this story by heart.  Mackenzie was enchanted by the dancers, and I spied her in the corner of my eye moving her arms like the ballerinas several times.

She only needed to lie down on my lap for a few minutes during the second act, and she made it all the way to the end, aided by a power snack during the second intermission.  When the final act closed to Cinderella being twirled by Prince Charming as blue sparkles snowed down, Mackenzie clapped enthusiastically, a beautiful end to a day we will hold in our hearts forever!

Lunch with the princess at the Edgewater

So excited for the big day!!

Ready for the ballet!!

Self portrait during the first internission

A power snack of gingerbread cookies and orange soda brings a smile

Princess Mackenzie aglow after the ballet!

Princess Kenzie

Pic's from a recent playdate with Mackenzie's friend Addie, as well as some pics after going to Addie's birthday party, where the girls got special hair-do's!

Perfect prep for next Saturday's Daddy - Kenzie date day: Cinderella Ballet!!

Christmas morning + January

Just catching up here....

We had a fun Christmas and the kids are making very good use of their new Wii.  The whole family has become addicted to DJ Hero!  Sadly, I struggle to beat Steph, which makes no sense to anyone.  Jackson is amazing at it and has a new appreciation for DJ's.  Kenzie is the best mixing and scratching 4 year old I know!

The other hit gift is the espresso machine I got Steph.  Productivity in the Werner household is up significantly with the regular access to caffeine.  Starbucks' stock is taking a hit however.

Writing a letter to go with Santa's cookies and milk!

Jackson discovers that Santa came!

Kenzie's in on the good news too!

New Belle dress!

Anakin Skywalker space ship

Kenzie's new American Girl doll Molly, in her salon chair 

Wii bowling master

Jackson is back into it with skiing lessons again, spending his afternoons on the mountain with his good buddy Keegan.  Keegan's sister Addy hangs with Kenzie in the lodge while the boys ski, although Mackenzie did put on some skis last Wednesday for the first time, enjoying a few slides down the hill!

Jackson and Keegan hit the slopes

Big snowball!!

Finally, Jackson is playing organized basketball for the first time (I'm using the word organized very liberally).  Yesterday he had his first game.  Unlike his soccer season, when Jackson never got to experience the glory of scoring a goal, Jackson scored about 30 seconds into his first game, and scored the first 2 baskets for his team!  He was so excited and proud of himself!

Practicing his jump shot

battling for position!