Courtney Rocks 'n Rolls at the Marathon!

Courtney ran her first marathon yesterday! She chose to do the inaugural Rock 'n Roll Marathon in Seattle, which was fun for us because we could go cheer her on. I am so proud of her! That's ana amazing accomplishment and she even trained for it all on her own. Wow!

Steps from the finish line...look at that smile!

Showing off her medal with her biggest fan, Kevin.

I was winded from "running"with Kevin from mile 26 to 26.2 - and we took a shortcut! Next year, I'm in for the 1/2 marathon. Just made it official. No turning back...

They're Walking! Em & M at 15 Months

We celebrated 15 months of Emma and Mia in San Diego for Grammy's wedding. Here is what they've been up to:

Learning to WALK! While on vacation, we really had a chance to practice with them. They both took their first significant steps on May 23 - Grammy & Bob's wedding day. I think they wanted to be flower girls! They are easily taking 6-8 steps at a time and are so proud. They hold their heads high and their arms up to show "no hands!" We have a couple toddlers on our hands...the next chapter begins.

Em & M had a great time meeting and playing with new aunts, uncles and cousins at the wedding. They were definitely showing off at the wedding reception - clapping when everyone else did during the toasts. They also became really good a posing and mugging for the camera.

Emma loved the pool once she got used to it. Mia wanted nothing to do with it; she was very fearful and didn't even want to be near it. Looks like we have a fisherwoman and a farmer.

The girls loved watching the ducks at the hotel. There were a few camped out on our lawn each day.

Mia's vacation schedule meant staying up late and sleeping in. Actually, both girls were typically up past their bed time. But they napped fairly well, considering the different environments.

The girls had a great time racing their cars around the hotel suite and Grammy's house. Mia held her chin up high as she ran around with the car.

At the hotel and Grammy's house, the girls practiced climbing stairs. They did a great job and expertly turned around to come back down.

We took many trips to the park because the girls loves playing on the slides, tunnels, see saw and in the sand. We went to San Dieguito park, where I used to play as a kid, although it's much cooler now. We also went to a new playground at the beach, which was fun too.

The girls discovered that climbing on and off the couch at Grammy's is fun. They also loves looking at photo albums of themselves and family; they got so excited! Grammy's dog Katie loved having the girls visit because it meant lots of food scraps.

The girls continue to point at everything and ask "dat?" They are using their sign language skills - "more" is a popular one, and very helpful.

When they're not walking or playing on the playground, their favorite activity is blowing bubbles. Mia can spot a bottle of bubbles from a mile away at the grocery/drug store, and in our house, she can spot them even when they're supposed to be hidden.

Tooth count: 6 for both - 4 top center, 2 bottom center (Emma's are a little further along)

Memorial Day Weekend at Mission Bay

When we weren't preparing for or partaking in wedding festivities, we took advantage of the beautiful setting.  We took a walk to the playground nearby, hung out on the patio with the girls, and took a dip in the pool.

The girls share a snack on the patio.

Matt indulges in a moment of relaxation.  Guarantee it didn't last long.

This is the hotel suite/room we stayed in.  As you can see, the patio - complete with comfy lounge chairs and a fire pit - was a great place to hang out.

And the view from the patio wasn't bad either.  A nice lawn, sidewalk and the beach!  There were two ducks that liked to hang out with us on the lawn.  The girls were fascinated by them. 

We took the girls to the pool for the first time.  We thought for sure they would love it, since they love splashing in the bath so much.  Emma was hesitant at first, but warmed up to the idea.  Mia, on the other hand, was terrified, and didn't even want to look at the pool.  Even though we were at the wading pool, I think the overall atmosphere of the pool area was a bit overwhelming for her. We're going to Lake Chelan in July, so we'll try again. I'm sure she'll warm up to the idea.  

Emma is a bit uneasy at first, but starts splashing around and quickly catches on.  The wading pool was 1 ft deep, so she could touch her feet on the bottom. 

Danielle came to the pool with us to help entertain the girls.  Emma loved having her in the pool to play with, and at one point stole her goggles.

 

After a few minutes, Emma was done with her raft and wanted to be in the pool on her own. She had so much fun walking and splashing in the pool!

Here's Mia.  This was as close as she got to swimming - wearing her bathing suit and playing with her raft in the hotel suite.  

She loved playing peekaboo with the canopy. 

As we left the pool, Matt said you're either a fisherman or a farmer, and it looks like we have one of each! 

Grammy & Bob's Wedding

We were happy to celebrate the wedding of my mom (aka Grammy) and Bob Brice over the Memorial Day weekend in San Diego. Kids and grandkids flew in from Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta and Zurich to spend the long weekend in Mission Bay. It was a lovely setting for a fun-filled weekend. We had a great time with our extended Brice Family.

The Lunds and (soon-to-be) McAlpins pose with Grammy and Bob.

Jeannie & Bob with her girls, Megan & Courtney

Family picture (and possibly our Christmas card photo!) - Megan, Matt, Mia & Emma

Mia had great time socializing with everyone.

Emma kicks her feet up after the wedding.

Believe it or not, the color-coordinated outfits and background were not planned, but a happy accident. The girls were hamming it up during the photo shoot, playing to the crowd egging them on.

Great shot of Emma, trying to snag the camera to get a shot of her own.

Mia poses on the patio after kicking the soccer ball around.

Emma and Mia kick the ball around.

Dinner time! We had a lovely post-wedding dinner outside at Acqua restaurant at the hotel. It was way past the girls' bedtime, but they were troopers!

Syttende Mai 2009

The annual Syttende Mai Parade took place in Ballard today. It runs right in front of our house, so it's the perfect excuse to have friends over. We invited Norwegians and non-Norwegians alike to enjoy the festivities with us from our front yard. Like last year, the sun was shining and it was a great day for a parade!

Guests included the Roddas, Grimes, Hendersons, Puzons, Policars, and the girls' beloved nurse, Linda, and her daughter (and city council candidate) Jessie.

The girls' wagon is all decked out for the parade.

THe Rodda family enjoys the marching band from our front yard.

Jack Rodda was so excited, he decided to join the parade! (He's the short one in the plaid shorts.)

Matt decided to join the parade, too, when he found out Sig Hansen from "The Deadliest Catch" was part of the festivities. Matt brought Emma with him as bait (pun intended) to get a picture with Sig. As you can tell, Sig was less than thrilled, and Emma was a bit unsure.

Back on the lawn, Cassius and Jack savored the lollipops thrown out by parade participants. Yum!

Mia and Emma were sharing a snack at the table with Marina, when Marina decided Emma should have the entire bowl full of strawberries in her face. I just happened to be taking a photo of the three girls when this happened. Classic!

Nodic skiiers. They must have been burning up in those outfits!

Mia and Emma take in the scenery from the front lawn.

Emma stays cool with her sun hat.

Mia tears into a snack that doesn't belong to her.

The Lund Four after a great day with friends!

Mother's Day Weekend

Grandma and Grandpa Lund and Uncle Pete joined us for the weekend.  We had a great time soaking up the sun, going out to dinner for Pete's birthday, and enjoying a wonderful Mother's Day brunch on Sunday.  Janis paid a visit too.

Mom and her girls - Emma and Mia. (Compare this pic to last year's in the blog archive. What a difference a year makes!)

Mom and Grandma Donna pose with the girls.

Chillin' on the front steps on a sunny day.

Our little stairclimbers.

Off to the playground. Em & M love the slide!

Emma - look at that blonde hair!

Mia smiles in the sun.

Em and M enjoy a backyard picnic.

14 Month Happenings

The girls love:

• dancing to music - the shake their head and do a cabbage patch-like dance
• clapping - with songs, for each other, for others, just because
• giving "5" or "10"
• going on the slide, but not the swings
• wagon rides
• pushing their cars, stealing cars from each other
• looking at books
• pulling all the books off the bookshelf
• climbing the stairs
• Sesame Street
• calling mama and dada - they now associate the names with us!

Tooth count:

• Emma - 3: two bottom front, center + 2 coming in up top
• Mia - 2.5: two bottom front, center + 2 very new ones coming in up top

About Emma

• Points at things and says "da? da!" (that)
• Loves singing in the car and at home - I get serenaded on the way to work
• Loves painting
• Favorite toy at school: a little piano
• We call her Shoe-dini because she hasn't met a shoe she can't get off her foot
• Enjoys taking all the books off of the shelves, and emptying her clothes bins onto the floor

About Mia

• Very focused on learning to walk and practcing
• Does not like finger painting
• Figured out how to prolong bedtime by wanting just a little more of her bottle
• Likes hearing her voice vibrate while riding in the wagon and going over bumps
• Enjoys opening kitchen cabinet doors
• Likes hanging upside down