Soren Update November 28

Dear Family,

Once again, the month has FLOWN right by! Things are going along normally - Erik is still busy with school and running, and Soren and I are still busy playing volleyball and learning new words. I'm going to sum up this month in pictures this

time.

Soren LOVES broccoli. I haven't had to trick him into liking veggies, it just comes naturally to him. I cracked up when I left him in his chair with a snack of broccoli, and turned around to see that he had fallen asleep in his high chair while eating it. That brings us to the whole different topic of the napping issue, but I will spare you the details! Let's just say I was HAPPY he fell asleep in his chair, because at least that counts as a nap.

Soon after this incident, I caught Soren with the entire bag of broccoli. My local grocery store sells broccoli ready to cook in a microwaveable bag (I love you Fresh and Easy). He was carrying it around the house like a bag of potato chips and snacking.

Our month was uneventful up until last Saturday, when my sister, Steph, arrived to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We had a great time cooking and shopping. Erik's dad, Larry, arrived on Tuesday morning. Erik was at work on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we decided to go to South Mountain park to go for an easy walk with Soren. Soren had a great time as long as he got to do his own thing. Unfortunately, he wanted to wander off the trail & stay in one spot watching ants, neither of which fit into my plans. We had a lovely battle of wills in the park, and I am just thankful that the only people there to witness Soren's tantrums were his aunt and papa, who will hopefully forgive him for being a pill sometimes! He loved the bridge when he stomped on it: BOOM BOOM BOOM!

And he loved throwing rocks, there were plenty around.

Thanksgiving dinner was a lot of work, but with Steph around to help me, things went great! I love cooking that meal. It never turns out bad and I love all the food you only get once a year: stuffing, cranberry sauce, whipped yams... yummy!
This morning I dropped Steph off at the airport. I was surprised at how sad I felt to send her off; I will be spending more time with her in just a couple of weeks. I really cherish the relationship we have built over the years. I never imagined you would be one of my best friends when we were younger, Stephi! I love you!

When I got home, we packed up and headed out for Enchanted Park. It is a tiny amusement park located in beautiful Encanto Park in downtown Phoenix.

Larry spoiled Soren with lots of tickets, so he got to ride as many rides as he wanted. He started out on the cars. I thought Soren would be scared of his first ride, especially since he rode it all by himself, but he wasn't scared at all!

He drove the car like a pro, and screamed when Erik came to take him off when the ride was over.

Here is a little live footage of Soren's first amusement park ride:

Next, the boys all rode the spinning cups together. They got spinning really fast before Soren started to get scared. I could see him mouthing, "Mommy, Mommy", but I felt pretty helpless on the side. Papa tried to console him, and Erik slowed down the spinning. That wasn't Soren's cup of tea (ha ha ha - pun from Erik).


The next ride Soren tried was the bumper boats. He had spinning the wheel down, but he mostly spun himself in circles. That ride looked fun! Too bad there is a height maximum, I would have liked to try it.

Papa and Soren took a ride on the train next. It had a whistle and bells, and Soren was very solemn while he rode it, but I know he had a great time. He is still talking about the choo choo.

Look at the "tick tocks" (the dials)!

Getting ready for the ride

Soren rode the cars one more time, but after that he was ready to go. We tried to get him to ride the boats again, but he wasn't into that idea!

We dropped Larry off at the airport this afternoon, and Soren went down for a nap shortly afterward and slept for 3 hours. He really enjoyed his guests and didn't want to miss a thing while they were here!

I hope you all had a beautiful thanksgiving. We had a great visit. I am so thankful we were able to have some family in town, and I really missed those we couldn't see this year. We love you!

Ashley