Spoon fun

Lately Magnus has taken to eating with utensils, although Dee and I are still on the fence regarding whether this is a good thing or not...

Eventually, he grows tired of it and uses his own "utensils."

Magnus' first day of school!

In order to give Magnus more opportunities for socialization with other tots his own age, we enrolled him in the Sandhurst Co-op Preschool. Once a week, we take him to "school" for two hours. As this is a co-op, we stay with him while he is there, as opposed to dropping him off. There are several rooms for him to run around in, all with various themes and acitivities. The "art room" boasts a sensory table with flaxseeds, and numerous toys similar to those found in a sandbox. The teacher often has at least one art related activity going on in here as well for kids who want to join in. There is a climbing room (a big hit with Magnus) with a slide, some thick matted tunnels to crawl through, and another climbing apparatus. Another room has a loft that the kids like to go into and jump in, numerous dress up clothes (Dee was pleased to see the firefighter helmets) and tons of mini kitchen toys. The final room is filled with blocks, cars, trucks, and plastic farm animals. There are also books, puzzles, puppets, and smaller games scattered around the rooms. Most of the time is spent playing, with a break in the middle for songs and snacks. Snacktime is one of my favorite times--there is something too cute about 17 toddlers hovered around several small tables eating from plastic plates and out of "real" plastic cups. It is here that our boy found his love for Pirate Booty. The other aspect of co-op that is so fun is that there are five other toddlers in his program (and their moms) that he and I have known since he was 8 weeks old, as we are all in the same PEPS group. So far, Magnus seems to enjoy running full speed from room to room, exploring his options and forging friendships.

Cousin Carrie visits!

My cousin Carrie, who despite having just met Magnus has most definitely been one of Magnus' biggest fans online, flew out from New York over Labor Day to meet our little man and hang for the weekend. Carrie was such a good sport while being submerged in kid central while in Selah, and seemingly took utter delight in her first "real" rodeo. We loved having her and hope she makes children, rodeos, and a lot of Hauges an annual tradition.

During our half day in Seattle before her departure home, we took in the Pike Place Market and a brief tour of downtown.

Labor Day Weekend '09

Once again, the Hauge ranch in Selah, WA, was the destination for Labor Day weekend. Chris and Sharon graciously welcomed us along with Jessica, Josh, Jackson, June, Tupa, Wyatt, Lincoln, Kate, Sally, her friend, and my cousin, Carrie. In true fashion, we spent loads of time in the pool and hot tub, ate ridiculously good food, had hilarious dinnertime conversations, and made our annual pilgrimage to Ellensburg for the rodeo.

Wyatt takes a ride on the new pony PumPum recently purchased for his grandchildren. Sir Trenton Storm looks strikingly similar to Donkey on Shrek.

Magnus enjoyed the Ellensburg Rodeo far better than last year when he was 2 months.

My cousin, Carrie, gets decked out like a true Hauge for her first rodeo.

The whole gang