Soren's 3rd Birthday BBQ

Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, and more dinosaurs! This is what Soren wanted for his 3rd birthday party theme. So I searched for every dinosaur item I could find, down to miniature dinosaurs for the cupcakes. It is such a neat time with Soren that he can actually express to me what he wants for his birthday, and get excited for the big day. I can't tell you how many times this kid wanted to look inside his "party bag" that I made for all the kids!!

The birthday was over Memorial Day weekend and Soren's Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Matt got to come down from Denver for the event! It made the party/bbq so special to have them there!! But, the best part was getting to see my STELLA!! You will notice in the pics below that she is on the move ladies and gentleman! This gal will be walking in no time. It is the best thing to see Soren with his little cousin and how they interact together.

Overall, a great birthday BBQ and I was so excited to show off my new backyard with the new deck!! But, what an ordeal getting ready for a kiddo birthday party......next year.....we're going to Disneyland!

Baby STELLA!! Look at those two little teeth!



The cupcakes Grandma Kathy and I made, even homemade frosting!

Soren blew out his number 3 candle on the top of the cupcake tree with no problem!! He loves parties and especially when they are in his honor:)


All the kids loved picking out their own special dinosaur cupcake, even the little girls enjoyed it!
Soren playing late into the evening with his friends Lola and Kate. They had so much fun together, I just had to capture this time. It's amazing to see them together because I've known their mom and dad for so many years!




Dinosaur nose anyone???

Hello Springtime.........

Well, Soren has found his girlfriend......Emma. She's our next door neighbor and about a year younger than Soren. It's ok with me too....because I really enjoy having her parents as friends...so this could work out great in the future:)

We spent Mother's Day with Emma's mom and dad...Jim and Tatum brunching at the Grove Cafe. It was an awesome, yet quick toddler breakfast!! Not the most relaxing Mother's Day....but oh well....nice day none the less!


Soren has taken up a new activity in the backyard these days!! He is running his own car wash. He washes bike, dump trucks, his 4 wheeler....whatever he can get his hands on. As you can see below....the cutest thing about this new activity is how Soren lines all the automobiles up along the garage door before the cleaning!

Since Mom won't just let Soren run the hose and waste water....poor Salvador has been a little dehydrated lately, as the water source comes right from his water bowl! Some pretty clean automobiles at our house!! Don't worry....plenty of hand washing after this event!!!

If you look hard enough at the first picture you will see the beginnings of my new deck that my friend Steve built for me! Below are the pics of the finished deck!! Steve even built planters and an awesome bench! He is so talented!! It has totally transformed the backyard, and made it so much more enjoyable to sit outside now. I have a huge tree in the backyard that shades it all too!!

The Hairdresser and the Easter Bunny

We went over to Grandpa's house on Saturday night to celebrate his birthday. Soren decided to entertain himself while we were making the final preparations for dinner by styling his Lion's mane! So "Lion" got his mane combed out very nicely with Grandpa's brush, then a blow dry with one of Soren's toys that blows air....like a hair dryer. Or so Soren thought!! It was hilarious. According to Grandma, this is not the first time Soren has shown off his hairdresser skills! Thanks Aunt Nancy for the Lion....Soren loves it!!

We had a wonderful Easter this year! Soren is almost 3 years old and he finally understood about the Easter Bunny and going on an egg hunt. Soren got some stickers, a spiderman puzzle and kite, and a little bunny all from the Easter Bunny this year.

We started out the day by going to Church. We went to the First United Methodist in downtown Albuquerque because that is where Soren goes to school each day. I thought it would be a nice thing to do with Soren. It backfired a little on me though, as Soren thought I was dropping him off at school all day! So much for me and my great ideas!!

It was a nice service though and they had a children's program, where the kids got to go up to the front and place a flower on the cross, then listened to "Peter Cottontail". Soren I think was just holding out for the candy at the end!!

After church, we went to a neighborhood brunch and easter egg hunt. It was a lot of fun...parents got to have mimosas and chat at the brunch at one house. Then we had an Easter parade to another neighbor's house for the Easter egg hunt. Soren had a great time and got a lot of eggs. It's very nice to have such good friends in the neighborhood with kids too!

Hope everyone had a great EASTER!

Sledding in Angel Fire

View of Angel Fire, NM from the condo.

How excited does Soren look to sit with me on the sled?

Went up to Angel Fire a few weekends ago to go sledding and play in the snow. Soren had a great time sledding for the first time. He was absolutely fearless! I was so excited to take him sledding and to finally get to use the snow suit I bought him. Although, Soren was less than thrilled to put it on or the matching snow boots! He soon learned though how uncomfortable it is to have COLD snow in your spiderman tennis shoes!!

Soren learned to make snow angels. However, Soren's favorite part of the whole adventure was just to be thrown in the snow, and sink down. He thought that was great!



I can't wait until next year when Soren can learn to ski. I think he'll be skiing circles around his mama in no time too!!

Birthday Weekend in Denver

So we made a trip up to Denver to celebrate my 30 something birthday this year! It was a great get together. Soren got to see his cousin Stella and play with her. At this point, mostly what they do is just share pacifiers. It's pretty cute to see them together. Often times I just sit there in amazement to see that my sister and I both have kids now. To see them interact together is the BEST!!!

Soren had a great time. Grandpa and I took him to a great neighborhood park that is made out of all recycled materials, and then we bought the movie "Up". Soren and Grandpa had some bonding time watching the movie together! Now it is Soren's favorite movie. It's a must see for sure!!!

We celebrated my birthday at my parents place in Stapleton and I had a few long time friends over, Tracey and Heather. It was a great dinner, from my favorite restaurant in Denver, Carmines! Then my chef of a brother-in-law made me a wonderful chocolate cake for dessert!! It was a great celebration. But, like all trips to Denver for me....too SHORT!

ALL ABOARD!!!

The Sorensen clan decided to make a weekend trip up to Durango, CO to ride the POLAR EXPRESS this past weekend. It was a very memorable trip, especially because this city was a common family vacation spot for us growing up. Despite a few two year old temper tantrums, an otherwise fabulous trip!

I had always heard this was a great train ride, but what a night! Durango had just been hit by a huge storm and it continued to snow throughout the weekend. The ride Saturday night was a Winter Wonderland to say the least!


The troopers of the trip. Grandma and Grandpa braved the blizzard conditions for their dear Grandson Soren!!

It was a perfect night filled with hot chocolate and cookies. By the end of the ride Soren had hot chocolate all over his clothes, face and hands!

We picked Santa up at the North Pole, he boarded the train, and met every child. Soren was a little scared to be held by Santa, but he told him his Christmas wish for "a choo choo train". After Soren got to see Santa and got his bell, he was in heaven. He rang that bell all the way home, slept with it and rang it the whole drive home Sunday! Thanks, Santa!!Soren couldn't get enough of the snow! He had so much fun. Something about boys, snow and choo choo trains!!So funny story....Saturday morning I sat down in the hotel room to read the USA today newspaper while drinking my coffee and watching the snow fall outside. When suddenly I look at the front cover of the paper and there is Sarah Palin wearing THIS EXACT green hat I have on in these pictures. Great! Just what I hoped for.....a Sarah Palin look-a-like!!