Skiing this year

This year I only got to ski about 2 times, but both times were great! Earlier in the year I went to Vail, CO and we had a great time. Very cold and pretty much a white out at the top of the mountain....but we were in Vail...so can't complain too much:) Last weekend I took Soren up to Santa Fe, NM to see if he liked skiing. He took an all day lesson, called "Little Chipmunks". Soren had a blast! He kept asking me if we could come back again the following weekend. We checked on him periodically throughout the day, and Soren was always outside skiing. By the end of the day he was the only 'Lil Chip' who was still skiing! Only downside to the trip was learning that Soren gets car sick on the way up the mountain....no fun.

Super Hero Soren!

Soren is in love with wearing and making capes to look like a Super Hero! I even had a nurse at my office make Soren some capes...since I'm not so talented in the sewing department :) She made him a fireman one that he keeps at his Dad's place, and Soren has a Pirate one that he has at our house! They are so cute, and he loves running around the house in them. Soren even makes his favorite blanket into one.

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

Christmas this year was so special! Suzanne and Matt came down from Denver with Stella to join us at my parents house. It was great this year to see Soren and his cousin Stella interact so well and help each other open their Christmas presents. Stella was a riot and loved all of Soren's dump trucks! Grandpa was a little surprised to see how well Stella took to them, as Soren was extremely preoccupied with his new airplane and airport from Santa;) However, out of all the presents Soren received from Santa and other relatives, the book Grandma recorded, "The Night Before Christmas", was the favorite!! Soren loves hearing Grandma's voice!

As we come to the end of 2010 I can think of many wonderful things that have happened, and many milestones Soren has made. Soren turned three this year and what a good year it has been with him! Soren started riding a bike (with training wheels of course), became potty trained, and is asking so many questions....some days I have to put a limit on them! He is really become a joy to be around, now that the majority of the temper tantrums have subsided. I can actually sit back and enjoy Soren playing independently, and looking at a book by himself...pretending to read. I am so happy that reading is such a joy to Soren. I have actually found that the only thing Soren really responds to when it comes to discipline is if you take away is nightly story time.....then his ears perk up!!

Soren has really started to develop his own special personality. He is so intuitive and sensitive toward friends, and strangers. It's amazing to see him witness things and really be affected by them. His sense of humor has really developed too (I say he gets that from me), and he loves to tell people jokes now and sing songs! Lately we have dance parties to the new teen idol...'Justin Bieber'. Oh does Soren have the 'Bieber Fever'!!!

2010 has also been a tough year for my family since July, which brought my dad's cancer diagnosis. We traveled, and continue, to travel a lot to Denver for his treatments and appointments. I am so thankful to report that we have had two clear PET scans since his diagnosis, and continue to pray for clear scans and a healthy father. I believe having Soren, and his cousin Stella around really have put things in perspective and made his recovery that much better! It's amazing what we as adults have to do to squelch our own worries or discomforts when a young child is around. Whether its dealing with stress and problems at work, a disagreement with a friend or loved one, a doctor's appointment that's causing anxiety, true feelings have to be kept at bay when a child is present. Now I realize all that my parents did for my sister and I so that we could be sheltered from things, as we were too young to understand. I think I'm starting to truly appreciate how hard it really was!

As January is upon us, I look to 2011 for many new discoveries from Soren and wonderful memories to be made. I don't know exactly what the future holds for us, but if the last 3 months are any indication of what's to come.....then I'm very excited!! I'm just so happy to have a healthy and happy child, and healthy family! Those have been the best gifts this year....and continue to be.

Wesley Kids Christmas Pageant

Soren had his annual Christmas Pageant this year for Wesley Kids preschool. The pageant was held inside the United Methodist Church. Soren did a great job, he was so brave and marched right up the stairs to the front of the church to sing all his Christmas songs. Grandma and I had a great time watching him! It really gets you in the spirit of the holidays to watch these kids!

Thanksgiving in Denver

Thanksgiving this year was up in Denver. We had a great time, I actually cooked most of the dishes, and Matt made the butternut squash. I wanted to finally learn how to make a turkey by myself....so the Master Chef Norm, guided me through! It had been a rough fall for the Sorensen family, namely my Dad, undergoing multiple surgeries and interferon. Glad everyone was happy and healthy for Thanksgiving!!!Soren slept all the way through Thanksgiving dinner this year....maybe he'll join us next year?

Suzanne attempting the "perfect" family photo!!! She made me take multiple shots until she was satisfied with the one they would use for their family Christmas card :)

Cousin Bath time!!

Halloween 2010

Pregnant Tatum!!

Halloween this year was so much fun! First we started out carving pumpkins on Friday night, then all the kids went trick-0-treating on Saturday night. Soren has been obsessed with sharks, and luckily I found a costume a few months prior at TJ Maxx! I was so excited to find this costume....and at a total bargain! Anyway, this was the first year that Soren actually went trick-o-treating and understood what he was doing and asking for. He was so brave and marched right up to the front door of all the neighbors homes. We only made it a few blocks before the kids tired out though....so it was an early evening.

It is so cute to see Soren, Luke, Ellie, Emma and Simon all together at the table and in their costumes. Soren has such great little friends right now, and I'm excited to see how all of his friendships develop over the years!

McCalls Pumpkin Patch

So for the last couple of years I've taken Soren out to Moriarty, NM for the pumpkin patch. This year Aunt Suzanne was in town with my niece Stella.....so we all went together. My friend Kakoli was also in town with her daughter Maya and new 2 month old, Aidan. The kids got to ride the cow train, pet and feed the billy goats, and pick out pumpkins. We got some great photos to capture the beautiful day. Suzanne and I were laughing later about how much Soren and Stella look alike in some of these photos!! Enjoy!