Jonathan & Lindsey's Family Blog

On a whim we decided to go to Neskowin for a few days over mid-winter break. Nana generously let us stay in her two adjacent condos. We lucked out and got amazing sunny (even warm, to us northwesterners) weather. The kids ditched their boots and went barefoot on the beach. There was tons of fort building, movie nights, and exploring the beach.

In the car. Phoebe was barking in her crate. We quickly discovered she was much better behaved up with the humans. Guess she’s training us well!
  

Tired dog

We stopped by Jacobsen Salt Co. Jonathan’s crew teammate’s brother owns it.

Had to stop by Tillamook for grilled cheese and ice cream!

Layla found this little calf to take care of.

She fed it for a looooong time!

Meanwhile her brothers learned about how cheese and milk are made.

Still feeding the calf!

A few more pics from the beach.
   

Stopped by Burgerville on the way home

This girl needed a bath when we got home!

Winter brings with it the start of recital season for Layla. This year she is in a tap/ballet combo class and is working on a tap routine to When I’m Older, from Frozen II. They are so precious!

  

At the end February my friend Aimee and I surprised our girls with their first theatre experience. Frozen was at The Paramount, which meant lots of little Seattle girls got their introduction to musicals! The show was so good and even had a couple of extra scenes. Not gonna lie, I cried during Let it Go. It was so fun getting to see this show with Layla.

Maggie & Layla – or – Elsa (from Frozen ) & Elsa (from Frozen II)
 

A couple pics at the house before we left. She was so excited to wear her Elsa dress, but I think she was even more excited about her Elsa braid!

Selfie before heading out

We’ve seen more than a few Pinewood Derby’s in our days, and this year Silas took away the big prize! His sleek, green design took first place and he gets to keep the big trophy that dates back to 1972 in his room for the year. His name is already engraved on it. Way to go, Silas!


  

Something else happened at the end of January. An adorable little French Bulldog nosed her way into our hearts and home. Jonathan and I have been talking for years about the possibility of getting another dog. We knew we wanted something small and cute like Commodus, but that shed less and wasn’t so hard on our allergies. We also knew we wanted to get a dog while our kids were still young, although we thought it was still a year or two off.

Then our neighbor had a litter of French Bulldogs. He asked Jonathan to photograph them for him so he could post an ad. The real problem came when Jonathan opened the door to our home and hollered to me to come out and see these cute little puppies! I said I was busy but he persisted. I came outside and that was pretty much the end of it! There were five puppies – two girls and three boys. We were both instantly drawn to the pied female with the mild temperament who just wanted to snuggle.

Our neighbor told us we could bring her over and keep her for a while, see what we thought. So we did (well, the kids and I did). And she never went back! Meet Phoebe Roomba King:
 

With her sister.

Just look at what a cuddle bug she is!
  

Jonathan was smitten!

Just a little bit excited! Phoebe may have come a little bit sooner than planned, but she has been an amazing addition to our family, teaching the kids responsibility and empathy and providing plenty of humor too. She also keeps our kitchen floors sparkling!

The kitties tolerate her, and they are getting more and more comfortable living together. I think they are cool with being chased a little since Phoebe provides a welcome distraction from the kids.