We're having a...

...BOY!!! I finally had my ultrasound which was postponed forever due to our move and the suspense is over! So yes, this is boy #3 for us and I guess Jake and I sure have the recipe down for making boy babies. I will be perfectly honest and say that we were hoping for a girl this time around and it has taken some adjustment. However, now that we know it's a boy we realized we don't want a girl because that would mean we wouldn't get this little guy. He would have gone to someone else and that is not okay with us! We are quite attached to him and he's ours. We got some great ultrasound pictures for your viewing pleasure. Of course it's hard to say, but I think he looks like Joshua:). Speaking of which, Joshua and Daniel are very excited (Daniel has been wanting a baby brother all along) and they are so sweet and loving to my tummy. Exciting times for us Sorensens!

Sunday afternoon nap

A very nice Saturday

Jake mowed our lawns for the first time with our new electric lawn mower

Doesn't he look like a natural?

Daniel played contentedly in the sandbox for quite some time

Joshua played with new transformer Oil Slick that he bought with some of his allowance money he's been saving up.

And I got lots done myself, everyone being occupied with their own activities and all. I got to organize lots of our things and decide just where I wanted them to go in our house. Can I just say how wonderful it feels to have a dedicated linen closet, occupied only by linens? No more linen/random household items/shoe closet for us!

A very nice Saturday, indeed.

'Tis the season for school-related posts

With Joshua's kindergarten situation settled (what a difference 24 hours makes!) we got to visit Daniel's preschool today and I have to say that I fell in love with it. The curriculum seems to be the perfect balance of structure vs. free play and exploration and I think Daniel will have ample opportunity to express his creativity. The staff is so warm and personable and I was very impressed with the facility. The grounds are classic gorgeous Oregon, surrounded by pine trees and lush grass in a very tranquil park-like setting (the grounds of a church). Daniel took to it like a moth to a flame! I think he is ready a year sooner than Joshua was simply from having spent so much time at Joshua's preschool last year (he knew just how much fun it could be)and also I think being the second child contributes a lot too, as Joshua has had to forge a lot of new territory as our first.

Daniel is in the number 1 spot on the waiting list, and we are very hopeful that he will get to attend soon. I am pretty impressed that we are first on the list, considering we have been "competing" for a spot at a school where parents start calling at midnight on January 1st to get their kids in. And now for the cherry on top -- all this for less than half the price of what we were paying for preschool in San Diego! And we were even attending the very most affordable preschool in the area with a discount for co-opping. Craziness! We love it here in Oregon!

First day of Kindergarten!

Joshua started kindergarten yesterday and I of course want to document this historical event happening in our family. He is attending a wonderful school along with the many other children in our neighborhood. So far he loves it and I don't blame him. His teacher is great and she puts a lot of effort into making school fun for the kids and helping them feel comfortable.



We drove him to school for his first day, hoping it would help ease the transition (for all of us). Turns out it was totally unnecessary as we were all fine. No tears from me and Joshua dove right into the puzzle the teacher had set out on his desk.

The pick up was a little trickier since he was taking the *bus home. I hadn't even known the bus was an option for us until the day before and had been frantically trying to make bus arrangements during the previous 24 hours. I was so nervous that he wouldn't be on the bus and that I would have to rush to the school to pick him up late. I was also nervous that I wasn't waiting at the right stop, etc. etc. What an utter relief to see Joshua's sweet little face through the window as the bus pulled up to our corner. His face lit up when he saw Daniel and I waiting for him and he couldn't wait to tell us all about his morning at school. This has got to be one of my favorite memories as a mom so far!


*Just as a quick aside, this school bus is going to make my life so much easier! The stop is a mere four houses up our street and it is such a relief to know that I won't have to cart Daniel and (in January) our baby back and forth from the school each day. I have to say that I am shocked that our tax dollars are still being used to support the school bus system -- something I thought had been on the chopping block long ago. Anyway, hooray for a great use of tax dollars!