Red Head Photo Shoot

These were the pictures we chose from the read head photo shoot. There were many more but these were some of our favorites....

Catch Up!

Business has gotten me behind on my blogging so here is a random catch up blog...

This was Ben's last day of school. I was a really big deal for both of us because he had been teaching there for 9 years. It was his first "real" job in his career. He really loved working there and discovered himself as a teacher over his years there. I was surprised by how strongly attached they were to him at his farewell party. One teacher cried A LOT and the principle kept saying "Really if you ever move back to this area you will always have a job here." I kept waiting for Ben to have some type of emotional reaction but he just seemed so peaceful about the whole thing. I personally felt a little panicked that we were leaving a job that has supported us through the majority of our children's lives.

This was Zoe's very last show with British Dance Academy. They did Peter Pan this year. Our video isn't converting for some reason but I wish I could show you how much she has grown as a dancer since her beginnings. This picture was on the way back to the car after the show. Zoe and I were both crying.

One of Zoe's favorite teachers Miss Magna from British.

I got to go with Zoe on her end of the year school field trip this year. We went to the Pacific Science Center and had a great time. This is Zoe's friend Maria.

Zoe and Dana BFF's!

Okay totally random cuteness. We got home late one evening and while we were putting stuff away Grey crawled over to this blanket and fell fast asleep.

I told some of you that we were having our pictures taken for a book on redheads. That will be a separate post. The same photographer organized a Guinness Book of World Records event to get the most redheads in one place. There ended up getting 902. Can you find us?

Here's the whole crew!

Grey has mastered straw drinking...

But not pants wearing!

Zoe turned 9! Soooo CRAZY!!! Here she is snoozing on our couch...

Red Velvet birthday cake from Costco (her choice!)

The Sampson's came out to visit for the 4th of July and Zoe's birthday. Ben was so excited to play MAN games on the XBox.

More random cuteness.

and again.

Jack and Tate

They do have playgrounds here!

My first attempt at cake decorating. It's not great but it is hand painted so I felt very proud.

This last bit of nonsense is the add the clinic ran in the paper here in Wenatchee. I realize I should feel proud or something but mainly I feel embarrassed when someone says "Nice picture in the paper." I guess I like to be relatively anonymous.

The Move

Hey All!
Big news for the Sorensen's we have moved.
Many of you already know the story but here is a recap.

Mauvia graduated in December with her psychiatric Nurse Practitioner License.
After that she began looking for jobs and interviewing around the country.
She had telephone interviews in: Pittsburgh PA, Albany NY, (somewhere in) Arkansas, Ogden Ut, Spokane WA, Richland WA, Wenatchee WA, and Redding CA.

Notice that none of these places is in Seattle (at the time no one was hiring).

Through the process of elimination she accepted face to face interviews in Pittsburgh, Spokane, Richland, Wenatchee, and Redding.

She was flown all over the country and wined and dinned and eventually offered 4 of 5 jobs. (Richland was not a good fit)

This made for a very difficult decision that we agonized and prayed about for weeks. Then we decided that Wenatchee was the place for us and found a home there. The next week Mauvia got an interview in Bellevue. Life is so ironic!

Anyway, we have moved and so far we really love it. Mauvia loves her job. We love our new home and we have found our way to the Costco!

Life is good!

Here is a tour of our new place...

Piano room

Living Room

Harry Potter's bedroom

Kitchen

Front Yard

Family Room

Betcha can't guess whose room this is!

The boys room

The view from the back deck.

We have been so blessed through this process and we are so grateful for how everything has worked out. Now all we need is visitors! Please come! We have a room just for you!

Greysen Update

It has been crazy in the Sorensen house lately but here is a quick update of Greysen's progress.

He mastered sleeping in his high chair.

He follows me wherever I go...Can you guess where I am?

He had his first, second, and third plane ride. He did great! No tears.

He got his first black eye...

And his first make-shift ice pack.

He mastered crawling

sitting up

pulling to stand (and pulling my clothes off the hangers)

and standing on his own all in a matter of weeks.

He recklessly goes for what he wants, hence the black eye!

He also recently mastered clapping!
(video pending)
So much fun!

ZOE

Zoe has grown so much this year I feel like I cannot keep up with her. Since she is my first born I have no idea when to introduce new responsibility and usually she asks me for it before I think of it myself. Because of her own initiative she can now do dishes, cook pancakes by herself, and take care of the bunny independently with only a few reminders. She really is amazing. She continues with her piano, ballet and jazz lessons and is doing very well. The first two videos are from dance and the third is her piano recital.

Zoe has been fortunate to have great teachers both in school and with her extracurricular activities. Her dance teachers have known her since she was 3 and know how to get her to do her best. Zoe also loves her piano teacher Sister Apken who put on the sweetest recital for her. You can see in her recital video she is wearing her medal from dance exams. This year she worked just as hard as last year but had much less anxiety about it. She was able to achieve a red ribbon again and really enjoyed it this year.

This is a picture of the group she did exams with.

Zoe is also doing very well in school. She has always been a strong reader but she is doing very well at math and science as well. She can already multiply better than me.

Funny Story: For Christmas Santa brought Zoe a microscope. It came with a slide that has a paramecium on it. Zoe decided this was very interesting so she wrote her observations down and turned them into her teacher without telling me. So I was very surprised when her teacher sent a letter home asking if Zoe would like to do the science fair. (Typically 3rd graders don't do the science fair here).

These are pictures of the project we put together. It was a family effort but she was very proud of it, and so was I.

I am just so proud of her. She has really started to understand things on a different level. Her testimony is growing, she truly wants to do the right thing and she has such a big heart for those who she thinks need help. She is so great! And I am so excited to see what things are to come.