Spring is springing?

The weather was fantastic here in Duluth today. We opened windows and frolicked outside, enjoying the fresh breeze and warm sun.

Here are the boys down in Canal Park, playing on the snow banks by the lake.







Also this weekend was our friends Ryan & Sarah's annual curling tournament, which many of our college friends came up to compete in. We only got one good photo during their visit, though, and here it is. Finn thought it was the height of comedy to lay on Kyle's chest:

Pearsons in the News

Last Saturday, we went to Hartley Nature Center for the annual ski & snowshoe event, which was a lot of fun. While there, we were interviewed by the local news and ended up making it on a "Nature Matters" segment. Enjoy!

A big ol' Saturday

Taking full advantage of the sunny day and somewhat mild temperatures, Team Pearson had a big day today. First up was a trip to the Lake Superior Zoo, which is always a fun time for everyone. Finn was a little disappointed there were no elephants or rhinos, but all in all, it was a lot of fun.

Leif plays at the zoo playground:


In a post-walk playtime, the boys do some auto-maintenance.


This evening we went to Hartley Nature Center for their annual candlelight ski & snowshoe night, which is sort of a member appreciation party. We hiked out to the pond, where a winter camper was baking brownies in his tent, and then back to the center for dinner and s'mores.

Finn's first s'more!

Fun at Bagley

Grandpa Sam delivered some firewood today, and we took the opportunity to go sledding at Bagley with him.





Though really in mid-fall, it sure looks like Leif is balancing on one foot here.

A rare photo of the boys together

The boys are feeling much better - yipee! We even convinced them to sit in the same chair for a rare photo opportunity.

...and we're back!

Many apologies, constant readers. We were doing really well regularly updating the blog for a while, and all of a sudden... *poof!* We seemingly disappeared for the better part of three weeks. Well, in that hiatus, we were decidedly photography-free, due in no small part to a rampant variety of germs and viruses making their way through the Pearson family.

Today's post reflects our efforts at capturing our kids' cuteness, against all odds. As you can tell by these pictures, the boys haven't felt up to bringing their A-game in the photogenic department.

It's only mild hyperbole to say this was one of the closest things to a smile we could get out of Leif:


Finn thwarts the paparazzi:


Once Finn was over his particular illness, his old playful and imaginative self came back full speed. Here he is pretending his rocking horse and a laundry basket full of stuffed animals is a horse-drawn carriage:


I was trying to document Leif's low spirits. How fun for a blog post!


This afternoon seemed to be a turning point for our little guy, and here he is, feeling better but looking dazed:


Here's Leif's fun hairdo post-bathtime:

Tropical heat wave!

Temps were around 30 today, so we spent the entire day outside (naps were indoors). We went to Park Point, sledding, played in the yard, walked the neighborhood, etc. It was a jolly good day.

A few photos

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. We haven't been taking the camera everywhere. This last weekend was filled with indoor fun. We went to a play (The Araboolies of Liberty Street), the cutest puppy contest (associated with the Beargrease) and Max's first birthday party. We don't have any photo documentation of those events, but we do have a couple random photos of the boys taken last night and today. Enjoy!

The boys got a firefighter outfit for Christmas. Leif loves wearing it (and showing off his teeth):


















The boys can do yoga together now, which is really cute. They hold hands and pull each other back and forth. This is the first time they did it together (instead of the normal kid/adult pairing).

The weekend

The weather warmed up this weekend and we took full advantage of the outdoor time. We went sledding (both days), hiking at Hartley, skating, etc. Everyone is feeling refreshed and energized. Yipee!

Tenzin shows Finn her sweet skating moves:












Mickey supports Finn on the rink:












Finn pulls Tenzin up the hill:
























Leif and Rilo get ready to race down the slide:












Finn and Tenzin sipping hot chocolate post skating:

The weekend

This weekend we spent a fair amount of time outside, trying to get our quota in before the cold spell this week. We built a new fort, this time under the tree house. We also cleared off the yellow slide and spend the morning climbing into the tree house and sliding down into piles of snow. Today we went sledding at Bagley, which was awesome!

























We also had time for a haircut and hockey:

























Gracie had surgery last week (Wednesday) to reconstruct her torn ACL. She came home on Friday and is on strict rest for awhile. No walks and we have to take her outside on a leash when she needs to do her business. Six times a day we have to alternate hot and cold packs and move her leg for her. Anyway, Finn feels really sad for her and tries to cheer her up ("Here's a picture for you, Gracie.") It's cute. Below is our little gal - you can see the incision by Mickey's hand.

Snow fort '09!

Today we broke ground on our first snow fort for the season! We chose the front yard again, for the excellent snow coverage and the hillside view of oncoming attackers. It's all VERY strategic. With the copious amounts of snow, I foresee our yard becoming a veritable compound of snow structures. (Can you tell I'm living a little vicariously through my sons?)

Here are the boys in the "lower" fort, a small base for scouting parties, connected to the main fort with a small road.



Also, check out the video column to the right, as we've uploaded a very funny video capturing Finn's first piano performance.