Mothering Simply

Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas traditions - acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve.

Random Updates

2011-09-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in so long, here's a few pictures and some random updates to go with them:

Delia started kindergarten last week. She loved her first week, but is home sick today. Her favorite parts are riding the bus and recess. We all miss her when she's gone, I think Eliza the most.

We had a great time with everyone during the family reunion. 12 of us did the Whidbey Tri together - such a fun memory. Here's a photo of lots of cousins coloring under the table Jason built for us last year and our rocket building materials up top. Too many fun memories - it deserves a post of its own, but it might not happen! We loved every second of having everyone here.

We ordered caterpillars this summer. I had wanted to do it when everyone was here, but the shipment took longer than I had anticipated. It was amazing to watch them grow and become butterflies and then let them fly away. Highly recommended!

Jason swam in the 1st ever Whidbey Adventure Swim. 1.2 miles in the Puget Sound - which I thought was so amazing since he had only started swimming this summer. The kids and I volunteered. It was a well-organized event and I hope I can do it with him next year. We'll see if I can get over my open water fears!

Fun in Boise

2011-07-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

We met our good friends the Pincocks for 4th of July in Boise. It was a long drive for a few days, but so worth it to see them! The kids got along so well - we wish we lived closer :) Can't wait to get together again next summer!

Delia and Annie striking a pose!

The boys playing a game of Settlers.

The girls playing a game of Snorta

Dinner at the Kodiak Grill - pretty much the longest wait for food ever and they weren't that busy. The kids lasted so well - Becca ended up bringing in some snacks to hold us over once we reached the 60 minute mark!

Joshua's Rocket Class

2011-07-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Joshua took a 3 day model rocket class last week. The first two days were spent building the rocket. They also did some other fun stuff like launching match rockets and making bottle rocket paper airplanes. And the last day we got to watch all the boys launch their rockets. The class was a lot of fun and the instructor was fabulous!

Joshua getting ready to launch.

Successful launch!

And we've got it back and put together so we can launch it again. Hopefully when all our Hunt cousins come for a visit!

Our Preschool Graduate

2011-06-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

Delia came home from preschool today and told me that the teacher told her she could wear whatever she wanted to graduation this evening. And she clearly took that advice to heart! After the graduation Teacher Joan said she thought Delia's outfit was perfect for her because she's so unique. Delia loved going to preschool and is excited to start school with her friends in the fall.

California Trip

2011-05-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is a random update, but I wanted some pictures on here from this trip! I've got too much to do today, so it seemed like a perfect time to update my blog with pictures from February! We took a long road trip to Southern California. We were able to stop in Medford to see family and attend Anne's cupcake party. I took way too many pictures, but I thought I would just share a few here.

We made a side trip to Muir Woods on the way down and it was pouring rain! We got wet, but the woods were amazing to see and we were glad that we made the detour.

Breakfast at Disney was worth every penny. We were able to get into the park early and it was a great start to the day.

This was the only thing Delia had to see at Disney. We had to wait in line for almost an hour to see the fairies, but Jason and Joshua were able to go see some other things on their own.

Here's a picture of Joshua earning his license at Legoland. We had a great time at Legoland - it was the highlight of our trip, I think it helps that Joshua is obsessed with legos. We were so glad that my mom and step-dad could meet us there for a couple of days. It was great to see them before they left on their mission to London.

Birthday Boy

2011-03-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe we have an 8 year old! Joshua had a great birthday yesterday - we are lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa Frank here to celebrate the festivities and Grandma and Grandpa Hunt will be arriving tomorrow as we get ready for Joshua's baptism. Exciting times!

Lego Jewelery

2011-01-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Baby Bull

2010-12-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

We had a baby bull born on the farm last week. The kids and I were cooking in the kitchen and Jason ran downstairs from the office to ask if we had heard the loud noise coming from the cow pasture (we hadn't). But we were thinking the birth was coming soon because of some of the signs I saw that morning when I went out to feed Effie and T-Bone. We all ran out of the house and there was a baby cow!

She was born right under the large cedar tree and right into a pile of fresh cow manure!

Jason went and brought the baby bull into the barn area that he had cleaned out, hoping that Effie would have given birth there.

Here is he is less than 10 minutes old. We've been calling him Rib Eye.

Family Pictures

2010-11-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

I read on C jane (if you click on that link you can see me and my dad on c jane!) that Justin Hackworth (and that's a link to some of our pictures on Justin Hackworth's site) was coming to Seattle. So I asked Jason if I could have family pictures for my Christmas Present this year. And he said yes! It was the best Christmas gift ever!

It was such a great experience. And I will treasure the pictures and the memories.

These are some of the pictures Jason and I took while we were waiting for Justin to arrive:

A Visit from Grandpa

2010-11-09T14:17:00.000-08:00

We're so lucky that Grandpa loves to come and visit us! He came to visit a couple of weeks ago and I don't think we could have fit anymore in to the week than we did! Ellen couldn't come this time because of work commitments, but we're looking forward to them both coming again some time in the Spring.

He had a breakfast date with Delia (her highlight of the week). I definitely should have got a picture of that. She got all dressed up - it was pretty sweet.

There was lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. I don't know how I forgot that the food was so bad. Next time we'll use Sarah's trick of going when they first open and eating lunch somewhere else - where the food is decent!

There was a fishing trip to Deer Lake. They weren't able to catch anything, but I think they still had a great time.

Grandpa got a model kit from the Hobby Shop for he and Joshua to work on together. And it didn't snap together like it said it would. I think it was a little frustrating for them both! But they finished it (with the help of some glue). I think next time we'll stick with model rockets or legos. No more snap-tite models for us!

Jason and I even went on a date to a Natalie McMaster concert. It was amazing!
Thanks for coming to visit Dad! We had a great time.

Studying Space

2010-10-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I never update my blog anymore - but I thought this picture was too cute not to share!

We have been studying about Space lately. Joshua read Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey, he's also read George's Secret Key to the Universe and George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt by Stephen and Lucy Hawking. And then we built this kit together.

Joshua has enjoyed studying about Space and we are continuing to get more books from the library about NASA and the Space Program.

After the kit was built Joshua started talking about the planet Uranus and Jason and I started laughing (because we're immature like that). Delia asked why it was called Uranus and I said "it's probably named after some Greek God" and Joshua assured us that was the case and started telling us who other planets were named after. I was amazed - Joshua has way more knowledge and understanding of our Solar System than I do!

Delia & Eliza

2010-09-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grandpa

2010-09-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's Grandpa Bill's birthday today, so I thought I would ask the kids what they love about him.

Eliza - "Grandpa? Skype?" (and then runs to the computer to see if he's there).
Or that's what I am pretty sure she would do if she was awake. But since she's napping I'm just guessing!

Delia - I love that he is going to come here and that he has lots of treats!

I love that he's my grandpa and that he spoils me with treats and movies, even if it's not a Saturday!

Happy Birthday Grandpa! We can't wait to see you!

Diet Coke & Mentos = Fun!

2010-09-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

We had a science book from the library and Delia saw this soda rocket in the book and had to try it! The grocery store we went to didn't carry mentos and when I asked the cashier if they carried any she gave me her very last two mini mentos straight from her pocket - which was so nice of her. I was glad to not have to load all the kids up to head to another store just for mentos!

Unfortunately only one of the mentos made it in the bottle. You can see the other one on the ground. Joshua and Delia each wanted to put one in at the same time and Delia missed her target!

Pretty fun!

My First Tri

2010-08-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Swim (1/2 mile): 0:21:26.2
T1 0:04:24.9
Bike (19.5 mile): 1:18:32.8
T2 0:02:06.1
Run (3.8 mile): 0:35:28.3
Total time: 2:21:58.3

It was so fun! I still feel like I can't really swim, but I survived! And hopefully I'll improve for next year (Jason said he'd do the tri next year too!)

I can't believe how much work goes into putting this thing on. There were so many volunteers that did such a great job. It really feels like a community event.

I feel like my family sacrificed a lot for me to do this. The cooking hasn't been quite as good the past couple of months and dinner has been late most nights, but they've all been so supportive! Big thanks to Jason, Eliza, Joshua and Delia! I love you!

A give-away on Frankly Entertaining

2010-08-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

My sister and I are doing a give-away this weekend for a cookbook all about cooking with food from Trader Joe's. Check it out at http://www.franklyentertaining.com/! There's also a yummy recipe on there today for some peanut butter cup cookies - yum!

Vancouver

2010-07-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

My brother and his family were heading to Hawaii and had a layover in Vancouver. We were able to go spend the day with them. First we headed to Stanley Park and had no luck in finding a parking spot. The kids and moms played at the park and the guys drove around for about 40 minutes looking for a spot and then we decided to find a less-crowded park. I guess there was a firework show planned for the evening which always makes parking scarce.

So, we basically played at this park that was close to our hotel for a day and a half with brief breaks for swimming at the pool, yummy pizza and great Chinese food. All the kids wanted to do was play together and everyone got along great!

This is the only picture of all the kids together. I guess my kids didn't want to look at the camera - but it's proof they were all together!

The boys playing with chopsticks at the Chinese Restaurant. The server was concerned for their safety and confiscated them!

My girls adore Mackenzie. Delia cried the whole way home - "why can't Mackenzie be my sister so we can have sleepovers every night?" And Eliza was basically Mackenzie's shadow the whole time we were together.

Jason commented on the way home that we fit so much into the day it felt like we had been gone for a week! It was so fun to be with family and see the cousins together. Sad it's over.

U Can't Touch This

2010-07-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

When I was in sixth grade all the cool kids had Hammer Pants. I always wanted a pair, but never owned any until now! My sister sent me a pair for my birthday - Thanks Sarah!

Why I Adore my Husband and a Farm Update

2010-06-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

How cool is my husband - that he commutes three hours a day on his bike, milks a cow in the evening and still finds time to build and race a solar car with Joshua.

They came in second place in all of their races and consistently made it down the track. I thought it was pretty cool that they used Bionicle arms to make the panel moveable and they were able to angle the panel towards the limited sunshine.

And he even ignored some of his chores to come berry picking with us yesterday. I'm so glad he did - we had a great time. I can't believe we've been married for ten years this week!

Farm Update:

We lost our bees this year and will look for a swarm or try again next year. It seems that they didn't really like what we fed them (fondant) and they didn't survive our cold-spell at the beginning of Spring.
And on the cow front, we are getting about a half gallon of milk a day from Effie - we have been drinking it and have made ricotta cheese and yogurt, so far. I'm going to try and find some rennet and try mozzarella next!
And we lost some more chickens to eagles - it seems like we've lost more than our fair share this year. We'll have to be more careful with our new chicks - maybe not free-range them?

Our Most Recent Family Picture

2010-06-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

For Sarah - our most recent family picture!

More Wedding Pics

2010-06-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to be able to travel to Katherine and Greg's wedding. We had a great time. It really was a beautiful wedding.

I hardly got any pictures of the bride and groom - it was a little chaotic with all of the kids and then there was the hail to deal with! But I loved this picture and the way he's looking at her!

Q: How many people does it take to orchestrate a picture of the Hunt grandchildren?

A: A lot!

And this is the best shot I got! We are missing Brett and Anecia's kids (Brett was only able to come for about 24 hours, so he decided to travel by himself). And there's an extra kid in the shot - the cute boy in the middle is Greg's nephew.

Cute Kids

2010-06-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

T-Bone

2010-06-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

He looks kind of angry, doesn't he?

He's usually pretty good unless you want to get milk from his mama - he doesn't seem to like that too much. We're not getting much milk yet, we haven't been separating them like we should. We tried to separate them last week and they broke through some rope and fencing - they just really want to be together. And we're learning as we go!

The Best Thing There Ever Was!

2010-05-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

I left for an afternoon and when I came home there was a rocket being launched! Jason fed the kids dinner and kept everyone happy and entertained while building a rocket with Joshua - I was so impressed!

Our friend recommended the book, Fantastic Flying Fun with Science. We checked it out from the library and Joshua's had some fun with it (Jason too). This is probably the most complicated project in the book - there are some pretty easy ones that are still pretty cool.

This picture was taken right after a successful launch.

Here's our happy boy!
Joshua said the rocket was "the best thing there ever was!"
I think we'll be building some more rockets in the near future :)

Graham Crackers

2010-05-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

I was trying to take pictures for Frankly Entertaining.

And all of a sudden a hand swooped in and my shot was gone.

We decided to be done for the day.

Morning Chores

2010-05-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

The older kids are sleeping in today. Jason's been working late the past couple of nights and I let the kids stay up to see him last night. So it was me and Eliza taking care of the animals this morning.

This little one is obsessed with the animals! She has to gather and carry the eggs or there will be screaming all the way back to the house!

Here is a picture of our cows. T-Bone in front and Effie in the back. The plan was to start milking them this week, but we are still needing to build a stanchion (and with Jason's longer hours at work this week it hasn't happened).

Hopefully we'll have fresh milk next week!

And miracle of miracles Eliza made it all the way back to the house with all of the eggs intact!

We Have Bees!

2010-04-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

Jason has been so sick all weekend and there is too much work for him to do! He picked up his bees today which he is pretty excited about.

The kids and I planted sunflowers and morning glories for a sunflower house (check out Sunflower Houses by Sharon Lovejoy - it's a beautiful and inspiring book about gardening with children) - I'll post pictures if it works out!

The Proof

2010-04-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

My aunt sent me this picture she took of me at the end of the race. My cousin, Brian said I looked like I was enjoying it too much and if I had that much energy left at the end of the race I should have run faster! I had no idea how fast to run, my only goal was to finish. Hopefully I'll be running faster next year.

I've got a half-marathon coming up on May 1st. Wish me luck!

Pear Blossom 2010

2010-04-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

Remember my Pear Blossom adventure last year? This year I ran the whole ten miles! Quite the improvement since this time last year I couldn't run a mile. There aren't any pictures - Jason got a little lost on the way to the finish line navigating his way with the kids! We had such a great time staying with Mrs. Cropper and her family - fresh flowers on our bedside table, pancakes in the morning, and smoothies in the afternoon! Thanks so much Anne and Taylor - we hope you come up here soon so we can repay the favor!

Here are some pictures of the kids at the Halls' Ranch:

Eliza climbed through the gate to go visit the cows. There is no slowing this girl down and her love of animals is a little out of control!

Andrew and Joshua throwing rocks.

Jason getting a little lesson in beekeeping. Brian gave us some honey too - yum!

Grandpa Roger taking Delia and Sophie to see the cows.

Hopefully we can make this a little family tradition - we love going down there to visit!

A give-away on Frankly Entertaining

2010-04-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

Check out Frankly Entertaining today for our first ever give-away!

More Chicks

2010-04-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

We've lost quite a few chickens since we started this whole chicken thing last August. We lost a bunch of chicks at the very beginning (I think they came sick) and then recently we lost some to hawks and had some disappear (maybe an eagle? maybe they got out and couldn't find their way home?)

So we got some more chicks and this time I wanted some variety, so we are trying light brahmas and Americaunas ( aka Easter Egg layers)

And the Black Australorps. Jason will have to be building another coop soon. Right now they're camped out in the duck house - maybe I'll tell you the story of our duck who thinks he's a rooster another day.

Things should be getting exciting here pretty soon. Bees next week and a cow and bull calf the next. And we've got radishes sprouting in the garden. Fun and crazy times!

Easter

2010-04-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

We had some friends over for Easter dinner on Sunday and then their older kids put on a little egg hunt for all the younger kids after dinner.

It didn't take Eliza long to figure out what to do!

Delia with her loot!

And here's a pic pf Joshua - I didn't have any where you could see his face!

After the Photo Shoot

2010-03-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the fate of my eggs after the photo shoot I did for Frankly Entertaining!

What is up with her bangs? It seems like maybe her mom should brush her hair?

Delia's looking pretty serious about her work.

And I should have taken another picture of Eliza when she came in the house. I thought they were occupied enough that I had time to empty the dishwasher - well in the two minutes that took Eliza painted her whole body. She was pretty happy with herself!

The New Teepee

2010-03-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

A lady from church had a teepee that she had picked up from a friend that she wasn't using and thought that we would like it. Score for us!

I love the teepee, but I have been told by the kids that I am not part of "the club" so I'm not really allowed to go in.

That's okay with me - as long as the kids are loving it!

Frankly Entertaining

2010-03-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Come check out the new blog that I started with my sister! I promise you'll love it!

Grandma & Grandpa Come for a Visit

2010-03-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

Grandma & Grandpa came the night before the Pincocks left. We had so much fun with our two weeks of guests!

Here's a picture of my Dad after tilling our garden. We tried to stop him! The man can not sit still. He spent lots of time driving back and forth to the farm store and spent enough money down there to get us twelve free chicks (pictures coming soon).

We had a great time going out to eat and doing some shopping during the week. We got to celebrate Joshua's birthday one night. And we got to eat dinner with great friends on a couple of different nights. Jason and I even went out on a date! And when we got home Eliza was actually asleep! We're so glad Grandma & Grandpa love to come and visit!

Delia & Grandma were pretty much inseparable the whole week!

We enjoyed a little shopping at University Village one night, then dinner, and then Joshua picked out cupcakes for everyone at Trophy's. They were all delicious! And I hardly took any pictures the week they were here, so here are some more cupcake pics:
Joshua went with vanilla for himself.

I tried triple chocolate.Yum!
Ellen enjoyed her Neapolitan.
And Joshua chose Vanilla with chocolate butter cream for Grandpa. It was fun to go with Joshua to pick out the cupcakes - he was really thinking about what everyone else would like and he knew right away that he wanted to pick the biggest one for Grandma!

Fun Times!

2010-03-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time with such a dear family. We're keeping our fingers crossed that they'll want to move to Whidbey (if not at least want to visit often)!

Recent Pictures

2010-03-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

We have been having a great time with visitors. Our friends came for a visit from Utah last week and then Grandma & Grandpa are here this week. We love when people come to visit us! I will try to post pics of some of the fun things we've been doing, but for now here are some cute pics of the kids and a recent family picture.

Eliza striking a pose at the beach.

Joshua turned 7 last Sunday. He requested a Star Wars cake, so I bought an edible image from the bakery at the grocery store and put it on top of a homemade cake. Joshua requested chocolate cake, vanilla frosting, with a blueberry jam center - and then after taking a bite he told me he doesn't really like cake, he prefers cupcakes. So he got those the next day for his actual birthday day and enjoyed those!

I love this picture of Delia.

My dad took this picture before church on Sunday. I can't believe how big my kids are getting.

Sunday Evening at the Beach

2010-02-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

Tasha Tudor's Oatmeal Bread

2010-02-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

I checked out the Tasha Tudor cookbook from the library this week. I Love it! I made her oatmeal bread today and after Jason took one bite of the bread he told me I was a goddess (yes, it is that good :)). So I thought that made the recipe worth sharing! This is how I made it below (her original recipe uses 10 cups of white flour).

Tasha Tudor's Oatmeal Bread

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 tsp. salt
1 cup molasses
2 tbs. butter
4 cups boiling water
1 cup lukewarm water
4 1/2 t. yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
5 cups whole wheat flour

Grease 3, 5 x 9 inch loaf pans.
Combine the oats, salt, molasses, and butter in mixing bowl. Add boiling water and allow to sit for 1 hour.
After hour has passed, add to mixing bowl:
1 cup lukewarm water and yeast, stir to dissolve (let proof 5 minutes before adding it to the bowl). Now mix in the flour. Turn this out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for about 8 minutes. Once well kneaded and mixed turn it into a greased bowl for rising. About 1 hour.
Punch down and section off into 3 loaves. Place loaves into prepared pans and cover, allow to rise until double. About 1 hour. Bake in 350 preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until they sound hollow when thumped.

Eggs!

2010-02-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

We have eggs! It's so fun to find the eggs in the nesting boxes!

I scrambled up two side-by-side. Can you tell the store bought egg from the egg that came from the chicken in our front yard? Sorry it's not a great picture, but you get the idea (brighter is better). We've been enjoying our eggs this week - fried eggs and hash one night, spaghetti carbonara the next, waffles for breakfast. If you come and visit us there's a good chance that we will feed you eggs!

I made overnight waffles for the first time today. I got the idea from Hungry Monkey.
This recipe is from Mark Bittman. Try them!

Before & After

2010-02-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

I picked up three of these chairs for $1 each at a yard sale in the Summer. We use them in the schoolroom, so I thought they needed to be jazzed up a bit.

They're far from perfect, but I think they turned out pretty cute. I didn't really know what I was doing. Just pulled tight and stapled a lot!

Friday Night Fun

2010-01-31T20:08:00.000-08:00

Marshmallows and toothpicks were a big hit with everyone! I never buy marshmallows so I'm sure that added to the excitement. And then I made my Nan's Marshmallow Squares to round out the evening. I think this is pretty much the recipe. I think I threw out the original because I thought I would never make them again. But I did. And they were good.

Ruth's Marshmallow Squares

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Melt 1 stick butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add peanut butter to melted butter, then add bag of chocolate chips to partially melted peanut butter and melted butter; stir frequently to blend mixture thoroughly until completely melted to a pourable consistency. While mixture is melting, evenly spread miniature marshmallows over the bottom of 8x12 inch (medium size) glass baking dish (no need to grease).

When completely melted and mixed, pour over marshmallows in dish and spread until even. Allow to chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving; cut into desired size bars and eat!

Strega Nona

2010-01-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

I got this idea out of the science book we've been reading that introduces science concepts with lieterature. We read Strega Nona. Did a little experiment with dancing noodles, and then we had fun with a big pot of noodles. The kids loved making a little village out of lincoln logs and covering them with spaghetti.

Then we did some noodle paintings. I thought these were lots of fun, but the kids weren't really interested.

And then we all went a little crazy and had a spaghetti fight. It wasn't too bad to clean up except where it got stepped on and squished in! Yay for cement floors (sometimes)!

Joshua loses another tooth!

2010-01-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

Joshua wanted to share these pictures with Grandpa & Grandma.

We had fun looking at the tooth under our eyeclops last night (thanks Aunt Sarah!).

Yay for Cookies!

2010-01-18T22:54:00.000-08:00

I tried to go with out sugar last year. And did pretty well for the majority of the year and then I went a little crazy with holiday baking. Now I'm thinking about trying again - but look at how much she enjoyed her cookie!

oobleck

2010-01-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

Mix cornstarch (1/2 c.) and water (1/4 c.) and you get a non-Newtonian matter called oobleck. We left a dish of it on the counter for a week and would add a little more water when it dried out. I couldn't stop playing with it!

I am loving this science experiment book that ties books into introducing the experiments. We found it at the library.

A little update

2010-01-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

Joshua is wanting to read all day long. He always gets upset if we have to go anywhere - he doesn't like his reading time interrupted!

Delia is still loving her bathing suit. We went outside the other day and all she wanted to put on was her bathing suit and a Winter coat!

My baby and the chickens are getting big!

Delia is now 4!

2010-01-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

Delia turned 4 the week before Christmas. She wanted a little party this year, so we had some friends come over and painted Christmas ornaments, had a little dance party, ate cupcakes, and hunted for buried treasure (the party favors). Delia had a great time.

I was up pretty late the night before putting the finishing touches on her requested princess doll. The doll took much longer to make than I thought she would! But Delia loves her. I used a pattern from a book called Making Waldorf Dolls by Maricristin Sealey which I found at the library.

Our good friends came over from Everett for Delia's birthday party and spent the night so we could go to Jason's work party. We haven't been out much since we moved to the Island, it was such a treat to be able to get out! Eliza hasn't been left much, so she was a little sad. Joshua was able to comfort her which pretty much melts my heart.

And Jara helped out too (with the comforting). When we got home everyone was sound asleep!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

We had a quiet Christmas at home this year. It was lovely. We had various sicknesses at various times through the holidays but on Christmas Day everyone was well and happy.

Delia was excited to open her presents, but I didn't manage to capture that excitement on camera!

It was the year of legos for Joshua - I think he got 4 different sets. I thought he would be building for days, but he was done in less than 24 hours. I don't think we need any more legos. ever. Joshua obviously has a different opinion on that!

Notice our tree in the back. The kitten jumps pretty high and cleared the bottom two-thirds of the ornaments. It probably worked out for the best because when the salt dough ornaments were a little lower Eliza would chomp on them.

Jason said this was pretty much the coolest gift ever. He and Joshua have had a lot of fun with the Snap Circuits. He already wants an expansion pack!

Kids Coloring Silk

2009-12-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

I made mini-stockings for Advent this year. I got the pattern from Martha Stewart. You can find it here. Each day I have been putting in an activity to do with the kids. I just do it the night before, so I'm sure I can handle it! There was one day that I knew we had so much going on that I just put in a couple of lollipops and called it good. A lot of the things are art-based activities. And we are trying to do some things that are focused on giving - like making treats and taking some to a neighbor and going through toys and clothes and donating them to the local thrift store. Many of the things are ones that I want to do anyways (like go cut down a tree) but this has made it more exciting for the kids and helps them to be more involved. I think I'm going to enjoy this new tradition!

Yesterday we painted silks. I ordered silks and three bottles of seta-silk in the primary colors (I wish that I had also bought white) through Dharma Trading Company. The kids each painted one play silk and one scarf.

This is Joshua's. I thought we might give them as gifts, but the kids are pretty attached to them. I should have ordered more silk.

I thought it was a great lesson in color-blending as well!

This is Delia's. She was very specific about how she wanted this one.

Joshua wanted his bigger one a solid color. We ended up dyeing this with Rit dye. It was a solid yellow until he put it on top of his drying scarf (to keep it away from the cat) now there are some green spots too. He says he likes it that way and I need more lessons in letting go of how I think a finished product should look!

I wish I was taking more pictures of our Advent activities. Joshua took all the ones above.

2009-12-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

I've got a couple of things up for auction on my cousin's site. In Anne's words:

Looking for a way to provide service this holiday season? Here is a great opportunity. Starting Thursday, December 10th, there will be a charity auction at BLOOM (www.placetobloom.blogspot.com) to benefit Claire and Benson Skinner.

As explained by their parents, "Benson and Claire were born with a rare genetic disease in which their liver produces too much oxalate--called primary hyperoxaluria. Claire's condition has progressed much faster than Benson's. She has been on dialysis since she was 3 months old and is on dialysis 3 hours a day, 6 days a week. She is now on the waiting list to receive a combined kidney / liver transplant. It is expected Benson will eventually need similar transplants."

You can read more about the Skinners' experience HERE. (givehopetobensonandclaire.blogspot.com)

Christmas Photo Shoot

2009-12-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

Just because I have a decent camera does not mean I should take the Christmas picture. . .

Splatter Painting

2009-12-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

Last week we tried splatter painting. We talked about Jackson Pollock (from this book) - Pollock says that there were no accidents in his work and that everything was deliberately placed. I think I have more appreciation for his artwork after trying it!

The Boys and Great Big Sea

2009-11-30T06:52:00.000-08:00

Jason and Joshua got to go on a date last week to see Great Big Sea. This is Jason's favorite band so I think he was pretty excited about sharing the experience with Joshua. Joshua wasn't sure he wanted to go at first but when I asked Joshua about his favorite part he said "I don't have one - I liked it all!"

In the spirit of giving

2009-11-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

My cousin and her friend are hosting an online auction for a family in need. If you could donate a craft or service check it out here. If not check her blog from December 10-14th and hopefully find some sweet Christmas presents!

Big Art for Kids

2009-11-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

I love to have my kids' artwork on the walls of my home. We paint and create a lot and it seems like most stuff gets put in a pile. I would like to be better about displaying. What do you do with all your kids artwork?

I wish I had taken a before picture, but I picked up a framed print from Good Cheer (our local thrift store) last month. I took the print out sanded it down and then I painted with white acrylic paint to make a blank canvas for the kids. We had some leaf rubbings that we mod-podged on and then they had lots of fun painting. This is a picture of the finished piece that's on display in our home.
Total project cost: $3 for the framed print. I love upcycling!

Marshmallow Roasting

2009-11-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

The kids really wanted a campfire for family night but there was too much rain! I might have tested Jason's Boy Scout skills if he hadn't already ridden to and from work in the down pour. So we decided to have a little marshmallow roast with the help of the stove instead.

A little marshmallow inspecting.

Here's Delia cleaning off her stick!

Mudpies to Magnets

2009-11-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

We've been having lots of fun with a book that we got from my brother and his family - More Mudpies to Magnets: Science for Young Children. They don't have this one at our library, but they do have the original Mudpies to Magnets if you want to check it out.

This one above is called floating rainbows - it's just water and oil and then you add food coloring which eventually sinks through the oil. The kids loved watching it again and again. We had to do it again at the dinner table to show Jason when he got home.

And here we blew up a balloon without our breath. You fill the bottle with vinegar and the balloon with some baking soda.

I like this book because the ideas are simple and most of the things the experiments call for we already have on hand.

Eliza, Jara, & a lollipop

2009-11-16T23:34:00.000-08:00

Jason says "disgusting". I thought it was kind of sweet!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

Jedi Master

little chick

Fancy Nancy

Crepuscular Rays at the Farm

2009-11-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Jason took Eliza with him to do a couple of chores after church on Sunday. As I was passing by the window I saw them walking back to the house with the sun rays filtering through the trees. It was so beautiful I rushed to get my camera, but when Eliza saw me she wanted me, so the photo above was not I had envisioned!

But then Jason took this for me.

We get these crepuscular rays (Jason told me that's what they're called) all the time, it's one of my favorite things of living here - I think heaven is somewhere right above South Whidbey!

Grandma and Grandpa Come for a Visit

2009-11-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

October was our month of visitors! Grandpa came to visit us for a week while Grandma was at a work conference and then she met him in Seattle for a night before they vacationed in Hawaii and then they both came back to visit us for five days at the end of their trip.

I try to be a hard-worker, but I've got nothing on my Dad! While he was visiting he did all the dishes, cooked us yummy food and took us out to eat too many times, painted our chicken coop, planted us a Winter garden (which we ate from tonight - thanks, again Dad!), fixed our rear windshield wiper, read lots and lots of books to my kids, put up with my thrift store shopping (by that I mean - watching my kids in the toy section while I am trying to fill up my $5 bag at Good Cheer - I couldn't leave with it only half-full), and he insisted on doing all of my animal chores while he was here - I'm sure there's more that I'm not remembering!

Here's a picture of Grandma and Delia - this is one of Delia's favorite things to do with Grandma. Between Delia's love of make-up and shopping she has her father a little worried. Grandma and I got to go shopping for almost an entire Saturday while Grandpa and Jason did lots of fun things with the kids. Grandma and I had a great time and I think that I have most of my Christmas shopping done!

I love this picture of Grandpa and Delia at the Greenbank farm.

Delia took this picture.
I didn't take many pictures while they were visiting, so I guess I didn't take any with Joshua and his grandparents :(

Saturday Morning Chores

2009-10-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

Chores seemed a little more glamorous with the addition of a tutu this morning!
Maybe I need to make myself one!

The Button Comes Down

2009-10-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Happy news for Mark and Kate. See here!

Time with Grandma

2009-10-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Grandma came all the way across the continent and we didn't take many pictures - but we sure fit a lot into our days! I even got a day of shopping with my mom (thanks, Jason!). The kids had a great time with Grandma and they were amazingly well-behaved on our marathon car rides up to Canada to pick her up and drop her off. Thanks for coming mom - we can't wait for your next visit!
We have been so spoiled with visitors this month. Grandpa Bill and Grandma Ellen arrived last night for their return part of the trip on their way back from Hawaii. I think we're going to be going through some withdrawals when all is said and done next week!

Out my Bedroom Door

2009-10-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

This was my view when I woke up in this morning.
I am still loving Whidbey!

The Essence of Everyday

2009-10-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

My cousin and her friend are hosting a contest on Bloom this weekend about capturing the Essence of everyday. I tried to take more pictures this week than I have been and here are some of my favorites from the week that capture a little bit of our days.

Delia dancing with the ducks

Grandpa and the girls on their way to pick apples at Rosabella's

Grandpa treated Delia to a manicure - I love this picture that Joshua took

Joshua with our newest addition - Cinderella

Eliza's Birthday Feast (just pictures)

2009-10-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ricki's Bread Recipe

2009-09-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Ricki was the first to submit a recipe for my whole wheat bread contest, so it doesn't really seem fair that hers was the last recipe I tried - but it took me a while to find potato flour. I was excited to see potato flour in the bulk section on the grocery store in Freeland and was more excited to try Ricki's recipe and finish up the contest!

I thought the bread was really good. I don't know if it was my favorite because it's been so long since I have made the other recipes! It would either be this one or Honey's reci pe. I'll have to make them both again this week and pick a winner.

Have any of you tried the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day? Jason made some over the weekend and it was so easy and delicious (and it looked amazing). I think I will be experimenting with some whole wheat versions soon. You can find some recipes from the first book here. They have a new book coming out next month that looks even better.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
from King Arthur Flour: whole Grain Baking

Yield: One 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf, 16 slices
Baking Temperature: 350F
Baking Time: 35 minutes

2 T orange juice
1 c lukewarm water
4 T unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 c traditional whole wheat flour
3 T sugar
Heaping 1/2 c dried potato flakes or 3 T potato flour
1/4 c nonfat fry milk
1 1/4 t salt
2 1/2 t instant yeast

Combine all the ingredients, and mix and knead them - by hand, mixer or bread machine - until you have soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into and 8-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan.

Cover the loaf gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover and allow it to rise till it's crowned about 1 1/2 inches over the rim of the pan, 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours. Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350F.

Uncover and bake the bread for about 35 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 minutes. The bread is done when it's golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190F. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired; this will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread for 30 minutes before slicing.

Exciting News

2009-09-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of exciting things:

1. Eliza's walking!

Eliza's been taking steps here and there for a while now - but it seems like she's leaving her crawling days behind!

and

2. I'm at Bloom today. Check it out!

Chasing chickens

2009-09-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

See the one up top? On the outside of the brooder?

It is definitely time for a chicken coop!

The Duck House

2009-09-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is Sol-leks, he used to be our little yellow duckie. Now he's not so little and he's ready for a new home! Sophie's nice and big too - but didn't want to pose for a picture.
We picked up an old dog house (free on Craig'slist) and Jason got the roof off and added some hinges to make it easier to clean out. Thanks be to Curtis for holding the roof in place!
Joshua was helping prep for the hinges with his new hand drill.

I finished painting the duck house last night. Now we just need to attach a door and hopefully they'll sleep outside tonight!

My Girls

2009-09-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

I was talking to Grandma Ellen yesterday and she mentioned my blog's been kind of quiet lately. I think about blogging, but can't seem to get it done between animal chores, the rag rug I'm trying to make, crafting for Eliza's upcoming birthday, and general day-to-day mothering! So here's a little post with pictures of the girls for Grandma!

Delia had her first dance class yesterday and she loved it! It's very low-key and I think it's a great class for a 3 year old.

She had a fun time dancing with scarves and listening to cool music. Delia's favorite parts were building a home for mermaids out of the scarves and listening to scary monster music!

Here's a picture of Eliza watching Delia. Can you believe it's only a few weeks until her birthday?

Berry Pickin' Time

2009-09-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

We've had a daily stroll to the blackberry bushes this week so we could gather enough berries for jam. I spent quite a bit of time picking the berries and didn't end up with much jam - but it was a fun family activity! Hopefully next year I'll find a spot with bigger berries.

I think most of Eliza's clothes are stained with blackberries - I can't pick them fast enough for her, but somehow they don't all end up in her mouth!

If you are a Great Big Sea fan singing this song is a must while picking berries!

Another 5 K

2009-08-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

I had planned to run a 5 K with my friend before we moved to Whidbey, so we headed back to the mainland last Saturday for the Snoqualmie Railroad Days. There was lots of fun times had, although there parade wasn't nearly as cool as the Langley one. The kids kept asking where their candy was!

I finished in 33:16. Still going slow - but faster than last time!

I have enjoyed doing these little races - it really keeps me motivated when I have signed up and committed to doing a race. I hope to build up to running the 10 mile Pear Blossom with my Medford cousins next year.

Duck Pics

2009-08-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

My sister requested some new duck pictures. These little guys have grown so much over the past week. They are fun to watch. They always want to be together - if I pick up one to move it close to where there are some good bugs to eat, the other one starts chirping and they find each other within seconds.

They are pretty dirty - lots of poop! I change their water and within minutes it's nasty again. Jason commented the other day (within earshot of Joshua and in a moment of frustration) about how dirty and stupid the ducks are. Joshua had a fit - he's pretty attached to them already - he doesn't want anyone talking bad about his ducks!

Excuse my Absence

2009-08-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

One teething babe

One sick little girl

+
25 of these little ones

=
Not much time for blogging!

Introducing. . .

2009-08-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

Introducing Sol-leks and Sophie. We don't know if they're boys or girls but the kids picked out their names. Aren't they cute?

I'll be impressed if you know what book we're reading to Joshua right now, where he first heard the name Sol-leks.

Morning Surprise

2009-08-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

Joshua went to wash his hands this morning and found this lovely specimen. I got the biggest jar I could find to carry it outside - not because I am against killing spiders, I think that if they're in the house they're fair game - but this one was too big, I was afraid to squish it.

We are getting used to all the creepy-crawly things that come with country living. Yesterday I was cutting Joshua's hair out on the patio and he was freaking out that Eliza was playing with a bug, I told him not to worry about it, I didn't think it was a big deal. And then I looked at her and saw this little worm pinched between her fingers twisting its body every which way and then I freaked out! Eliza was laughing and thinking it was great. I was disgusted!

We are getting our first animals tonight. A couple of baby ducks to help eat the monster slugs and other bugs. Wish us luck!

Parade Day

2009-08-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

They had a parade this past Saturday morning in conjunction with the Fair. We had a great time. We were able to arrive 5 minutes before it began and park across the street from where we watched the parade (I am enjoying the small town living!) and we totally scored with loot - the kiddos said that it was better than Halloween!

I Heart Whidbey

2009-08-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

I heart Whidbey and the Island County Fair! The fair was pretty small but there was still lots to do and the lines were short. It was so fun we want to participate next year - Joshua thinks he might want to raise a chicken for 4-H and I definitely want to enter some kind of baked good so I can get one of those big ribbons they hand out!

The One Good Thing

2009-08-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

The one good thing about moving so frequently?

My mom sends us flowers - thanks, mom.
They brightened my day!

The Straw Bale Home

2009-08-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

This is where we're living.

I'll post more pictures as I get things organized in the house!

We're Here!

2009-08-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of downtown Langley (one of two streets!) Image found here.

We (barely) made it to Whidbey! Our move took a lot longer than it should have - craig's list movers were not the smartest decision. The movers showed up with a 15 foot truck when they said they were coming with a 25 foot truck. A friend from our old ward saved us by insisting on coming to help us (after we had said we didn't need any help!) and then he went to pick up another truck from U-Haul so we could get everything over to the island. We feel so bad that we took up his entire Saturday and we will be forever in his debt!

We are loving Langley. We haven't done much yet - church, a visit to the library, a couple of trips to town for ice cream and lots of unpacking! But we have lots planned for this weekend - we are so excited for the Island County Fair - let us know if you want to join us!

Jetty Island

2009-08-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

We took a little afternoon trip to Jetty Island (gotta love a free 2 minute ferry ride to a beach!) on Monday. I thought we better go before the move - because it would be quite the trek to get there from Whidbey Island. We made it to the puppet show and then just hung out at the beach - it was a perfect afternoon and I definitely recommend checking it out.

My Little Helper

2009-08-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Jason Riding By!

2009-07-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Jason at the top of Vail Pass. These are the only pictures I got of his monumental ride (lame, I know - but managing 3 kids while trailing your husband on 120 mile bike ride is no easy feat - my hat's off to Honey and Rebecca who did it with 5 kids!) You can find out more about the ride on Honey's blog - she did a great write-up of the ride and all the guys.

I have been so inspired by my husband and his commitment to this ride.
Way to go Jason!

The Yardarm

2009-07-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

While in Nova Scotia we took a Pirate Ship Cruise around the Halifax Harbour. Fun times were had by all! Soon after we began the captain of the boat started swinging back and forth on the yardarm and then he asked if anyone wanted to give it a try. I thought he was kidding - but Doug went first and then my brother Jason, Grandpa Mike, my husband Jason, my sister-in-law Christie, my brother Mike, then me, and my sister Jessica.

Here's Jason giving it a try.

It took me awhile to gather up the courage, but I thought I might regret it if I didn't give it a go and I thought what's the worst that can happen - I go for a swim! It was pretty scary when I was in the middle of it!Jessica needed a little rescuing at the end - Jason grabbed her and kept her from going for a little swim!

St. Mary's Glacier

2009-07-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

Everyone asked what I wanted to do on my birthday while we were family reunioning in Denver- so I picked this hike. It was the perfect day: 6:00 am yoga, lunch at Beau Jo's in Colorado Springs, a beautiful hike, and a delicious dinner- thanks to all the family for indulging me!

My First Ever 5k

2009-07-23T11:47:00.001-07:00

I had this idea to run a 5k with all the Hunt Ladies while we were in Denver, I had never run more than a mile before I started training for this event - so it was a big deal for me! My brother-in-law Stu asked what my goal was for the event, I think he was looking for a time goal - but my only real goal this time was to run without stopping - which I did (slowly)!

Jason thinks my shorts are too short, but I think they might help me run faster (I need all the help I can get)! The event was The Lone Tree Firecracker 5k on the 4th of July. It was so much fun for the whole family - they had a fun run for the kids and lots of great sponsors and Jason ended up with a cool shirt (because it was way too big for me).

My mother-in-law totally rocked the race - she came in third in her age category. And my sister-in-law beat us all which I found impressive since her baby was only 3 months old! Thanks to my mother-in-law and my sisters-in-law for indulging my crazy idea - I thought it was so fun!

I took these pictures from my sister-in-law's blog, you can see more here if you're interested!

What's for Breakfast

2009-07-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Our standard Green Smoothie Recipe:
1 orange
1 banana
a couple of handfuls of spinach
ice
1/2 cup water

Eliza loves them - I'm still trying to convince the other kids!

Honey's Bread Recipe

2009-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that my sister-in-law, Honey gave me. It is my favorite of the recipes, so far. I have one left to try (sorry I'm taking so long, Ricki!) - Ricki's recipe calls for potato flour which I haven't found any that is without questionable ingredients, so I think I'm going to make my own. But that probably won't get done until after the move!

Famous Andersen Whole Wheat Bread 4 loaves

5 cups really warm water

2/3 c honey

3 T yeast

3 T lemon juice or white vinegar

3 - 4 cups whole wheat flour

Mix well and let rise once (Only about double) Then add:

1 or 2 T salt

1/3 - 2/3 c oil

10 - 12 c more of whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c white flour (optional)

Mix well , cover and let rise.

Add more flour as needed to make consistency to handle. Grease four loaf pans. Form dough into four loaves. Let rise to top of loaf pans as oven pre-heats to 350 degrees. Bake 35 minutes. Remove from pans and cover with bath towel. (That makes top crust soft - or you can brush with butter).
*I personally prefer a bit of a harder crust, so I would bake mine for an additional 10 minutes and leave off the towel. The first time I made this I halved the recipe so I could fit it all in the kitchen aid, when I made it yesterday I made the whole recipe, but still kneaded it in the kitchen aid in halves, and then clumped it all together and finished kneading it on the counter. Enjoy!

A Weekend Full of Cherries!

2009-06-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

How long does it take to pit 25 lbs of cherries?
Way longer than I thought it would!

Luckily I had some great helpers!

Making cherry juice.

The winning recipe from this past weekend, Jason says this is the best one since the PS (post-sugar) era began:

Pear and Cherry Cobbler

2 lbs pears, peeled and sliced

2 cups pitted cherries

3 TBSP lemon juice

1/2 cup honey

2 TBSP cornstarch mixed with 2 TBSP water

2 TBSP butter

1 recipe whole wheat and honey topping (see below)

Preheat oven to 400 place the pears in a shallow 3 qt baking dish. Stir in the lemon juice, honey, and cornstarch mixture. Dot with pieces of the butter. Prepare topping and drop by spoonfuls onto fruit mixture, leaving space in between– it will spread a bit and some gaps are desirable to see the fruit peeking through. Bake for 30 to 35 minues or until topping is well browned. Serve warm or cool, with vanilla ice cream or milk, morning or night.

Topping:

1 1/4 cups oats

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup cold butter

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup honey

In a bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. With a pastry blender, cut in cold butter or margarine until well blended. Stir together milk and honey; add to bowl, stirring until combined. Recipe adapted from here.

Father and Son go Camping

2009-06-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Jason and Joshua headed to the Fathers and Sons camp out this past weekend aided by the xtracycle. It was about 35 miles each way, a little longer on the way there because of a wrong turn). Jason said it was one of the coolest things he has ever done!

Joshua's got his book ready for the long ride
(3 hours there and about 4 hours on the way home)

I cannot imagine pulling that load up any hill, let alone the hills I know he had to go up!
Jason, you are way cooler than any rockstar - thanks for all the great times these past 9 years.
Happy Anniversary - I love you!

Moving to Whidbey Island!

2009-06-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

These are Jason's Father's Day gifts, a couple of books about keeping chickens and bees - we are planning a move to an acreage on Whidbey Island. Jason will commute to his job in Everett, it's a short ferry ride and he'll have about 5 miles on either side of the ferry. We are excited about the move, it really seems ideal. But if it's not everything we dreamed, we are only renting and can move back to the mainland next year!

We have made some good friends in Everett this past year, hopefully we'll be back often enough to maintain those friendships and we hope to have lots of visitors at the new place!

My Happy Man

2009-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Jason got up at 4:30 this morning so he could ride his bike 125 miles and be back to take the kids to the pool this afternoon. He's the best!

Now he has a full belly and he is one happy guy!

Sun Bonnet

2009-06-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Check out Danielle's sweet pattern-making skills here.

Dinner at the Beach

2009-06-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

You know life is great when you get to eat dinner at the beach twice in one week.

We had a barbeque at Picnic Point Beach with a family that we knew at BYU, who have just recently moved to the area.
(Do you love my $0.99 tablecloth from Goodwill? It makes me happy!)

Joshua's pretty excited to be at the beach!

This one of Eliza was taken a couple of days later when we went to Lighthouse beach for the farmer's market and some grilled pizza. The idea was to buy some food stuffs to put on the pizza, but there wasn't a great selection at the market - so we had cheese and tomato. I still thought it was tasty!