CALICO GARDEN

Happy Birthday Hudson!

2012-02-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

Look who is TWO years old!!!

Hudson at Two Years Old!

Hudson is such a sweet little guy - full of silliness and laughter. He is thoughtful, kind and easy going. His eyes are beautiful and his smile is heart melting. He is very smart, loves books, enjoys puzzles and is always learning. He has a big sense of adventure. He is the best snuggler in this house. He enjoys all things Dinosaur Train and has recently discovered Elmo. He adores art and would do it all day if I let him. He likes to be physically active. He is gentle. He like trains, planes and helicopters. Loves animals. He is funny and already tells jokes. He listens pretty well. He is a great little brother. He is amazing and loving. Happy Birthday Hudson!

Hudson enjoyed a great birthday this week! He started his day off with some presents, Dinosaur Train, a cash register, a wooden pizza set, a couple books and a new metal dino water bottle like Holly's. He really enjoyed his birthday goodies!

After a morning of play we went out for pizza, enjoyed the afternoon at the Tacoma Children's Museum, had ice cream for dinner and a bit of pizza for dessert. He loved it all!

Happy Birthday Hudson!!!

Snowy Fun!

2012-01-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

The kids enjoyed some fun time out in the snow the past couple of days... and most likely the next couple of days! They spent time exploring the white powdery stuff, tasting it, building creatures and a snowman. All followed by mugs of hot cocoa with marshmallows in our cozy little house! Fun times had by all!!!

Sweet Pea

2012-01-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

Donut Maker

2012-01-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

For Christmas we got Holly a donut maker. She really enjoys being in the kitchen and we'd like to encourage even more experiences in cooking. With her donut maker she got some kitchen tools as well. The other night we finally got some quiet time to break it in. The donuts are pretty quick and easy to make, offering nice results to a six year old.

We decided on cinnamon sugar donuts and they were AMAZING! Fresh, hot and melt in your mouth goodness.

Holly thinks her donut maker is so cool and is really looking forward to making more soon!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

Leavenworth 2011

2011-12-29T08:27:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed yet another wondeful year in Leavenworth for their beautiful town lighting celebration. We stayed at a hotel in town next to the hotel we stayed in the first year we visited for the lighting festival. Being close is always a treat and makes it very easy with young kids to move back and forth to the hotel as needed!

The weekend was filled with sledding on the town hill, some snow play, good company, yummy food and brew, beautiful holiday lights, Santa, a living nativity, a little lantern parade and holiday shopping. Something for everyone!

Ice Skating Fun

2011-12-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

A fun seasonal treat for Holly was trying out Ice Skating this year. Our town hosted a small, kid friendly 'ice' rink that was actually waxed matts - perfect for a child who has never done this before. We let her watch a bit to decide, she was all for it so Bryan took her out and taught her what to do. After a few laps around with Daddy she went on her own and just took off! Holly loved doing this! We might take her to a neighboring town soon to try out a real ice rink!

While Holly skated Hudson & I enjoyed some park time just outside!

Camp Fire Club

2011-12-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Holly's Camp Fire Club was in the local Santa Parade, her second year! They all had a great, chilly time on the little float waving to everyone. It was a fun activity that really adds to some holiday joy!

Here are here fellow Camp Fire friends...

Anna, Lilli, Holly, Leah, Kira, Kristin
The Nature Kids
Camp Fire Group

Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-12-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we got the house all decorated for Christmas - this was Hudson's first year helping. He adores the pretty tree and shares with me daily he thinks it is pretty....so sweet!!! Holly also had a great time helping, she did a lot this year! The house is feeling cozy and bright right now, such a nice feeling!

Long Beach

2011-11-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we were lucky enough to have some wonderful friend invite us to join them down at Long Beach. We had such a nice time, enjoyed our friends, the beautiful scenery and enjoyed getting away.

The beach was beautiful, both Long Beach and Cannon Beach. It was a treat to head a bit further south and enjoy Cannon Beach... a favorite of Bryan & I. The kids loved playing on the beach for quiet a while despite the chilly breeze. The weather cooperated pretty well - dry while out and downpours while we were in. Not too bad for our ocean weather in fall.

Over the weekend we also were able to take in the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center (for me not my family). I really enjoyed it, so well done! And, it is set upon a beautiful cliff... simply stunning scenery. Bryan tried his hand for the first time ever at clam digging - as did Holly. They seem to have a great time... and even tried fresh clam chowder for the first time, a first for both!

It was a great weekend and we are so appreciative to our friends for the wonderful invite!

Now for photos...

That's A Wrap!

2011-11-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

Holly has finished up her second year of soccer! She grew a lot this year, her skills improved immensely even though her comedic act still is in full play while on the field. She is a happy girl who gallops across the field with a smile... instead of getting on the ball and taking it back. Part of me wants her to get in there to get the ball the other part of me wants her to remain the happy girl skipping down the field... as those moments are passing so quickly, she is growing up and slowly replacing those little 'kid moments' with adult ones. It is going to quickly!

Here are a few photos from her final game!

Sweet Dreams

2011-11-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

He is growing up way too quickly!!!

Pumpkin Carving 2011

2011-10-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

Holly & Bryan carved pumpkins this weekend while Hudson drew on his pumpkin. They went Saturday morning to the pumpkin patch together to pick out a couple of good carving pumpkins. They chose one for me too... however, I have not had time to carve it. Maybe I'll keep it around for the month of November for harvest decor.

As always, they carved two wonderful pumpkins. Hudson enjoyed coloring his pumpkin! They had a lot of fun together. This year Holly saved a few pumpkin seeds to dry and see if they will grow next year - that should make for a fun little experiment next summer!

My Little Peacock

2011-10-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

This year Holly wanted to be a peacock for Halloween. Not sure what to do with that I found some inspiration online and created a peacock costume! It was actually rather simple, pretty quick and perfect for her! She loves it and I love it - it was a win, win for us both.

Here is my little peacock:

Camp Fire

2011-10-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Holly has started her second year of Camp Fire and is loving it! This year have started a first grade troop with some members from last years club and a few new members. It has started out so nicely and she is having a great time! Here are a couple of photos from yesterday's meeting where the kids are finishing up their first badge 'all about me'. They were painting a time capsule to store away until the end of the year and they started a hand stitched project of their hand prints at age six. Such a fun day!

Pudding Cup

2011-09-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hudson enjoyed his first pudding cup...

Soccer Season

2011-09-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

Holly is enjoying soccer season! It is a busy time of year with moving into school full time, activities and soccer. However, she is really enjoying it and coming a lot further with her skills. She is not a very aggressive player so that holds her back some, but she is working on it. Getting her not afraid to get in on the ball is tough but she is slowly building up that confidence and courage to do it.

Here are some shots from her last game!

Holly's Fair Entries

2011-09-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

We visited the fair this past weekend and finally had a chance to see Holly's fair entries. She was thrilled to look for them, in fact it was the VERY first thing we did when we got into the fair - headed straight for the Pavilion to search them out.

Holly did great! She received two first place ribbons and a second place ribbon. She is over the moon!

Love These Moments

2011-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

As Hudson is growing up you can find the kids playing together more often. I love how every few days there is a new focus in my living room... right now trains! A week or so ago I had a large farm living in my living room and music instruments grazed every surface a few days before that.

Trains right now are a fun one as Hudson is really loving 'choo-choos'. We don't do much TV however one day Holly was watching a Thomas show and Hudson finally noticed the television (never happens)... he became very excited over the 'choo-choos' on TV. So, off went the TV and out came the trains. The living room has been filled since with hours of train play. I love that Hudson is enjoying it and Holly is not too old for it. They play well together over trains. I honestly love those moments!!!

Cattle Parade

2011-09-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

We were able to enjoy the tradition of the Puyallup Fair's Cattle Parade again this year -- making it year 4 for Holly and year 2 for Hudson! The kids had a great time. Holly enjoys the cattle drive that starts the parade... which appeared to be smaller this year. Last year they had one take his own journey into a nearby Cheveron Mini-Mart Gas Station so this year they seem to have run fewer and had more on hand to guide them than ever before. Hudson loved them - he was very excited! In fact, I'd say Hudson love it all.. the horses, the tractors, the bands... all!!! It was a great morning - we look forward to next year too!

Ducks!

2011-09-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend was filled with sweet beautiful sunshine so we enjoyed several hours in the sun. We spent the weekend out visiting Grandpa Hawk and the kids enjoyed the water. They played in the yard with a small pool, a sprinkler and the slip and slide. We also visited the local lake in which the kids enjoyed the water. It was relaxing, summery and fun... a great way to enjoy the weekend!

Remlinger Farms Summer Fair

2011-08-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

Thursday we met up with some friends at Remlinger Farms... such a special treat! We try to go once a year, typically in the fall season. This was our first time during the summer season and I must say that I think I liked it better as there were more rides, animals and ponies to enjoy. And -- less crowds!!! The sunshine was warm but it wasn't too bad as they had sprinklers throughout the park for folks to enjoy, our kiddos got soaked a few times (me too). We had a fantastic day as we opened and closed the park down making for some tired kiddos and a tired momma!

Soccer Season

2011-08-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

The new soccer season for us has officially kicked off. Last night was Holly's first practice. We'll be doing practices two nights a week for a few weeks, games are will be on Saturdays. Once the games start up she will be going down to one practice. She is very excited for soccer to be starting again and I am excited to see her grow this season in her skill level.

Denny Creek Camping Trip

2011-08-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last week we enjoyed a ten day camping trip out at Denny Creek in the Snoqualmie area. This was our first time at this campground. It was a lovely little campground, however you can hear the road noise from I-90 - a bit too much for us. The area is beautiful and offers so, so many opportunities for outdoor fun & hiking! We enjoyed several hikes throughout the week - Franklin Falls, Denny Creek Water Slides, Wagon Trail Hike, Lake Talapus & Lake Ollalie and then Bryan and the kids enjoyed the Iron Horse Snoqualmie Train Tunnel and hike. Over all about 18 miles of hiking happend this past week.... AWESOME!!!

As well we enjoyed wonderful company camping, a ton of play with friends, river play, forest service roads, general camping goodness like star gazing, great foods and campfire endings to the day. The weather was amazing all week long offering us nothing but pure sunshine, how lucky we were!

There are just TOO MANY photos to share, so I selected just a few to share of our trip... I had over 200 photos, and that is light for me! Enjoy!!!

Getting ready for our first hike to Franklin Falls.

River along trail to Franklin Falls.

River along hike.

Mini-waterslide.

Pierce Family in front of Franklin Falls.

Hudson exploring at Denny Creek Waterslides.

Denny Creek Waterslides.

Fajitas -- the best camp dinner ever!!!

Corn bread pudding went great with fajitas! Yummy!

River along campground.

Heading out to place their first ever geo cache, so fun!

Holly enjoying daisies at Snoqualmie Pass.

Hudson too!

Snoqualmie Train Tunnel - start of a 6 mile hike.

The tunnel is DARK - 2 miles of darkness! Wow!

Heading out on a 6 mile hike to some alpine lakes!

On the trail...

Beautiful area!

In front of a small falls along hike!

Aren't they the cutest!!! Love them!

Talupus Lake - 2 mile mark.

Talupus Lake.

Ollalie Lake - 3 mile mark.

Stampede Pass drive.

My Little Two Wheeler!!!

2011-08-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

The day has finally come... Holly is on two wheels, no trainers! She had tried a couple of her friends little bikes and could do it. So, we finally got her onto a good learning bike that is not as large as her fancy new bike she got for Christmas. She got on and took off today!!! My little gal is growing up! She has been riding all night and I mean all night! So proud of her!!!

Woodland Park Zoo

2011-08-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

Last week we enjoyed a wonderful day out with friends at the Woodland Park Zoo. Each time we have visited this zoo we have had a great time and each time we have visited we have not seen the zoo in its entirety. They offer such a nice variety of animals to see and learn about some of Holly's favorites were the giraffes, flamingos, oranutangs and colorful birds. Hudson seemed to enjoy the elephants the most even though when one came to the edge of their exhibit near us he kept telling it 'no, no'... I think he did not like it being that close to him. It was pretty cute! The zoo also had a dinosuar exhibit... that was Holly's favorite part of the day by far!!!!

Summer Water Play

2011-07-26T08:21:00.001-07:00

Sunday we finally hit a day of really nice hot weather.... a long time coming. With such cool weather Holly has been very disappointed to not have her pool up yet - I am disappointed for her. But, this was finally the day to break it out and enjoy some sunshine. This was Hudson's first time in the pool, last summer he was not walking and just too little. He loved it, he loves water and water play - so this was right up his alley!

The kids had a great time!!!

Summer Fun

2011-07-20T15:47:00.001-07:00

Holly and Hudson enjoyed some wonderful park play today before meeting up with friends. They were the only two on the entire playground for a while... it was really nice. Holly help Hudson with the slide a few times and then he got the whole system down himself. A great day for the park!

One Bite At A Time

2011-07-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hudson is getting pretty good with his fork/spoon capabilities... in fact he much rather prefers to use one over his hands now. Not quiet all the time but about 90% of the time -- and he is getting pretty darn good at it too! I love this stage when independence is setting in, slowly... more & more! Remind of this when I gripe he is too independent for his own good soon - LOL! I feel it comin' on!!!

Penrose Point Camping

2011-07-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

We spent this past weekend enjoying our 3rd year of camping at Penrose Point during a low tide weekend. Each year our trip has grown by more families joining us from our camping circle, this year it grew even more making for a great weekend of fun! We enjoyed seeing some friends that we have not enjoyed for some time - a nice treat for sure!

Although we had the pleasure of some raindrops to dampen the weekend a bit, the beach didn't disappoint. Saturday was our best day on the beach as we got out there in time for lowest tide and then took our time walking in to really enjoy the critters. After our time on the actual spit we took a couple kiddos over to the sand dollar beds, a real treat as you just don't see this too often.

We came back to camp and there were so many kiddos enjoying the time of their life through rain downpours and sun breaks. They still enjoyed exploring the woods, playing, riding bikes & scooters and more! It was a fantastic time, another great camping trip - we look forward to next year!

Middle Fork Campground

2011-07-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we enjoyed a camping trip up at a brand new to us campground called Middle Fork. We are thrilled that we ventured out in trying a new place... it was fantastic! Middle Fork was down a 12 mile stretch of gravel forest service road - far out and wonderfully located in the middle of no where. However, for being so far out it was well traveled by so many coming out to enjoy the beautiful region, hikes, mountain biking, river kayaking, fishing and more. The area offered so many easily accessible opportunities. And, the campground was well maintained for being so far out - a treat!

Friday we arrived, set up camp and enjoyed the local area with a nature walk and exploring the river some. The kids had a great time finding where they could play at camp, roasting marshmallows and soaking in nature. Saturday we ventured out to explore more of the area and to take in a little hike at Twin Falls - beautiful! We also explored Denny Creek a bit and hit up Snoqualmie Pass for some ice cream in the warm sunshine. Sunday we packed up, had the Ross family visit us and headed back up to Denny Creek with the Ross family to explore a bit more. We are about to head out on a long camping trip there with a lot of folks, it should be a lot of fun!!!

We had a wonderful weekend!

Silver Springs

2011-06-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we joined friends for year three of camping at Silver Springs. This is a nice little campground that is pretty close to home - making it an easy weekend destination. We have come to realize it is not fun to travel Friday night, enjoy Saturday and head home Sunday - so little time to really get down and dirty for camping! Well, the dirty part -- with kids, that is a no brainer!

We had four families camp and some friends come up for a day trip - making it a great time! It is always lovely to have a lot of folks along for visiting, tons of kids for play and laughter, change of activities and game play <-- that used to happen before Hudson. Hudson, sweet Hudson. He is one very active little boy. Hudson probably roamed several miles this past weekend with no real destination or purpose, except to roam. Fortunately I had friends to roam with us and keep me company. They also gave us some breaks and roamed aimlessly with Hudson! Thanks guys!

Anyhow, on to the photos from our weekend!

The Garden

2011-06-20T11:02:00.001-07:00

We have expanded our little garden a bit this year... and I can see it will happen again next year! This year has been great for the garden, unlike last year where everything was already rotting from too much moisture and cool temps. While it seems cool it has not been to wet and we have experienced some good chunks of sunshine in between the rain, all things a garden loves!

We have been enjoying spinach from our garden already and this weekend we harvested our first round of radishes - they are yummy! We pulled some and we'll pull more later this week - then it will be time to replant for another enjoyment of radishes. I let Holly harvest the radishes and she loved it. I also took a peek about the garden with her to see how it is growing... we found mini broccoli, sunflowers growing strong, beans all sprouted, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes in bloom, strong pumpkin & zucchini plants (which I usually do horrible with, keeping hope). Things are looking fantastic and this has been a lot of fun to do with Holly this year, more so than last as she is really getting into gardening and enjoys eating what she grows!

Anderson Island Beach

2011-06-15T08:09:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we enjoyed a visit with Grandpa Hawk before the summer swings into full gear of camping trips, outings and vacations making it more difficult to enjoy a full weekend on the island. One fun destination we always enjoy is the beach with views of Ketron Island and Steilacoom... and when the clouds are parted Mount Rainier. It is a nice, quiet little beach!

This evening the kids enjoyed sand play, the discovery of thousands upon thousands of small snails along the shore line, daisies and more!

Family Time @ The Beach

2011-06-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

Holly & Hudson have their cousins in town for a little while because they are already on summer break from school. So, today we joined them at the beach with the grandparents and a great aunt - the weather was wonderful, the kids played hard and it was nice to visit! The kids all had a great time building in the sand, seeking treasures, playing in the water, seal spotting and having a plain ol' good time. That is what summer vacation is for after all, right?

Campfire Camporee

2011-06-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

The end of Campfire for this season was enjoyed by a fun day called a Camporee! The camporee was held at a Boyscout Camp just south of Olympia, a very pretty area and camp. Our family could have camped for the whole weekend, however this was our first time so we opted for the one day event on Saturday... however, next year it might be a lot of fun to do the entire weekend.

We arrived at 9:00 am and the kids were playing out in the big field, several different field games... this actually happened a lot throughout the day. Holly loved them all! Then the camp kids gathered and broke off into various groups to work on a patch for the day called Wise Old Willy. Throughout their patch work they learned about different earth friendly subjects like recycling, conserving, animals, earth, trees, etc.. Most of them were pretty fun, all very educational. The kids got to enjoy a hike through the woods out to a lake and gather around a little fire for one subject, all camp activities.

We also enjoy camp food for lunch and dinner in the mess hall. After an official Campfire end of year ceremony called 'council' we finished the great day over a lot of smores and marshmallows. Our family headed out just before 10:00 pm - it was a wonderful day and a great way to end our year with Campfire!

Deep Lake

2011-06-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday we spent a fun time with family friends out at Deep Lake. This is a fantastic park with a lake, play area, trails, field space to run, tables, shelters, etc... We have visited it before but for some reason we just never think to venture out there more - that might have to change. This weekend really reminded us of how great this park really is!

The kids had a great time playing like crazy, taking a nature walk and tinkering around in the water in search of periwinkles... a childhood favorite past time of mine. Good memories there!

Redondo Beach

2011-05-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday we spent the day doing a lot of errands together as a family, which is actually fun! We all get to still spend time together and get things done for our family. While out and about we were sure to incorporate some fun stuff into the day like lunch out, Ikea play area, dinner out and best of all... Rodondo Beach!

The sun was shining, it was warm and we had never been to Rodondo Beach. So, today was the day. We took a walk along the board walk and then took in the beach with the kids. Holly and Hudson both had a really nice time playing in the sand. I think this summer will hold several more beach play dates for us... my kids love it, really love it!

Busy, Busy Days

2011-05-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

Homeschooling keeps us busy. Playing with friends keeps us busy. Growing up keeps us busy. The garden keeps us busy. Sunshine keeps us busy. Learning keeps us busy. Time with family keeps us busy. Naps keep us busy. Weekends with daddy home keeps us busy. Life keeps us busy.

Here is a snapshot of our busy, busy days!

Holly's Birthday Party @ Owen Beach

2011-05-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we enjoyed a fantastic celebration at Owen Beach for Holly's 6th Birthday. The weather cooperated beautifully and the kids all adored spending several hours on the beach. They spent so much time exploring, collecting, playing in the drift wood hut, building water collecting holes and so much more! All the kids also created a beach relief project right in the sand with sea shells, little bits of drift wood and special beach stones they collected - this was really fun, some kids even made two.

Here is her party in reverse... as I am pretty frustrated with blogger right now - moving photos around is a night mare any more. Might have to look for a different host site, ugh!

Happy 6th Birthday Holly!

2011-05-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

This little girl...

Turned 6 years old yesterday!!!

She is an amazing, beautiful, loving and funny little girl who fills our hearts with complete joy! She enjoys life to it's fullest, explores her little heart out, investigates everything, is not afraid to get her hands dirty, dances around the house in a tutu, is artistic and bright, outgoing with just about anything, friendly to all, cracks up at her own jokes, is mastering joke telling, spends hours each week reading Calvin & Hobbes, snuggles really well, is learning how to swim, enjoys music, is a wonderful big sister, cuddles her little brother and reads to him, sneaks into mom and dads bed and starts each day with a positive way about her! Happy Birthday Holly!

This was her special gift, selected by Daddy...

Nisqually Delta -- We Made It!

2011-05-03T10:47:00.001-07:00

The weather this Sunday was simply amazing - perfect for hitting up an old favorite of ours... the Nisqually Delta. Our family really does enjoy this park so much, each time is a different experience filled with wonderful sites and sounds. Sunday was no different - the air was a flutter with so many birds taking in the sunshine, twitters abound, squirrels were sunbathing, Canadian Geese were tree bound (odd), critters were hunting, snakes slithering about and the beaver even made a brief and enjoyable appearance! The best part -- we finally made it to the END of the new board walk. Four and half miles later... we made it back.

The trails and boardwalk were filled with fellow nature loves all helping each other to find the critter gathering so much attention. Photographers were every where. Kids were finding pure joy in the outdoors. We all left a bit burned from the sun... and it felt good!!! The new board walk is a long trek, but oh so worth it. We went at low tide which expose the grounds for feeding. However, we heard that at higher tide your chances of seeing seals are much higher. It was nice to be out in the sunshine looking for nature at it's finest.

Snake Lake Nature Center

2011-04-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we met up with some friends at Snake Lake - Tacoma Nature Center for a morning of play and a picnic. They were featuring a wonderful Earth Day event for the kiddos with some various hands on activities, butterfly house building, a bug zoo, worm bins, and more. We had a wonderful time out in the much needed sunshine with some play, a walk, lunch and the activities - it was a great day!!!

Easter Egg Fun

2011-04-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a fun evening of coloring eggs on Friday with the Ross Family, a yearly tradition! We had a bbq dinner to enjoy the nice weather and then gathered in the kitchen for eggs and colors. Holly adores this night, she looks forward to it for weeks. Something as simple as coloring eggs... it at the top of her list!

Fort Steilacoom Park

2011-04-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today we met up with some homeschooling friends over at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood. This is a wonderful park, one we call the 'castle park'. The structure was hand built by local citizens and is amazing - tons of climbing, levels to explore, hide outs, nooks, slides, tunnels, swinging, swaying, etc. There is so much to do here - for both big kids and little kids. I especially adore the fact that the little kids area is all fenced in. This park makes for some wonderful play, when you add in friends -- you can't beat it!

Stream Play

2011-04-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we met up with some friends over at Wildwood Park. This park is just wonderful - it is a very natural area in which you almost feel like you are camping. Holly calls it the 'camping park'. It featured a beautiful canopy of trees, trails and paths, a shallow stream and a play ground -- plenty for hours and hours of happy play.

Hudson got to enjoy his first time playing in the stream. He played for a while when we got there, then more later on in which he proceeded to fall a lot and get soaked. I let him play and explore until he was cold - then we got all cleaned up and enjoyed the mellow part of the park... the play toys. He had a great time!

In the mean time Holly was off exploring the woods with friends. Up one trail, down another. Climbing over logs, scooting under fallen trees, balancing on limbs, trudging through ferns bigger than her and exploring her little heart out. She could do this all.day.long and never grow tired of it!Over all - it was the perfect day!!!

Weekend in La Conner

2011-04-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we enjoyed some camping up in La Conner with family. The weather worked out wonderfully, the farms and fields were beautiful, we enjoyed a bit of natural play at Padilla Bay and also took in great food & drink. The weekend was great!!!

Saturday morning we visited the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - Breazeale Interpretive Center. Years ago Bryan and I visited this park and spent a long time here enjoying birds... the park has really expanded with a lot more to offer kids (which is great since we now have them!) such as an indoor interpretive center -- which was fantastic!! We enjoyed a walk, some exploring and herons.

Later in the day we hit up the tulip fields -- photos will share that trip!

Galoshes

2011-04-14T15:58:00.001-07:00

Hudson got his first pair of galoshes... the are so stinkin' small & cute! Getting ready for some use this weekend I thought I'd let Hudson try them on for a bit so that they are not a shocker when we really need him to wear them. He was loving them! He ran all over and kept looking down to smile at them and as he is chatting away at me is pointing to them. Hudson also kept bending down to touch them. When I took them off to put them away he quickly went to the front door and grabbed Holly's and worked hard on putting them on. I'd say he likes his new galoshes!

Mini Me

2011-04-14T09:02:00.001-07:00

We came home from the Daffodil Parade to find Hudson and Daddy.... dressed alike.

How cute is that.....

Grand Floral Parade

2011-04-13T09:28:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Holly and I were lucky enough to slip out and enjoy the Grand Floral Parade - Daffodil Parade. We met up with some friends in Sumner, enjoyed some Dairy Freeze for lunch and had a good time!!! These are some of Holly's favorite photos we took.

Jr. Daffodil Parade

2011-04-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Holly was in the Junior Daffodil Parade with her campfire group. It was a very chilly morning but we arrived bright and early, she got set up with her group and we then grabbed a spot on the little parade route to watch for her. Grandma Linda and Aunt Mary Lou also came to support her. It was a nice morning and she enjoyed being in the parade!

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Bubbles

2011-03-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

Our house has the cooties... aka - colds! Holly is getting over it pretty quickly, Hudson now has a double ear infection, I am congested pretty good still and Bryan - he is as healthy as ever. With not feeling well we had to cancel out our week of fun and stay put which soon feels like being cooped up, especially when you are a family used to being on the go.

To help fill in the days we are coming up with creative ways to play. We have broken out the tumble mats, blown up balloons, popped balloons, made race car tracks, watch a few movies and have done a ton of bubbles. Now that Hudson can walk and move better bubbles are a whole new experience for him. He loves them and says 'bubble' clear as day.

Here is to hoping we are on the mend and can get back out very soon!

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Friends

2011-03-25T15:15:00.001-07:00

Hudson & Riley are friends. Good friends!

She loves to hang out with him, cuddle up to him and just be... with him.

He is gentle with her. She is gentle with him.

When he is busy at play you will often find this little ball of fluff not far.

The softly bow down and touch heads, like a small hug.

When he first wakes up she is often the first to greet him.

He loves it. She loves it.

They are friends!

Swim Lessons

2011-03-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Holly is back in swim lessons after a long hiatus. After Hudson came along we took a small break, then our local pool closed for repairs, budget cuts refrained it from re-opening with public lessons and then we ended up on a waiting list at a different local pool. Finally, she was in.

We are really enjoying this pool and their program. It is a different program then she was in before and we are already seeing big changes in her abilities and confidence. They really focus and build one or two skills with the child versus each time they are out in the water it is a new skill. So, Holly has really time to work on and master the skill she is best at first - then they will introduce a new skill to build on. She can actually swim a bit now -- woo hoo!!!

Hudson's First Hair Cut

2011-03-17T07:57:00.001-07:00

My very dear friend was really sweet and offered to give Hudson a well needed hair cut - he was looking a little shaggy. While this was his first hair cut it was also his first lollipop. She set him all up and then he got a lollipop in which he put in his mouth and then literally did not move an inch afterwards.... for a really, really long time. He was hypnotized by the sugar - just still as could be. It was funny!

Anyhow, here he is - his first little hair cut. Now he is all trimmed up, not long shaggy bits... just a handsome little guy!

Building Trains

2011-03-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend Holly and Bryan broke out the wooden train set and created a large train. Holly adores playing with trains, creating new track sets and then changing them up -- Bryan too! So, this was right up their alley. They had a great time!

Coloring Fun

2011-03-13T15:54:00.001-07:00

Hudson enjoyed his first attempt at coloring... and he enjoyed it, crayon & all!

Really, he did enjoy marking the paper up with colors. He'd smile like crazy when he did it, watch with complete interest as the crayon left a trail and then pull up the crayon and just stare at it. It was great to watch and he had fun for a bit. His new found artwork is proudly hanging in the kitchen next to Holly's!

Beignets

2011-03-10T09:51:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday we had an impromptu idea to honor Mardi Gras & Fat Tuesday -- we enjoyed beignets!!! After dinner we broke out our Cafe Du Monde beignet mix and rolled out some dough. Then we fried up the little beignets and coated them in powdered sugar.... oh so yummy!

Dinosaur Days @ The Burke

2011-03-08T09:24:00.001-08:00

This is our second year attending Dinosaur Days at the Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus. Once again it was well worth it!

Holly loves all things dinosaurs and this event is right up her alley. They do such a fantastic job with this Dinosaur Days. She enjoyed checking out the main exhibit, several fossils, trying her hand at cracking open fossils, the dino draw, a dino dig and playing with friends in dino costume pieces. It was a really good time and she found some new things of interest to her.

Homeschool Blog

2011-03-07T15:20:00.000-08:00

Just in case you are ever interested in reading on our homeschooling - here is a link to my other blog: http://ourcreativeday.blogspot.com/ I often get questions about homeschooling and what we do, so this little blog offers me a place to share a bit of what we do. Enjoy!

PBS - Young Authors Workshop

2011-03-01T09:37:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I took Holly to a Young Authors Workshop at the PBS studios. She is planning to enter their young authors contest this year and has been creating a book idea in her head. Well, they were offering a free workshop for children in Kindergarten through Third Grade on how to incorporate art and characters into your stories.

This workshop was GREAT!

They had a host from Live Paint! out of Seattle who worked the kids through numerous story telling activities in which she was fantastic! She got the kids up and participating in very creative and silly ways. To finish the kids all created a mask of a character they shared about.

This workshop was amazing and we are so glad that we went, Holly had a great time and is feeling very inspired for her story now. Great Job PBS!