Summer Like Days

For about a week and a half we had 80 degree weather and it was glorious. The rain has decided to show up again today so I will be dreaming of those sunny days. We soaked up as much sun every day and had so much fun outside.

One of the days we broke out the kiddie pool for the first time this year. The girls had so much fun with Barbie's, the slide, and splashing each other. Paige even created an obstacle course for Baylor with some water. It was so cute to watch them interact and to see their smiles and laughter.

A different day they played in the sprinklers. There was so much squealing and laughter. It was magical!

I LOVE spring flowers. It just reminds me of new life and that warmer weather is on the way. It makes the earth stunning and it's a way that I feel of God's love for us.

Last Saturday I had a doctor's appointment in Seattle and since it was going to be another gorgeous day we did a few things in the city before heading home. Our first plan was going to the UW Arboretum since I knew all the spring flowers would be in full force but I guess that was everyone else's plan and it was super busy. So my next stop that I wanted to go to was Gas Works Park. It has been on my bucket list for quite awhile and it did not disappoint. The views were simply stunning. There were lots of people on the lake, the view of the skyline was gorgeous, we found some baby ducks, the girls had fun exploring and playing at the park, and we had a nice picnic. It was a fun day with my little family! 

Before heading home since we were only a few minutes away, we stopped to see the Fremont Troll. Paige especially thought it was pretty cool.

One sleepy girl on the ride back home.

Then after dinner we had our first fire of the year and enjoyed some smores.

I already miss the sun and am looking forward to many more sunny day and more more adventures this year!

Prechool: Weather

This week for preschool our theme was about all the different types of weather.

Tuesday Baylor started off by playing with some cars in sugar like they are driving in snow. She had fun with that for a little bit and then that led to drawing her name and different letters in the sugar and last and best for her was eating some of the sugar. :)

Then for art she painted an outside theme and then she glued on cotton ball clouds on. We talked about clouds and how they play a part in the weather. The top right picture is the face I got when I asked her to paint more than just some grass.... 😁

For music we played with the xylophone and I showed her what a scale is and then we sang some songs while she played it.

Then for learning time we talked about the rain. We first watched a YouTube video about rain and it's cycle. Then I had previously cut out all the pieces and she glued them on her paper, drew the rain, and then I asked her about her picture and I wrote it on the bottom. It says, "This is Baylor, Mommy, and Daddy. Baylor is holding kitty and I'm wearing a hat, a coat, and boots. We have umbrellas. We are jumping in muddy puddles. It's raining! Our clothes kept us dry and we had fun." (This was with my prompting with questions about the picture.)

We read a Bernstein Bear book about winter and read some other books before playing outside with chalk. We drew different kinds of weather and rainbows. It was a beautiful day!

Wednesday we started off by playing with this weather themed magnetic set that we have. She dressed each of the people for the appropriate weather they were in.

Then for art we created a weather chart.

We sang some songs for music and I focused on songs that she knew that talked about weather- Rain, Rain Go Away and Once There was a Snowman. Then we used the weather chart from art for learning time and I would point to one of the sections and she would have to pick out what clothes she would wear in that kind of weather. Some of them took some coaxing and me trying to explain since she always goes for a t-shirt or a dress.

I then helped her create a kite that she could run outside with for a little bit for our outdoor time. We ended our day with reading "Rain, Rain Go Away" and a few other books. I usually always pick out a book that goes with our theme and then she picks out a handful of books for me to read. Then she reads or plays on her own while I do my scripture reading. It works out great for us and is a nice quiet time of the day.

Thursday Baylor started off by washing some dishes.

Then for art I helped her create a pinwheel.

Then for music she wanted to play the piano while we sang our songs.

Our focus today was wind thus the pinwheel for art. For learning time we talked about the wind and what it felt like. I then gave her a straw and had her blow through it onto her hand so she could feel it. Next I had her blow through the straw to move a notecard across the table. We needed a bigger straw but she did do it after a few tries and some frustration. I had to get her to blow in the right spot but she sure was happy when she finally did it. Last we took our pinwheel outside but the problem was there wasn't much wind. We did go and see the tulip pinwheel that Nona has and spun it.

For our story time for our last day I read some poems about weather. It was a great way to end our week and sum up all the different kinds of weather we talked about.

Spring Break Visitors

The first full week of April was Paige's spring break and my parents came up to go on some adventures with us. They arrived Tuesday evening and after dinner we went and checked out the new gnome hike with them.

Paige and I had painted some gnome themed rocks and she found the perfect spot for our little gnome village.

Baylor was practically running ahead the entire time. There is a gnome graveyard at the end for broken gnomes (Baylor's "sad" face cracks me up).

It was a beautiful evening and no one was there. The girls were so excited to have Grandma and Poppy here with us for the week!

Then that evening before bedtime, we had yet another small birthday party for Paige. She sure is milking it. :) Grandma and Poppy wanted to do a little birthday celebration with her and give her their presents in person.

Then Wednesday morning we started off on our adventure. We booked an Airbnb a couple of months ago in Sequim, WA. It is at the top of Washington on the Juan de Fuca. It is a place that Nate and I have always talked about going to and we decided it would be a fun place to go with my parents. The weather didn't cooperate while we were there but we made the most of it and saw another part of this amazing state that we live in.

Our first stop on the way to Sequim was in Gig Harbor at Kopachuck State Park. It is right on the Sound. The beach was fun to explore though for part of it we had to deal with some sideways rain. I love the little island out in the distance and the fact that it is a state park makes it even cooler.

Baylor was NOT a fan of the cold weather at all. She hates her coat and most of the time wanted to be held. She is definitely a summer, no shoes, no jacket kind of girl. After we explored the beach for awhile we ate our picnic while shivering but it was a very pretty park and I would love to go back sometime on a warm day and maybe even take the kayaks out to the island.

The next stop on our way was at N.A.D. Marine Park. Right when we pulled in there were a few cars of homeless people in them and Nate was not impressed. We walked for a little bit but didn't last long. It was a bust of  a stop but at least now I know.

We made a quick pit stop at this cool diner/bar for the bathroom. I didn't go inside but Nate said the ceiling was covered with mostly dollar bills. He showed me a picture from online and it is pretty amazing.

Our last stop before checking into our house was at Sequim Bay State Park. We had fun exploring the beach and finding all sorts of fun creatures. Baylor was a little more adventurous at this park mostly because she loved flipping rocks over to find some little crabs.

Our house from Wednesday to Saturday. It was perfect for us. There was a bedroom downstairs next to the bathroom for Grandma and Poppy and three bedroom upstairs for us. There was one with a queen sized bed for us and a girl themed one and a boy themed one. Baylor was happy to have Ariel by her bed and Paige was fine having the boy themed room since it had a full sized bed instead of a twin. There were lots of toys for the girls to play with and the kitchen area was amazing. I planned to cook most of our meals and when we arrived on Wednesday we had a delicious spaghetti dinner and then just relaxed before going to bed.

We started Thursday off by going to Salt Creek Recreation Area. My dream would have been to go at low tide but the tide for the few days we were there was not ideal- early in the morning and late at night for low tide. We went on this hike first while since the tide was still coming in at this point. There was a cove I wanted to check out before high tide. The hike was gorgeous! I kept saying that pictures really don't do justice because what my eyes could see was just not up to par with the pictures taken. It was simply breathtaking! Nate didn't enjoy the hike quite as much as I did since he is scared of heights and he had to carry Baylor a lot of the time. 

You have to walk down these steep switchbacks to get down to the cove. There was even a little waterfall on your way down.

We had fun exploring the rocks though at one point Paige and Grandma got a little too close to the water and one of the waves came up since the tide was coming in and got Paige's feet wet. It scared me and I yelled her name with the image of my daughter being swept out into the water by a wave. My yelling to her probably scared her more though she wasn't happy about having wet feet. After that we kept up higher. There were lots of big rocks to climb on and you could see across to Canada. The views were amazing! Paige had even brought her new binoculars and enjoyed being able to see out even farther.

On our way back we took our time exploring a little more. There were huge groves of cedars and some Douglas fir. 

Once we got to the camping area of the park we walked out to see the waves crashing along the rocks and shoreline. The waves were cool but I really wanted it to be low tide where we could have explored and found all sorts of creatures. We will definitely plan a trip back here one summer.

The campsite had a playground that the girls enjoyed for a little bit. It was not quite as cold there since it was away from the water.

Then also in the park is some gun placements from WWII. We walked around them a little bit and enjoyed our lunch in the warmth of the car.

One last lookout onto the water before heading back to Sequim. We even saw some deer right before leaving the park.

We made a quick stop on the way back in Port Angeles to see the September 11th memorial. It is right on the water and pretty cool to see. We may have been able to do a few more things in Port Angeles but Baylor was in much need of a nap. 

While Baylor napped, Nate and I went to a couple of thrift stores while Page stayed busy with Grandma. We even found a puzzle for them to work on while we were there.

I had decided to go out to eat one night while we were there and I had decided to go to Black Bear Diner. We got there a little after 5 and they said there would be a 25-30 minute wait. I thought that was fine but then it turned into an almost two hour wait. The girls were pretty patient but by the time we ate we were so hungry. They closed at 7 and that is about the time we sat down to eat. We were the last ones out and it was delicious but I think if I were to do it again I would have just gone somewhere else.

Friday morning we started our day off by exploring the Dungeness Spit. It was pretty incredible to see and we found a little shelter made out of driftwood mostly for Baylor so she wouldn't have to be held and could be out of the wind. We saw a couple of seals in the water and Paige loved the waves.

Our shelter

Again I would love to go back here in the summer on a nice hot day. It was gorgeous but cold. There were so many flat rocks, so I created a rock tower while we were there.

We went back to the house for lunch before checking out a few more parks in Sequim. One of my favorites was our first stop at Railroad Bridge Park. The bridge is so cool and the view of the river the flows beneath is amazing.

There was a little stage at the park so Paige quickly came up with a little sketch about bird watching that Baylor and her performed for us.

Then we walked down to the river. It was a little bit warmer so Baylor was happy to walk around on her own and loved to touch the water. We all enjoyed throwing rocks in the water especially Nate.

Then we stopped at Pioneer Memorial Park. The spring flowers were in full bloom and Paige was loving taking pictures of every single different kind of flower. Baylor was happy to run around and not having to wear a coat. :)

I made some dinner and Nate and I went and got some milkshakes for everyone to enjoy for dessert. We watched a movie that evening and just enjoyed our last night at our wonderful house. This trip went by way too quick but we loved it and loved all the cool places we got to see.

We decided to take the ferry on our way back home on Saturday. We first stopped at Port Gamble to show my parents, especially my mom, how cute this little town is. I knew that she would love the shell collection at the general store.

We also took them to the old cemetery there. Port Gamble is just a quaint town that is filled with history.

Then we still had time left in our day and so we drove to the Point No Point Lighthouse. It was super windy but Nate, Paige, and Grandma had fun beach combing while I held Baylor while she took a quick nap and visited with my Dad.

Then we got our spot in the ferry line and had our lunch in the car before the ferry arrived. We spent most of the time inside the ferry but Poppy, Nate, and I braved going out and the wind was so bad that it practically would blow you over.

When we got home, I made some dinner and we just took the time to rest from the trip home. Sunday we had church in the morning and then after lunch we went to see the Kubota Gardens. Since it was the first really nice day in a long time, it was packed. I have never seen that many cars there before. It took Nate a little while to find a parking spot but then it was a gorgeous day to explore the gardens and see all the amazing spring flowers.

Monday Paige had to go back to school though it was her first day back in person school and so she was excited. Grandma went with me to drop her off and Grandma got emotional. Paige truly is growing up too fast and she was so excited and happy to be back to school. Baylor enjoyed the morning with her grandparents and after lunch we walked in the forest across the street to see the trilliums and the girls played at the park for a little bit before heading home and sending Grandma and Poppy off.

It was a wonderful visit and we are already looking forward to this summer when we get to see them and all of the Peterson cousins.