Mid-Winter Break

 We enjoyed a week off from school for our mid-winter break. We did a little something every day of the week and had lots of family time. 

Nate had Monday off, so I enjoyed grocery shopping by myself., Nate went to the thrift store with Paige, and Baylor had swim lessons. It was a day to get some errands done and enjoy some time at home.

Tuesday Paige spent most of the day sewing. Baylor had a doctor's appointment and then I met with some ladies in our ward during the afternoon. (Paige watched her sisters and they had fun doing some science projects.) She made some matching scrunchies for Baylor and a friend at school. Awhile back she saw this idea on Pinterest, and she got two sweaters from the Goodwill Outlet and put them together. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it turned out super cute and she did such a great job.

Wednesday was our Seattle day. Nate took the day off from work and I got free passes to the Seattle Aquarium through the library. Since McCall is still young enough to be free, we all got in for free! It was a great day spent at the aquarium and we loved seeing all the different animals and fish. 

The girls loved touching the sea anemone, sea cucumbers, and star fish and having the poky anemone "hug" their fingers. Nate eventually convinced McCall to try touching the sea anemone and she thought it was pretty cool but refused to touch anything else.

The octopus was very active when we were around it which was so cool. 

Then we wandered around the rest of the aquarium and saw some seals, sea lions, otters, more fish, and some birds.

Then we got to check out the new part of the aquarium and the big tank is impressive and has so many cool things to see- fish, sharks, and sting rays. The girls loved finding Dory and Nemo.

It was a cold day, and so we had lunch in the car and enjoyed a little bit more time in the aquarium before enjoying the waterfront.

We checked out the new playground which is pretty fun and the gorgeous view of the city and the water. We wandered through the Curiosity Shop before heading back home so could be back in time to get back for Baylor's swim lessons.

Thursday the morning was spent sleeping in and doing some science experiments. Then we went with Celina and her two kids to Family Fun Center. We each got the Get Out Pass so I'm sure there will be many adventures together. Paige and I did the XD theater which was pretty entertaining since I am a screamer with the 3D glasses and Paige thought it was so funny. The rest of the kids spent two hours playing on the play place and kept busy chasing each other, climbing, sliding, and having so much fun.

Friday we got invited to try a whole bunch of different foods at the bowling alley. The owner is in our ward and was taking some new pictures of foods and needed some people to eat it afterwards. We were there with a couple of other families and I invited Celina and her kids to join us. We had wings, loaded nachos, grilled cheese, fried egg sandwich, nachos, mini corn dogs, mozzarella sticks, and fries (normal, cheese sauce ones, and garlic ones). It was all so good and Celina said it was such an American thing to do and she loved it. Then Nate and Paige went to the thrift store and then Celina came over for dinner and we did make your own pizza which was fun and the kids had so much fun playing together.

Saturday's adventure out and about was going swimming at the aquatic center for an hour. I stuck with McCall and the other two had fun playing, jumping off the diving board, and just testing out their swim skills. McCall is pretty brave and loves to jump off the side into my arms and practicing "swimming" all around.

And then Sunday was a day spent with extended family. We drove to Ellensburg and got to listen to Blake speak for his mission farewell. He gave a wonderful talk and then we enjoyed some lunch afterwards. The girls loved cousin time and we loved visiting before making the drive home.