Seattle 2

We couldn't leave Seattle without doing some hiking. I had heard about Rattlesnake Ledge, and seen some photos. Once I saw the pictures, I knew we had to go!

I looked up the hike and it said "easy" and that it was 1.2 miles.

Oops… my facts were wrong!

It was definitely intermediate and was 4 miles round-trip.

Still worth it, though!

It just took longer than we thought. 

We took this right before we left. That big mountain behind him is the one we climbed.

Here's one more shot from the bottom…

And here's us at the top! It was absolutely breath-taking. Can't wait to do that hike again.

Here's another shot from the top. We could have stayed up there for hours and been happy. 

You know… if it wasn't a cliff..

After our hike, we met some friends for pizza. They took us to Snoqualmie Falls, and it was GORGEOUS!

I don't know why anyone lives outside of the NorthWest.

Seattle 1

Ever since we moved to Oregon, we've wanted to visit Seattle. Well, after almost 6 years, we finally made it. 

And it did not disappoint!

We met our cousins from San Francisco and stayed in a little house just right next to downtown. It was amazing.

First, we went to a gigantic indoor playground to get all the wiggles out after the 4 hour car drive..

Isn't this place awesome?

We took a pic of E right before you left. You can tell he's pretty winded and sweaty in this picture. 

Juuuuuust the way we like him!

After the playground, we all went to the house to take a nap. Vacation is heavenly!

Then, we went to a Seattle Mariner's Game. Seriously, so fun. Ethan LOVED being at the ballpark and watching baseball. We brought his mitt just in case!

We also splurged and got him a ball cap while we were there. He loves it.

Here he is, ready to catch a home run.

He now wants to be a police officer, a robber, and a baseball player. 

Such ambition..

We had to take a family photo while we were there. Ethan's face is priceless!

Our view of the field was excellent. 

We can't wait to come back in August to go to another game!

Before/After Preschool

Get ready to crack up - these pictures kill me! The ones on the left are at the beginning of preschool. The ones on the right are his last day. Needless to say, he was so sad to be done!

 We ended up taking him to lunch to celebrate, so don't worry, he wasn't sad for long.

Schooooooool's Out for Summer!

I can't believe our boy is 5 and done with preschool. It just sounds so grown up. It was just yesterday he fit so tiny in my arms as a newborn. 

His last week of preschool made me really reflect on the last year, and how our boy has grown up.

I may have cried a bit when he graduated!

I always thought preschool graduation seemed a bit ridiculous, but when his teacher hugged him with tears streaming down her face.. it was a really great moment. We are so thankful Ethan had such a passionate and engaged teacher. She was such a blessing. We will truly miss her.

Oh geez - I'm getting choked up just writing this post!

 THAT FACE! I love that he's at the age of weirdo smiles. I don't want it to go away.

 

Their last time in the circle.

Ethan made so many great friends this year. I hope these boys will be life-long friends. They're all so sweet!

And how photogenic are they??

This picture is everything that a 5-year-old is. We went to this school because one of his best friends (on the left) signed up. I can't imagine having gone anywhere else. 

Next stop: Kindergarten!

Side note: I think Ethan is a little confused about when Kindergarten is happening. We have a meltdown every morning that he has to wait 3 months before school starts again.

Adventures with Water & Babies

We got to go on a really short hike last week with some friends, and it was so fun!

It was a trail just off of a park we frequent, and we couldn't resist - the weather has been so nice lately.

We got to go with my friend Leanna, who has 4 kids, including a 1-year-old baby. I like exposing Ethan to babies so he can get a feel of what our life will be like soon. This was particularly fun, because this baby was enamored with Ethan.

And Ethan LOVED IT.

He's a comedian with his friends and loves to be the center of attention, and loved making baby Liam laugh. It melted my heart to see this.

As kids do, they found water to play in. Splashing in water is always preferable to NOT splashing in water, so this occupied almost an hour of our time (no joke)! Baby Liam loved watching the kids splash, so Ethan entertained him for quite a while.

This face! I love it.

I love that look of joy on his face when he's having fun.

Can't wait for lots more summer adventures!

Easter 2014

Holidays with kids is so fun! This year, Easter was a blast with Ethan. We talked with anticipation about the Easter Bunny, and he did not disappoint.

First, we wrote the Easter Bunny a letter…

It reads:

Dear Easter Bunny,

I am so excited. Thank you for coming.

Love,

Ethan

**So sweet, right?**

Then, we laid out the letter with some grass for the bunny to eat..

The next morning, Ethan had a letter waiting for him, alone with some Easter goodies.

Included were some surprise super hero, angry bird, and skylander eggs. Also, bubbles and a Ninjago lego set.

Can we just talk for a sec about how expensive legos are? Sheesh! You wouldn't believe what I paid for that tiny set.

I promise he looked super cute in his dress pants and button up shirt. Pretty sure that outfit came off 2 seconds after we got home from church!

I'm grateful for Easter, and the fun the Easter Bunny provided. I'm most grateful for a Savior who loves me and my family.

Tulip Festival

What kind of festivals do you go to when you're married with child?

Tulip festivals, of course!

The Woodburn Tulip Festival was one of the first truly Oregon things I did the first year we moved to Oregon. Funny Story:

I was 9 months pregnant, and really REALLY hoping I would go into labor early. I was in that last month, and uncomfortable all the time, couldn't sleep, etc. (by the way, if I would have known that would be my only time pregnant, I would have tried to enjoy it so much more. This has been such a good lesson in being grateful.) Back to my Funny Story: My mom came up to Salem a week before my due date, and we tried to stay busy. She suggested we go to the Tulip Festival. What the heck is a Tulip Festival? - I asked. 

Well, I soon found out.

We drove up to Woodburn and parked the car. We got in one of those carts that's pulled by a four-wheeler. This poor, unsuspecting gentleman was driving it, and warned us it was going to be a bumpy ride. On the way, I casually mentioned to him that I could go into labor any second, and that the bumpy ride could certainly start my labor. Let me just tell you, that man was scared! Gave us a good laugh :) No labor pains that day, but my breath WAS taken away by the Sheer Beauty of this endless field of tulips.

We go every year, and I never get tired of the sight. I was fortunate to bring my sister to the Tulips this year. I love taking new people! It was wonderful…

Here we are in a covered cart, driving out to the tulip fields. 

There's a disturbing trend of terrible selfies - just to warn you.

Terrible selfie time!

My love..

We brought one of Ethan's BFF's to join us in our adventure. 

X is so well-behaved, and those two have so much fun together!

One last parting shot before we left.

As those of you with kids know, stuff like this is short-lived. While I would have liked to stay in those fields forever, those boys were not having it! We promptly got back in our covered cart and headed back to the parking lot. The boys then amused themselves with raised sand boxes (GENIUS! No pee), slides, and ducky races.

It was a wonderful day.