Ebey Landing

Last weekend the weather was really nice so we took the kids on a hike at Whidbey Island.  It was by far the longest hike we have tried to do with the kids (4 1/2 miles).  Luckily they did a pretty good job with some minor complaints during the last mile or so.  We climbed a bluff that overlooked the ocean and a lagoon and then looped back around on the beach.  I loved the beach part of the hike.  The kids were able to find drift wood and some really interesting rocks.  Kanayla even carried a medium sized rock all the way back to the van to take home. 
Here is a bald eagle we saw while up on the bluff.

More shots at the bluff

Then at the beach we saw some seals and a coconut that looked like it drifted in with the tide.  Xavien and Ivie decided to make sand angels. :)

Ivie Birthday

Part of the fun of April is that my girls birthdays are 3 days apart.  It makes that week extra busy and I am thoroughly caked out for a while after their birthday.  This year I made a butterfly cake for Ivie.  She loved her special day!

Ivie turned 5 years old.  Her favorite colors are pink and red.  Ivie loves to play dress up, Little Pet Shop, Squickies and My Little Pony.  Ivie is extra excited for school so she can be big like Xavien and Kanayla.

Pinewood Derby

Our ward recently held a Pinewood Derby that was open to anyone in the ward.  Matthew was very excited to design his own car. The kids and I tried to do a car as well but it didn't work out.  Overall Matthew came in 3rd place!  Since he hasn't made any pinewood derby cars since Cub Scouts he was really pleased with how well he did! 

Pacific Science Center

During Spring Break we went to the Pacific Science Center....twice.  I purchased a year membership for our family so I suspect we will be going down there alot in the coming year.  The Science Center was really cool.  There was a butterfly room which the kids enjoyed.  It was hot in there but not humid.  There were large versions of checkers, chess and other games.  Xavien and Ivie enjoyed the play center.  Kanayla liked the Tide Water area.  Everyone liked the laser show ( I have to remember to bring ear plugs next time because it is TOO loud).   We are excited to go back when the King Tut visit is being exhibited.

Kanayla's 9!

Kanayla is nine years old.  The time has flown by!!  ( I know that is cliche but it is SO true!)
I made a marbled rainbow cupcakes and cake for her birthday.  Seriously, I made 5 cake mixes worth because of all the cupcakes she needed for school and Activity Day girls and then our family party.  I have no desire to do more cakes for a while.

Before icing...

After icing...

Kanayla's favorite color is now blue.  She is about 8 inches shorter than me so she will definitely be taller than 5 feet.  She still loves animals.  She has developed a love for legos (which made up the majority of her presents). 

Marbled Paper

At preschool we made marbled paper with shaving cream.  The girls loved the activity!  I let them make three sheets each and choose their own colors.  I remember making marbled paper in elementary school with chalk shavings.  It was one of my favorite art activities. I am glad I got to share it with the preschool girls.

Space Needle

The Pacific Science Center is located right  by the Space Needle.  I was able to get a couple of pictures while we were in the courtyard.  One day I want to go to the top...

Crafts

I have been pretty busy the past week with crafts and outings for the kids.  (It has been Spring Break.)
I made this magnet board mostly for the kids.  We have a ton of magnets for pretend play and I would like to start using the board for educational purposes too. (sight words, matching etc)  It was really cheap and I love how large it turned out to be.  I am making some scripture magnets for FHE and family scripture study so we will get a lot of use out of the board.

A couple of friends in the area have this ruler by their doors.  I have always wanted to have something to mark the kids heights as they grow.  So I went over to a friend's house and she taught me how to make the ruler.  We do not have the extra space by our front door to put the ruler but it is going in the hall.  I really like how it turned out! Plus the best part is that it's free!

Thunder-cat

 Around Halloween we adopted a cat from a shelter in the area.  He has been a wonderful addition to our family.  The kids named him Thunder.  So far he puts up with the antics of children very well, only a few scratches.  He tolerates being picked up constantly by Kanayla and Xavien.  Matthew is by far Thunder's favorite family member. Matthew made some shelves for Thunder to climb and get some vertical time.  He enjoys going up on the top shelf and watching everyone below.

Spring is coming!!!

We are still adapting to the weather here in the Northwest. We had a really nice weekend a couple weeks ago so Matthew decided to start working on the flower bed. The next morning we got 3 inches of snow! Luckily the flowers seem to have survived. I also found some dwarf irises at Lowes. They are doing great! We are looking forward to it warming up a bit so we can do some more yard work!

New Van

Friday we replaced our old van! The van was a 1996 GMC Safari and had an incredibly long life. We are beyond grateful that the van lasted as long as it did. We drove it across the country with no problems! Unfortunately since we arrived in Washington the van has steadily developed one problem after another.

Here is our new van....a 2003 Mazda MPV! Granted it isn't a new vehicle but it is new to us and we LOVE it!!

I think Ivie's smile says it all!!