Bone Family Blog

Snowed in Seattle

2012-01-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

Every year we get just one week of snow. One crazy snowmageddon week of snow and then it's gone. It's just enough to have fun and we are so happy when it is gone. Well, it came this year and we had a balst, but now it's gone and we are glad to not have to deal with it. We took our sleds to the science center to see the TIV, the vehicle from Storm Chasers...and we love us some storm chaser. Isabel and I also had a blast sledding down the steets of Seattle in the late evening. We met so many people and we got great speed! It was a fun snowstorm!

Our New Home's Surroundings

2012-01-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we made the move to the city. We are living right downtown in the Belltown Neighborhood. One of the thinks I live is being 2 blocks from the water. Just on the corner from us we have the Olympic Sculpture Park. It is a wonderful park wherw we can interact with art. The beach is just on the other side of that. I can't wait until it warms up so that we can really enjoy it!

Okay, I know this is a rocky "beach" but Asher does love throwing rocks

The big kids doing some rock climbing

An amazing mountain view

Building our own sculptures at the inside exhibit

Christmas 2011

2012-01-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful and overly blessed Christmas. The kids got everything they wanted and more. It would be so hard to put all the pictures up, so I chose a few that really caught the moment. We love you all and thank you!

Isabel and the Giraffe Daddy had to get her the day before Christmas

Josiah and one of the many Playmobil Agent sets he had been asking for for months.

Asher jumping on his new trampoline! Perfect for the rainy Seattle days

Build A Bear

2012-01-25T14:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to gift cards from Great Grandma Sager, the kids were able to go to Build A Bear and have a blast making stuffed animals. They have dreamed of doing this for a long time, so they were thrilled. Josiah and Asher both picked out "army bears", one named Army Bear and one named Army. Isabel picked out a polar bear named Snowflake, Snowball, or Snowy, depending on the day. She likes variety. Half the fun was making the bears. Thanks Grandma!

Army

Snowy, Snowflake, or Snowball

Army Bear

Holiday Par-Tay

2012-01-25T14:42:00.000-08:00

We had a Community Christmas party at our home this year. Since it was our last Christmas in our Rainier Valley home, we wanted to go out with a bang. We had great food and friends...and of course, a white elephant gift exchange. I think the best presents went to Isabel and Josiah (by chance) who ended up with amazing purple socks and a dinosaur puzzle) We are so thankful for our church family!

White elephant in full swing

Megan who is alive after her heart stopped earlier in the month! What a miracle!

Wouldn't be a party without a sword fight

Jen, Char, and Clara

Adam and "Adam's Family Tree"

Camels, Trains, and Wagons

2012-01-25T14:31:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be Christmas without a trip to Swanson's Nursery. The kids love riding in the red wagons, seeing the grand train display, and visiting with the camels and reindeer. There is also a wonderful koi pond and I think Isabel would jump in and swim if she could.

In a one horse open sleigh

The train is really amazing

How about a kiss camel?

2 out of 3 ain't bad

Okay, surrounded by breakable things...he's feeling better now

2012-01-25T14:24:00.000-08:00

It's the begging of december and for the kids there is one thing on their mind...The Great Wolf Lodge. This was Asher's first year really being able to get out and about at the waterpark and he loved it! We even got the big kids to go down the high slides. Isabel would only go once, she really loves the wave pool and showing off her swimming skills in the middle pool. Josiah loved the big slides and went many times! I think for all of us though, we just love being at the lodge. It is so beautiful and brings out the kids in us all!

Asher catching the snow

The hugest smiles!

O Christmas Tree

2012-01-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

For the first time, we went to a Christmas tree farm to get our tree. Jason surprised us one morning ans told us we weren't getting a Lowe's tree this year, we were going to the tree farm! We were all so excited. We packed the car and headed to the mountains...okay this only takes 30 minutes, but it's still so much fun. When we got there we explored the grounds and began the hunt for the perfect tree. We needed one that was the color green that Isabel wanted and just the right height because our ceiling is pretty low. We founf the most perfect tree out there and it looked so beautiful for the whole season! I hope this becomes a tradition too! (Isabel also wanted me to mention that she found bug eggs under a tree. Our camera battery died, but it was pretty amazing)

They had a train that went around the farm

Our just right tree

Josiah helped saw and carry the tree

Time to decorate!

The Start of the Season

2012-01-25T14:06:00.000-08:00

You know that the Christmas season has begun in Seattle when it's time for the Macy's Parade. We love this tradition and this year we had about 15 people along, the most so far. Our friends were living in a building right on the parade route, so we got front row seats! The kids love the show, but they come for the candy canes!

Isabel getting her hug on

Santa making sure that we are all being nice

Our parade crew

When Grandma Comes to Town

2011-11-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

When Grandma comes to town...we take her to:

The top of the Columbia Tower

The Art Museum

The IMAX movie

The Science Center

The Chocolate Factory

And many more places, including the Farm, Co-op, trick or treating, Fall Festivals, Mountains, and The Museum of Flight!

To the Farm with Grandma!

2011-11-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

Grandma Kathi blessed us with a visit this Fall. So we took her everywhere, including the farm! We had so much fun!

Highlights: riding the hay wagon, cow ride, playing in the corn pit, playing in the hay maze, slingshotting pumpkins, cuddling kittens, eating homemade doughnuts.

Lowlights: Terrible rainy weather, Jason losing his wedding ring in the corn pit

Highlight: Jason finding his wedding ring in the cornpit!

Lasso those cows girl!

Asher buried in corn

Asher loves him some mud!

Go Grandma!

Yummy farmmade doughnuts

Rainy Hayride!

Trick or Treat 2011

2011-11-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

Halloween has arrived in full force. We tried some old and new this year. We hit up the Mars Hill Ballard Family Fall Festival with our favorite cousins, the Russells. Then we went with the Sinnetts to Mansion Row in Capitol Hill. It was amazing. Nearly every house is decorated super scary and there are thousands of people. We had the time of our lives! I loved it! And so did the kids. Except for the houses that were too scary...for mom of course! :)

Carving!

2011-11-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year again! Pumpkin Carving time. This year the kids had one request...spooky. Josiah went with a skull being electrocuted carved by me and Isabel went with a big mean pumpkin eating a baby pumpkin. They turned out great...I mean, spooky!

Fox Hollow Farm fun!

2011-11-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

We took another trip to Fox Hollow Farm! Isabel callsthis "her farm" and that is because they always have kitten roaming around here. I LOVE this farm because it is in the mountains of Issaquah, one of my most favorite places to be in the world!

Surrounded by mountains
Rope swinging in the barn

Asher LOVED his first horse ride!

Holding kittens in the barn!

The happiest girl on earth. She could do this all day

The Home of a Homeschool Family

2011-11-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

So often I am asked how I have time to do everything that needs to be done and homeschool. The answer is that I don't. So I thought that I would visually take you through a short visual presentation of a 5 minute section of our homeschooling day. Here you go:

We just finished a chemistry which required 20 cups and wine glasses that I now have to clean

And these were the indoor activities that Asher got into just while we were doing that one lesson

And these were the outdoor activities that he got into

And...I have to fold that laundry

And...Asher seems to have lost his pants

Oh there they are

And...I have to make lunch

So there you have it, 5 minutes of our 6 hour school day. Hectic, sure, but 5 minutes that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world!

DCC and Craven Farm

2011-11-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

Fall is so fun and busy that I always fall behind on pictures! These ones were taken at Downtown Cornerstone's annual trip to Craven Farm. We ALL (30 0r so of us) ventured into the corn maze together. We got so lost, so the big kids and I finally broke off and found our way out! Then we had lunch and picked some pumpkins. We are so thankful for this church family!

This kids living the good life
Carter and Josiah practing their pumpkin bombs

Love at the farm!

Isabel and I enjoying the beautiful corn maze (and getting out of there as fast as we could!)

Some of our DCC Family

Isabel's First Ride

2011-11-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

Isabel learned to ride this week and we couldn't be more proud!

Halloween House

2011-10-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

The kids always beg to decorate the house for Halloween. I always do a little indoors, but this year I let them go to work outdoors. The did a great job making our house look extra spooky. Maybe a little too spooky!

Decorating the doors
Stuffing ghosts

Hanging the ghosts

The skull head finishing touch

The final product! Extra spooky!

What's Going On In There?

2011-10-13T15:44:00.000-07:00

We are used to hearing giggles coming from the kids' bedroom after lights out. It is definitely one of the things I love hearing most. But on this night the giggles just kept coming, so we had to go in and check. To our surprise, Asher was covered in stuffed animals, happy as can be. The bigger surprise came when Isabel says, "he makes us do this every night!" I love these kids!

Zoo!

2011-10-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great Fall "field trip" to the zoo. Of course a family favorite is feeding the birds. We also got a great up close view of the bears. This is the great thing about homeschooling!

The birds always give us the biggest smiles!

Having a great time with the penguins.

Back to School!

2011-09-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Well, now we have 2 in school! Josiah in Kindergarten and Isabel starting First Grade! I was assigned to teach first this year in co-op, whic is great for me! I love teaching and having the two big kids in the same classroom is so fun. We are in the early modern times, so we are studying early colonies like Jamestown, the Pilgrims, slavery and much more! Below you can see a few pictures of our first day.

The sailing ship desks that Jason built for me

Josiah giving his report on Charles V

Isabel giving her report on South American Gold mines and Spain's exploitation of South America

End of Summer Water Park Trip!

2011-09-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

My Dad got a few free tickets to Wild Waves for the work that they did painting a one of the rides, so he invited us to go on our last day of summer. We couldn't pass that up. All of the kids love the rides and the big kids had a blast swimming. Asher slept though all the water activities, so mama got to work on her tan while the boys had to go swimming with the kids! :)

Cupcake Party!

2011-09-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Whie we were out having haircuts, the cupcake shop across the hall invited us to a "back to school" cupcake party! We had a great time and the best part, free cupcakes in the shape of apples. If you know Seattle cupcakes, these were pretty amazing!

Enjoying her treat!

Entering the raffle

Balloons!

Alone Time with Asher

2011-09-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Getting a close up view of the sheep

With the 2 big kids in school, poor Asher usually gets the leftovers of my time. Last week Isabel and Josiah started a swim and gym class, so now Asher and I get a solid 2 hours all to ourselves. We plan to have many fun adventures. The last 2 weeks we explored a farm and went swimming. Asher wowed me with his fearless jumps into the pool! I am looking forward to this precious time together.

Co-op Camping

2011-09-13T23:11:00.001-07:00

Even though we had a ton of work to do to get ready for our school year and my teaching at co-op, we really needed a break. And since co-op had arranged a camping trip, it was the prefect excuse to get away. Jump in the car, 30 minutes later we are in the mountains and in paradise. The kids had a great time playing with their friends and we loved just spending time together!

Playing at the beach at Rattlesnake Lake
Waiting for the bats to come out of the barn at dusk

Isabel caught this garter snake

We had just finished a 1 mile hike through the foothills

Summer Remnants

2011-09-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

These are just a few random pictures of the last few minutes of our summer fun. I say minutes because that is exactly how long summer lasted this year!

Isabel and her playground hair
Josiah and the dying bee they gave a last request meal to

Free Bowling!

Isabel and the grasshopper she caught

Isabel and Alice...doing something fun!

The Sinnett and Bone kids at the Torchlight Parade

Volunteer Park Wading Pool

USS Turner Joy

2011-09-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Jason and Sean took the big kids to Bremerton this weekend to visit the USS Turner Joy, a retired navy ship. The kids spent hours exploring the "playground" and only a small portion was off limits. Thye even got to ride the ferry back. Here are a few pictures of their adventures.

Glasses!

2011-08-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

We were having dinner with the fam one night and Josiah says, "I can see that if I look with my good eye." We were pretty shocked to learn he had a good eye and bad eye. We promptly took him to see the doctor and found out that he can not see with one eye! So now we introduce, Josiah 2.0 with his new and improved handsome self. He made a pretty good choice in glasses!

Remlinger Farms Year 4

2011-07-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

I believe this is our 4th year heading out to the country to visit Remliner Farms. It will be a sad say when the kids are too big for it, but in the meantime they love that the rides are just their size. Adn this year even Asher got to tag along. They rode boats, horses, the feriss wheel, the roller coaster more than 10 times, and much more. This is one of our most loved summer traditions!

The Year of the Sickies

2011-07-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

The year started off with Isabel and scarlet fever. Now here we are a year later, 3 cases of pneumonia, several stomach flus, ear infections, and strep throats later and there is no end in sight! Josiah was just diagnosed with pneumonia again today! There have been moments when I just wanted to cry and give up, but God has been so faithful to me and reminding me of His goodness. The verse upholding me this week is Jonah 2:7- When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

Isabel waiting for evaluation at Children's Hospital

One of the x-rays showing her right lung half filled with fluid

Family Farm Day

2011-07-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Every summer we like to head up to Everett to the Forest Park. They have a petting zoo, spray park, and great playground. We had hoped to get some water time in, but I don't think it got over 65 degrees...yes, it is July. Don't let the short sleeved pictures fool you, the kids were freezing. But they sure love animals and no cold weather will keep them from their furry friends.

The 3 Billy Goats Gruff
The kids were singing the goats to sleep, it was so cute

Josiah lifting Asher so he could watch the duck fight action. Best Friends!

The sheep whisperer

LOVE!

Asher and this goat kept playing chase. Asher won!

This one is for you, Grandma Kathi

2011-07-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hope it makes you smile...

Like Father, Like Son

2011-07-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

I took this adorable picture of Jason and Asher watching a movie. I love them both so much!

What should we do today?

2011-07-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

I know! Let's go to Mount Rainier. Definitely my kind of day with a spur of the moment trip to the awe-inspiring mountain within our view everyday. The kids were super excited, as was I for the spontaneity, as was Jason for relief from his allergies. ( a long car ride in the air conditioning helps him a lot) We had a wonderful time driving up the the highest drivable point...scary at times with no rail on he edge of a long drop! Snow was everywhere and when we go next time, we will definitely bring our sleds. The views were breathtaking. Then we traveled down lower to find a place to hike. Isabel counted over a 100 waterfalls along the way. All this done in less than a day, we are so blessed!

Isabel posing with one of the over 100 waterfalls she counted

Josiah and his version of rock climbing

Crossing a bridge over a raging creek

Dressing up in the local foilage

The view from the drive

Asher loves hiking too!

The rest of the 6000 feet of Mount Rainier in the distance (we made it half way)

Snow when it is 70 degrees it wonderful

One of the mammoth deer we saw

And the baby bear we saw!

P-A-R-T-Y

2011-06-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Joisha is 5 and Asher is 2! I decided to make the celebration easier this year by throwing a close family/friend party at McDonalds. It turned out way better than I could have expected. Josiah and Asher were thrilled to spend the time with their friends. I love these two boys!!

We have Isabel, Josiah, Asher, Alice, Elliot, Annabelle, Sullivan, Carter, Macy, and Ella

Sully, Alice, and Isabel. Cousins!

Our extended family!

Josiah was so excited to get this lego boat from Grandma Kathi and Grandpa Tom he screamed!

Double candle blowout!

Happy Birthday Asher

2011-06-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Asher turned 2 this weekend! I really can't believe it. I am so thankful for my fun, curious, daring, adventerous 2 year old. He celebrated his new age by climbing out of the crib by himeself and coming to ge tme this morning. None of the other kids have done this! Oh well, bring it on terrible twos! Ha.

Wild Waves 2011 - Homeschool Days

2011-06-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

Every year in the middle of June Wild Waves has a homeschool day where they give an incredible discount for homeschool students. I am a big fan of amusement parks, so it's easy to get me to go. Unfortunately, it's not too hot in June, but we tough it out. We had a blast today on all the rides, it was fun that Asher could join in on some. They even got in the water, I couldn't believe it!

Their first - and favorite - ride, the Octopus

I have this same picture of Asher and me from last year. He's just a year older. I can't believe he didn't want to ride a horse on the carosel. Se we just sat.

They loved the fire truck! 3X on this ride!

Fun in the...clouds and cold

The race is on!

Must have naps

2011-06-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget that little ones need a lot of sleep and I let Asher skip his nap here and there so we can keep having fun. I had planned to do this on this particular day, when the big kids told me that was not possible because Asher was already sleeping. I found him like this, Hunched over a chair, feet dangling, fast asleep! I guess skipping naps needs to happen very infrequently. Poor Asher!

Seattle Adventures

2011-06-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

While we out exploring Seattle last weekend, we cam upon a -new to us- park in South Lake Union. I can't even describe how beautiful this park is, except to say it reminds me a lot of Florida. We had such a beautiful day. And bonus, Starbucks was out helping the kids sail wooden boats, and we got to board a 100 year old tugboat, the Arthur Foss.

Josiah and Asher- best buds playing at the spray park.

Isabel getting ready to launch her boat.

The view from the tugboat - the most beautiful city

Josiah - captain of the ship

Calling for help!

Girl's Day

2011-06-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

Jason sent Isabel and me out for pedicures the other day and it was glorious. Isabel was able to sit in her own girl- sized chair. The end reslut was lovely with my toes looking like a mommy version of hers. I love her, and this was a special day for both of us.

Tower Madness!

2011-06-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

We have often seen this beautiful tower at the entrance of Volunteer Park, and even heard rumors that we might be able to climb it, but I never really believed it and it would be a pain to drag the kids all the way there and then have to get back in the car. But last week, Jason took us on an adventure to the tower and it was magical. It is a huge medieval looking water tower, with a steep winding staircase. At the top, there are 360 degree views of the city. This is a new treasure where we will take everyone who visits us - so come visit us!

Getting ready to go up

Winding, steep steps

Downtown Seattle in the background

We can't get enough of the view!

While we were there, a guy was practicing his climbing skills and he made it around the tower, so Isabel thought she'd give it a try.

Let's Fly Kites!

2011-06-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do in spring is to fly kites. We always do our kite flying at Kite Hill in Magnuson Park. It's a sprawling hill that the kids can run and be safe, and have a fun time. With views of Mount Rainier and Lake Washington, it's great for all of us. The best part is, you literally just have to hold your kite up and the wind catches it! The kitds can fly kites with no help at all!

Isabel and Josiah...I wish we could see their kites!

Country Here We Come

2011-05-03T22:54:00.001-07:00

There were Isabel's words as we headed to Issaquah to visit a new farm. Through hail and rain, we wouldn't let the weather keep us from fresh air and animals. The farm was great. The kids got to hold baby kittens and bunnies, go horseback riding, and swing around in the hay loft.

Egg Day

2011-05-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

Isabel declared the day before Easter, Egg Day. A day in which we take part of the more worldly Easter activities. We dyed eggs and went to a local egg hunt. I also snuck in the room while the kids were sleeping and his plastic eggs, the presents that Grandma and Grandpa Bone sent them, and decorated the room. Egg Day turned out to be a lot of fun!

Wrapping uo the day with a fun park visit

Asher showing his bounty at the egg hunt...nothing!

Smiling after finding eggs

My beautiful egg hunter

I got in on the egg coloring. The kids actually let me have 1 egg!

Josiah loves green eggs...not ham

Getting ready to color

Disney World

2011-05-03T22:33:00.001-07:00

As part of our Florida 2011 trip Grandma and Grandpa also took us to Disney World Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. We had the most amazing time, the kids loved the rides. Josiah especially loved the roller coasters and even rode in the front on Expedition Everest! It was such a memorable time, but I think the biggest memory would be ....losing Grandpa. Ha!

Arriving at the Kingdom (g-pas truck in front)

Arriving at the park

We LOVED the parade and closed down the park

The castle looks beautiful at night

Look at that little face, loving the roller coaster

We survived Splash Mountain with smiles

A Pirates Life for Me

2011-05-03T22:24:00.001-07:00

Asher really loved Disney and on our way out he kept singing "A Pirates Life for Me!"

Florida!

2011-05-03T22:10:00.001-07:00

Florida finally came. We had been planning the trip for awhile, but kept it a secret from the kids. We told them before bed that they were not going to sleep, but going to Florida! We had a wonderful time with our family in the sun. We miss Grandma Kathi and Grandpa Tom and Uncle Ryan and they spoiled us. We stayed at a beautiful resort with a pool. Playing, spalishing, and sunbathing! Here are some pictures of the trip.

Asher and Grandpa spashing in the resort pool

Grandma and Asher playing at the beach. The water was so warm!

Jason and I snuck away for a datenight at Tradition and saw this beautiful sunset

Uncle Ryan waiting for Asher to get sprayed at the resort

on the monorail at the Orlando airport

Asher and Dad playing in Grandma and Grandpa's oasis style pool

Josiah swimming "on his own" at the resort pool

Isabel playing at the fountains in my hometown

Me and my baby having fun in the sun

Isabel's Art

2011-03-20T20:44:00.001-07:00

Isabel had been taking an art class for a little over a month and has been creating such beautiful art that I wanted to share. Here are a few of her beautiful creations

Asher School

2011-03-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

After looking back at some old photos, I realized that I did many things like painting and exploring that I do not do with Asher because I am so busy with the other kids' schooling. So, we decided to institute Asher school, we spend one hour of our school day doing singing, letter of the day, painting, craft, storytime, and science. Asher loves it (especially the painting) and the big kids love it. Hey, I love it too! It's an all around win!

Asher exploring his apple before taking a big bite!

Josiah had great descriptive words for his apple

Our resident artist

Asher's favorite part of the day

A Girl and Her Bunny

2011-03-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Isabel's dream came true on her birthday when she got a bunny for her birthday. She promptly named it Thumper. Here are some of her bunny adventures...

Meeting for the first time
Snuggling

Going on walks

Oh and I found this...done by Asher when I asked Isabel to give the bunny a carrot and she left the bag by his cage

Isabel the 6 Year Old!

2011-03-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Isabel. We love you!

We had a wonderful celebrating our little girl's 6th birthday. She is so precious, fun, and lovely and we are so incredibly thankful for her. She helped in the morning making her birthday cupcakes - decorated with bunnies! Then we had a small party with her "cousins" Alice and Eliott and her two besties, Josiah and Asher. Papa came and even Grandma Kathi was able to join in via Skype.

7 years!

2011-02-09T11:28:00.001-08:00

We celebrated our 7 year anniversary with a wonderful weekend away on Whidbey Island. Jason put together a secret weekend getaway with a cozy cabin on the beautiful island. Here is a picture of him exploring the beach.

Smasher Asher

2011-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

That's what we call our...hmmm...adventerous toddler. He loves climbing and will push chairs all around the house to find the highest places to climb to when we are not looking. I have caught him on counters, the washing machine, on dressers, trying to unlock doors, and even on the bathroom sink brushing his teeth!

This is fun!

Kubota Gardens with 3!

2011-02-08T16:28:00.001-08:00

With the sun out and in need of some fresh air, I finally decided to brave our favorite in-city hiking spot with all 3 kids. It turned out to be so much fun! All the kids loved hopping over the rocks, crossing the beautiful asian style bridges, and hiking waterfalls. Since Asher thinks he's 5, all the hiking didn't bother him a bit, but I do have to be more on my game as he'd be swmming if he had his choice.

Isabel getting into one of the many waterfalls

Josiah rock skipping

All the kids look for fish in the stream

Asher wishing he could do it on his own

Yee-Haw!

2011-02-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

Asher loves this farm video and this is his version of a square dance. Look for his little yee-haw kick at the end.

The Bride of Spiderman

2011-02-08T15:53:00.001-08:00

The kids had a great time dressing up the other night. Josiah loves being superheroes of any kind. When Isabel came out in a bride's dressed, I started crying, my future flashing before my eyes. Then out came little Asher all dressed up like a fireman. They are all growing up way too fast!

Giggles!

2011-01-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

Asher LOVES his sister and brother and no one can make him laugh quite like them. Here is Isabel getting Asher way into the giggles.

Mountain Sledding Day 2

2011-01-03T11:58:00.001-08:00

We had so much fun sledding on New Year's Eve, we hit the "sleds" again on New Years Day. Since it's only 45 minutes away, it's no big deal. It was amagically beautiful day and we even found a frozen pond to "skate" on during our hike through the woods. So much fun!

Isabel practicing her pro-sledder pose

Asher saying "mountain"

Our most fearless sledder

Hiking through the forest

Driveway Sledding

2010-12-31T23:01:00.001-08:00

We had a sudden snowstorm right after Thanksgiving which led to some impromptu sledding. The kids wanted to go down the driveway, which is quite a hill. Here is a video of Josiah doing just that!

Mountain Sledding

2010-12-31T22:51:00.000-08:00

We ended the year with a super fun trip to the mountains to go sledding. It was a beautiful day, though cold...14 degrees at the top! The kids had a great time, especially now that they can go down on their own. We took a little hike to a river and then went over to see the "real" skiers, who knows, maybe we'll have a few of our own someday.

The view on the drive east

Isabel on the bunny hill

Asher's first sledding experience

The kids at the river

Trying to get Asher to smile!

Christmas Traditions 2010

2010-12-31T22:35:00.000-08:00

We made many wonderful Christmas memories this year! From gingerbread houses, to visiting the reindeer at Swanson's nursery, we did it all! We started out the holiday by going to the Christmas parade the day after Thanksgiving. Then we decorated our tree, visited the lights at Bellevue Botanical Gardens, went Christmas caroling with our community group, made gingerbread houses, did lots of sledding with a surprise snowstorm, parties, Christmas lights and of course Swansons. The most meaningful part of our Christmas is the kids really understanding what Jesus did for us on the cross and living more and more like Him!

Here are some pictures....enjoy!

Gingerbread Village

Sled at Swanson's

Asher getting into the decorating!

Beautiful tree...more beautiful family!

Bellevue Botanical Gardens with friends

Happy Halloween

2010-11-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

Josiah looking annoyed, Asher looking tired, and Isabel super happy to be looking so beautiful

Asher REALLY mad about the dragon head

Well, we had our little family kingdom this year for Halloween. Isabel the princess, Josiah the fearless knight, and Asher the dragon! We kept it low-key and went with Sullivan down into Columbia City. The kids ended up with just the right amount of candy, which they ate....in one night :)

First Words

2010-10-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

I LOVE that Asher's first words are thank you. Also this week (along with every animal sound) he has picked up please, papa, sissy, Josiah, I love you, bye, hi, night...I'm sure that will multiply by next week. He's such a blessing!

Isabel's First Report

2010-10-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

As part of her co-op kindergarten class, Isabel must give a report every 6 weeks on a topic pertaining to what we are studying. She chose to speak on Norman ships and she and Daddy made a ship for a visual. She did great and remeber ALL of her lines without help. I was super proud!

Fall and Pumpkins

2010-10-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

We love our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. This year instead of visiting 3 (like last year!) we stuck with one really good one. Thommason Family Farm is one of the best! We were invited there to celebrate a friend's one year birthday and had a blast as a family as well. We played in the hay maze, jumped in the corn box, shot mini pumpkins out of the slingshot, lassoed cows on horseback, rode the tractor-barrel ride, rode the hay ride, and picked out 3 perfect sized pumpkins. It was one of the most beautiful fall days. We are definitely blessed!

Remlinger Farms 2010

2010-08-20T15:57:00.001-07:00

This is our 4th year going to Remlinger Farms and we had a wonderful time as always. I love seeing the kids have a place where everything is created just for them. We rode horses, the ferris wheel, the train, and many more. Even Asher got in on the action. The ride operator asked me if I wanted to take him on the coaster, and since he thinks he's 5, I went with him. I've never heard a baby scream like an adult. It was so funny, but we only made it twice around the loop. This is definitely one of our favorite summer traditions.

A boy and his horse

This picture gives me many memories of our first trip here

Hands in the air
(after this picture they started handholding with hands in the air, so cute!)

Asher loved the hay maze

Mr. and Mrs. Farmer. Happily married...hmmm, I think not

Berries, Birds, and Baking

2010-08-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

In between sicknesses (yes, I am calling this the summer of the sickies, we've been sick 6 weeks!), we headed out to the Arboretum to feed ducks and gather blackberries. Afterwards, we took the berries home and made an old-fashioned blackberry cobbler. We had a great time and the kids are asking if they can go again tomorrow, that is if we are healthy.

Asher looks freaked out, but this is really just his I LOVE DUCKS face

My three beautiful kids having fun together

Josiah took this picture of the beautiful bounty

My first old-fashioned blackberry cobbler with the berried we picked

Asher's Frist Steps

2010-07-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Boys

2010-07-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend we finally celebrated Josiah's 4th and Asher's 1st birthday with a mega motorcycle party. We had plenty of friends to celebrate with and had a great time. The kids played with marshmallow guns (well, maybe the adults played more with those), had a motorcycle race, killed the Transformer pinata, and raced on double slip and slides. The best part was getting a friend to drive up on his motorcycle and let the kids take turns "riding on it". They had a blast. Happy Birthday to my two wonderful boys!

Papa and the boys before the motorcycle madness

Josiah can't wait to get his own

Racing for the finish line

The pinata was really hard to demolish! After 3 rounds, the dads had to step in!

Josiah's mega motorcycle cake, made by mom

Yee-Haw!

2010-07-22T14:56:00.001-07:00

Our dear friends Judy and Jena gave us a special treat. Jena is a counselor at a Christian Ranch Camp and she invited us to come out and see what she does and meet her friends. It was super fun. The kids got to ride horses, go on a wagon ride, and have a real ranch BBQ. We are very blessed be our Aunties!

Orcas Island

2010-07-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

During our staycation, the one little trip we did make was out to Orcas Island. We had to take a ferry to get there and the best part was actually seeing some Orca whales jumping and splashing in the water, it was breathtaking. It was quite beautiful on the island and we had a great time hiking. We were able to see 3 waterfalls and actually get down close enough to play in them. We also drove to the top mountain of the island and got an amazing view of the San Juan Islands. Before we left we played at the beach. It was a great trip and we hope to camp there as the kids get older.

The view from Mt. Constitution

An even better view of my handsome husband

Isabel and I scale a tree log to get across to the waterfall. Beautiful!

The kids play in the pool beneath the falls

Go Mariners!

2010-07-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to free tickets from Starbucks, we got to take Grandma Kathi to a Mariner's game. This was the kids' first time at a game and they loved it! Grandma got to see her beloved Twins, but thankfully, the Mariners won!

On our way to the game

Grandma got the kids fingers to help them get their cheer on!

Asher, cutest Mariner's fan around!

Farms and Grandparents

2010-07-07T09:45:00.001-07:00

Grandma Kathi and Grandpa Tom visited last month and one of our favorite outings was to a farm in the mountains of Carnation. The farm was beautiful and the kids had a blast. They got to hold baby chicks and baby goats, which was Isabel's greatest wish! They fed carrots to some very beautiful horses. Then we got a tour of the farm. Definitely a unique experience.

Grandma and Grandpa being brave despite the wet and cold!

Baby goats! Dreams coming true!

The cutest baby chicks

Our princess

2010-05-18T20:33:00.001-07:00

Our little girl is growing up fast. She has such a beautiful personality. She loves the Lord and shares Him with lots of her friends. Here are some fun moments from the recent past...

One of her favorite things to sign to mom...

All dressed up for a dinner party

One of her many creative lego creations

New Zoo

2010-05-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

The zoo opened is new west entrance and highly advertised meerkat exhibit this week so we had to go and check them out. While the new entrance was grand and beautiful, the meerkat exhibit was...tiny! They are cute though and Josiah could play all day in the pretent meerkat desert area.

I couldn't find anyone to join us at the zoo so we just went as a family. It had been a long time since I took the kids on my own and we had a blast! I was really able to enjoy them and see their joy in their experiences. It was such a blessing and something I want to try and do more often (enter their world)

The best part of the day was feeding the birds. The kids loved getting the birds to land on their seed sticks and hold them! It made them feel very special.

Josiah petting "Lightning"the goat

Isabel petting "Tot" the goat

The "twins" riding one of the many statues they found around the zoo

Asher learning his veggies on the farm

LOVING the birds!

Very proud boy

New Backyard

2010-05-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Since we moved into our house, I dreamed of an enclosed flat space where the kids could play safely. My dream finally came truw this month. After lots of work and help from friends, we jackhammed up 1000 lbs of concrete, dropped in 9 yards of soil, removed 100 feet of chainlink, added 900 feet of sod, and had a beautiful wood fence installed. Worth it all! Here are some pics of the kids enjoying their new play area.

Messes!

2010-05-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I try to clean the bathroom!

Want to know who's responsible...

But he's so stinking cute!

Isabel Swinging!

2010-04-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

It's a big day when a little girl learns to swing by herself! Go Isabel!

Family Day

2010-04-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

We have been so extremely busy lately, and have come to treasure days when we can just get out as a family and enjoy eachother. This morning we went over to a local park and spent some time playing and having fun!

Josiah and Isabel's Magnificant Castle

Daddy and Asher swinging

Having fun piggyback style

Getting ready for a slide race (Isabel won)

Hitting the Beach

2010-03-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

Mountains and Bathing Suits? They can go together!

Josiah LOVES the beach

Asher enjoying some beach stick snacks

So the sun comes out and the weather hits 70, where will you find Tiffany? At the beach! We had a great time at the beach this week. Asher loves eating sand and the kids played a ton in the water...it's not warm enough for me to go there, but we had a blast.

Jesus Loves

2010-03-25T15:29:00.001-07:00

Isabel composed and sang this beautiful song last night. Sorry our camera video option is screwy, but she is so sweet we had to share this!

Ahhhh...Spring At Last!

2010-03-19T14:48:00.001-07:00

What an amazing day! I was getting hot in my long sleeved shirt! We visited a new playground today, Brighton Playfield, right in our neighborhood. Why I've went 2 years without going here is beyond me. It's beautiful and so fun. The playground is great, there are beautiful meadows (which Asher had a blast crawling in, as well as looking for lots of fun new things to eat), trees for climbing, and an amazing view of Mount Rainier.

Asher particularly liked the bark and dried leaves

After this picture I turned around to get Asher and when I turned back, Isabel was at the top of the tree. I nearly peed my pants!

Josiah really loved all the climbing!

I tired to capture the view of the mountain behind the kids! Breathtaking

Happy 5th Birthday Isabel

2010-02-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

Our big 5 year old girl!

We celebrated the most fun 5th birthday imaginable this weekend. It started with a morning trip to Chuck E Cheese. We always have a blast there playing games and winning prizes. The birthday girl chose her favorite foods to eat, pizza and cotton candy. Later that evening, we took our girl to a special dinner at the Space Needle. They had a window table decorated with balloons just for her. Isabel had a hamburger and Jason and I had yummy salmon. The dinner finished with a smoking sundae for dessert. After dinner, we went to the toy store so that Isabel could choose a toy. She decided on a Playmobil set and also wanted to share the wealth by bringing Josiah back a cowboy hat. Very sweet. Happy Birthday Isabel, you are such a blessing to us.

Enjoying the rides at Chuck E Cheese

Playing games with bro

What a beautiful princess

Our family!

The spectacular dessert

6 years!

2010-02-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

We celebrated 6 wonderful years of marriage this weekend. We had a really fun date taking the light rail downtown, having dinner in the ID, playing in the city, and enjoying some really yummy cheesecake. Here's to 50+ more years!

The light rail tunnel art

Ramen in the ID

Riding the light rail

Walking in the rain

Karate!

2010-02-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

Josiah has been taking karate lessons with his buddy and our next door neighbor Sullivan. He's pretty intense about it. It's very fun watching him practice his moves...hi-ya!

Asher is 6 months

2010-02-14T09:46:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd post some 6 month pictures of our handsome boy. He's growing up way too fast!

Grandma is on Santa's Nice List

2009-12-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Grandma. You asked Santa for kisses from your Grandkids and he said you were a VERY good girl.

Joy

2009-12-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for the joy the kids bring into my life. Here is an example, a song they "wrote" together in the car and sang for about half an hour.

Traditions

2009-12-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

I think growing up in winter-less Florida has caused me to be a little over-zealous with the winter traditions, but I just love this time of year in Seattle. Here are some of our favorite holiday traditions:

-Macy's Holiday Parade
-Decorating the house and tree
-The Garden 'd Lights
-Reindeer at Swansons
-Christmas Lights in Loyal Heights
-Sledding in Snoqualmie
-Making Gingerbread Houses
-Making Advent Wreaths
-Advent Calendar from Secret Garden Bookstore

(One tradition sure not to make the list is driving to the mountains for our own tree)

Here are some pictures of the kids making gingerbread houses today with their friends.

Great Wolf Lodge

2009-12-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to homeschooling, we were able to get an amazing deal at the Great Wolf Lodge. We had a great time playing at the water park, swimming, and playing video games. That place is amazing. Here are some pictures...

The bedtime clock tower show

Storytime with the reindeer

The view from our room

Chritsmas Tree!

2009-12-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of our beautiful Christmas tree!

This year we decided to get adventerous and go to the mountains to get our Christmas tree. For just 10 dollars you can buy a permit that allows you to go way up in the mountains to pick and cut your own Christmas tree. We were so excited and decided to make it a whole day adventure and take the kids sledding as well.

Isabel having fun in the snow

Josiah getting ready for his first sled run

The kids pretending to be panguins and slide down the hill on their bellies

We had a blast sledding. We found a little place with the perfect size sleds. Unfortunately, Asher didn't like sledding, so we had to take turns with him in the car, but it was a good excuse to get warmed up. It was really fun!

Next we headed up the mountain to get a tree. You have to go to a designated area, so we started up the mountain. It was a bit scary because it was really steep and there was no guard rail on the two lane road. But we finally made it and it was breathtaking. The kids were pretty tired, so here is Jason pulling Josiah up the mountain on the sled.

Asher didn't like tree huntng either, but he stayed a bit. Unfortunately Josiah was quite cold, so after 20 minutes, I took the boys back to the car.

Jason brought Isabel back and then headed back to claim the tree he found. I was a little nervous because it wasn't a Noble Fir like I expected, but he had just spend an hour looking for a tree, so I wasn't going to say anything. When we got home, he said, "look here's our tree," I just gasped. It was the most hideous thing I had ever seen. So I nicely asked if he could go to Lowes and get us a beautiful tree. 20 minutes later, we had the tree you see in the above picture. Ha!

But we did get to enjoy this breath taking view, so it wasn't for nothing!

And Reindeer Too!

2009-12-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is going to Swanson's Nursery to see the real reindeer, this year they made it even more fun and added a Camel and a Donkey. Swansons is so much fun because it is absolutely beautiful at Christmastime with all of the trees. Not only do they have reindeer, but they also have an amazing Koi pond, a beautiful garden restaurant, and an enormous display train, and fun play house outdoor amongst all of the Christmas trees. The kids also get to ride around in a red wagon. It's such a special time!

Josiah didn't want to ever leave the train

Riding through the trees

Comet and Blitzen, the reindeer

Enjoying a sleigh ride

Feeding the very hungry koi

According to Josiah, the "just right sized house for us, not too big, not too small"

Enjoying God's Creation

2009-11-29T21:45:00.001-08:00

Saint Edwards State Park

On the way home from dedicating Asher at church today, Jason said, let's do something today to enjoy God's creation. Well, for awhile I have been wanting to visit Saint Edward's State Park, so we packed a lunch, bundled up and headed to the eastside.

When we got there, the kids had a blast climbing trees, playing in the amazing playground, and jumping in leaf piles. Then after a picnic lunch, we decided to hike down to the beach, only accessible by trail. Jason decided we should take "the most difficult" trail, that might as well have a real adventure! The kids were excited about their dangerous journey. The hike was only .4 mile, but the cliffs were steep. The beach was beautiful and we were even treated with a small waterfall.

It was quite a wonderful day!

Tree Climbing

My favorite thing at the park!

Gotta love Fall leaf jumping

Expert hikers!

My boys at the beach. Beautiful!

Resting after a long hike back

Macy's Parade 2009

2009-11-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

We had a great morning in Downtown watching the Macy's 2009 Holiday Parade. It was made even better by not having to deal with parking. We just hopped on the light rail! Isabel and I headed there to get a good seat and the boys met up with us right as the parade was starting. The kids had a great time. And Josiah LOVED the candy. This kid just inhales candy, I have never seen anything like it.

I think the best part of the parade is after. Macy's shoots out tons of paper confetti from their roof and the kids can take it over to the bus tunnel and it just swirls abover their head in a vortex into the sky. It is super fun!

After we decorated the house and I put the lights outside! Christmas is on it's way!

Isabel and mommy find the perfect front row seat

Homeless Isabel waiting for the parade

Daddy and Asher lovin' the parade

I want more candy!

Bus tunnel wind

Confetti Party Downtown

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

We stared the morning with a Thanksgiving lesson. I thought it was important to know WHY we celebrate Thanksgiving other than eat a lot and gear up for Christmas shopping. It was actually a pretty nice way to start the day and I think we'll make it a tradition.

We had a great low-key Thanksgiving at Papa and Granny's house. He pretty much had everything cooked by the time I got there, but I did get to help with the potatoes. They were home grown even! The kids had a blast playing with Papa and Tonza. Granny had to head to bed early because she was quite sick. But it was really nice to spend some time with them.

The kids all dressed up for dinner

Isabel says, eat your turkey!

Asher LOVES his Papa

The after-cupcake face

Growing Up Too Fast

2009-11-25T15:52:00.000-08:00

I am in serious disbelief that I have 3 kids.I am in serious disbelief that my oldest is almost 5. I am in serious disbelief that I get to live this wonderful life. Thank you God.

The Theater

2009-11-25T15:50:00.000-08:00

The kids are finally old enough to really enjoy the theater, so last week we went to see If You Give a Mouse a Cookie at the Seattle Children's Theater. We had so much fun and it was a joy for me to see my children laughing at the comedy in the performance, the theater really did a good job. I am looking forward to seeing many more show with them.

Getting ready to go in, too bad you can't see Asher, he was super excited :)

With the program

Mouse Sized Children

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun halloween this year. On Friday night Jason helped our friends move, so the kids and I headed to meet some friends at our old church building in Ballard for the 3rd annual Fall Festival. They really outdid themselves! They had many bouncy houses, including a bouncy obstacle course, a huge cardboard maze, a trike track with giant trikes to ride, games, and Josiah's favorite, the Wii on the huge overhead screens. All for free! We had a blast.

On Saturday we went to a party at a friend's house from co-op. The kids had a lot of fun, I especially enjoyed the marshmallow shooting guns (hey, I live in the City and don't see too much of that) Later we went trick or treating down at the shops in Columbia City which was great and SAFE! Then we hit up the neighbors on the way home. Our last stop was dropping some candy for our next door neighbor friend Sully, who was too sick to go out.

Here are some pics of the kiddos.

Fire Chief Asher

Fairy Prinecess Isabel

Super Man Josiah

(the above pics were taken for free by a professional photographer from our church leewhitephotos.com)

The giant trikes were awesome!

Happy Boy

2009-11-02T14:33:00.001-08:00

Asher's name means happy and he certainly lives up to it. I thought I'd post a few pictures of our happy little guy.

Pumpkin Patch Trip Times 2...and 3!

2009-11-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

Since I do some preschool coordinating at our homeschool co-op, I put together some field trips. In the spring we visited a patch to plant come pumpkins and we decided to go back and see how they turned out. We had such a good turn out we planned 2 field trips. It was so much fun. We got to play in the hay barn, the corn box, hay jump, slides, visit the animals and ride out to the patch on the wagon to get some pumpkins. It was so much fun to do this with the families we are becoming so close with on our homeschool journey. Here are some pics of the fun!

Isabel finding a pumpkin (it took 20 minutes!)

Asher's Aunite Lisa in the front

Asher having too much fun at the Farm

Covered in Corn!

Riding the Tire Dog