Washington State Day 3-Anacortes to Sequim

When driving to the hotel Thursday night we saw a cool looking park that we stopped by Friday morning before heading out for the day.  

We went over to Bowman's Bay and hiked over to Rosario Head Point.  At the beach by the Maiden of Deception pass a couple of scuba divers had just came up with a bunch of animal life collected there in the bay that morning.  They let everyone touch and explore.  

The hike led to a gorgeous view point where we got to see dolphins swimming by.

We went back to the beach to trade off kayaking and playing/picnicking.  We were so lucky to have amazing weather for the whole trip.  James was excited that we saw a few bald eagles while we were out.

Preston found the muddest part of the beach and plopped down to play.  He and Ethan also loved the floating log they found and turned into a boat.

After Bowman's Bay we drove over the bridge at Deception pass onto Whidbey Island.

We had just enough time before getting onto our ferry to explore the lighthouse at Fort Casey.  We were able to walk up inside and view the bunkers.

Preston was especially excited about driving out car onto the big boat.  The ferry ride wasn't very long-about 40 minutes, taking us over to Port Townsend.

We were hoping to see some of the Orca's that had been spotted on the ferry earlier that morning, but didn't.  We did see more dolphins though, which is always exciting.  When we got across we drove through the fun port city of Port Townsend and stopped at Mt. Townsend Creamery for some cheese (we especially loved the truffle and cirrus, but tried all of them more than once to make sure.)  :)  It was then on to Sequim for the night.

Washington State Day 2-Seattle to Anacortes

Thursday morning we explored the Chittenden/Ballard Locks. 

It was so interesting watching the locks process.

We could have spent much longer, as there was so much to see with the draw bridge moving and boats coming in and out.  We didn't even have a chance to check out the Botanical gardens or visitors center there.

There wasn't any fish running in the ladders, but there was a little viewing area that we checked out and a few fish going through the spillway.

We hurried back for a lunch reservation at the Space Needle.

The clam chowder was the favorite, and watching the sea planes take off and land while we ate and spun around was great entertainment for everyone.

We were able to go up to the observation deck after lunch.

And then played at the Artist at Play park.  As was the theme for the whole trip, we could have stayed there all day.  Everything was so fun it was hard to move on to the next fun thing.

We drove up to Anacortes with just enough time to shop, make and eat dinner and get up Mount Erie in time for a spectacular sunset.

Washington State-Day 1-Travel and Seattle

We started our summer a week earlier than the kids got out of school.  There was great deals on flights to Seattle at the end of May and we just happened to have some points James had accumulated from some work trips.  So, we seized the chance to go explore the State of Washington with James' brother Ian and their family.

Our first day started about 4:30am to get up and out the door for an early flight.

Before heading into the city we stopped for some fish and chips and a view. 

Then went to Pike's Place Market.  We loved taking time to explore there.  We got to see some fish throwing that it is famous for. 

And had fun sampling fruit, veggies, honey, etc at the stands.  It was all so yummy.  

Everyone added their mark to the wall in bubblegum alley

And watched cheese being made at Beechers.

We met up with cousin Jeannie at Zeke's pizza for dinner.

And she took us to her favorite ice cream shop for an after dinner treat.  Molly Moon's had some fun flavor's to try out.  Everyone tasted the Honey Lavender, that reminded us of the same flavor at Katie's ice cream in Cape Cod.

We then walked to Kerry park for some fun play time and another amazing view.

That night we stayed at a hotel right next to the space needle.  Everyone was exhausted from the full day of fun and fell asleep pretty quickly.

Brielle Interview and Stats

My name is: Brielle (aka Ellie, Miss Biscuit, Brie-Brie, Bo, Bo-Bellie)

Height: 4ft 11in (96%)

Weight: 74lbs (54%)

Sleeping: about 10 hours (8:30pm-7:30am), although probably more like 9 hours.  She usually sneaks a book in bed and likes to come out a few times for random thoughts she forgot to share.  She also loves her blanky to be cold and sticks it in the freezer just before bedtime and then goes to get it to sleep with.

Hobbies: Reading, Cooking, Volleyball, Piano, Science, Dogs (really wants a dog, as been researching them for a year and knows a lot about the different breads).  

Brielle loves babies and playing with little kids.  When we get together with cousins she always ends up with a baby in arms while entertaining all the 3-year-olds.
She is quiet and reserved, but also quite confident with who she is and that her interests are different than friends at school. She has a fun sense of humor that sneaks out unexpectedly at times.  She got a microscope for her birthday and is loving identifying tissues in the slides borrowed from a pathologist at City of Hope. 

  Birthday Interview Questions

What is your name? Brielle Christine Finlay

When is your birthday? May 4th, 2007

How old are you? 10

What is your favorite color? Pink and Green

What is your favorite song? Lots

What do you want to do when you are a grown up? Teacher, Librarian or Veterinarian

Where do you want to live when you grow up? In the mountains or by the Eifell tower

What is your favorite food? Lasagna and Tortilla Soup

What is your least favorite food? Corned Beef and Cabbage

What is your favorite animal? Flamingo?

If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it? A dog, another dog, another dog and the rest would go to an animal shelter

What is your favorite movie? The new Cinderella

What is your favorite dessert? Any dessert

Where do you like to eat? At Gramma's house, outside and at picnics and at the zoo.

Who is your best friend? Lots of people

What is your favorite book? All the books in the world

What is your favorite thing to do? read

What does your mommy do? cleans the house and watches us

What does Daddy do? works at USC

If you could get anything you want, what would you ask for? A dog!

What was one of the best days of your life? When I got to sleep in my own room

What was your favorite thing you did when you were still 9?  Moved into our new house.
What are you excited about with turning 10? I'm in double digits

Happy 10th Birthday Brielle!

Brielle is 10!  

She decided last year that she wanted to have lemon bars in the shape of a sun and had fun planning and decorating.

I didn't realize when I made cakes for my kids when they were little how quickly I'd get out of doing that job.  Ethan and Brielle always want to make their own cakes now. It's fun to see what they come up with.

We got to spend her birthday in Palm Desert for the SCAG conference.  Her Gramma Finlay was being installed as president that day so most of the Finlay side of the Family was all together that day. 

She loves being with all her cousins.  It was a much more fun day to be with family at a hotel that day.  Especially since she was supposed to be doing state testing at school.

She especially loved the library at the hotel.

That night she was presented with a beautiful cake while all SCAG members (about 500 mayors, city officials, etc.) sang happy birthday to her.  She was so nervous to go up in front of everyone, but felt very special.

General Conference April 2017

A quick post to document another General Conference.

Preston was more interested in cutting than in coloring or any kind of taking notes.  

I tried having him make a collage of words that he heard.  Letting him cut things out from past friends.  That was a bit beyond his ability to figure out without my help, but he enjoyed just gluing random pictures.

The big kids were pretty focused and enjoyed earning conference cash again.  

We didn't have a chance to do a a conference menu-with the timing of our watching we didn't need a lunch.  The kids missed doing that, but we had lots of treat options for sale for dessert at the conference store which they loved.

A couple of their note pages:

Brielle

Ethan

Ethan 8-year Interview and Stats

Ethan continues to be a bundle of intense energy.  He has a lot of self confidence which is refreshing.  He does really well in school other than being too eager to socialize during class time.  He entertains himself easily making new projects (some of his most recent: a guitar made out of cardboard and duct tape, planting his own garden, building a marble track designed with paper and tape.)  He doesn't think to ask before doing and I often find him in the middle of some sort of creation.  I don't always appreciate the mess made in the process, but I love his creativity and ambition.  He loves when I assign him big projects (such as cleaning out the shed or taking apart an old shelf that needs to be thrown out) and is a great help.

Height: 55 inches (99%)
Weight: 70 lbs (93%)
Sleeping: 11 hours (8:00 pm-7:00 am) Still falls asleep quickly and wakes up on the move
Hobbies: Loves all sports.  This year he has done basketball, track and volleyball.  But he'll happily do any and all.  He gets very involved in college sports and immediately asks the scores when he wakes up if they finished after he had to go to bed.  He enjoys playing the piano, reading, and cooking.  He is in charge of Saturday breakfast and likes to make german pancakes and breakfast burritos best.  He is so excited about being a cub scout.

Ethan's responses to 8-year-old Interview Questions

What is your name? Ethan

When is your birthday? March 9th

How old are you? 8

What is your favorite color? Turquoise
What is your favorite song? I'm a Child of God

What is your favorite food? Spaghetti

What is your favorite animal? Snow Leopard

What is your favorite movie? Trolls

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint Chocolate Chip
What is your favorite dessert? brownies

Who is your best friend? Justin

What is your favorite book? Go Dogs Go (but then after said he actually likes all animals books-non fiction is his favorite). 

What is your favorite thing to do? Play with my family

When do you go to bed? 7:30

What does your Daddy do? He works at USC

What does your Mommy do? She takes care of children at home
What do you like about being 7? That I get to be baptized.