Pike Place

This is probably one of the more famous landmarks in Seattle, the Pike Place Market, and is a favorite place to go when we have visitors.  So, when some of my dad's family came into town we ventured into the city for a little fish throwing. 

Grandma Lil admiring the tulips!

The market overlooks the Pacific ocean and has a whole underground part that cuts into the city...it is actually quite fascinating and I love the vibe there. That is a an old Native American totem pole in the background but you can't see it very well. There is a Native American influence in this area that has been preserved because such a large population used to reside here.

It turned out to be a gorgeous day in the Northwest!

Kids in the City

After the temple we went to the city to see some of Vancouver! First order of business...finding a place to feed these hungry faces!

Second order of business...sing Happy Birthday to Marissa! And what says Canada like Red Robin! We did order poutine (fries covered with gravy and cheese curd)...that has got to count for something!

Third order of business...catch the Big Bus tour of Vancouver to see the sights!

Fun day but we had some tired kids! Thank you Hatches for a great time!

Vancouver BC temple

Before a LDS temple is dedicated it is open to anyone who would like to tour through it. We didn't want to miss this opportunity to let the kids see the inside of a temple and instill a desire to be able to return to it one day. So after our outing in the tulips we continued up to BC to go through the open house.  What a beautiful building it was and it was so tender to be with my family in the celestial room and to set a goal to be back there together one day.

What a glorious, rainy day!

Two Lips

We were planning a trip up to Vancouver, BC, to attend an open house of the new LDS temple. And as I was making the arrangements, I was pretty excited that the dates corresponded well with the annual Skagit Valley Tulip festival. So, I talked Shawn into it, making excellent points that it was free, on the way, and a beautiful experience for our family to enjoy together. After all the "I'm going to pull this car over if you don't..." statements that make up what is known as "the family road trip" we arrive and there are no flowers. None. Zip. Zero. So, Shawn to make known how thrilled he is about this whole thing starts pointing out the dandelions. And the kids keep asking, "where are the flowers, mom!", "this is boring", and my favorite smart remark, "wow, dirt". There were supposed to be acres of tulips, daffodils, and Irises. Come to find out, the warm spring that we had enjoyed resulted in the tulips being harvested early.

My saving grace was that Roozenguard still had flowers, however, you had to pay to get in...#1 excellent point down the drain.  So may I present the tulips, in all their glory!

Our tribute to uncle Talmage serving a mission in the Netherlands...we miss you!

This is How We Roll

Here are a couple everyday shots from April...just snapshots of our life! :>Ethan's pants were so wet, he couldn't keep them on
After baseball practice...you need to play, after you work so hard playing in the dirt at practice Bubbles. Enough said.Kailey wanted to make sure that Ethan's hair was styled after his bath

Easter Eggs

Even though the Easter bunny doesn't visit on Easter, that doesn't mean that we can't decorate some eggs! And another fun tradition we have started is "empty tomb rolls". You take bread dough and wrap it around a marshmallow and then roll it in cinnamon and sugar. As the bread cooks, the marshmallow melts, leaving a hollow center...and they are tasty!

For those of you that are worried about the Easter bunny not coming, do not fear! The Leprechauns come to our house a couple weeks before and leave treasures for the kids!!

Great Wolf Lodge

For Ethan's & Kailey's birthday we planned a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge...where there is no excuse to be dry! Here is the whole gang! We went with the Hatches and my parents and it was a little hard keeping track of everybody because there was so much to do that we were running in all directions. Have you met my 5th child?

2 thumbs up for a fun family trip! We will be back!