Hiking

Every weekend we go hiking so it feels like we go on a mini vacation every week.  I love living in Washington during the fall.  It is absolutely beautiful.

Hiking Cougar Mtn.

We all got new hiking boots since we're tired of getting our athletic shoes muddy every weekend.  We bought water-proof boots and Autumn and Levi love testing their durability out every chance they get.  

 Another Cougar Mtn hike - Ashley is making the tree "snow" leaves on the kids.

The 3 pictures above were taken at Franklin Falls off of some random mountain in the Cascades.  The little ones are pretending to be bears hiding in the trunk and Ashley determined that her pose would be the best facebook picture ever.

This is on the walk down to a hike right by our apartment.  We seriously underestimated the length of time it would take to complete the round-trip and were almost stuck in the woods in the dark.  We got out just in time but we were seriously winded from going as fast as possible uphill while carrying the little ones so that we weren't caught in a bad situation.

I love my family

Here are some wonderful random pictures of the family.  Wonderful because my family is wonderful - not wonderful as in a good quality picture.

Beautiful Miss Ashley dressed up to go to the Homecoming Dance.  She really wanted a dress that complimented her cowgirl boots.  She is really playing up the whole Texan look at school and church.

Playing in the rain at an Issaquah HS football game.  Autumn said she likes Washington better than Texas because I let her play in the rain all the time.  I let her play in the rain in Texas but it rains a bit more here.

Each time one of our cars were delivered, the kids got to ride in the vehicles with big kid seatbelts while I parked it closer.  For some reason the cars were all delivered at different times at the farthest point from our apartment when David was at work and Ashley was at school.  Don't worry grandparents - the drive was just through the parking lot.  Nevertheless, Autumn & Levi were ridiculously thrilled and giggled throughout the whole 3-min drive.

Several friends from Sunnyvale sent us a box of Texas themed gifts.  Here the little ones are showing the Texas shaped rice krispie treats .  You can't tell they're shaped like Texas since they're mostly eaten.    

You can't tell but Levi is dancing here.  This time at MOD pizza - home to a wonderful gluten-free pizza.  He was so into it that some fellow diners said I should be recording it so I explained that he dances like this every opportunity he gets.  I have no idea where he got the dancing gene.

 Autumn loves her new gymnastics class.  

Autumn's Birthday!

Autumn had a wonderful birthday this year!  We were worried that she wouldn't be happy because she had already planned out where she wanted her party back in Texas and here in Washington we really don't know anyone to have a party with.  She had fun regardless.

I let her open one gift in the morning but she had to wait until David came home before she opened the rest.  She took cupcakes to school to celebrate with her school friends and then we went to play at a friend's house after school.  She was so pooped once we celebrated at our apartment that she passed out before we could go out to eat.

 Autumn's last picture as a 4-year-old before she went to bed.

 Good Morning to our 5-year-old!  She's been begging for this kitty from Costco for months now.

Levi and I went to the mall while Autumn was at school.  There is a large nautical themed area with a soft play area (similar to Willow Bend mall's play area). 

Autumn is full of joy playing with her new toys.  Levi doesn't quite understand and angrily says its his birthday too.  Thankfully Autumn is sweet and shares well.

The next morning Autumn woke up bright and early (before I was really ready to get out of bed) and worked on both of her new puzzles.  

Snoqualmie Falls

A couple of weekends ago, we woke up early and went to the Issaquah Farmers Market and then went to see Snoqualmie Falls.  

The kiddos dancing at the farmers market.  There was a man singing goofy songs and they really got into it.  I think that we could have watched them all day.  The farmers markets are really enjoyable out here and every city has its own, but they're typically closed from late Oct thru March so we'll have to go again next year.

 Picture from the top viewing deck for the falls.

The walk down to get close to the falls.  This picture that looks flat was at the very beginning.  The descent was fairly steep and long and when we got to the bottom we realized that both the viewing area at the bottom was closed and there was a parking lot we could have accessed at the bottom.  Autumn has been a good sport about hiking but the hike back up to our vehicle made her cry.

Autumn's New School

Autumn loves her new preschool!  She goes 4 days a week for 2.5hrs and wishes she could go more.   I think she has a blast because there are only 8 girls and 1 boy in the class so they get along really well.  Thankfully, it's located really close to our new home and David's office.

 Autumn baked an apple pie for the family to share!

 Autumn and David attended a Fall Festival at the school for Students & Dads only.  She had a bunch of fun.  I have no pictures of the actual event since I wasn't there.  I guess I should check to see if David has any.

Autumn baked some Autumn Leaf cookies!  Too bad she can't eat anything she bakes, but she and I both really like that her school has wonderful creative activities.

New Home

Here are pictures of the new home we'll move into eventually.  These pics are all off the MLS with the seller's belongings.  The previous owners had interesting taste in colors and sheens.  The main beige throughout the house actually has an orange tint and all of the walls are painted in a semi-gloss.  We will be repainting everything eventually.

Crystal Mountain

Our first weekend after we moved in, we traveled to Crystal Mountain which is about an hour from where we're living.  Crystal Mountain is directly across from Mt. Rainier and you travel up a Gondola to look at Rainier.  Once you're at the top of Crystal Mountain there are various hikes to take.  We hiked about 3 hours that day and the little ones promptly passed out in our mini van on the way back.  On another note, Autumn & Levi LOVE the mini van.  They're both able to open their own door and that's the coolest thing in the world to them.  I'm pumped to have my suburban back now that I can navigate these roads without fear of hitting pedestrians/bikers.  However, I am embarrassed to drive around a behemoth with TX plates - so far I've only had one stranger comment on my vehicle and its gas mileage.

Going up the gondola!!!

 Beautiful views of Mt. Rainier!

Ashley had a wonderful day today!  She's unhappy to be in WA, but she grudgingly admitted today that it is amazingly beautiful here.

Their favorite part of the hikes was picking up rocks and chunking them over the steep side of the paths.

 Ashley's beautiful picture of Miss Autumn.

Autumn feeding a chipmunk her snack.