Heather Maple Loop and Cutthroat Pass

 Given the beautiful weather we've had recently, and the desire to be outside hiking, Kim took a personal day and Kim, Kelsey, and I headed to Winthrop, WA for a fun day of hiking! We left Sunday afternoon and spent the night at the North Cascades Mountain Hostel. It was very cute and within walking distance to the main street in Winthrop. Our plan was to go out for dinner, but with one restaurant closed, one that was standing room only in the bar area (and out of burgers and chicken) and one with a very long line, we opted to order pizza and eat it back at the hostel. 

Studying the menu

Cute little room...there were 6 bunks in our room

Delicious pizza!

After a terrible night of sleep (thanks to very loudly snoring roommate) we got up at 5:30, along with quite a few other people...we had no idea there were so many people staying at the hostel! Apparently we all had the same plan of getting an early start for the day.

The first trail we did was the Heather Maple Pass Loop, which is about 7.5 miles, with a gradual climb up to the ridge and then a steeper descent back to the trailhead. Our timing was perfect...the colors were amazing! The goal was to find Larches, a unique deciduous conifer tree whose needles turn yellow and fall off. We found a lot of them!!

Kim hiking down...that's our trail zigzagging down the mountainside!

It was beautiful no matter which direction  you looked!

Looking down on Lake Ann

We made it back to the car by 10, which meant we had time for another hike. But first we took a lunch break. 

The second trail was a 9 mile out-and-back trail up Cutthroat Pass. While it was longer, it wasn't as steep, but also had incredible views. The parking lot was overflowing, but we didn't encounter too many people, making for a lovely hike. 

By the end of the day, we'd hiked a total of 18 miles. We all had tired feet but it was a great day. And minus the snoring lady, we'd all do it again!

A Day at the Lake

 One of the families in our small group, Jeff and Laura, have a family house on Lake Whatcom. All summer we've been talking about going to the lake and taking the boat out, and we finally made it happen. Sunday afternoon, everyone from our small group who was able to make it headed out to their place for burgers and a fun afternoon. It was a bit chilly when we got there so we started a fire (the burn ban ended the day before!) 

Naturally, the girls were still hoping to be able to go tubing and Jeff was more than willing to take them out. Annaliese even got to drive the boat for a little bit!

Michelle and Salem in the paddleboat

Annaliese, Laura and Lydia

Kyle and Annaliese in the paddleboat

Kevin and John fishing from the dock

Hard to tell, but that's Annaliese falling off the tube!

Happy 10th Birthday Lydia!

And just like that, our youngest is double digits! Lydia has been planning her birthday party for almost a year, and we were able to make it happen. She wanted a friend co-party with her friend Kenna, whose birthday is just a few days after Lydia's. They wanted to do a sleepover pool party and Kenna's mom was all for it. (So were the friends...then they all only had to go to one party!)

On the Friday after her birthday, I picked up Lydia, Kenna, and Kaila from school and we headed over to Kenna's house. Siena, Cora, and Liliana all came within the next little while and the rest of the time was filled with swimming, eating pizza, opening presents and watching a movie. Only Cora was able to spend the night, so Lydia, Kenna, and Cora pulled out some ginormous bean bags and slept on the living room floor. There was also a last minute request for an ice cream cake with sprinkles and a dog...we did everything except the dog:)

Cora's dad stopped by and showed them the bear he had just hunted!

Everyone had fun and it was a successful birthday! Lydia has a great group of friends at school...I love listening to their conversations and hearing them all laughing together!

At home, we celebrated on her actual birthday. She received so many fun gifts from her relatives and it was great to watch her face as she opened each present! 

A few fun facts about Lydia:

Favorite Food: Hamburgers

Favorite Color: Light Green

Favorite Subject in School: Science

Favorite Bible Verse: John 3:16

Favorite Activity: Listen to music and read or play outside

Favorite Book Series: Middle School...by James Patterson

Fall Sports

 The beginning of the school year also means the beginning of fall sports. This year both soccer and cross country started the week before school, which was a bit of an adjustment. 

Annaliese is playing on the JV Soccer Team. She's been playing 'center back' and has really improved a lot in just a few weeks. It's been really fun to watch her get faster and more aggressive each game. They've had three games so far and are 2-1. Most of my pictures aren't very clear, but she's number 16.

Haleigh is running cross county. They had their first meet this past week at Bellewood Acres. Unfortunately Kyle and I both had to work and weren't able to be there, but Auntie Kim, Auntie Kelsey, and Grandpa and Grandma were there to cheer her and Mallory on! They ran the whole race together and Haleigh finished with a time of 13 minutes.