Haleigh is 12!

 Haleigh's birthday was on the Saturday of Mid-Winter Break and Grandpa and Grandma were here to help us celebrate!

We started with presents and cupcakes, then played some ping pong and basketball before heading to El Ranchito for dinner.

Delicious cupcakes made by Haleigh's fourth grade teacher, Maestra Gonzales!

One of the presents that Haleigh requested (and received) was a chocolate fountain! Naturally, we had to test it out... We couldn't get it to flow quite right, but that didn't change how tasty it was!

We dipped strawberries, apples, and marshmallows!

Here are a few notable facts about Haleigh that we are going to want to remember for years to come!

Height: 4'9"

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Sport: Volleyball or Basketball

Favorite Subject in School: Math

Favorite Book Series: City Spies

Favorite TV Show: The Librarians

Favorite Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13

It has been so fun watching Haleigh grow this past year; she asks questions that I would never think of, sees things very literally, and is starting to develop a new awareness about the work that she does in school. She loves reading, creating slideshows on Canva, and helping in the nursery at church. Although she doesn't take piano lessons anymore, every once in a while, I catch her playing a song on the piano! 

We are excited about what the future holds for Haleigh and how we can help her develop the passions and talents that God has given her. 

Happy Birthday Haleigh-Bear!

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Mid-Winter Break

 The first full weekend of March is always Mid-Winter Break, which means it's a great time for Grandpa and Grandma to come up from California for a visit! They flew in on Wednesday night (after spending way too many hours in both the Fresno Airport and at SeaTac!)

After a leisurely Thursday morning, the sun came out and so while I headed to work, everyone else headed out to Point Whitehorn.

We were hoping for some nicer weather the rest of the weekend, but it ended up being mostly cold and dreary. We spent a lot of time playing games and ping pong in the garage! 

Friday evening we headed up to Abbotsford. We ate dinner at a tasty little Greek restaurant and then went to Rogers Forum to watch the Abbotsford Canucks take on the Colorado Eagles in hockey. The Canucks lost, but it was still a lot of fun!

Here are a few more pictures from the weekend:

Playing MarioKart

Happy Birthday Haleigh!

The time always goes by so quickly, but, as always, it was a good time and we are so grateful that Grandpa and Grandma come visit and spend time with us!!

A President's Day Hike

 Last week Kyle had to go to Spokane for some work events, but the girls had off school on Monday for President's Day. I didn't want to just sit at home and listen to them tell me how bored they were, so we joined up with Kim and the boys for a fun hike! We decided to try someplace new and headed north of Abbotsford to Sumas Mtn.

The plan was a 3 mile out-and-back hike to Chadsey Lake. It was a pretty trail, and thankfully was well-marked. However, it was steeper than we had anticipated...and not 3 miles. We also didn't anticipate the snow. But again, it was very pretty! 

And the kids all did amazing! No complaining and very few requests for snacks!

Elias and Malachi getting started!

This part was really steep...the pictures don't show it at all!

That's ice on the lake!

January

 Hard to believe that January has already come and gone. It was pretty unremarkable, as far as fun adventures. We talked about cross-country skiing, but it's been rather warm and rainy, which doesn't make for great skiing conditions. We talked about hiking, but never made that happen either. 

We have filled our weekends with lots of basketball...Haleigh is playing with LYS right now, which means one practice during the week and a game (or two) on Saturday. But since the weather has been so mild, we've also done a fair amount of basketball at home, helping her to learn more of the lingo and playing HORSE together. 

And that's about all the fun we've had. There are hardly any other photos from this month!

Smokey and Amarah watching a raccoon

I did find this gem on my phone!

The Northern Lights from my kitchen

A fun little crochet project I made!