Day Dates are the Best!

My sisters and I have talked about taking each other's kids so that we can go out on a date without having to pay for a babysitter; the last time we were all together, we actually decided to make it happen! I have always liked the concept, but I never want to pick my kids up late from someone's house and then have to come home after a date and put tired kids to bed late. So we decided to do a day date and go up to the mountains for some cross country skiing! We dropped the girls off at Kelsey's house around 8:30 and headed up to Mt. Baker. (They spent the day playing legos, coloring, and taking a walk to the library.)

Yesterday was pretty cloudy and rainy at our house so we weren't quite sure what the conditions would be like in the mountains, but it worked out quite well! The sun tried to come out and then it started to snow; about 30 minutes before we were finished, it turned into a really wet snow and we were really wet by the time we made it back to the car. 

We went to the same place that we normally go to, Salmon Ridge Sno-Park, but this time we were able to make it significantly farther than we've gone before. It was so pretty! We took Shelby with us and she loved it...and pretty much hasn't moved today! 

Lunchtime along the Nooksack River

The Rest of January

January has been a pretty dreary month with a lot of rain and snow so we haven't been able to spend too much time outside. That means that there has been lots of time inside for art projects, dancing, reading books, and playing legos. 

Kyle took Annaliese to the Y to play racquetball. She loved it!

Coloring by lantern...the power went out one afternoon.

Thane made these shelves for me for Christmas...I love how it turned out!!

Lydia, Annaliese, Nora, and Haleigh...Kyle went on a hike with the girls and his friend Justin while I was hoping sleeping. 

Homemade playdough creations

Malachi and Lydia playing in the puddles at Hovander.

Lots of water across the trail!

January went by really fast; now we're already a week into February. I would say 2020 has been off to a good start. We starting using a new book called 1-2-3 Magic to get the girls to be better listeners and it has made a huge difference at home. They are so much more fun to be around! It's good to be back into the rhythm of school; we have a fun small group that meets every Monday night; church is starting a new kid's ministry that sounds super exciting; we know what the plan will be for school for next year; Kyle has been super busy with his business and is seeing an increasing number of clients. We're a month into the new year...it's exciting to see how the rest of it will unfold!