Fourth of July Weekend

Considering that most of the local Fourth of July celebrations were canceled due to Covid and that I am not a huge fan of fireworks at home, our weekend was pretty low key but super enjoyable! We spent Friday morning moving the last of our stuff from our house in Ferndale and cleaning it so that it is ready for closing on Tuesday and then spent the rest of the day at home. Kyle and I went for a run around Lake Padden and Annaliese came along and rode her bike. It was a bit drizzly and muddy but she did great!

I started Saturday off with a run/hike up the Pine and Cedar Lakes trail with Kelsey. She's training for the Wonderland run in August (a crazy 90+mile run around Mt. Rainier) so she's doing crazy long hill workouts to prepare...once I was done running, she repeated the trail three more times!

Once I came home, we packed sandwiches and headed to Anacortes and biked the Tommy Thompson trail. It's a flat mostly paved trail about 6.5 miles round trip. Everyone had fun and we stopped for ice cream on the way home to end the day.

When you decide to stop for ice cream and have to scrounge around the car for enough masks for everyone...looks like we need to work on the proper way to wear a mask!

Sunday was an even nicer day, so after we finished watching church, we made sandwiches (again) and headed up towards Mt. Baker. We always pass the trailhead for Excelsior Pass on our way to the sno-park in the winter and talk about hiking it but never have, so we decided to try it. At mile 1.5 was a campsite which made for a perfect spot to have lunch; plus it had a gorgeous view of a waterfall! Hiking is one of those things where we have to make sure and get back to the car while everyone is still having a good time!! Next time, we'll get an earlier start and pack more food because it sounds like there is an amazing view of Mt. Baker from the top!

There were some huge trees that had fallen down!

Kyle and Haleigh looking at the river.

Point Whitehorn

Last Friday, Kim and I decided to take the kids to Point Whitehorn, and since Dad is newly retired, he was able to come along! It's about a 3/4 mile walk on a flat, dirt trail and then you walk down some stairs to get to the beach. They kept busy counting slugs and looking out for cool plants. Once we got to the beach, the tide was out so we were able to look for sea creatures and play in the sand. It's one of the few beaches around here that actually has sand and isn't just rocks! There was a pretty cool driftwood 'hut' that someone had started building, so naturally, the kids decided to continue working on that as well. 

The beginning of summer vacation.

Summertime. The end of the school year, the end of distance learning and the end of slightly ridiculous amounts of screen time for all involved. I'd say our first few weeks of summer have gotten off to a pretty good start. There has been a lot of cousin time, strawberry picking, walks in the neighborhood, and even some beach time! The girls are learning how to do things like mow the grass (with a non-motorized push mower,) feed the birds, and water the garden with Grandpa. And Grandma has been teaching them how to paint some pretty incredible rocks!

Picking strawberries at Barbies Berries. We picked over 50 lbs and Grandma made 7 batches of freezer jam!

Picnic in the backyard!

Annaliese had her well-check at the doctor's office so we turned it into a little date. After her appointment, we attempted to go shopping for some new clothes but didn't find any good deals. So instead, we grabbed some lunch, a Dairy Queen Blizzard, and did some online shopping!

Annaliese's first time venturing out and wearing a mask.

Since Kyle had some time off this week (because he and Annaliese were supposed to be in Mexico,) we planned a family adventure. We loaded up bikes (thanks to Grandpa, Uncle Ben and Auntie Kelsey for lending us all the necessary equipment) and drove to Padilla Bay. There is a flat gravel path that is just over 4 miles round trip. It took a little bit of coaxing to get Haleigh started, but then there was no stopping her! She was much more relaxed during the second half of the ride and wouldn't stop talking the whole way back. We then went to a little hamburger place that was basically just a hamburger stand on the side of the road...it was pretty busy so we took our food to a nearby park and then ended our day with Blizzards. 

The End of another School Year

Obviously, the last few months of school were not like anyone expected them to be, but eventually, we settled into a bit of a routine where Annaliese eagerly started her homework every morning and Haleigh diligently powered through her assignments. Despite the challenges, the girls actually did a really good job and completed everything that was assigned to them. On the last day, we did a little drive-by at school to say goodbye to teachers for the summer and pick up whatever things were still at school. 

Haleigh wrapped up Kindergarten with Senorita Rawls. Doing school at home was definitely a bit of a struggle, especially trying to do things like math and reading. It's hard to teach math in Spanish! Thankfully, we were able to incorporate some Khan Academy Kids, Annaliese was able to help translate, and we found a few ways to make things fun! 

Annaliese finished second grade with Senora Wolters. She loves school and did an incredible job! She did most of her work on her own and even with distance learning still had weekly spelling tests and learned how to do multiplication! She frequently had videos to watch that Haleigh and Lydia were able to enjoy as well. However, it's not nearly as fun without friends and we are all hoping to have a more 'normal' school year in the fall. 

We were planning on wrapping up our time here at Evergreen with a big fiesta followed by Kyle and Annaliese joining a few classmates on a mission trip to Mexico. Instead, we have a week off to do things around home and are eagerly looking forward to what school will look like next year at Lynden Christian!