Thanksgiving in Lake Chelan

This year felt different come the holidays so we didn't feel like doing the usual hosting of Thanksgiving at our house. Or maybe we just needed a break from the hosting. Whatever it was we decided to spend Thanksgiving in Chelan with my parents (we were there Nov. 21-24). Since our week in Chelan happened to be right after Thanksgiving we didn't want to do that, so we banked our week and my parents used their banked weeks from their Tahoe timeshare to get a week at Wapato for all of us. It was an amazing 3 bedroom unit that was the perfect size for hosting!!

Jason had a last minute thing at work that made it so he couldn't come up with us like planned. So I did my first solo drive to Chelan (3 hours away) with just me and the girls (my parents were already up there waiting for us). 

Then last minute Jason's parents ended up having a change of plans for their Thanksgiving and decided to join us along with his aunt Faith over in Chelan. So they brought Jason up the following day and they were there for 2 nights and stayed in a little hotel right near our timeshare resort. It was so fun to have everyone together away from home!!

The weather ended up being perfect where we were. Partly cloudy and barely any rain, unlike all the rain they got back home. We bundled up and walked the beach, which was pretty low, we utilized the indoor swimming pool, and we took advantage of some of the city activities like storytime at the library in Chelan and bowling.

We are so fortunate to have Chelan as our little semi-local family getaway and we always love to share it with family when we can.

Me and the girls waiting for daddy to arrive

Hailey brought her preschool project as a table decoration

Checking out family storytime at the Chelan library

(we were one of two families there...haha)

The girls got to write a leaf for the tree with what they were thankful for

(Cammy's says she is "thankful for my bed")

Our 3 little bowlers

Brielle lasted all of about 1.5 frames before she was done

Bowling family!

Breakfast in Grams and Gramps' room

Watching daddy and Grandpa prep the turkey

Beach walk while the turkey cooks

Look at the low water level!!

Cammy "walking on water"

Games with the bigs while Brielle naps

Our family on Thanksgiving

The boys ready to carve the turkey

Our dinner table

Little triplets with their floral tops with pockets

Such a beautiful day to leave on

See you later Chelan! We'll be back again in August!!

Mill Creek Elementary Skate Night

Twice a year Cammy's school does a family skate night where the school rents out the skating rink for all Mill Creek Elementary families and friends. Last year I went on my own with the two big girls while Jason stayed back with Brielle. It was a bit challenging but we still had fun. 

This year, Nov. 14th, we all decided to go...including my parents! At first we just walked out there with the girls while they skated, but then at the last minute I decided to put on some skates and skate with the girls (I think I felt some peer pressure from some of my parents friends that were out there skating). It was a really fun family night. Maybe next year Brielle will get to get out there with some skates and join us rather than just watch.

Ready for skate night!!!

Showing her cougar pride!

Skates on and wearing my spirit wear!!

Hailey continues to improve on skates 

Jason had the bright idea to ride Brielle around like this...

then I got busted!

2017 Family Pictures

Another year and another great family picture to hang on the wall in our house! Despite a freezing cold morning on Nov. 4th, we still managed to get some good smiles out of all the girls at one of our favorite parks, North Creek Park in Bothell. Our favorite family photographer, Kristin Harris, never seems to disappoint and we always look forward to what amazingness she will have to show us! Here are just a few of our favorites...

Cambrynn- 6 years old

Hailey- 4 years old

Brielle- 2 years old

First Snows of the Season!

This was the first year since living in Washington that I can remember that we got the first snow of the season in the beginning of November (Nov. 3rd and again on the 5th). The last time I remember it snowing remotely early was at Thanksgiving one of our first years here and it was a big one! So this early snow was exciting, although it never really accumulated to much to play in. But snow is snow here and everyone gets excited about any amount!!

The first snow on Nov. 3rd wasn't much

A little more snow on Nov. 5th

Excited that daddy got to be home for a snow day

Swinging in the snow

Keela was sure excited about some snow!!

Here's hoping more snow comes our way this winter!

All Things Halloween!

The days leading up to Halloween sure kept us busy and in costume! The girls grew tired of their costumes and wanted to do a little switch-a-roo throughout all of the festivities, which is how I knew we had done enough.

The first Halloween event was Cammy's Fall Family Costume Dance at her school on Oct. 26th. We all dressed up and enjoyed some pizza, cookies, and dancing. Although I am not sure I can call what Cammy did dancing. She more spent her time running around the gym with her girlfriends searching for more friends. She had a blast so I guess that's all that mattered. Jason and I held down the dancefloor with Hailey and Brielle.

A 50s housewife, Princess Belle, an own and SuperGirl ready to party!

Family photo, with Clark Kent in it this time

Cammy with her friends Nicole, Amaya and Gaby

Cammy with Nicole and Vaaruni

Cammy with her teacher Ms. Abendroth

The following day, Oct. 27th, the girls dressed up again (us parents left our costumes at home this time) and we went to the big carnival event at Hailey's preschool/church. We didn't get to stay quite as long as I had hoped because of soccer right before it, but the girls had fun playing some of the games, jumping on the bounce houses and watching some of the neat performances, like the fire dancers. It was a very well done event this year and didn't seem nearly as crowded as previous years (when we swore we would never come back again, yet here we were).

Switch-a-roo with costumes

(Elsa, Minnie Mouse and a bride)

The girls with their little buddy Zach

Hailey playing a penny toss game

The dads, Brady and Jason, and their littles

Cammy doing the toilet paper roll toss

Watching the fire dancer

We used the weekend to carve our pumpkins. I thought that carving them during the Seahawk game would be a brilliant idea, but it turned out that men can't really multitask when it comes to football watching (I should have known better!). So in the end my mom helped Cammy carve hers and I did my own. The two littles decided to paint their pumpkins and Grams and Cammy added in some painted pumpkins too. It wasn't our usual family carving event this year where we have 5 carved pumpkins, but I decided I was ok with that considering we wouldn't even be home to give out candy and light them up too long.

Being brave and taking out the "guts"

Grams helping Cammy do the carving part

Hailey and her painted pumpkin

Cammy's finished product

Brielle working on her painted pumpkin

Carving my pumpkin with a little help

On the Monday before Halloween, Oct. 30th, we came home right after school and got the kids changed into their costumes. We went to the high school just down the street for their fun little community carnival event that we have gone to previous years. The girls loved playing the games and earning candy. Jason and I made a poor parenting choice (we're allowed those every now and again, right?!) at the end of the carnival where we thought it would be a fine idea to take all 3 kids through the "haunted hallway." We even opted for the "less scary" option where they turned the lights on a little more. Well boy was that a mistake...I was even scared (I HATE haunted houses more than anything...so what was I thinking?!) and we walked the girls through there as fast as we could reminding them that it was not real, not scary and everything was ok. We came out of it with Brielle unphased (thank goodness for one), Hailey crying hysterically and Cammy pretty freaked out. It's all about the adventure in life...right?!

The girls ready for another round of costumes, candy and fun

Brielle fishing for candy with daddy

Cookie decorating

Photo booth with the two that wanted to cooperate

Finally we reached actual Halloween!! It felt like quite the lead up this year! The girls tried to wear different costumes again, but I told them they HAD TO wear the ones they picked for Halloween this year. It's the rules! We decided that this year we would avoid driving anywhere like we usually do and just try trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. This was the first dry Halloween that I can actually remember (the news claimed since 2006) so we took full advantage of walking this year. It was cold so Hailey petered out pretty quick. Cammy seemed super into it and Brielle was along for whatever, but was definitely cold. We were happy to have my mom (aka: Grams) join us, while my dad held down the fort watching the World Series. The girls definitely brought home plenty of candy and a few full sized candy bars, so I think they were totally content.

The girls ready to hit the street with Grams (aka: the baker)

The family all dressed up

Clark Kent and SuperGirl

Grams pushing the cold littles

Our 2 lit up pumpkins

Time to candy sort...and eat!

CANDY!

A fun night for these little skeletons

Happy Halloween 2017!