Cookies for Breakfast

Some days are just like that, you start off your somewhat lazy morning by deciding you want some oatmeal cookies for breakfast (which is not that different from oatmeal anyway right?). The kids help, you eat more than your fair share, and everyone is happy. 

That's how our day began, then we adventured off to the science center to take advantage of the new membership. It was a much more calm day down there. 

The kids started off their play outside with the sprayers:

 Then enjoyed inside play and a show about "the air around us". The highlight for Q was the fire tornado!

 We even ran into Trez and kids! I actually psychically knew she would be there before we even saw each other, really I swear I did.We all had fun in the butterfly house together,

 

 

 H demonstrating her own proboscis

We enjoyed our lunches with Trez and fam and then shortly after headed home.

The kids even had fun back outside at/on the statues on our way back to the van! 

 

ah, double cheese faces!

Then for dinner it was pizza and a movie night! Quin begged me to take a pic of him with the pizza, 

He added the clip to keep them warm and away from Theo.

Then, H had to copy!

Fitting that a day that began with cookies for breakfast should end with pizza for dinner. Guess tomorrow it'll be kale for breakfast kids!

Museum of Flight at Night

The kids and I went down to first Thursday at the Museum of Fight last night and had a great time. Q has been wanting to go back ever since he and Papa went early in the summer and this was a great chance to appease him since Papa was off on a rare night out. So they ran all around the place,

 

and had generally a great time in the space. They both liked getting in the cockpits of the display planes, and pushing buttons etc.

 They also had a great time in the kids flight zone playing around with the planes and the fun exhibit including the hang gliding simulator. Then we had our dinner at the cafe and still had time to explore (the museum is open late on first Thursdays). So, Q showed me where the WW1 and WW2 planes were,

 

They played another flight simulator game, and H showed she's not quite ready for flight school:

 Before we left we stopped at the theater to watch an educational movie on the life of an amazing woman named Vi Cowden. I wasn't surprised H was not so interested, but Q certainly was (later asking thoughtful questions etc.). Then with a quick stop at the store to buy an obligatory small toy plane, we were off heading to home for a convenient putting at least one kid right to sleep drive home, so Mama's job was easier. It was a fun night out for all of us! 

Apples, and Jellyfish, and Pumpkins Oh My!

We had quite an adventurous day on Saturday! First we ventured out to the Jones Creek Farm in the Skagit Valley to go apple picking and join in their cute little harvest celebration. They had cider, a little band, animals to say "hi" to, a hay ride, snacks, toy tractors, a mini haunted house, a tire swing and more! 

We met our pals Rebecca, Matt and Olea there, and ran into the Roberts clan too! Though since he's a rock star hubby who installs nasty insulation to make our home warm and cozy, Todd was not with us (sad face).

 

It was another gorgeous fall day (this fall is without a doubt making up for the summer we had here), and we soaked up the scenery around us. 

Plus we took home some tasty apples, and some not-so-tasty-until-you-bake-with-them-apples too.

 

Q helping H load up her purse (an essential for every fancy pants farmer girl)

After a full morning we headed west and since H had napped on the way too the farm in the morn (as did Q for a bit) I knew we could adventure on. 

So we headed to Camano Island. We went all the way down to the Camano Island State Park and hit the beach! There the kids were quickly at home and happy to climb on the logs, 

 

and squish Mama's face,

 make sand birthday cakes (and as requested by H, sing endless renditions of "Happy Birthday" to all we know), then make a jellyfish birthday cake and sing happy birthday to it,

 (don't worry we avoided it's underside)

and there was play in a beach fort,

time to pretend to be paleontologists excavating,

 and more log sitting.

 It was lovely down there at the beach, and I did a loop around the campsites there to pick out my favorite for next year!

Then, cause we didn't pick out pumpkins at the apple farm, I stopped at the pumpkin patch we'd passed on the way to the island, and as the sun set we gathered up some for our growing collection.

 

 

The icing on the cake for kids was a trip to Burger King where I let them play on the slide after dinner (a first for H I think!). Of course the icing on the cake for me was when they both fell asleep on the way home. It was an incredible day and I'm so thankful my kiddos love adventuring as much as I do!

Fire Station Fun

The Vashon Fire Station was where it was at this year for Ciderfest weekend. With the rain really coming down, this was the perfect place to snack, check out the toy fire tuck and the real thing,

 

and watch the Airlift Northwest helicopter take off and land (so thrilling and windy!), 

 

and even get to check it out inside, 

 

 

meet Sparky,

 

hang out with Q's good bud Jamie and his fun Mama and Papa too, 

 

and load up on free stickers, tattoos, and other such memorabilia and treats. Thanks Vashon Fire Department!

Ciderfest '10

Though it was a rainy, rainy day here in the great PNW, we had a fun time up at Ciderfest on Vashon! The kids got their faces painted, 

 got balloon toys, 

 

munched on snacks, saw some pretty chickens, did a little sing-a-long, 

 

enjoyed the fire station open house to it's fullest, 

 

jumped in puddles,

 

and played with our pal Jamie.

Perhaps next year it will again be a good year for actually helping press cider again with our friends, for now we'll enjoy the store bought variety and the memories of some splashy fun!