January

I have wanted to be outside more recently, so I started taking my kids on little adventures whenever we didn't have other obligations. My birthday was early in the month, and I wanted to go to the beach. The beach in our part of the world in January requires boots, heavy coats, and gloves. It was a beautiful day. We went to Point No Point first and walked around a bit, but I decided I needed more, so then we went to Foulweather Bluff.

I always hope to see orcas when I'm near the water. This day we saw seals, birds, and I found a piece of seaglass in the shape of a heart. 

A few days later, I took the kids to Fort Flagler. Sean had been there years before on a scout trip, but it was Matthew and my first time. There were several ammunition storage places we could wander through and some other gun placements. I think that's what they're called. 

There were some paths to the beach, so we went to check stuff out. 

We took one more side trip to a smaller state park and just walked down the dock for a minute.

The boys and I flew to Las Vegas to visit my brother and his family. We had a nice few days in the desert. A change of scenery is a good idea in the winter. 

We found a giant pineapple.

I wanted to see the Hoover Dam this trip since I hadn't been there before. It's pretty impressive. We first stopped at the new highway so we could see the dam in all it's glory. The highway is so, so high up. Yikes! It was very cool to see everything though and walk around.

From the dam, looking at the new road.

After the dam, we went for a hike closeby. It was really beautiful. We did not do the full trail because we started later in the day. There are 6 sections of the trail where we need to use ropes to get down the rocks. We only made it to the 2nd ropes part and turned back. The kids were tired! It was a great day!

Our last day in Vegas, we went to Container Park in the older part of town. It was really fun to run around and show the kids an area they hadn't been before.

We did some more outdoor adventuring when we got home. This time we went to Scenic Beach in Seabeck. I've been trying to provide places where the kids can climb and take some calculated risks to increase their skills and develop some more confidence in themselves. This place was great for that kind of thing!

And there were lots of interesting textures and patterns for me to admire.

A moment of brotherly bonding while quietly observing a squirrel. 

I took the kids to the Museum of Flight in Seattle. It's quite the museum! I think the kids liked going inside the planes the best. It was a fun day!

That was our January. I hope yours was a pleasant one also. 

December happened

Matthew turned 10!! He is a delightful person and I'm glad he's mine. We celebrated him with the traditional pancakes. We went to a very cold park. He wanted a donut for his "cake." His Poppa brought him his favorite lemon meringue pie ice cream. We went roller skating with a couple of friends. It was a great few days of fun. 

On one of my trips to Joann's Fabrics, I saw some really cute fabric and I took the kids to choose their favorite. I made Matthew a pillow case out of some Minecraft fabric. I made pajamas for Sean from some Star Wars Christmasy fabric.

The boys and I headed to Oregon to spend a few days with Adam and my grandpa so my mom could visit Amy. Adam's dog, Lobo, was so patient with Matthew. 

The boys decorated gingerbread houses. It was stressful. There were some sad moments when things weren't going according to plan. But they persevered and eventually everything was consumed and I told the kids that next year we can decorate cookies!

Sean had his Winter Orchestra performance. He did a great job. 

I took the boys and their cousin, Sophia, to a car museum in Tacoma. It was really cool and the kids had fun in the basement doing a racetrack simulator. 

The boys and I took Jon's ashes to Silverdale Waterfront and put them in the water from the dock. I had been thinking about it for a few months, and it felt like the right thing to do.

It look a long time for them to sink. It was interesting watching for a bit. 

There were seagulls flying above us when we released Jon's ashes. I don't know if they were hoping for snacks or what, but we were also making sure to not get pooped on!

The boys and I went on a nature walk and gathered supplies for our Solstice candles. Dinner was delicious. Matt was in town and Greta came for the weekend too. We played games and did some crafts and hung out in our pajamas. It was all so lovely.

Christmas afternoon, we went to see Amy's family. I had made cinnamon rolls because Jose loves them. We played games and ate and had a nice time. 

Hardcore Minecraft going on!

We hung out with their family for a few days before heading home for New Years Eve. It was another low-key day. We drank some sparkling cider and watched a show. I let the boys play video games while I fell asleep early. I woke up at midnight and we listened to fireworks for a bit and then shut down the house for the night. 

Here's to a beautiful 2019!