Klahhane Ridge

Beatrix and Leon bought their own hiking backbacks this summer and they are getting a ton of use out of them. 

One this day we decided to get up early and do my favorite hike over in the Olympics, Klahhane Ridge. It was about 8 miles and I was determined that the kids would have a good time. We charged the walkies, got plenty of snacks, promised ice cream if they don't complain, and even planned games to do along the way.

The only game we ended up playing was an animal scavenger hunt. I came up with likely and not so likely animals we would see and assigned them point values. The first person to spot the animal gets the points.

Calista ended up winning, she saw chipmunks, deer, animal tracks, and a marmmot.

Bob even saw an eagle, but he didn't get enough points to win. We also spotted sooty grouse and several hairs but I didn't expect those and didn't give them any point value. 

On the way up Penelope, Leon, and Calista went ahead while Scarlett, Beatrix, Bob and I stayed together about ten minutes behind them.

The view at the top was amazing.

I love this hike because it is just the right level of hard for our family right now. Everyone had to work hard and was exhausted at the end but it wasn't too difficult for anyone. I also love the animals and the great view at the top.

Mini Hikes

The kids and I need to get out of the house everyday so at least once a week we go on a small local hike. 

The kids bring their walkie talkies and have an endless conversation even though we are all usually within hearing distance anyway.

When we came to the tunnel Calista kept complaining about how I didn't let her go through it last time. There is running water through the bottom and I honestly don't remember not letting her do it last time. This time I let everyone go through and it did not go well for Beatrix. She really struggled and fell in the water a couple of times. Afterwards I could see why I said no to Calista last time.

Summer Fun

So far this summer has been different than ones in the past. Not only is Tucker gone but Penelope and Scarlett are attending full day cosmetology school. I'm not used to hanging out with just the three youngest kids but we are making the best of it. 

We have a lot of foxglove in our yard but the white is less common, most of ours are purple.

Beatrix and I at the beach.

The deer observing our neighbors Keep Out sign. I thought it was pointed at us but maybe it is for the deer.

Penelope and I did manage to snag a few of the new Trader Joes bags before school got out. She got to the store an hour before opening and there were alreay about 40 people ahead of her.

Calista and Beatrix were taking picture with my phone while I was speaking to the employees about getting new tires for the van.

We had fun at a friends house for the 4th!

We have also had lots of library days, small hikes, and trips to the movies. I'll be sure to take pictures of those next time!

Spruce Railroad Trail to Devils Punchbowl

Our first hike this summer was Spruce Railroad Trail to Devils Punchbowl over on Lake Crescent.  I felt so prepared by buying a pass online, but it was not needed for this hike.

We went right after the last day of school and while some of the kids were happy to go some weren't. 

I'll admit it was hot outside and this hike was not really in the shade. I think this is probably more a bike trail than hike but we made the best of it.

The actual Devils punchbowl area was crowded with people jumping off a rock into the water. It was a little too crowded for us so we found our own area to swim.

The water was absolutely freezing but Calista was determined to go all the way in. I think we all ended up in the water in the end except for Scarlett. 

Scarlett's 15 Photos

Spring Sports/Brithdays

One day over memorial weekend the kids and I went and visited Talitha. We were able to get haircuts and also see this amazing field of bigleaf lupine. 

There were a ton of bees and it was neat to see how they carry the pollen as they fly from flower to flower.

Leon has been working hard learning to play baseball. It is his first year since t-ball and he is the youngest player on a 13-15 team. There is a huge size gap between Leon and some of the boys. A few even play on the high school team. He has friends on the team and has been enjoying it for the most part. He likes handing out with his friends but says the games are stressful. He has been walked on base several times and even made it home. Twice he has gotten bases by being hit while up to bat (no wonder it is stressful). During this last game he got his first hit that got him on base. It was very exciting and he was able to steal and get home. Of course this was the one game of the season I had to miss. Luckily a friend took a video and text it to me!

Leon preformed in the marching band for our armed forces day parade.

Calista turned 9! She had some friends over for a painting party.

Scarlett turned 15! She had friends over to watch "The Parent Trap," and then they went to the church dance together. 

Scarlett killed it at her school play. They preformed "Puffs," all seven years of Hogwarts from the Hufflepuffs point of view. Scarlett played Leanna and Ginny. She did amazing and the play was hilarious.

She had tons of lines, an amazing monolog, and even a grand finale scene.

Beatrix had her reading debut! Her first grade class dressed up and met in the library where they each read a book into the microphone. The kids practiced for weeks. Families got to come and watch. Afterwards they got flowers and had snacks. It was the cutest thing and Beatrix's book was pretty funny.

I didn't get any Mother's day photos but we did have a spa night for activity days. Thanks girls!

This next picture is from my favorite local trail.

Penelope had her lacrosse awards ceremony where she got the Most Improved Player award. She did awesome this year and even I could see an improvement. Last year there were games where she barely ever had the ball and she only scored once the entire season. This year she had it all the time an scored often. I think she was trying to prove a point because we bought her a $200 stick and $60 goggles this year and she promised it would help her play better.

Lastly, we went and saw a whale in Bremerton. It was hanging out by the ferry terminal. I've never seen one locally before. It was super exciting and pretty close. The video doesn't do it justice.