Grandmom is here visiting! Yay! We ventured over to Bellevue Botanical Gardens today. We had a nice walk, a picnic lunch and went letterboxing. We also headed to a park, PCC, swim class and the farmer's market! A little too much activity for me for one day, but we had a good time!

On a bridge - C1 just had to find the bridges!

just a pretty shot

More pretty shots. I just loved these 'blue' pinecones.

I guess you have to have them do something silly for them all to look!

We found it!! woo hoo!

C3 with her journal

Counting 30 steps to find our second box.

I took the kids blueberry picking on Wednesday, August 1st. We picked almost 2 pounds of berries. We wanted to pick berries for Uncle J's arrival.

  The kids with their berry pails.

We took our berries home and made Blueberry Crumb Bars. They were so yummy!

We went to Farrel-McWhirter Park in Redmond with some friends today. The kids had a great time. They enjoyed looking at the animals ( turkeys, goats, pigs, horses, ducks, rabbits). There were also swallows near the entrance that must of had a nest close by so the kids were chasing the birds or maybe the birds were chasing the kids! The boys had a great time doing the chase! We also went for a walk in the woods, it was so beautiful there, we discovered some salmonberries and the kids took a taste, C2 did not care for his!

It was a beautiful park that we will definately visit again.

Going into the 'lookout'

Inside the 'lookout'

C2 tasting the salmonberry

On a tire swing

The group

C1, C2, C3 and our friends A and R

We have a salmon fish hatchery close to where we live, and right now the salmon are returning to spawn. I taught the children about the lifecycle of a salmon. They got to see the salmon jumping upstream, going up the ladders, being sorted based on gender and being boxed up for the food bank. The children had a great time.

We are part of a once a month group of 3 other families and we rotate who hosts the field trip.

It was great, slimy fun!

The salmon going upstream

The kids looking at them sort based on gender.

My three kiddos

Today we went to Minea Farm, we were able to see their 100 year old cider press at work and taste the yummy cider. C2 loved it but C1 did not want to sample it! I made him try some at home! We went with a couple of friends that are homeschooling as well. 

We watched a video they had on the process of making cider. Someone had also brought in some apples and pears to press and we got to taste the cider from that.

The press in action

Mrs. Minea getting us a sample of the cider. It was sooo delicious!

Group shot of the kids

The boys having fun running after the tour.

We had a great time at the farm, I can't wait to go back!