Bainbridge Winter

We were worried about re-entry.  And it was rough, but not for the reasons we expected.  The boys were surprisingly happy to be home (we were worried coming back from MD would be hard for them).  Dave immediately left for Presbytery, where he was examined for ordination.  It was a roller coaster of a process, but by the end of the weekend, he was approved.  And all of the exams were finally over.  Grandma was going to stay with us for a few days while Dave was away to give this tired mama some reprieve (after flying solo with the boys, and being snowed in for several days) and allow me to go to the women's retreat, but she came down with a nasty flu bug.  So I was given the opportunity to trust the Lord in new ways to be my rest.

After arriving home late Friday evening, Dave hopped on the ferry with the boys on Saturday and headed over to Seattle...

to meet up with Uncle Josh for Mariners Day at Safeco field!

They got to run bases, play catch on the field, and of course sit in the dugout. 

They had a blast.

And I enjoyed a wonderful day with the Cross Sound ladies at our women's retreat.

Saturday night Dave and I got a much needed date night to see Zach Fluery in concert at a fun venue here on the island.  Dave had discovered his music before we moved here, so its been fun to get to know him, and find out how many friends we have in common.

Andrew enjoyed another season of basketball.

Going up for a shot!

Caden got a guitar tuner for Christmas - our friend Andy was kind enough to show him some chords.

Andrew played recorder in his 4th grade concert.

They did an amazing job!  All of the music for the evening was island themed.

I continued to love morning runs..

Nothing beats the salt water air, sounds of seals and bald eagles, and gorgeous views

We celebrated our neighbor Roger's first birthday - we love him.

And his parents.

Super Bowl Sunday - we were treated to an afternoon at the Koenig's in Port Ludlow.  Their view was amazing.  And Will loved hangin with his new buddy Matt.

We also loved their dog.  And their super comfy leather chairs. 

My mom's flu bug decided it wanted to hang out for a long time.  I loved that I could hop on the ferry, head over and make them dinner, and check on her.  And there's nothing like the snow capped Olympic mountains on a clear day in February (Bainbridge in the foreground).

 That afternoon Dave got to bring the boys to a friends farm to meet some brand new baby lambs!!

I mean, come on.  How cute is that!?!

Dave got to hang with the pigs too.

I was sad to miss this.  But glad my boys got to soak it in.

And then came bingo night at Blakely.  

Despite not winning anything, our boys had a blast.

Valentine Day!  Andrew woke up with a fever (hence no church clothes).

We celebrated that night at Karl and Kathryn's wedding.  It was sweet and beautiful.

These boys had fun running around.

We enjoyed sitting with the Halperts!

After dinner we returned to the hall for a dance party.

The boys GOT DOWN.

My sweet, dear friend Krista.

And then came Mid Winter break!  We snuck over the Grandpa and Grandma's for a few days.

Grandpa telling Caden a bed time story.

By the fire.  I love that we're getting more moments like these with them!

8 boys by a waterfall!  It wasn't actually raining...

this beautiful waterfall is just really powerful.  Especially during an El Nino winter.

We met up with the cousins and my dear friend Amy and her two boys.

We walked down to the bottom...

these boys created many adventures along the way.

That water was moving fast - even posing for this picture made my stomach turn a bit.

Our oldests, taking in the view from the bottom.

 Andrew took this picture of the ladies.

And then pretended to be taking our picture while capturing way too many selfies like this. 

Walking back up hill was much harder.

We stopped at a local park on our way out to check out this awesome mountain biking trail.

The next day we walked over to the lake to feed the ducks.  The boys decided to hug their favorite tree.

Later that week Grandpa and Grandma came over to watch one of Andrew's basketball games (which was sadly canceled at the last minute) - but we didn't let that stop us from popping into Sluy's bakery.

The following weekend Andrew had his last basketball game...

followed by lunch at Westside pizza.

While I enjoyed an incredibly fun day with my family at my cousins bridal shower in Bellevue.  I hadn't been back to Kirkland (my hometown) since we had moved back, so my mom and I had fun driving over and grabbing coffee at my favorite coffee shop, followed by shopping and dinner at Bell Square, our old shopping stomping grounds.  And it was SO MUCH FUN to see my cousins.