We had a wet El Nino winter, which has made the arrival of a surprisingly WARM April a glorious, wonderful surprise. It also meant the start of Little League baseball! We didn't have this opportunity in MD, so our boys were super excited to jump in. Andrew started in in AA, Will started t-ball, and Caden opted for Spring soccer and a lacrosse clinic.
Andrew just happened to be placed on a team with two of his close buddies (and fellow church staff kids) - this has been SO fun.
Will has loved being a Blue Jay.
Batting for the first time :).
This started happening a lot more in our front yard.
Over Spring break, Dave and I got to sneak away for a few nights.
We started by driving up North to the Skagit Valley tulip festival.
Dave had never seen it, and we knew our boys wouldn't appreciate the longer drive, so this was a perfect date trip.
Dave captured some amazing pictures.
We got to pop in and see cousin Barb, and one of our favorite puppies Penny! This was so fun.
We stayed at a lovely hotel in downtown Seattle (something I'd never done before). The next morning, we found our way to Stumptown Coffee - absolutely no better way to start the day!
We had a fun day being tourists in our own city. I finally drove Dave through the University of Washington campus, and we of course had to make our way to Kerry Park.
We decided to ferry back and do dinner on the island, and happened upon this amazing Julia Child themed meal at the Bainbridge Art Museum.
That week we met up with some school buddies for an adventures night of bingo at the local American Legion hall. It was epic.
Spring break was gloriously warm - we savored a beautiful afternoon at Lytle beach.
And enjoyed running into fun friends..
Who were kind to give our boys a ride! This was awesome.
The highlight of Spring break was meeting up with cousins (and a few friends) in Seattle.
We soaked up Whirligig!
The Armory at the Seattle center was filled with inflatables...
And it coincided with the Rhythm festival, which meant our boys got in on some drumming lessons.
And then we stepped outside to play at this AMAZING park! It wasn't until I'd been sitting there for over an hour that I realized this was the former "Fun Forest" area - the amusement park of my youth, where I celebrated many end of school patrol parties/field trips in late elementary school.
A quick shaved ice break. Shorts and summer treats in April, in Seattle - we don't take this for granted.
Our boys climbing in the shadow of the Space Needle - this is such a fun park.
We ran into some of our favorite friends on the ferry ride home. I felt bad for the commuters sitting around us - we severely hijacked their peaceful ferry ride home.
I'll never get tired of taking in this view as the ferry pulls into Bainbridge.
Tulips from our yard!
On my way out the door for a fun girls night..
We did dinner at Cactus, followed by a show at Taproot Theatre -such a fun night with these ladies. And hilariously, I landed at this restaurant two nights in a row - Dave and I were there the night before on a double date with the Wiley's (sad I didn't get pics!).
While mom was away, the boys played. At the beach, of course.
Hanging at the Smiths - we love these neighbors.
April has meant clearing brush and trees. Andrew got to ride the bulldozer on the grounds of our friend soil business (where we delivered our massive piles of brush).
And we had an incredibly tall, very diseased hemlock that had to come down.
The following week I got to sneak over to the city to meet up with my mom for a birthday lunch, and some shopping! We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Dahlia lounge.
Sunday, April 17th was a special day. Dave was officially installed as a pastor at Cross Sound, and we celebrated my birthday.
Sweet Jamie and Carrie called me up and presented me with an amazing picture/drawing with the work "held", and a gorgeous Cherry tree. They were too much.
And we ended the service like this. It was all so beautiful and special.
After lunch the fun continued.
A quick stop at home for cake.
Dave drove the party van up to Bloedel reserve.
Where we enjoyed taking in the gorgeous day. This place is AMAZING.
Outside the house - we were a bit rushed, as they were closing soon!
We then went to check out some land in Poulsbo - which Chris and JA put an offer on that evening! This was huge - could the cousins really be moving just 25 minutes away?!? They've since sold their home in Snoqualmie, and will start building this Summer. We are so so excited.
We then enjoyed dinner looking out at the water in Poulsbo.
Daddy was able to come and meet up with us after his meeting - such a perfect ending to the day.
We enjoyed a lovely evening at the Hemphill's. Again, I could hardly believe we were wearing shorts over dinner in April!
An impromptu stop for frozen yogurt with friends after school is the best.
Andrew and his buddy Will did a project for the school's science fair on capturing lightening's energy. Aren't they adorable? They worked so well together!
One of the highlights of my month was a girls biking weekend up on Lopez Island.
I had never been on this particular San Juan island before, and it was gorgeous!
And it was so wonderful to have time with these amazing ladies.
We went for the 17 mile Tour de Lopez route - it was a beautiful, leisurely day.
We were hard core, and hiked our gear into these beach side camp sites.
This was the view from our tents. So worth it.
We got hit with rain on Saturday evening, which meant cozying up in the tent, instead of around the campfire.
And lastly, a few shots of Spring soccer. I completely forgot to take any pics of Caden's lacrosse clinic, but he loved every moment of it. Will enjoyed practicing on the sidelines, and Caden still sports his "good luck" wristband that his best buddy Douglas gave him in Kindergarten.
Overall, April in the Northwest has been a pleasant, beautiful, WARM surprise!! We're so grateful!
