Ben's 6th Birthday

Upon asking Ben what he'd like to do for his birthday his comments were....
....to pick a pumpkin & carve it.

When I asked him what special food he wanted to for dinner he said....
.... just a hot dog please mummy.

I think we have an American son.

Day trip around the Cascade Loop

An amazing day trip (10hrs) around the Cascade Loop. Perhaps too much in one day but it was worth it & everyone had a ball. First stop was at Alpental which by winter is a brilliant ski field about 45min from home. Stunning with summer flowers in the summer/fall. Then to Rosyln which is where Northern Exposure was filmed (more a tourist stop for us) but the town was really cute - small & very old town America which was great to see. Then to Cle Elum & down to Leavenworth. Stopped here for a big rest/play as it was the Autum Festival - lots of apples are grown in this area so we picked apples and enjoyed the atmosphere of the village.

Alpental

Ben's first day at School

What a brilliant experience. A lovely 3min stroll down the road with the boys & their back packs & the neighbourhood kids. Ben ran to his class - so so ready for today. He chatted away to the other boy waiting in line outside his class & when the teacher came, he never looked back. A few mum tears but nothing major (we both must have been ready).

He was lucky enough to get the bus home & as you can see in the photo he came bounding off the bus with so much excitement.

Crystal Mountain & Mt Rainer

Brilliant day trip from home - bit of a Sunday drive experience.

With the added extra of.. play at the rivers edge & climbing up to the winter ski field Crystal Mountain where we could catch the chair lift up to the summit. From there we had absolutely stunning views over to Mt Rainer which is next to it. Will so be back to Crystal for the ski season as only 2hrs from home.

Cape Kiwanda, Oregon

Found a gem of a place on the Oregon coast called Cape Kiwanda. A 5 1/2hr drive from Seattle but absolutely worth it. Had 4 days of stunning weather spending hours playing in the sand, climbing sand dunes & splashing in the water. The water was FREEZING however, so no actual swimming. Even the surfers wore wetsuits with head & feet cover included. Hugh loved digging holes near the water's edge & Ben loved being covered in sand & chilling out.

Baseball Game - Seattle Mariners

Finally made it to a Baseball Game & was so worth the wait. Safeco Field is amazing, you can leave your seat (to get hot dogs & beer of course!!) and where ever you are in the stadium, you can always view the field (apart from the toilet). It's absolutely massive.

We had fantastic seats, 15 rows behind the catcher & the Mariners won in the last 5 minutes of the game. Hot dog tasted FANTASTIC being washed down with beer - all part of the experience.

Camping

Backyard camping - toasted marshmallows & all!! Ben & Al lasted till 10pm & then came inside. Lucky mum & Hugh got to stay inside.











Hiking with friends - a 3hr run! Yippee

Career Day at Ben's pre-school

Ben had Career day at school & decided he's going to be an astronaut

March 08 - Sunpeaks, Canada & Easter tree at home