Kennewick

When we left Seattle, we headed to Kennewick (which is a desert, we had no idea). Damon was getting the Priesthood, so we went to stay at Aaron and Annette's for a few nights.

 They have a great house, with an amazing wrap around porch. We had so much fun just hanging out around the house.

 We went geocaching. None of us had ever been, but it was a lot of fun. Uncle Lucky and Aunt Laurie were able to come and the kids took turns going for rides in their convertible.

 We always pick out slug bugs and convertibles, so Cole was excited to be riding in one!

 Uncle Aaron took the kids on motorcycle rides.

We played games, went to the splash pad, and enjoyed every minute!

 Sean was able to come up and bring Brynli, Anika, and Celtin. The kids had a big sleepover, with only a couple meltdowns.

 Then Sunday, Brett, Hunter, and Griffen came. It was so wonderful to have so many of us together! Lots of fun and laughs :) 

Cole thought Hunter was the greatest thing ever.

The cousins with Grammy and Grampa

 (Hunter, Grammy, Damon, Tavis, Grampa, Hunter, Celtin, Brynli, Makayla, Brooklyn, Anika, Hayden, Ivy, Cole)

We had lunch after church and headed home. Our fun on the drive home was Brooklyn having a major blow out. She was covered head to toe with poop. It was all over her and her carseat. We pulled off on some little dirt road to clean everything up. Good times!

Seattle

We got to go to Seattle the first week of June, and it was wonderful. I haven't been up there since my Grandma's funeral 9 years ago. Way too long!

Hayden, Cole, Paige, Baby Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Gage, Parker

 We stayed with Aunt Christy for a few nights. after church on Sunday, we had a bbq with Nicole and Angela's families. It was fun to get the "1st cousins once removed" (or something like that) together!

The Brooklyns

Big girl Brooklyn was so excited to see baby Brooklyn. She asked Angela if they could come back to play with Brooklyn without Paige, because she was hogging her!

 The next day started with a little hike to a waterfall, 

 Then on to Mukilteo for lunch and time to play.

 We ended the day with a ferry ride out to Whidbey Island. We were so lucky to have such beautiful weather the whole time we were in Seattle. No rain!

 We started the next day by meeting Nicole and Justin and their boys at the aquarium. The kids got to touch star fish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. We saw a star fish and a octopus eat (did you know they change color), and we saw a seal show. We only lost Cole once (sheesh, poor boy will be traumatized by the time we're done with him).

 Then we had lunch at the Crab Pot and headed to Pike's Place.

 By this point, the kids were exhausted and not very cooperative. We were pretty much just running through the market trying to get done. At the gum wall, Cole refused to stand up. He kept knocking me over and I lost my balance. My knee went right into a pile of gum! Lovely. Not my greatest experience at Pike Place.

 We then headed to Uncle Lucky's house for a couple nights. We started the next day at a Mariner's game. We are working on Ryan's goal of going to every MLB field. The kids got their first game paperwork and some baseball cards. Brooklyn loved the game! I was really worried about taking her, but she laughed and clapped and charmed everyone sitting around us. We had people asking to hold her because she is so cute!

 Hayden and Cole did a great job, too. They watched for a long time and then I took them to the playground for a while. The game went super long. We left after the 10th inning and it ended up going 16 innings!

 After the game we headed back to Uncle Lucky's and had dinner with Stephanie, Kelsey, Jamie and her girls.

I seriously love family time! We had so much fun in Seattle and can't wait to go back, hopefully soon!

Carnival

The carnival came to town at the end of May. They had a great deal opening night. All rides were $1, they're usually $3-$4, so we had to go have some fun.

 Hayden is our dare devil, but she was a little nervous at the beginning of the Ferris Wheel. Half way through, she was telling Ryan he didn't need to come because she could ride it by herself!

The kids enjoyed the rides, we shared a funnel cake, and then walked home! What a fun night :)

Preschool Olympics

 Cole had one day of preschool left after his graduation and they had Olympics. They did sack races, an obstacle course, bubbles, and other fun games! Grammy and I were able to help out with the fun!

 Brooklyn was having fun getting into everything.

 Cole and his buddy Mac. Each of the kids got a medal, which they loved.

We ended the fun with Popsicles!

Kindergarten Graduation!!

 Hayden graduated from Kindergarten at the end of May. I can't believe how big she is getting.

 All of the Kindergartners put on a program. Grammy and Grandma Woodland were able to come. The kids sang songs and told jokes. Hayden did a great job telling the joke for her class and I was so proud of her for being brave enough to do it! Her joke was "Why did the elephant take a ladder to school? Because he wanted to go to High School!" Hilarious, right? ;)

After the program, Hayden's class had a graduation ceremony. Mrs. Peterson told what each of the kids said they want to be when they grow up. Hayden wants to be a professional singer! 

Hayden has loved Kindergarten so much and learned a lot. Half way through the year she was at a 1st grade reading level and she loves math! 

Hayden was very emotional. I think she was sad to say goodbye to Mrs. Peterson and all of the friends from her class. Because she was being so emotional, she refused to have her picture taken with Mrs. Peterson or any of her friends after the graduation. I tried and she screamed and cried and would not do it. Later that day, Hayden said "Mom, you should have made me!! Now I don't have a picture with Mrs. Peterson!!" Silly girl. There were still 3 days of school left after the graduation. Weird, I know. So we were able to get her picture with her teacher another day. 

It was so fun for me to volunteer in her class during centers every Tuesday morning and I got to help at field day (it was wet and freezing). Now she's ready for 1st grade and a new school. She got accepted into a Chinese Immersion program at another school, and she is so excited!!

Hayden picked Kneaders for her graduation lunch. Then Grammy, Hayden and I went to get a mani/pedi at the Spa (aka a beauty school). Hayden loved it. Afterward she kept telling people she got her nails done at the spa! She got to have a sleepover at Grammy and Grampa's that night. She definitely is one loved little girl. We love her and are so proud of the good girl she is!