A Happy Easter

Happy Easter from the Higgins girls! (And from the mom and dad hiding behind the camera.) We hope you have a wonderful, maybe even sunny day. :)

 

Happy Birthday, Baby!

She's nine years removed from being my "baby", but she will always hold THAT spot in my heart. 

I have a 9-year-old. :-)

Happy Birthday, Ailey. Its been a fun birthday spring break this week. 

Happy Halloween...Woof!

The great pumpkin hunt started a couple of weeks ago at the pumpkin patch. We were looking for Ailey's pumpkin. It was cold and a bit foggy, but it wasn't raining, and the girls took their time looking all through the patch for the perfect pumpkin.

 

What does the perfect pumpkin look like, anyway?! Honestly, all the pumpkins looked so good and were so big, but Ailey must have had something in mind as she led her sisters to the end and back. It's so pretty out there in Snohomish, I wasn't complaining.



 

We avoided the big corn maze, but this was the first year that Ailey expressed interest. We may have to brave it next year....

Ailey with her chosen pumpkin.

I got to go with Silje and Marin on their field trip to the same pumpkin patch the next week.

A REALLY foggy day, but we got to ride on the hay wagon, do the hay maze, see the animals, and watch the pig races. After five straight years of field trips to this patch -- through preschool and Kindergarten -- this may be our last. Onto bigger pumpkins next year!

Our next October event was trunk-or-treating at church. This has become a really popular event with lots of activities -- and lots of people -- and it's fun to go see all our church and preschool friends there. The girls got to wear their costumes for the first time: Marin the Husky football player with her personal cheerleaders!

We trunk-or-treated with cousins Sam and Luke -- er, Elephant and Batman.

Andy and I went purple for the night too!

Pumpkin carving! Ailey picked the cat -- so cute! But after that and the W and paw print, I was grateful for Silje's simple S branding on hers. I think my arms got a serious workout!

Halloween was complete after dinner and trick-or-treating with Parker and Levi -- or Zombie Parker and Toothless Dragon.

 

I hope you've all had a fun-filled Halloween month! I, personally, am looking forward to a quieter November. :-)

Lighthouse Festival

A couple weeks ago was the Lighthouse Festival here in town. I love the annual reminder of how much I love where we live. Nothing like a family festival along the beach right down the road from where you live!

 

Every year since Ailey and Parker were just a few months old, we have done the parade in the morning and the fireworks at night. We've also gone to the pancake breakfast and the salmon feed, and since the kids activities have been sporadic over the years our participation there has been sporadic too. But this year we seemed to hit it all.

 

We started Saturday at the parade with friends and cousins and lots of familiar faces. (Silje, Ailey, Luke, Marin, Levi, Parker)

Then the girls and I headed down to the beach for the fun - they got their faces painted at the Girl Scout booth...

All three were butterflies! (Is that an awesome background for a festival, or what?!)

This year, in addition to the bouncy houses, there was also this ride, The Wrecking Ball. Now, let me tell you, when you hear your kid yelling from a crazy ride "My tummy hurts!" your mind goes in two different directions. 1) Oh, my poor kid! And 2) Oh, those poor other riders! Needless to say, Silje didn't ride this one again. But Ailey and Marin did a few more times. :)

The girls each got to choose a treat...

Silje enjoyed shaved ice.

Marin and Ailey had "Fairy Floss" (cotton candy).

And all three created some lovely crafts to take home - crowns and homemade rain sticks.

The night before, Andy and I went down to the beer garden and live music with Sarah and Winston. That was a first for us. (Thanks, Tony and Sue, for watching all the kids!) And on Sunday I hit the artist's booths with a friend. Another first since moving here nine years ago. As the girls get older it definitely gets easier to enjoy these things.



Piano Lessons

Ailey started piano lessons last week. She has been asking to do it (a good sign!) and has been so darn excited ever since I scheduled them. One of the main reasons it's going over so well is probably because she is taking the lessons from our friend, Debbie. Debbie's son, Corban, was in Ailey's preschool class for two years, and her daughter Caeley was in Marin and Silje's preschool class for two years. They are very good friends and that has taken away the anxiety of a new setting and teacher to get to know.

 

Ailey is supposed to practice once a day, but so far it's been about three or four times a day, and only because I've had to say no a few times! You know, like when she's supposed to be getting ready for school, or during dinner, or when it's time to go to bed.

 

She can't wait for her second lesson tomorrow. And the rest of us are looking forward to Ailey learning more than three notes. :-)

 

First lesson with Debbie

Practicing The Balloon Man