Easter

The Easter Spider came and left a tangled trail to the Easter baskets.  We usually have Easter baskets the Saturday before Easter so Easter Sunday can be reserved for activities centered around the Savior.  This year the Easter Bunny came on Friday so the girls could use their baskets to have an egg hunt at the arboretum on Friday.  We had too many things planned for Saturday so it was easier to do it a little early this year. The girls didn't mind.

The Easter Bunny leaves cheap Dollar Store items in the baskets, but my girls are satisfied.  (Of course the Easter Bunny spent $47 at the Dollar Store because she bought way to much stuff....)

Rachel wrote a letter to the Easter Bunny and the Easter Spider and asked them what their names were. The Easter Bunny's name is Peter Cottontail and the Spider's name is Webby.  Rachel told me that she wrote a letter last year and asked the same question. Last year, the bunny's name was Peter Cottontail (got that one right two years in a row), but the spider's name was Gertrude. I told her the spider's name must be Gertrude Webby.  I then asked why did she write the letter and ask for their names if she already knew. She told me she was testing them.  Yep. She tested them alright.  I can't remember her writing them letters.

She hasn't believed in the Easter Bunny or Santa or the Tooth Fairy for years. I'm glad she goes along with it though because her little sister still believes. I think. I hope. 

I NEVER want my children to confuse the fun imaginary characters who bring gifts with the Savior who is very real.  I really try to emphasize that we are playing "The Santa Game" or the "Easter Bunny" game and that Jesus is very real and NOT a game.  

We always dye eggs even though none of us like eating them.

We enjoyed having Easter Egg hunts in various parks.

The University of Washington's Arboretum was a beautiful place for an egg hunt.  We did lose one egg there someplace.

We watched this heron fly into the tree. I thought it was an eagle at first. I have never seen a heron in a tree before...just in the water.

The girls enjoyed Easter activities at a local church and participated in another Easter Egg hunt.  They hunted for eggs at various friends' houses too.  We ended up losing a few more eggs.  Oops.

We had a lot of fun watching these eggs crack and hatch in our Brita water pitcher. The Easter Bunny should bring these every year. 

 Beautiful girls in beautiful dresses! (Erin's came from Goodwill...$5.00.  Rachel's wasn't so cheap. She didn't like the options at Goodwill.  Both outfits definitely show each girl's personality.) Sure love these girls!!

Science Center

 We had a lot of fun at the Pacific Science Center today. I wish we had another week or two before we have to go back to school.  Spring Break is never long enough.

 My first dandelion of the season! Thanks Erin Joy!

Better than Disneyland

We are staying close to home for spring break this year. We need to save money so we can decorate our new house. Staying home doesn't mean we can't have fun! Who needs Disneyland when you can drive a couple of hours over the pass and end up in Leavenworth?

We have friend who live near Leavenworth in a gorgeous valley. They invited us to stay with them, but my girls really wanted to stay in a hotel so they could swim.  We decided to stay at the Enzian Inn so my girls could swim and I could enjoy the man playing the alp horn.

We had a great time! We especially enjoyed seeing our friends and visiting with them. The girls had a great time swimming.  Our friends have a great store in Leavenworth. They make the BEST roasted almonds, cashews, and pecans.  I thought my favorite were the Thai Chili cashews until I tried the Curry Coconut cashew. Yummy!! You should all order something from them (click here) or check out their store in Leavenworth.

We had a little adventure going home. The car was overheating, our heater wasn't working, and the check engine light came on. I was a bit worried as we drove through snow over the pass and prayed we would make it to the other side without destroying the engine. We did make it to the other side and found a great little automotive shop in a little town west of the pass.  It cost $130 for the mechanic to tell me my radiator cap wasn't tightened properly. Nice.  I'm going to take that bill to Jiffy Lube and try to get them to pay for it.  They changed my oil and checked my fluids a couple of weeks ago. I certainly haven't taken the radiator cap off...it must have been them! Grrrr....

Other than a little car frustration, we had a great time. We look forward to having fun together for the remainder of the week.  We'll make it better than Disneyland!

Here is a little video of our adventures followed by a few of my favorite pictures:

To Grandma because she loves gingerbread cookies...we are sending you some that we purchased here...