Mt. St. Helen's

We drove about an hour and 40minutes south to get to Mt St Helen's. It was a nice drive--all highway so it felt quicker:)

We first caught a glimpse of the volcano at the visitor's center--it looked so far away! And, as usual, a photo just does not capture the awe and vastness of something like this!

Then, we headed out on the drive to get to the observatory (75 miles in). And, as we drove, each bend showed us a better view than the last!

It was very scenic and peaceful and not crowded with people:) We made several stops along the way--this waterfall was just one of the stops!

The girls thought it was fun to stand that close because when we looked toward the falls-they got sprayed with water...they just giggled!!!

This bridge was just 1 of the 19 bridges that had to be rebuilt after the 1980 landslide and eruption! We crossed 9 of them, I think, on the trip to the observatory.

A large part of the immediate surroundings of the crater have been left alone and are not to be touched. It is a national historic monument. So, you could still see ditches from the mudslide and how it pushed up the hills. You could also see a lot of the trees that were snapped off and thrown from the blast!!!

The Forest Learning Center was very educational and hands on. I learned a lot and the girls had a blast! We really wanted to take a real helicopter tour but at $169 per head, we settled for the stationary chopper:)


They were excellent pilots!

The exhibits were very cool and all of the information was great. The survivor's stories were crazy! Overall, it was a great day and adventure!!!!

We were at an elevation of 4,300 feet!

And, did you know that no one in close proximity to the volcano heard the blast?! I think it was like a 60 mile perimeter!!! CRAZY!!

Cowen Beach

We actually had a stretch of beautiful weather around the Memorial Day weekend! I took complete advantage of the weather and took the girls to the beach--2 days in a row:) We got some sun and are no longer pasty white girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We only had to drive 20mintues to get to this cute little beach---it was just enough for Faith and Dalaina!! The had a blast--playing for hours:) There was not much sand---mostly pebbles, but they didn't care:)

They were so happy to run into the water with their crocs and dresses on! They thought I was kidding when I said yes and then giggled each time they ran in!!! And, oh, the water could just chill you to the bone!!!!!!!!!!!

Miss Hollywood here:)

They did a lot of digging and dumping!

The bucket got heavy and the coordination was not the best, but it was great fun to watch her try!

We had a great time ---what fun in the sun:)

Sesame Street Live

I took the girls to the Tacoma Dome last night to see Elmo's Green Thumb! This was the girl's first live show of any kind and wow!!

It was colorful, loud, and lots of fun to watch!

The show was all about Elmo and his plant Sunny--he needed to find somewhere to plant Sunny:)

All of Elmo's friends were very helpful! And, in the end, Sunny was planted in Big Bird's garden:)

After each song, the girls would ask if the show was over and give me a sad look! I think the winner for the night was the bucket of cotton candy!!!

It was finger lickin' good!!

Point Defiance Park

We took a drive over the bridge to the park and did some exploring. We hiked down a trail through the woods to get to the beach-----25minutes!! The girls did excellent.



Once we were down there, they enjoyed walking around in the sand without their shoes and socks on:) They wouldn't get into the water---it was quite cold anyway!


There was climbing, digging, throwing, and just fun times for them:)

After that, we hiked back up-ugh- and went to see the eagles. The views from the park are beautiful--the fact that it was actually a nice day helped too!!!

Along the trail, we came across some huge trees!

We tried to hug the tree and reach each other but couldn't!!! And, would you believe that Faith took this picture! Pretty good, huh?!

There she is--Dalaina didn't want to do much posing for me.

We finally found the spot where the eagles come every day --however, it was difficult to photograph them with all of the sunlight:( We will try again another sunny day!

While driving throught the park, we stumbled on The Mountaineer tree. This is a Douglas Fir and it is over 440years old. The tree is 218ft tall and 89inches in diameter!! Now that's a tree!!!

Overall, we had a great afternoon--the girls like to say we went on an adventure--like Dora the explorer!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exploring Washington

Although it was a gray, overcast day, we took a 2hr drive west. We landed at Ocean Shores-the pacific ocean for those geographically challenged! You are able to drive down the beach--you just aren't allowed to park on it:)

There were Seagulls everywhere!

And, in case you can't tell from our hair--it was crazy how windy it was-and cold!! However, that did not stop us from digging in the sand, collecting sea shells, and attempting to fly a kite:)

This relic makes my blog for comical reasons-plus it is old and pretty cool looking!

Notice the location of the wood and David!...can you imagine where I am going with this?!

He is determined to get this kite up (a $1 kite from the dollar store) And, did I mention how windy it was?Anyway, he lets loose and the kite gets up. He decided to run backwards to get it up higher---yes, you got it! All I hear is "aaaggghhh" I look over and I see David on the ground with his feet in the air and the kite rolling across the sand in the wind!! NO kidding, I was laughing so hard I was crying---and unfortunately, I couldn't act quick enough for a photo!

He was fine, he jumped up and we chased the kite down the beach---the girls were oblivious!!

She's 3!

Birthdays are always a fun time ! We let the girls choose their cake--flavor, shape, etc. This year, Dalaina wanted Strawberry Shortcake:) At first, I was worried about my skills for this task...however, it turned out all right (you'll see)
First, memories...

That smile has not changed a bit!

So, we took Dalaina to a pottery place for her birthday. We let her pick out whatever she wanted to paint.

But, first we took advantage of the coffee lounge and she enjoyed a large cookie!

Then, it was time to get down to business! She selected a cat face jewelry box:) She painted that thing red, purple, green, yellow, and put stamps of butterflies and stuff...well, it's colorful for one thing!! We had a difficult time explaining that we had to come back in 5 days for it:( The whole "firing it" in the kiln upset the girls.

They soon got over that because we went home to open presents, eat dinner, and have cake!

Tea sets are always a hit with little girls:)...I didn't consider the amount of pieces there were!

She was very meticulous this year in the gift opening--it was cute:)

Of course, the light up Cinderella dress was the winner gift!!

And this is why we parents do what we do----the joy, the happiness, the excitement! The hours of cake decorating and hands cramps was absolutely worth it!!!!!!!!

...here she's showing us how old she is---she can't quite do it without the help of her other hand:)