Good-bye Penny

We had to say a sad good-bye to Penny the Prius last week after the insurance totaled her out.  Terrell was side swiped but luckily wasn't hurt! The kids ended up buying a new (to them) Honda CRV with only 4,000 miles.  Here is Corey's write up and some pictures.

A couple of weeks ago, Terrell got in a minor car crash. Fortunately, no people were injured and the kids weren’t in the car at the time. We submitted our claim to insurance and dropped the Prius off to be fixed the next day, thinking nothing of it. As luck would have it, the car was deemed a total loss. So we were on the hunt for a new car! We decided that we would take the full payout and give them the car. We loved the Prius (especially the gas mileage!) but with the car seats, decided to look for a hybrid SUV instead because they’re higher up. We debated between a RAV4 and a CRV but settled on a Honda CRV and found this one at a dealership in town with only 4,000 miles on it. Terrell talked the sales guy down and we were able to get a good deal! A name is still up for debate but I’m deciding between Spoons and George (for its silver color - Silver Ware vs. Silver fox). We’re grateful that Terrell is safe and that we got a new car for our family! We are also really grateful for Gamma for giving us some money to help us buy a good car. It’ll be so fun in a few years to see the kids learn to drive in a CRV just like I did!

Poor Penny

Hike @ 360 Park #5

This hike at 360 Park was a lot more successful than the previous one because there were no biking events going on.  We took the pups along so they could enjoy some time in the woods, and also to get them better adjusted to being in the car. In all we hiked a bit over 3 miles & got in some good cardio on the giant hill.  It was a cool morning, but the sun came out about midway through our walk which was nice.  Hoping to get in some more hikes as the weather heats up.  So happy that spring has officially arrived!

Our route this time was A-B-C-E-F-H-J-K-M-N-P-R-S then back to the main trail. 

Queen Anne Stair Walk #3

On Saturday morning Scott & I drove up to Seattle to do our third stair walk of the year with Gabby in Queen Anne.  It was cold, but dry and the sun came out during the walk.  It was 2.6 miles long and a little more challenging with 588 steps down and 477 steps up. The walk took us to the Wilcox Wall, which Scott & I first visited back in 2015, so it's been a while! We had beautiful views of the water and downtown Seattle. There were tons of beautiful historic houses and also many blooming magnolias and cherry trees.  It was one of our more scenic walks, I think.  Afterward we ate at a little restaurant I found online, 5 Spot, which was really delicious.  Excited to do a few more stair walks as the weather heats up!

So.Many.Stairs.

I loved this Tudor house.

Part of the Wilcox Wall

Scott hugging a giant European Beech tree.

We saw a couple cute Henry paintings. I still find them really cool! 

Barberry

Beautiful magnolia. We liked how they built the fence around the tree!

Gorgeous view of downtown Seattle & the Space Needle.

Last set of stairs!

This salad was really good!

The extra little bit was from walking around a little garden.

Maddox Month 4

It feels like I just posted Maddox's 3rd month post and here we are again!  That boy is growing so fast!  He's adjusting to his sister being gone at preschool (it sure is quieter!) and also the germs she's bringing home. He has already gotten his first cold, poor baby.  Ah, the life of a younger sibling!

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

4 months!

Preschool

Nova started preschool this week at a Montessori school in Gig Harbor. Hard to believe she's already in school!  Here is Corey's write up and photos from her first day.

On March 16th Nova had her first day of school! Terrell and I looked at a bunch of different school options and decided we wanted to put Nova into a Montessori program. After a lot of research and tours, we went with Harbor Montessori School in Gig Harbor. It’s a pre-K through 8th grade accredited Montessori program. We wanted to do Montessori because of the small class sizes, child-led philosophy, mixed age group classes, and because it teaches life skills in addition to regular school subjects. We liked Harbor the most because it provides nice continuity for her if she goes all the way through 8th grade, and we were really impressed with the staff and other students on our tour. 

There was a special circumstance where a military family moved away so Nova was able to start mid school year once she turned 3. It is a full-time program from 9 am to 3 pm, 5 days a week, but we’re starting slow and are picking her up early at 1 pm every day. 

We started our day with special sprinkle pancakes for breakfast (per Nova’s request) and then headed over the bridge to drop her off. The first day went super smooth and Nova was ready to go! She said goodbye with no tears and quickly ran over to the other kids. After we left, I did cry a bit, but I know she’s going to thrive in school. We’re so proud of her!

She has a giant Cars backpack!