Update coming soon….

Making a short list to remind myself of where we have been lately so I can add ASAP :)

- Whale watching tour
- Kangaroo Farm
- Pacific Science Center
- Ice Caves
- Picnic Point
- Museum of Flight
- Space Needle
- Biringer Farm
- Woodland Park Zoo

… and possibly more than I can't think of right now so stay tuned!  :)

Barclay Lake

Located about 40 miles east of Everett on Highway 2 (information and driving directions for Barclay Lake can be found here), this fun hike is great for kids (so they say... more on that later :) ). We got there later in the day and had no problem finding parking along the road. A friendly forest ranger was patrolling and warned us that there had been an increase in the number of break ins in the area so leave valuables at home and lock your car :)

Four moms took a total of eight kids ages 2-12 and we had a great time but only two moms and five kids actually made it to the lake. The hike was far too much for the 2 year old and the 3 and 4 year olds had to take it kind of slow (we're new to this) so we had to turn back after maybe going 3/4 of a mile. The scenery was beautiful and we will definitely give it another try this summer. The hike is not steep but does have some pretty big steps around giant tree roots and big rocks (big enough the 2 year old needed to be carried). A backpack carrier would have been great! Oh well, now we know and can prepare others before they go :)

The best shot we could get with most of us

Lush forest. 

The trail has minimal elevation and lots to see!

The 4 and 3 year old

There was about a 3-4 mile drive up a steep and very narrow forest road.

 Know before you go:
- parking is minimal in a small lot at the top of the road and requires a recreation pass but you can park along the actual road for free just be there early for a spot and know that it's very narrow.
- Outhouse and picnic tables are available at the trailhead.
- We had minimal cell reception at the trailhead (Sprint and Verizon) which were both lost as we started the hike. (This made for a frustrating experience since we couldn't notify the rest of our group that we were turning around). Ah, technology! :)

Arlington Fly- In

Kid's Day at the Arlington Fly- In was so much fun! Held annually one weekend a month in July this event is fun for the whole family. 2013 was our first year attending and we plan on going again in 2014. Kids get in free (check website for date and times) and there are plenty of things for them to do and see. The sun even decided to come out and luckily one of the vendors sold sunglasses and sunblock. We watched a really cool air show and enjoyed the other activities.

Bouncy houses

Planes planes and more planes!

Airplane simulator

Nascar simulator

And much, much more!

Know before you go:
- food is available for purchase (fair/carnival type food)- it was cash only when we went, can't remember if an ATM was available or not.
- parking is free
- the event takes place at an airport so expect a good amount of walking but also stroller friendly. They did have a tractor/train for ease of getting around.
- restrooms are porta potties

It's been a while....

I have plenty to add from the last year so check back often!

Free Kid's Workshop at Home Depot

Honestly, I do not go to Home Depot very often. I wish I could be more DIY but Home Depot is definitely my husband's domain. We stopped by the Snohomish location and as we were checking out, the cashier told us about a Kids Workshop that was going on and that we should check it out. They offer these workshops the first Saturday of each month for kids to work on a project (build birdhouses, wooden toy trucks, cork bulletin boards, etc) and best of all, it's FREE. The workshop goes from 9am to 12pm but we walked up closer to 12:30. They were wrapping things up but still gave us the kits to take home. The girls LOVED it and we will definitely be doing it again!  Click here for for more info about the Kids Workshops on the Home Depot website.

The girls loved the signature orange aprons and wore them the rest of the day.

The workshops are designed for kids ages 5-12. My younger daughter is 3 1/2 but since we took the kit home, her savvy daddy was able to assist her in the fun.

The paint was my husband's idea and didn't come with the kit but since we were doing the project at home, we tweaked it a bit :)

Paint is currently drying so check back for the finished project!

to be continued.....




Here it is!! The finished project- a wooden moving truck!

Animal Farm

Today we attempted to go to the beach at Howarth Park but could not find anywhere to park. Our nice days in the Pacific Northwest are limited so people take advantage to soak up the sun whenever there is a chance so everyone has the same idea when the sun is shinning. I want to visit Howarth Park soon so I can blog about it but there is some sort of construction going on and the road was closed which is currently limiting the amount of parking. We decided to visit the Animal Farm at Forest Park which is down the road from Howarth Park and it was a hit! It is free but donations are greatly appreciated. They also had face painting for $2. I will make a separate post about the rest of the park because today, we only went to the Animal Farm. I was very impressed with the super-cute barn setup and everything was very clean complete with hand washing basins upon exiting. We saw ducks, goats, bunnies, alpacas, and horses. There are also pigs, sheep and ponies but didn't see any. We went about half hour prior to closing. They also have pony rides, which we will do next time! The Animal Farm is open from June 30- August 26 this year.

Fishery/ fish hatchery

I forgot to post about our visit a couple months ago to a local fishery. I can't find a website with the location details and I had never even heard of it until my friend, a Savvy Mommy, told me about it. If I remember correctly, it's about 10 miles up Mt. Loop Highway but don't quote me on that :)
It was cloudy and 'misty' (not rainy) during our visit in late May.

Some things to know before you go:
     - the water is very quick moving with large boulders surrounding and is NOT a place to swim
     - The views are absolutely beautiful so make sure to bring a camera.
     - I did not see a bathroom
     -The hike is short but steep and consists of steps, many steps, too many to count. Not good for strollers or wheelchairs. We had small children with us and didn't explore the riverside very far but plan to return to do so in the future.
     -The parking lot is small and easy to miss (we did) but look for this sign to know you are in the right place.

 
I will do more research later as to what these Fisheries actually are but enjoy our pics for now!