MEL Science

 The kids got a MEL science monthly kit for Christmas this year.  They get 2-3 experiments in the kit each month.  

 Carbon snake growing

 Foam lava

Christmas 2019

 

 Decorating Christmas cookies

 Chuck the duck needed to get in the Christmas spirit too.

 Ginger Chocolate cake using macadamia flour and a caramel bourbon sauce.

 The kids love when Santa leaves matching Christmas jammies under the tree on Christmas Eve.

 Avery made Alia a snail in art class

 Avery made me a clock

 We made Avery work for his gifts this year.  He had to open a puzzle box to get the lock picks to get this open for his gift.

My favorite part of Christmas is sitting in the calm after the gift storm.

We love to go on a night time Christmas walk to look at all of the lights.  This house is on our block and we are always impressed by how many lights he puts up every year.

Orcas!

 I signed up for text alerts when the orcas are passing by Vashon.  Alia and I had the chance to see them recently when they swam very close to Pt Robinson.

Projects

 7th Grade science bridge building project.  Avery made a truss bridge that withstood all of the weight in the classroom tests.  

 He used around 700 toothpicks and 1 bottle of glue.  It was a really strong bridge.

 One of Avery's electives is called Imagine, Design and Create.  So far this year he's made a chair which he is sitting on, a scorpion, a mini golf hole and worked with clay.

 5th Grade robotics course.  Alia and her partner programed their robot to go on rollercoaster.

Hiking Mt Ellinor

We took advantage of another amazing fall day in the PNW and headed to the Olympics.  The last time we hiked Ellinor was 4 years earlier and it has remained a favorite hike.

Same spot four years earlier.  She's a powerhouse hiker!

4 years earlier- Alia age 6 and Avery age 8

Halloween 2019

Mt Rainier Birthday Trip

We enjoyed a beautiful fall weekend hiking Mt Rainier and the area for my birthday.

 We rented an R-Pod for the weekend.  

 The table was handy for a quick lunch stop on the way.

 

 We stayed at Mounthaven Resort and RV park just outside of the park.

 

 There was a resident rabbit that visited every day.

 It was nice staying in the RV and staying dry and warm at night.  We had fun playing a block game Avery brought home from math.

We hiked outside the park the next day so Maia could go on an adventure too.  There's a 4 mile round trip trail in the state forest called Glacier Peak.  The trail was across from Mt Rainier and had an amazing view of the mountain.

 

 We made it!