One last sunny day!

 We started out the day with a long bike ride.  We stopped to talk with these little beauties!

 I couldn't resist trying to catch this shot.  We were on about mile 9 of a 12 mile ride, the sun was coming out, we were all sweating, but Amaris, fashionista to the bitter end, was still sporting her snow-leopard print winter scarf she got at Goodwill.  Love that girl!!

 Ahhh!  A nice cold treat toward the end of the ride.

I think they are sprouting fins...

Baking, sewing, hiking in the rain, Goodwill, and some down time!

 The girls made brownies for dessert....

 I brought some hand-sewing...I'm making some doll clothes for their American Girl dolls.  Jade and Amaris were inspired, so they sewed pillows for their dolls.  Then Jade designed and started a skirt for Amaris' doll--it's looking good!  I'll post a pic when it's done.

 Thursday was grey and drizzly but we found a good hike near Bellingham...

 Followed by a drying-out session at a coffee shop, then a family trip to Goodwill.  That was the highlight!  We let the girls shop and try on to their hearts' content (a true sign of vacation mentality, since I truly hate shopping, and "trying on" above all)--it was hilarious to hear the conversations coming from the dressing room....and here they are after we got back with their finds....a quick swim and a fashion show...

 ...pause for a show of loose teeth....

 Pretty great shopping!

 Then a bit of down time with a stack of books before dinner.

Outdoor adventures

We had gorgeous sunshine and low tides--such a great combination!

 Starfish!!

 Crabs!!

 Jade tutoring Dad in getting his feet wet..."it's okay!"

 SO close to the majestic heron.

This guy scared Amaris so good...he was buried in the sand and she gave him a little nudge, thinking it was just a bit of broken crab shell....if only I had caught the initial 60 seconds of screaming!

I love the library

Before we left, we got a crateful of books from the library....some how-to books on painting, drawing, making pop-up books, some books about animals, a national geographic joke book ("Why is a tiger big, orange, and striped?  Because if it was small, red, and smooth, it would be an apple!"), and lots of picture books to inspire the imagination.   Here's a look at some of the creativity going on here:

 We watched "Remember the Titans" and Amaris left this Titans poster on my pillow:

Spring Break in Birch Bay

We arrived on Sunday evening...we stopped at Bellis Fair to get Dad some swim trunks!  He thought he was going to get away without swimming!  This is Jade and Amaris outside the store--notice Amaris chose to do the trip in her pj's!

Monday morning dawned gloriously sunny and windy.  We rode bikes, flew kites, roamed the beach, and ended up in the pool.

 Naturally, a bike helmet is a must for kite flying!!