The State Fair!

Another year in the books for the Baumbach trio at the fair!

Donald declined.

Hannah would be coming later in the evening with friends.

The three of us managed to wait until the last day...but it was as good a day as any!!

We started with the Ag Barn which you might be surprised to know - is actually one of their favorite things!

 A great use of a very strange gourd!

Next we went upstairs to see the student art.  

Both kids had art in the display this year!

This is art using Jenelle's name...

This is called "Junk Art"...

And this is a sculpture Ivan made of Matt Smith.  

You'll know who that is if you're a Dr. Who fan...

Next we went to the carnival rides.

Jenelle was excited about the new roller coaster they had.

She went solo but that didn't stop her from having fun!!

She rode a few more...and Ivan rode a few.  

What cracks me up as I go over the pictures is how my kids act like "no big deal" on the rides!

I swear - they told me they had fun!!

We took the gondola to the other end of the park...

We stopped at the petting zoo and this was probably my favorites spot this year.

The animals were just soooo sweet and gentle!

This guy was really a favorite.

Could be the funniest animal picture I've ever taken.
I can think of a thousand captions for this one.

 Soon after this precious moment, Ivan lost his food cup...food AND cup!

 PLEASE let me have one!!

A cute little girl working at the fair.
(I'm telling you this specifically so you understand those are NOT Jenelle's fingernails!)
(Although they have looked like that before!)

 Killing me with the eyes!!!

But later I found the cutest animals of all!!

And of course there was food...

The boy would have spent his entire day in front of these if he'd been able!

We had different treats throughout the day.
I mean, it IS fair food!

They each got to choose another fun activity.

Jenelle chose the bungee jump...

And Ivan chose to jump on to a giant pillow??

The years are flying by and these types of days are slipping through my fingers rapidly.

I'm grateful for them all.

Bear Creek Mountain

In mid September, Donald and I went on a hike with a group of Rotarians.
Every year one of the Rotarians, who has a cabin in the gorgeous mountains near White Pass, puts together a nearby hike and holds a salmon dinner at his cabin afterward.
Donald and I have wanted to go for a few years now, but since its on a Friday, work or school obligations always sneak their way into our plans.
This year though, it worked out!

The cabin is about 45 minutes outside of town, but the trailhead for the hike was another 45 or so minutes up bumpy logging roads.

The hike itself was approximately 6 miles round trip.
It was not a difficult hike - kids could definitely do this with no problem.
The last bit of the trail leading up to the summit consisted of a lot of switchbacks on rocky terrain and probably the hardest part of the hike...but so worth it when we got to the top.

The pictures are courtesy of a Rotarian who was smart enough to bring along his Cannon.

When we got to the top...just before the actual summit, Mt. Adams (called Pahto by the Native Americans) rose in front of us it all glory!

 At the top of the summit, the Goat Rocks came into view...

And on the other side as we turned to our right, was Mt. Rainier...

Clouds came and went, but for the most part, we had the most incredible day for summiting this gorgeous mountain!

Time for a lunch break and group photos...

After enjoying the surroundings for a while longer, we began our descent.
It was more difficult on the way down and took longer.
But, if you go up, you have to come down!

A delicious dinner and a fun evening were our reward!

I know I've said this plenty of times on this blog, but I am so grateful for the beauty in our backyard! 

I feel like we live in the most amazing place and I love taking advantage of the valley we call home and all the treasures nearby!

*Note*  I can't take the photo credits for most of the amazing pictures on the blog.  One of our hiking partners named Matt Morgan took the pictures and was kind enough to send us copies.

A Week in Pictures: 26 September - 2 October

9/26 - Hannah's car!  1998 Ford Explorer that she paid half for.  

 9/27 - We all climbed to the roof to look at the blood moon.

Bonus pic!  

9/28 - Yes...its delicious!

7/29 - Jenelle's really been into taking bike rides around the neighborhood lately. 

 7/30 - So. Many. Tomatoes. Every. Day.

 10/1 - The question is fast becoming..."Can Dad keep up?"

 10/2 - My favorite time of year for our backyard is when the birch tree litters our lawn with its gorgeous yellow leaves!