October, November, December, January, February and March showers bring April flowers!!

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Family pic at the tulips

Marit by her favorite color tulips, PINK!

This is the rainiest and coldest winters we have had in Seattle since moving here over five years ago. We had more snow (10 inches) in January and February than Minnesota! We are on track to beat some local records with the most days with rain (141 days since Oct. 1) and the most rainfall (44 inches since Oct. 1). Overall it feels a bit dreary and never ending rain but we hope for some sunshine this summer to make up for it. We'll see how the rest of the month turns out but all this rain for the past 6 months has made for some beautiful spring flowers (and big puddles to jump in)!

The University of Washington has one of the most beautiful cherry blossom blooms in the country. We met there after work at the peak bloom. I love the pink, fluffy trees that resemble cotton candy surrounded by the tall gothic buildings of the University.
Seth and the cherry trees
Theo and the cherry trees

Cherry trees in bloom!

Playing in puddles under the cherry trees

Running in the quad
We headed out towards Oso, WA (the site of the 2014 landslide that killed 43 people) for a hike to a couple waterfalls. It rained almost the entire hike but the kids had fun and walked most of the way.
Driving by the Oso landslide
Waterfalls

Waterfalls

This weekend, my friend, Cara, was in town from NYC visiting her brother, David, so we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island on Saturday to explore the town and then we all headed up to the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on Sunday. I love the tulips and they never cease to amaze me. Tulips in nearly every color - pink, red, purple, yellow, orange, white - rows and rows surrounded by snow capped mountains and grey skies. It is absolutely gorgeous! I am sad this is our last year that we get to see the beautiful tulips. Maybe I will have to buy some to plant in our new house in Duluth next spring. We battled the crowds and went to the beautiful tulip gardens at Roozengarde near Mount Vernon, WA. We managed to walk around most of their fields before it started to rain. The kids loved playing in the puddles. We at lunch in La Conner before heading back to Seattle in the pouring rain.





David and Cara





Frog jump and salmon swimming up stream ;)


All fall down

Trying to comfort Theo (who was sick of taking pictures)











Hike near Oso, WA



















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