Timeline 2018

We started off our year by attending a fun birthday party at Pump it Up on New Years Day. During the rest of the month Ty figured out how to put on his own footies pajamas and his fine motor skills improved considerably. Allison hit her own milestones when she started clearly saying "yes," and eating kale chips. Read more in January 2018.

In February we celebrated Valetine's Day and our 12th anniversary. Oscar took 9th place running in the snow at the La Conner 10k and Tyler crossed the finish line first in the kids' dash. Read more in February 2018

That month we returned to the fertility clinic to give one of our three frozen embryos their chance at life. Unfortunately Eglantine, the extra embryo from Tyler's cycle, didn't survive the thaw. Buddy from Allison's cycle was implanted, and I had a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.

We had some fairly good weather in March, which was a nice gift for a birthday. I took full advantage of it by taking the kids to several new playgrounds.
The kids also did swim lessons and conquered the obstacle course at the Everett YMCA. Tyler met Woodsy the Owl at school, Allison started doing her first tablework projects, and Oscar built a rock wall in our little yard. Read more in March 2018.

Unfortunately I miscarried Buddy that month. I went in for the 7 week ultrasound, but they couldn't find a baby and I had a D&C procedure the next day.

For Easter the kids got to meet the Easter Bunny at Fred Meyer, enjoyed an Egg Hunt and other fun festivities out at Bob's Farm (where I got the Mazda stuck in the mud), and had a veggie egg hunt and a candy egg hunt at our house. Read more in Easter 2018.

During the 2nd week of April we took a trip to Utah for Tyler's spring break. The kids played at two Burger Kings on our way down before making it to Granny's house at 5pm. They played with Anderson cousins at granny's house the next day and Jinks cousins at the Museum of Curiosity the next evening. Read more in Utah Trip Spring 2018: Part I

During the following 3 days we had a big Hunt family dinner with family pictures, the kids got to know their Flinders great grandparents, they played at Mike's house and swam at his gym's pool, and we all went to the Jordan River Temple open house with grandma and grandpa. Read more in Part II.

We also spent an evening at the Chinese Lantern Festival. Read more in part III.

And in typical Utah fashion we had two snow days right after two 70+ degree days, so we had to find some indoor fun at High Jump and Boondocks while I had a girls' night with my friends at Waffle Love. The 2nd snow day cleared up enough for us to visit the Ashton Gardens before driving up north to see Oscar's brother William in Camelot. Oscar ran a race with some of his siblings the next morning before we began our drive back home. Read more in Part IV.

During the spring Oscar and I went to Mormon prom, we celebrated Daddy and Tyler's birthdays (Oscar couldn't eat his own treats since he'd just started a weight loss challenge with Healthy Wage), the kids played in the yard a lot since daddy built them a new swing, we saw a double rainbow all the way across the neighborhood, and Oscar figured out how to exercise by using the kids as resistance. See more in Spring Everyday Cuteness.

We also had fun at Healthy Kids' Day, the Children's Museum, the beach, our local parks, and the zoo. Oscar and Tyler went camping, Oscar took the kids to Touch a Truck, and we all got to go to Wild Waves on opening day. Read more in Spring Adventures.

We kept very busy in the summer. We went to Wild Waves after Tyler was out on his final day of school and to Giggle Jungle the very next day. See more in Early Summer 2018 Part I: Wild Waves and Giggle Jungle.

On July 4th Oscar ran the Yankee doodle dash, the kids ran the kids' dash, we went to the children's museum, and then enjoyed the downtown festivities before heading home. After nap we took the kids out to set off fireworks in the neighborhood (the one day of the year it's legal) and then went down for a fun night and fireworks at Legion Memorial Park.

Read more in Part II: July 4th.

Everyday Adventures
In June we implanted our last little Frostie, but it didn't work out (negative pregnancy test).

On a happier note we enjoyed the pony rides at Forest park, spent a lot of time outside at parks and beaches, and the kids did a summer camp.

We also went to the Northshore YMCA benefit, the Shoreline Summer Celebration, and explored new places for summer lunch.

At the end of July we had a very fun day at the Tour de Terrace festival.

In mid July we drove out for a Flinders Family Reunion in Walla Walla where we hit a deer on the highway 16 miles before arrival. We returned 3 weeks later to pick it up.

In early August Oscar ran a half marathon in Orting, WA and we all stayed to celebrate the Orting Summerfest. Early August was great but after that it all went down hill. Our wonderful weather was ruined by smoke from forest fires, and once the smoke cleared out it turned much colder than usual. On the plus side Oscar started marathon training and won his first 5k, and we had fun playing at Altitude Trampoline Park, the Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival, and going to Wild Waves twice with daddy. Read more in Late Summer Part I.

In mid August mom and dad came to visit for a week. We had fun playing at Angle Lake park down by the airport before picking them up and taking them to Wings over Washington and the Freemont Troll in Seattle. Throughout the week we went swimming several times at the hotel and took grandma and grandpa to Wild Waves, the Children's museums of Everett and Bellevue, Jetty Island, and Elevated Sportz. Grandma and Grandpa also babysat Allison and took her swimming while Tyler ran his first obstacle course down in Issaquah. Read more in Summer 2018: Grandma and Grandpa Jinks' Visit.

After we'd grieved our lost pregnancy and the chance to have additional children, I asked Oscar if we could take a vacation to a theme park. I wanted to do something I couldn't do were I still pregnant with Buddy or Frostie. Oscar already wanted to visit our friend in Montana, so we took a trip east to Helena and visited Silverwood Theme park in Idaho on the way back. 

On the way we visited the Wild Horse Monument in George, WA, McDonald's in Moses Lake, stayed at a Hotel in Spokane, and played at the Spectrum Discovery Area in Missoula. Read more in Summer 2018:Montana/Silverwood Road Trip Part I - Everett to Missoula.

In Helena we visited Centennial Park, the Great Northern Carousel, completed the Montana Warrior Challenge, played at Exploration Works, and rode the Last Chance Train Tour. On our way back west we rode the Carousel for Missoula and played at the neat castle playground nearby. Read more in Part II - Helena Back to the Panhandle.

And our last days were spent having fun at Part III - Silverwood Theme Park and playing with the animals at our Bed and Breakfast.

In the fall Ty started school, Oscar made Allison a
unicorn ducky cake for her birthday, Allison began potty training and solving jigsaw puzzles, both kids took swim lessons, and we discovered Tyler has a severe allergy to pumpkin seeds. Read more in Fall Everyday Cuteness.

We had some pretty good weather so I took Allison to Bob's Farm in Snohomish, and we took both kids to Wild Waves Fright Fest, Carleton Farms, and a fun Halloween party in the adventure zone at the Everett YMCA. Oscar ran his first marathon out in Leavenworth where I took the kids to Smallwood's Harvest during his run and to Thomas Family Farm on the way back.

On Halloween day we did Trick or Treating at the YMCA, at Oscar's work, the Harvest Fest at Mariner High School, and in the neighborhood. Read more in Fall Fun 2018: Adventures.

Tyler had the week of Thanksgiving off school, so we drove down to Utah to visit family. Though Ty got sick on the way he got better quickly and enjoyed playing with cousins on Sunday and visiting the Museum of Curiosity on Monday while they were in school. The kids also got to see the Grinch movie that evening while my friend Rebecca and I saw Luminaria Christmas lights at Thanksgiving Point. Read more in Utah Trip: Thanksgiving 2018 - Part I.

On Tuesday we played at High Jump and on Wednesday we took the cousins and visited the Museum of Ancient Life and Farm Country out at Thanksgiving Point. Read more in Part II.

On Thanksgiving Day Oscar ran the Turkey Trot with Melissa while I threw a Thanksgiving party for the cousins before enjoying a meal with both families. On Friday we toured Christmas in Color in South Jordan then drove down to tour the Lights at Temple Square before heading up to Layton and back home the next day. Read more in Utah Trip: Thanksgiving 2018 - Part III.

In November and December Tyler lost his first two teeth and built a gingerbread house and a huge gingerbread man with daddy. Allison became obsessed with dinosaurs and started rocking 24 piece jigsaws. They also cleaned the church and met Santa at Cabella's. I sang for the Bellevue Nativity Festival. Read more in Winter 2018: Part I - Daily Cuteness.

We also visited the Christmas lightshow at Evergreen church in Bothell, saw
Wild Waves with lights, rode the Santa Train at Ceder Crest Tour of Lights, and met Santa at the Children's Museum. Read more in Part II - Winter adventures

And to finish up the year we celebrated Christmas at home and attended a New Years party at the Children's Museum. Read more in Winter 2018: Part III - Christmas and New Years Eve.