One of the advantages of moving back to Snoqualmie is that we are two hours closer to all of our family members. We went to Grammy & Papa’s to celebrate Thanksgiving and had a fun time together. So much to be thankful for.

We closed on our new home the week before Thanksgiving. I have to start by saying there is so much we love about Bellingham. It’s a quirky, liberal college town. We had amazing neighbors, and a big, pretty house with an even more beautiful view. We loved life on the lake. But as time wore on, we felt pretty isolated, and with four kids to ferry around, we were driving constantly — and nothing was close by or convenient. We missed walking out our front door and going on family walks or bike rides. And we missed the large, supportive community in Snoqualmie Ridge. So when by chance, a friend told us about a house on her street for sale, one thing led to another, and we decided to go for it. Here are some pics of the new house, and the days leading up to the move.

We spent the end of summer and beginning of fall trying to sell our house and move back to Snoqualmie. By November we were under contract and weeks away from moving. I knew we had to carve out the time to do some family pictures at the lake while we still had a dock. So one sunny afternoon I selected outfits for the kids and drug the family down to the water for one final shoot on Lake Whatcom. Everyone was so cooperative, and we were able to get some great shots with minimal time and a tripod. I will always cherish these!

This year we Trick-or-treated with Jack Sparrow, Indiana Jones, a brave knight, and a cuddly little lion. We drove to the Eagle Ridge neighborhood and did the loop there, which ended up being just the right amount of time for us as we all started getting cold!