Our annual Christmas tree hunt goes not farther than Schilter Family Farm…read more The Thanksgiving week end usually slams this tree farm. However, we always find a quality Noble fir if even we have to hunt a bit. This year was REALLY unusual. The Monday after T Day we went with the idea we'd have to spend time searching. The most helpful young man pointed us to a new field of Nobles. And there, no more than 10 feet in from the path was IT (visions of Clark Griswold!). There were countless more even after that Turkey Day rush. The same man came by in his tractor and asked if he could cut it down for us. He had a chain saw. I had a hand saw. No brainer!! The service and selection are first class. Topping this off is the gift shop, where you pay, has all sorts of Christmas related things, including fresh wreaths (which we bought)

Definitely deserving of a spot in the top 10 pumpkin patches in Washington!…read more I've been going to pumpkin patches almost yearly since I was 4 so I consider myself somewhat of an expert. Here's my highs and lows and good enoughs: 5 Stars to: -Plenty of Photo setup spots -Apple cider slush sundae -FRESH & HOT Roasted Corn -Many adult AND kid friendly activities -pumpkin assortment 1 Star for: -No back up generator (Power went out while at the farm and the poor animals were huddled up closer than the people were) -flavorless burgers 2.5 stars (aka good enough) for: -cold apple cider donuts -friendly but antisocial staff -gift shop (Felt more like a very small, 'small business' fair) I think the ticket price was a decent value for what was available!

I visited the Nisqually Reach Nature Center for the first time yesterday. The nature center is…read moreinside a large house. Piles of wet shoes lay outside the entry way. There were tanks filled with sea stars, crabs, and fish on display. A different tank housed a representation of a mud flat. Microscopes lined the perimeter on the inside of the building. Several children were peering into them shouting excitedly that "I saw this HUGE plankton!" "Look at THIS!" After I went outside and sat on the fishing dock, adult volunteers at the Nisqually Reach Nature Center took a group of children to the beach to explore. The volunteer staff at the nature center are excellent with kids. Their strong voices can be heard from a distance giving clear, fun instructions to their charges. I heard later from one staff member the kids were attending a summer camp. I didn't have a lot of time to spend at the nature center yesterday, so I will definitely be back! It's a nice area that has a surprising amount of great blue herons and even more seals. Keep in mind: This is a Discover Pass area. You will need a Discover Pass to park here.

I haven't visited the actual building, I visit the beach at least twice a week to take my dogs for…read morea walk near the beach and play. Great parking area for trailers and visitors, loading ramp for your boat, and nice starting point for kayaking near the nisqually delta...watch for the tide. No issues if you are taking the dog off leash, as long they are not near to the state park, plenty of room to play.

In my opinion, Rainier Speedway is the finest small dirt track in the NW. Exciting competition in…read moreall classes, easy to roam the pits and meet riders, great food & drinks, friendly club members. I suggest a stadium seat or soft pad, ear protection and a jacket. ENJOY!

Saturday Night Short Track Dirt Oval racing with Motorcycles, Quads and the new class of Outlaw…read moreCage Karts (From 5hp karts for the kids to 500cc powered motors for the adults with a cage body and wing to keep the kart planted on the ground for fast cornering). Upcoming Races for 2010 Summer Season - July 17th August 15th(WCS) August 21st September 18th (Big Pro Money Race)

AWOOOOOOOO!…read more Beautiful wolves roam and thrive at Wolf Haven International, where the wolves are first and foremost the primary focus- not humans. As one of my primary spirit animals, wolves have such a profound effect on my behavior, personality, and even appearance. My monochrome wardrobe is inspired by the gorgeous shades of color that wolves are comprised of and I even have an inclination towards the moon because of wolves. I also love the cold and perpetually embody the elegance and grace that makes these creatures so irresistible. There are so many fascinating wolf knowledge tidbits that I learned during the tour and it was incredible to see the different types of wolves and their unique traits. Wolf pack UNITE!

Very well educated person who gave your. She had been there for years and involved with animal…read morestudies. She knew the history with out the notebook for reference. For as many acres as it says it has we only see just a few wolf / coyote being rehabilitated. Learned the difference between coyotes and wolves.

Very interesting! Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained everything about the planes and…read morehelicopters. Our toddler grandson loved it too. It was well worth the visit!

This is a sad little museum. There are many things, but almost nothing has context. Plenty of signs…read moresaying "don't touch" or "not for sale" but nothing to explain what I was looking at. The walls are covered in faded, unlabeled pictures of people and airplanes. There are cases jammed full of items that are difficult to look out due to the poor displays, and have no labels so what are they? It was reasonably priced at $7, but only took 5 minutes to wander through.

After visiting an endless amount of day care facilities in the Lacey area, I couldn't have been…read moremore thrilled to end up at Children's Courtyard South. From the moment I entered the facility I knew they were far better suited to care for our daughter than any of the other locations I had toured. The area was clean and the management was friendly. As for the infant room the ladies that care for the babies make sure you feel comfortable. As a new mom I'd spend at least 10 minutes each day getting a play by play of our daughters developments. Kayla and Alissa work hard to know your child and provide them a safe and loving environment. With daily activities, from bubbles, to paint, and outdoor adventures, Childrens Courtyard has got it right!

Update 7/29: We are still loving the Children's Courtyard…read moreSouth, specifically my son's Pre-K class and teachers. The teachers truly care about their students and want them to thrive. My son loves going to school and loves his teachers. Can't say enough good things, if you're looking for childcare with a quality pre-k program please consider The Children's Courtyard South. ------------ We really love The Children Courtyard SOUTH. My son started at the North center and he was not thriving there at all. Then he was bit on the face by another child and they didn't do enough in our eyes to protect our child from further incidents. He had been bit a total of three times in about a two week span. The first two incidents weren't reported to me and I found out by my son. When the child bit my son's face I had had enough and was very furious with the North center. They opted to not remove the boy who kept biting my son so we removed our son and began care at the South center. Anyways, we were really hesitant to give the South center a chance because we were just not happy with what had happened at the North center, but the two facilities operate completely separately. Because they are separate it gave us the confidence and hope to give CCY South a chance. We are so glad we transitioned to CCY South. Initially it took awhile to get our paperwork transitioned over to the South center. It was a little confusing and we weren't guided through the process as well as I had hoped, but eventually we got it all figured out with the director Samantha. The staff and teachers at CCY South are amazing. My son absolutely loves his pre-k teachers Ms. Brittany and Ms. Larissa. They give all the kids so much care, attention and kindness. My son missed a day of school while we were visiting family and he told me he had to go back to school because Ms. Brittany would miss him. Tip: 1. Sign up for the Brightwheel App so you can easily communicate with the school. They also send you photos and videos of your child throughout the day. I love the communication regarding naps and meals. I feel connected even when I am away at work. It is secure and you only have access to your child. 2. Sign up for the WatchMeGrow App so you can see a live video feed of your child throughout the day. It's a great way to stay connected while you are away from you child. If you have a need for childcare and want your child to receive quality care and an education geared toward their age level, please check out CCY South. My son loves his school, his teachers, and the staff here. He is now thriving and we love CCY South. Oh and I should add that they handle incidents very well and communicate with the parents each time and incident happens.

We rented multipurpose room A for a gender reveal party and everything was fantastic. From ease of…read morebooking to the space itself to staff. It was perfect for our needs, affordable compared to other options in the community, plenty spacious for our guest list, and had things like a fridge, speaker system, carts to transport things from your car. Parking can be hit or miss because it's downtown but when I asked most party members if they had difficulty finding a spot they all said it was fairly close if not right outside. Highly recommend booking for whatever event you have! Clean facility too. Bathrooms well kept.

Great meeting spot, ease of access to cleanliness. Parking can be hit or miss. I wish there were…read moremore classes available.

I've been a volunteer sand castle builder for my company a few times for the "Sand in the City"…read moreevent. It's a super fun way to show pride for your organization, learn some sandcastle/team-building skills, raise funds for charitable organizations - and get some sun and exercise while you're at it! The sandcastle building/sculpting is not a walk in the park, though. There's a lot of steps that go into just getting started. Creating the boxes to solidify the sand with water and hours and hours of tamping, learning the skill of carving away sand piece by piece (not digging into the sand too much), and many other intricacies that go into making sculptures this big! I definitely leave each year with a sore back and sunburn, but also with a sense of accomplishment and the pride of feeling that I did something good for my community.

Sand in the City 2012 was a blast! There were so many things for parents and kids to do! My…read moredaughter made animals out of vegetables, made buttons, painted pictures, made a fridge magnet, a princess hat, a necklace and more! There were too many art and craft projects to count! There was also a tank full of crabs, clams and sea stars for kids to touch. There were so many things to do we almost forgot to look at the sand sculptures! There were quite a few were large and intricate. I was very impressed teams were able to carve away the sand without it crumbling. The only downside to the day was the heat. It was oppressively hot. We were all melting! Don't be like me. Plan ahead. Bring lots of water with you. Enjoy the sand, art, and the Hands on Children's Museum! We'll be back again in 2013 with plenty of water, ice, and a camera. Sand in the City 2013 will take place August 23 - 25.