This week we played with hoses and water and mud, and the girls both hiked all the way up and down Notch Hill (which would have made some fantastic pictures overlooking Nanoose Bay and the strait, but of course we can't find the camera) and identified a few plants because Annie has become interested in which wild plants are edible and which are not, they have drawn with crayons and markers, and today they are painting with tempura paints.  Annie also learned to make scrambled eggs and pancakes on the stove, which at five was an a bit of adventure because she would forget and try to use the non-spatula hand, but she made some really good eggs.   We also walked about 6 kilometers one day to the mall from our house where there was a farmer's market (the market turned out to be a disappointment but I'll save that post for another day) and back again and Annie's clothing choices were left completely up to her based on her observation of the weather.  Autumn was in my polar fleece sling and at 2.5 she is getting a little heavy, so her hike up Notch Hill was a relief because I think she'll be almost done with riding around like a kangaroo.  The pattern I used to make my sling was from Jan Andrea, but she has a whole bunch of other information on other patterns as well.