Seattle Trip - Part Two

While Daddy was in his training on Tuesday, Mommy joined the kids and grandparents for a day at the beach.  The weather was a little chilly for August, so we stayed out of the water and enjoyed playing in the sand.  Papa found crabs and jellyfish for the kids to touch.  There were a few jellyfish that had died and washed up to shore.  It was really cool to touch them and handle them.

Papa combed the beach for treasure and found some loot buried long ago by a lone pirate who likes to shop at the dollar store (a.k.a. Mommy).

 The girls were in heaven as they uncovered treasure after treasure.  We caused so much commotion that other little kids started digging around where we were hoping to find something too.

It was a beautiful day for the beach.  Tommy kept eating sand - and paid for it the next day with some vomiting and a slight fever.  Thank you for another adventure Puna and Papa.

Tuesday night, Jeremy and I went to Tillicum Village on Blake Island.  We had a lovely ferry ride to the island.  The cruise director told us some history of Seattle and some Native American legends.  We loved the island.  There are spots for beach camping that face Puget Sound and offer gorgeous views of Mt. Rainier.  We'd love to go back and take a day to explore the island and camp overnight.  The dinner was amazing.  The salmon was fantastic.  Jeremy would not try it, but he enjoyed trying everything else - even a clam! It was a beautiful night to be on the water and explore Seattle.  We saw deer, racoons, and I found a beautiful pink shell to bring home as a souvenir. What a great way to celebrate our 15th anniversary!

On Wednesday, Puna and Papa felt brave enough to attempt an all-day outing with the kids.  They decided to visit Woodland Park Zoo.  I asked the kids what they liked best about the zoo and these are the answers I got......

 Annie loved the penguins.  She said they were here absolute favorite part of the zoo.

Lily loved the hippo and elephants.  She was truly amazed at seeing the hippo out of the water.

Tommy can't answer, but we're pretty sure he loved all the loves form Puna!

Lily said she talked to this orangutan.  She was excited that it had auburn hair like her.  On the way home from the zoo, the kids were very hungry and tired.  The girls were grumpy with each other in the back seat.  Tommy threw up all over himself and his car seat - probably from eating so much sand the day before.  By the time Puna and Papa got home from their outing, they were ready to turn the kids back over to Mommy and Daddy.  Three days of chasing three little ones wore our grandparents out!

While everyone else was enjoying the zoo, Mommy and Daddy took a trip to the Seattle Temple.  We participated in an endowment session and then wandered down to the sealing room where we were married 15 years ago.  As we sat in the sealing room we talked about all that has happened in the past 15 years, and what the next 15 years might have in store.  Lily will turn 20, Annie will turn 18 and graduate high school, Tommy will turn 16 and be old enough to drive and date.  So many changes are coming our way in this next season of our life.  It's hard to imagine what 15 years from now will feel like.  We feel so blessed for the life we have and for all that is ahead of us.

One highlight for the kids every time we go to Washington is bathing in Papa's huge bath tub with jets and lots of bubbles.  Annie keeps telling me how she loves Puna and Papa's house because it is beautiful like a hotel and she can swim in the bathtub.  What more could a girl want?

 

 All of a sudden, it was nearly time to leave Washington.  Papa and Daddy took the girls for a little boat ride on Lake Meridian.  Lily loved telling us all about the spider net at the park.  Annie was hoping to see more ducks, but still loved riding with Papa in the boat.  For Papa's birthday we had over some cousins and did a family dinner.  Mommy made blackberry crisp from berries growing right in Puna and Papa's yard.  It was great to see Erin and Danielle and let the children play together.  Papa got a little worn out trying to keep all the hooligans under control.  But we think everyone had fun and the water guns and slip and slide were favorites with all the kids.

Oh how Mommy misses tree lined streets!  It was hard leaving this beautiful place full of people we love.  Thank you Puna and Papa for giving us such a wonderful mini vacation away from the children.  The kids had so much fun with you and made lots of great memories.

Seattle Trip - Part One

We left on August first to go see the Wanners in Washington.  We did a stop over in Meridian with Grammy and Grampy Hall to help break up the drive and so Mommy could do her 11 mile training run Saturday morning.  The drive went well.  the in-car dvd players Jeremy got for his birthday were a lifesaver.  Tommy was super happy to stop near Yakima and get an ice cream cone! 

On Sunday we had a big family dinner with the Thulins.  All the kids loved playing in the water and running around together.  Mommy and Daddy left the party early to check in at a hotel in Seattle for a little 15th anniversary getaway.

 

Our hotel was trying hard to be trendy and the room was very small - but since Jeremy had to do some training in Seattle, his work paid for it - so we weren't about to complain.  We had some excitement one night.  An old Asian woman who didn't seem to speak any English came down our hall knocking on every door and yelling for someone.  We opened our door to try and help her but she was startled that we weren't the people she was looking for.  She didn't apologize, she just kept knocking and yelling.  We thought about calling the front desk but suddenly the noise ended.  She woke us up around 1:30 a.m. and it was tough to get back to sleep.  Oh the joys of city living....NOT!

Jeremy's training went well.  It ended early almost every day so we got to have lunch together and spend the afternoons together too.  Christine got to sleep in, explore downtown, read, and just enjoy a break from being a mom for a few days.  Jeremy's quest for the ultimate burger led us to Relish Burger Bistro at the foot of the Westin in downtown on our first day.  We ordered their signature burgers, onion rings, and a grapefruit-rosemary dry soda.  Everything was delicious, but the bacon was a bit too salty.  The burgers were not disappointing, but not perfect.  Guess we'll have to keep searching.  The soda was so refreshing.  Mommy is still craving the taste.

The service was super slow at the restaurant.  So we pounded down our burgers and then walked/ran a mile and a half to the waterfront to join Puna and Papa and the kids on a ferry ride.  We missed it by three minutes and had to wait 45 minutes for the next ferry.  Mommy was so sad to miss Annie and Tommy's first ferry ride.

We love the sea swirl Puna's hair is doing in this picture.

Puna and Papa took good care of everyone on the ferry.  Tommy wasn't so sure about it at first, but ended up having a good time.  Since they had to wait for us, they got to spend a little time at the beach.

The kids were so excited to show us all the shells they found and tell us about the crabs Papa kept catching.

On the island we stopped at a little Mexican restaurant for dinner.  Daddy saw a vending machine that sells fuzzy mustache stickers and couldn't resist.  Tommy looked so darn cute in it, but he started crying and got frustrated when he couldn't get it off.  Lily and Annie were happy to give it a try.  I love that Annie has it on crooked and off-center.  Too cute.  The serving staff were laughing at the kids taking turns with it.

 Mommy was very happy to ride back with the kids and share that experience with them.

 

Tommy was all smiles and curiosity.  He wanted to look at and touch everything.  People all around us kept commenting on how beautiful he is.  He really liked the ferry and all the nice people.  Lily got a little cold and found a warm place out of the wind to take a rest.  Puna was tired from her first full day of grandma duty and opted to take a nap in the car.  After our ferry ride, we drove to Fremont to see the troll!

The girls were a little scared of the troll at first.  They weren't sure if he would suddenly talk or move.  Once they were satisfied he wouldn't do anything to surprise them, they climbed up to explore.  But Lily kept her stick handy just in case!  We said goodbye that night and the kids went back home with Puna and Papa.

Whew.  That was a long post and it only covered the first two days - more to come soon.

August Catch Up

We spent the first two weeks of August on vacation - not a bad way to start the month, but it sure messed with our little family routine.  When we came back home, the kids were grumpy, Mommy and Daddy were tired, and all of us were in a funk that lasted almost the rest of the month.  Now that we've been home a while, and all of our summer adventures are over, we're feeling well rested and back to our normal selves.  Annie has been a great helper lately and loves cooking with Mommy in the kitchen.  She was especially proud of some french bread we made together.  The loaves look as big as she is!

 We been having friends over a lot.  All of our friends missed us while we were away.  Less than an hour after we got back from our trip, the neighbors came knocking.  Mommy is sort of excited for the routine of school and how it will limit the amount of friends who come to play every day.  It will be nice to have more quiet time with Annie and Tommy while Lily is away.

Jeremy got to go white water rafting with his coworkers.  He is at the top of this picture in the sunglasses, in the last row of people.  The weather was cool and rainy that day, but since they were in the river, it didn't matter much.

We were happy to get back to our garden.  Everything grew about a foot (or more) while we were gone.  We have squash coming out our ears.  We eat it at least twice a day.  We're ready to pull up the plants.

 And of course we were happy to see Uncle Brady again.  No one plays with the kids like Brady does.  They look forward to his Sunday visits.

On one especially grumpy day - after lots of kid fighting and time-outs, Mommy packed all the kids up and took them to a park.  It was just what the kids needed.  They played super hard and stopped fighting with each other.  Then they all fell asleep on the way home and took a good long nap.  Lily conquered the monkey bars for the first time.  And Tommy was fearless on the slides.  He quickly figured out how to climb them all by himself and just played on the slides for 40 minutes.  I love the last picture of Annie.  Someday when she's 25, we'll look back at this picture and I have a feeling she'll practically look the same.

Annie was happy to get back to our kitchen and make bread with Mommy again.  She loves our homemade bread.

 Mommy learned how to can green beans with my friend Katie Wells.  It was a fast process and not nearly as messy or involved as canning fruit.  Since the kids and Daddy love canned beans, we will plant more next year and try canning again.

Our washing machine broke.  It stopped spinning and draining.  We decided that the lid switch was probably out.  Jeremy looked up some videos and links on how to fix it and was able to take care of the problem for free.  What a handy guy!

Time with Lily Bug at home all day long is growing short.  We are all so excited for this next chapter in her life to begin.  But Mommy is really struggling with the thought of Lily leaving.  Have we done enough to teach her and prepare her?  Will she make friends?  Will she handle the Spanish immersion OK?  Does she know hoe much we love her and just want her to be happy?  Will the kids at school be kind?  Will her teacher be great?  So many questions.  They grow up so fast.