Seattle Trip

[subtitle: Only our second 4-day trip together without the kids in the past 3 years. A couple of overnights here and there, but that's about it]

We were very lucky this year to be able to take a trip together without the kids. Jason had a conference to attend in Seattle, and I was able to go with him. It's a great way to take trips because his airfare and the hotel are paid for, so it's really just my airfare and spending money we need. The last time we did a trip like this was two years ago, for this very same conference, to Montreal. Grandmas Di & Peg came to stay with the kids, and MeMe and Hat-Dad were on call as needed.

Jason flew out on Wednesday, and I flew out on Friday. The time change was exhausting, but having time on my own was great. We had a nice dinner Friday night, and Saturday morning we walked around the city and had a great breakfast. We found a French restaurant and got to have strong coffee, beignets, and yummy egg scrambles.

Saturday afternoon Jason had more work to do, so I got to go to a spa. Massage, lounging, and swimming for a couple of hours was awesome! And then shopping - our hotel was right in the middle of a great shopping area. I barely made it back in time for our dinner plans!

On Sunday morning we walked around Pike Place Market and saw the famous fish throwing guys. I just kept thinking about all the scenes from Sleepless in Seattle that took place there. :) In the afternoon we decided to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island. It was a beautiful ride, though cloudy. We ate at a great pub, did a little shopping and walking, and then took the ferry back.

View from the Ferry

Self-portraits on the ferry

On Monday morning we had a little time to take one more walk and drink more amazing coffee before we got on the plane. The most exciting part was that we finally saw the sun, and the mountains!

It was a long plane ride back, and we were exhausted at work the next day. Still, it was worth it to have a few days to relax and spend time together. :)

Fun with Goggles

Sheesh. Two weeks since my last post, and I still haven't finished with vacation pictures. I may still be posting about the vacation at Thanksgiving. I have a whole CD of pictures that Grandma Di took and I haven't even looked at them yet. I'm determined to get to it, though! It's just so hard when I don't even get any "me" time until 8:30pm, and then I'm tired enough to go to bed by 9:30pm.

So while you're waiting for beach pictures, here are some pictures of the kids playing with goggles in the bathtub. After Abby almost stole some other kid's goggles at the pool, I got them some cheap ones from the grocery store. They loved them! And, I made the serendipitous discovery that they don't complain as much about their hair getting rinsed when they're wearing the goggles.

Beach Vacation: Playgrounds

We explored every playground we could find during the week we were at the beach. We found a small one shaped like a pirate ship:

 

 They enjoyed practicing their tummy swinging technique

There was also a secret clubhouse inside the pirate ship

There was a fun playground near the lighthouse that had tire swings made to look like horses.

Abby and Zoey were quite adventurous on the slide and monkey bars

And a few more pics of the playground at our resort. Lots of fun!

It was so hard to wear these kids out on vacation! Every day we had to take them to the playground, and the pool/beach, and for a walk. I think I got more exercise on vacation than I usually do at home! (and we still had trouble getting them to take naps)

Beach Vacation

Good thing we brought our wagon! Every day we walked a few blocks to the beach with the kids in the wagon, while someone else drove the car over to the parking lot with all our stuff. Much easier than buckling the kids up every day, and gave us a little exercise.

And a big bonus - there was a great playground near the beach and pool - with a triple slide!

Beach Vacation - The beginning

We saved our beach vacation for the third week in September - rates go down, it's not as hot, and it's not as crowded. We'll continue to do this until the kids are in school, since it gives us something to look forward to all summer.

This year, we rented a house with my parents (MeMe and Hat-Dad) and Grandmas Di & Peg. It was a nice house with plenty of space and a pool out back. Getting there was no fun, though. On the way to the coast we hit a major traffic snarl due to road closures, and the drive that normally takes 5-6 hours took 11-12. It was pretty horrible. No pictures from that day - too traumatic for all of us.

The first full day there, we spent most of the time at the house. Blowing bubbles with Grandma Di was a big event.

One other fun pic from the first day - the best bunk bed we've ever seen. We removed the ladders so the kids couldn't climb to the top, but we're thinking this may be a great bed for them to have someday - a full bed on the bottom, and two separate twin beds on top. We did our best to have them sleep in their sleeping bags on the floor so we wouldn't have to worry about anyone falling out of the full, but...

Stay tuned for more pictures and stories from the rest of the trip soon!

Aquarium

On the Friday of our vacation, it was cool and rainy, so we went to the aquarium. The babies were glad that GM & GG had bought them matching Duck, NC sweatshirts, since I hadn't remembered to pack any warm clothes for them. They had a good time running around and looking at fish, and thankfully we got there right when it opened so it wasn't too crowded.

Entering the aquarium - we only brought the single stroller in, and the crew took turns getting in and out of it while the others either ran around or were carried.


"Resting" with the girls


Look how small I am next to this sign!


Catching a ride


This was the one moment that Lucas stood still outside


Abby loved picking up pine cones


Last look at the outdoor water features before leaving


It was fun to introduce them to a new place, and we were proud of them for being the least whiny toddlers there! :)

Beach days

We had a few days of really good weather during our trip. We got into the routine of going to the beach early (8:30ish), then the pool (10ish), then home by 11ish to do baths, lunch, and nap. It was certainly not the kind of beach vacation where we could just lie in the sand and read, but it was fun to watch the babies discover new things.

By the third day we really had to chase after Abby on the beach



One day we dug a hole for each of them to sit in

they loved it when we gave them pails of water to pour on themselves





Playing nicely together


Zoey needed some time to hang out in her backpack