Annual Trip "Home", to Seattle.

We went to eat.  And eat, we did!  Every single one of us indulged in the delectible delights that Seattle has to offer.  We missed our favorite breakfast spots.  But that's because they had hearty breakfasts available every morning at the hotel.  And why pay for breakfast, if you can get it for free?

We flew in to Seattle the first week of October.  We haven't been to the Seattle airport for two years.  Because, last year we flew in to Portland, and drove up to Seattle.  We were "business as usual", and hauled the children, and all of our luggage to the the place we were accustomed to going to get on a shuttle to get our rental car.  This means taking several elevators, crossing a skybridge, and a road to a waiting area.  Only this time, when we got there we found that SeaTac airport had changed things up on us; and that the busses to the car rentals were in a completely different place.  When we FINALLY made it to the car rental bldg. I stood in a ridiculously long line to obtain our rental car.  When it was eventually my turn, the gal helping me told me that since I was an Enterprise Rental Car VIP, I could have skipped the line.  I think I nearly popped a blood vessel in frustration.

It would have been nice if there were signs indicating that fact somewhere at the Enterprise counter!

Much later than I had anticipated.... We were on our way to the hotel.

Our rental car was a Jeep Liberty.  It was spacious enough to fit all three car seats on one row.  But I'd never consider buying one.  It had no shocks, and the turning radius on it was non-existent.

Cohen's already learned how to play the "I'm not touching you game".

We've tried many different hotel properties in the Seattle area.  This trip I found a "keeper".  We stayed at the Bellevue Marriott Residence Inn.  It was perfect, in every way.

After we checked in to our room we headed straightaway to..... Where else?! McCormick & Schmick's.  We were all in need of some delicious seafood.

Then, we took the kids to the Kids Cove playplace at Bell Square to burn off some energy. After that, we called it a day.

 

DAY 2:  We went to the Seattle Aquarium.  The kids LOVED it!  And I have to say that it is much improved over the last time I was there.  It was at this point that I discovered that my beloved point-and-click Nikon camera was showing it's age.  I couldn't get it to take a picture that wasn't blurry!  Nick fiddled with it for quite a while, and couldn't fix it either.  So, I had to use our iPhones to photograph the entire trip.

At one point, something posessed Elsa to start running around with the stroller.  Watch out!  That girl is ca-razy!

We took the kids back to the hotel for naps, and my BFF, Kris, came and picked me up to take me to lunch.  We ate at: Wild Mountain Cafe.  It was c'est Magnifique!  Kris always knows the best places to eat.

We had a long leisurely lunch, and then we drove to U-Village; where we met up with Nick and kids.  Kris treated us all to some Trophy cupcakes (I personally, think that Cupcake Royale is better.  But Trophy cupcakes are no slouch). 

My children played on the playground at U-Village.  And then Reagan discovered the fountains.  So we let her play in the water.

Nick had dinner at Kidd Valley.  He's a big fan of their garlic french fries.  I was still full from lunch and cupcakes.

DAY 3:  No.  It's not my Halloween costume.  I woke up that morning with an awful allergic reaction.

My entire face was swollen.  And the kids were all leary of Mommy's new "look".  To this day, I have no idea what brought this on?  Even after taking 2 Claratin the swelling didn't entirely subside.  I was still puffy 48 hours later.

This was the morning we had planned on going to Pike Place Market.  As luck would have it, I had left my sunglasses at home.  So, I scoured the market looking for a cheap pair of shades to cover my temporary deformities. 

I thought it was ironic that: on the days when you're in a hurry; and you want people to leave you alone, the street vendors- selling knock-offs- won't get out of your face.   But on the days that you are actually seeking out their wares, you can't find them to save your life!  As was the case that morning.  I had never wanted to see a table with fake DG's and Chanel so much as I did then.

Instead, I had to settle for a broken pair of ugly white sunglasses that I found in one of the Asian grocery's. 

We ate doughnuts.  Taxi Dog was closed, much to Nick's disappointment.  Elsa and Nick shared a sweet Phiroshky, while Cohen and Reagan helped me eat a cheese, garlic, and onion Phiroshky.

We watched cheese being made at Beecher's.

The girls posed for a picture on the pig.

And we made it back to the hotel just in time for more naps. 

When the kids were awake, we picked up an order of food from Yeh Yeh's vietnamese deli; and got ready to party!  Reagan's friend, Miles, and his delightful Mommy, Janetta came to the hotel to play.  As did, Vanessa (also wonderful, and multi-talented) and her children: Vivi, and Malcom.  Both families were friends of ours from our days in Lake Forest Park.

We all had dinner, and went swimming at the hotel.  We were the only ones in the pool.  It was great!

After swimming, we got the kids to pose for pictures.

DAY 4: We took the kids to the fall festival at Reminlinger Farms.  I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't spent most of the time feeling the "smart" from the hit my wallet took paying for admission to the farm. Ouch!  A little overpriced, if you ask me.

But the girls had a good time.

Minus Elsa still being terrified of rides.

As soon as the ferris wheel started moving, Elsa hit the deck!  And stayed there for the duration.  She comes by it honestly.  I hate ferris wheel's too.

Both girls liked the Merry-Go-Round.  Turn a blind-eye to the fact that Elsa still has a binky. 

They rode the ponies. 

 And the canoes.

And the train.  I'm still a little swollen in this pic.

 

We left the farm, and I abandoned Nick (again); to have lunch at Palomino with my good friend, Kathleen.

I came back and we took the kids to the Ballard Locke's to see the boats.

Reagan and Elsa spent a lot of time running around, trying to catch a squirrel.  There were a few times I was scared they might actually succeed!

DAY 5:  We headed down to the newly completed Juanita Beach Park, on Lake Washington.  There was a chill in the air, but that never stops my children from doing anything.

In to the water they went. In fact, this is how they were dressed to begin with: 

By the end of our adventure, both girls had shed their jackets and their pants.  It was a good thing Reagan's shirt was long enough to (possibly?) be mistaken for a dress.  Elsa's still in diapers, so I think she's young enough to get away with running around without bottoms on her bum.

Kris met us at the beach with her mellow pug, Apollo.

The kids couldn't get enough of him. 

And Elsa couldn't stop kissing him. 

I'm sure you can guess what we did next.  I'm predictable.  Yep.  The kids took naps at the hotel.

Then, we boarded the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. Nick made me drive.  In all the time we lived in Seattle Nick never took the ferry!  For me, it was "old hat".  When I worked at Viking Bank I did regular client calls to Bainbridge Island, and Poulsbo.

Elsa fell asleep in the car, so on the trip over Nick took Reagan and Cohen aboveboard, and I stayed with Miss-sleepyhead.

Elsa woke up right before we docked.  And she was grumpy.  Everyone was hungry.  

There are so many quaint places to eat on Bainbridge Island!  But the thought of taking my ornery kids to a sit-down restaurant was scary.  We opted, instead, to do drive-thru at McDonalds.  Sacrilege, I know.

We enjoyed the scenic drive from Bainbridge to Kingston.  Where we boarded another ferry and went to Edmonds.  This time, we all got out of the car and enjoyed the views. 

We made a pit-stop at Ivar's, before heading back to the hotel.  I had the fried clams, and Nick had the clam chowder.  Not as good as Duke's Chowder House (sadly, another place we missed); but did I mention that I could only handle so much sit-down dining with the ankle-biters?

DAY 6: Our flight was scheduled to depart at 9AM.  I kept the kids in their PJ's.

For the most part, everyone travelled beautifully.  My own belief is that Southwest Airlines is the most family-friendly airline. 

We've been back for a week, and I told Nick that it seems as though we brought home a completely different baby from Seattle, than the one we took with us!  So many things about Cohen have drastically improved.  All of the sudden, he is sleeping through the night.  He was such a happy little guy on the trip, and that demeanor has continued.

It was a refreshing vacation for all of us.  I think our love-affair with the Emerald City is 100% warranted.

Nick spent the entire trip trying to "sell" me on relocating back to Seattle.  After all, he said; "We have no reason to stay in Utah".  He is on the money with that observation!  So, I told him we'd evaluate things in the spring. 

Who knows?!  If we have the usual cold, snowy UT winter... I may be chomping at the bit to pack our bags.  Permanently.