8 Years.

On March 5th Nick and I celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary.  We "went big" and decided a trip to Seattle was in order.  At Christmas, Nick gave Lance (our nephew) his extra XBOX 360.  Don't ask why Nick even had an "extra" XBOX 360.  It's one of those things that you learn to overlook when you're married.  The same way Nick just shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head at my collection of handbags.

Anyway, Jeff asked if he could pay us for the XBOX?  I told him that he could repay us in childcare!  So, Heather and Jeff ended up watching my kids for 3 days while Nick and I went on our trip.

Nick and I went straight to Duke's Chowder House, on Lake Union, from the airport.  Of course, eating good food was ONE of the priorities on this trip.

We booked a room at the Courtyard hotel in Kirkland.  The pictures on the Internet were a lot nicer than the hotel was, in person.  Of course, the hotel wasn't a dump, but in hindsight I wished I had paid a little extra and reserved a room at a Marriott property in downton Seattle.

That first evening, we went to dinner with my "bestie", Kris, and her husband, Phil.  They treated us to dinner at La Rustica.  The Italian cuisine was heaven on earth!  I had the spaghetti with meatballs, but the meatballs were made of lamb, and were seasoned with mint!  Divine, I tell you!  If you are ever in Seattle, seek this place out (and get there early!  There are only a dozen, if that, tables available).

The next morning Nick and I resurrected an old tradition.  We got up early headed to Pike's Place Market.  We meandered through the market and partook in all of our favorite foods.  Of course, the mini donuts are my own favorite.  We used to do Pike's for breakfast, at least once a month, when we lived in Seattle.  It never gets old.  

Around lunchtime I forced Nick in to going shopping.  We went to the outlets in Marysville.  I really wanted to visit the Kate Spade store.  I have always loved her handbags!  Her style is just up my alley!  I adore the clean lines, and structure she uses in her designs.  Nick kindly purchased a purse for me, but I have to wait until my birthday, before I get it.

While we were shopping I started getting queasy.  I tried to ignore it.  Because, we were in the land of culinary delights!  Nothing was going to keep me from my food!
We drove to Bellevue, and went to McCormick & Schmicks to get an early dinner.  I had been looking forward to this meal, most of all.  Nick and I are "Preferred Guests/members" at McCormick, and I had a $25 birthday credit on my McCormick account.
I ordered my meal, and had started on my salad when I realized I couldn't fight my sickness any longer.  I excused myself from the table and high-tailed it to the bathroom.  After I threw up, I felt better, but I couldn't eat.  I sat at the table and watched Nick eat, not only, his entire entree, but mine as well.

Since I wasn't feeling up to participating in any nightlife.... We went back to the hotel.  I talked Nick in to renting Argo (he hates Ben Affleck, so this took some doing, on my part).  We watched the movie, and I can say that I liked it.  I think Nick still hates Ben Affleck.  Also, I had a few more incidents with vomiting.
Apparently, I came by my tummy-troubles honestly.  My sister told me that my children were puking while I was gone.
Of course, I felt bad that my sister had been cursed with MY sick children.  But I wasn't as mortified as I would have been if I had left my kids with just a friend.  Is that a double-standard?  While I'm at it, I might as well admit that my first thought was, "Hooray, this time around it doesn't mean extra laundry for me to do!".  My second thought was, "My poor sister, and my poor kids!".
That sister of mine, she's a good egg.    I'm lucky to have her.

The next morning, my stomach was feeling better.  I really wanted to go to Sunflour Bakery, or Voula's for breakfast.  But the whole "Reagan and Nick missing their flight in Tampa, and having to fly standby" incident was still fresh on Nick's mind.  So, Nick wanted to be to the airport as early as possible, just to be (in my opinion, unnecessarily) early for our flight.  On the way to the airport we stopped at Top Pot Donuts and picked up breakfast.  I don't think Donuts, in any form, are anything to sneer at; so I was happy with breakfast.

The airplane, on the way home was very close to Mt. Rainier.  It was pretty cool.

Our kids were happy to see us, and us them, when we got home.  I think it will be a while before we venture out without our children again.  Having adults-only time away is fun.  But vacationing with our kids is even more fun!

It Hasn't Been All Bad...

The end of February and beginning of March were tough to get through.  This past winter was the most miserable I can remember experiencing in, well, ever!  I thought the cold and snow would never end.  I felt like everyone in our neighborhood was hibernating (my family included).

Stir-crazy, cabin-fever, whatever you want to call it; we had it!

I made an appointment for haircuts.  Reagan, Cohen, and I had trims.  Elsa has still not had a pair of scissors touch her hair, and it may yet be a while before she does!  So, at least we looked presentable, even though there was no one to look good for. 

My carpet cleaner was working massive overtime!  Not only was it doing "the usual" cleaning of the carpet due to dirt/snow being tracked in the house... But it also did stints cleaning up (on multiple occasions): Reagan's throw-up, "accidents" from (STILL) trying to potty-train Elsa, and milk that spilled on the upholstery in my car (OK, fortunately that was only a one-time thing).  One morning, in early March, things started to warm up; and all of the snow was rapidly melting.  The drain in the outside stairwell filled up very quickly, and then, so did the stairwell itself!  To prevent our basement from flooding, Nick hooked some plastic tubing up to my carpet cleaner, and started suctioning water from the drain.  He and I took turns "bailing".  We were at it for hours!  Boy, was the snow thawing at a rate equal to our water removal!  In the end, Nick and I figure we moved about 200 Gallons out of that stairwell drain.  It took a lot of work, but at least our basement stayed dry!

The hardest event of the past month was having one of my best friends, move.   Emily, and her wonderful family moved back to Washington State.  Emily was my next-door-neighbor when Nick and I lived in South Ogden.  So, Reagan has known Connor (Emily's son) since she was 6 months old.  They are a month apart in age.  And they have grown in to such good friends.  Emily moved to Kaysville right before we moved to Fruit Heights.  And for a while now, she has been only a two-minute drive from me.  We did a lot together.  I miss her deeply.  Of course, we still chat on a regular basis; and we'll always be friends.  But it is different now that I can't call her on a moments-notice, to hang out.

And these pictures illustrate the kind of relationship Reagan and Connor had.  One minute they loved each other:

 And the next they were rough-housing.  Typical.

Since we couldn't venture outside, I took the kids to a lot of indoor play places.

By mid-March it was plain that the winter had made us all a little nutty!  Elsa was taking her socks off, in the car, and using them as gloves.

 And all of the stickers we acquired, on a trip to Trader Joe's, ended up in the oddest places.

Yessireeeeee, everyone in our household is dying for spring to come!

Dinosaurs

My neighborhood friend, Stephanie, and I took our kids to the dinosaur museum in Ogden.  The first exhibit we saw was of some mechanical/automated dinosaurs.   My (usually too brave for her own good) 2 year old was worried.  She was very cautious.

And then she decided she didn't like those big dinosaurs.  She attached herself to my leg, and didn't let go for the entire time we were on the 2nd floor.

 We went downstairs, and Elsa left my side for a while, to play with the other kids.

Cohen was relegated to the stroller.  And will continue to be on all future outings, until he learns how to walk.  In his defense, he is freakishly tall (and skinny.  hmmm...  like his Daddy, maybe?), so he's got a bit more of a learning curve to overcome, than normally sized children.  But I would like to have a toddler that toddles.  Someday.

We rounded a corner at the museum, and came upon some more giant dinosaurs, and the skull of an enormous crocodile dinosaur.  Elsa went back to being worried.

The rest of us had fun.