A few days into our trip Aunt Nat was able to join us with her boys!! Charlie and Briggen always have the best time together and it was so fun to meet baby Hudson, who had recently turned 2 months old. The boys had a great time at Kids Quest and playing around the house. Charlie and Briggen played a game spanning several days where they pretended to be frogs and it kept them so entertained.
Unfortunately William was sick so we didn't get to see his family until just before leaving, but they did stop by for an hour so we could meet baby Crusoe, who was born just before the New Year. He was still so tiny and new. We are thrilled to have another boy cousin added to this crazy crew!
Kids Quest is always a highlight - the box room can keep those boys busy for literal hours
Doing a puzzle together
Throwing rocks down at the water. The lake had risen all they way up to the Wiseman's patio.
Two little bear cubs - nice to meet you Hudson!
Fun times on the sport court
Best buddies since birth
I always laugh at this photo because the angle makes Briggen look tiny even though they're actually the same size in real life
Meeting Crusoe, only 2 weeks old
Heading back home after a wonderful trip
The trek home from Seattle to Amarillo is often long and involves multiple flights. This time our itinerary was 10 hours and Griffin didn't fall asleep until the last hour. Luckily we had an empty seat on our row and he was free to play and sleep instead of having to sit on my lap.
Washington was calling to me extra hard this year since it was a Texas Christmas and two new nephews had been born since our summer trip. And if we waited all the way until the next July to visit, they would be big. So the logical move was to get there sooner! The boys and I flew to Seattle from Dallas after the holidays wrapped up, while Dave drove the two bigger kids back home to Amarillo.
Flying out of Dallas always means a pre-flight stop at Dunkin for a donut! Also my greatest hack for flying with kids is to bring your own garbage bag. So much easier than trying to collect trash in a little cup or shove it in the seat pocket.
Washington welcoming me home with a lovely sunrise
Cute pics of the boys from when we went down to the water to throw rocks
We spent a night at the cabin and there was lots of snow! This was Griffin's first real snow experience since last year he was still a baby and too young to go out and play.
Griffin helping Paco shovel
Charlie helped me build a snowman and then went inside to eat a snow cone
I got to have a ski day with my dad at Central, thanks to Grandmari watching the boys
Charlie, yet again, sleeping somewhere other than bed
My first ever Escape Puzzle! The story behind this one was you stumbled into a witch's kitchen while foraging in the forest. By looking for clues and solving riddles hidden in the puzzle, you would find which ingredient in the room would save your life. Unique and fun!
The boys got to model a new pattern for Aunt Amy' business. The was the Grow With Me Pullover. Both boys are actually wearing the same size, so it really does fit over the span of a few years!
It's hard to play outside in January, but when it wasn't raining, the boys had fun on the sport court
Off to Seattle!! We always love escaping the Texas summer heat for the cooler Northwest weather. On this trip we wasted no time and went straight from the airport to our first activity - seeing Thomas the Tank Engine at the railroad near Snoqualmie! We didn't pay to ride on Thomas because tickets were crazy expensive, but it was exciting for the kids just to watch the train leave the station. This was his last day in town and we were glad to catch him before he moved on the the next city.
The kids love when we fly out of Love Field in Dallas because there is a Dunkin right past security, so if we aren't short on time, we normally stop for a pre-flight treat
Beautiful views of Rainier on our flight in
Always nice when we can get an extra middle seat so Griffin doesn't have to be a true lap child
I was the only one not wearing blue - oops
Charlie is our primary train lover and was so happy to meet Thomas
Totem pole with Grandmari
KidsQuest is always a great activity for those inevitable rainy days. Plus the kids are always up bright and early ready to go somewhere with the time change so this was an easy morning activity!
The boys and I flew to Seattle again at the beginning of December to make one last use of our Southwest Companion pass before it expired at the end of the year. It was a crazy time of year to plan a last minute trip and our itinerary was brutal (10 hours with 2 layovers), but it was worth it! There are so many fun things to do this time of year and we loved being able to do it all with grandparents!
We were lucky to get an empty middle seat on all three flights. The Dallas to San Jose leg was a really close call, and I was so relieved to not have to hold Charlie on my lap for 4 hours while pregnant.
Charlie loved this drumming Santa decoration. He's been entertaining grand kids for the last 10 years and will hopefully live on for 10 years more.
My mom found some of the famous Trader Joes melting snowmen at her local store! I had her get me a few to take back home as gifts, and of course we let Davey test one to just make sure they were good and he loved it!
My puzzle helper
The Bellevue Festival of the Nativity takes place the first week of December and we have always wanted to go, but are never in town that early. I was so glad that our visit this time was during the Festival! They set up an amazing display of over 500 nativities from all around the world.
Davey in the dress up room as one of the wisemen
Davey liked this nativity because it was blue
We also enjoyed the lights at the Botanical Gardens and then drove over to Bellevue Square for the Snowflake Lane parade. We tried to go to the parade last year just a few days before Christmas and the crowds were crazy! This time we had great seats and the boys loved all the music, dancers, and floats.
We also made a visit to Redmond Town Square's Winter Wonderland Village. We rode the carousel (lucky Davey got the dragon) and the little train.
I saw this with my dad while my mom watched the boys. It was so good! The guy was changing back and forth between Daniel and Mrs. Doubtfire right on stage, just like the movie.
Poor Charlie came down with a double ear infection in the middle of our trip. We were able to find an Urgent Care and start antibiotics that night, which helped so much.
We went up to the cabin one night with my parents and brother's family for a delicious dinner, games, and football. There was not enough snow to play in, but the boys still had fun with all the toys. Hopefully next year there will be lots of snow when we come so we can ski!
We drove from the cabin to downtown Seattle to see the gingerbread display at the Sheraton and the Teddy Bear Suite at the Fairmont. My dad dropped us off at the door both times so wouldn't have to find parking and walk with the boys through the city. They loved both displays!
There was a life size gingerbread house you could walk through at the Fairmont. It smelled so good!
Davey loved this giant bear in the Teddy Bear Suite
On our last morning Paco took the boys down to the lake to throw rocks. Davey was having a hard time understanding why we couldn't also swim or go on the boat.
Thanks for having us Grandmari and Paco - we can't wait to come back with the rest of the family next Christmas!!
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