Memorial Weekend in Seattle

We decided to take advantage of the holiday weekend and head out to a world unknown, or at least to explore a new city. We planned our trip to Seattle and set out on our adventure (an hour and half later than scheduled). We were amazed to find out that we had to drive about 130 miles before we saw trees again and more than just sage brush. We drove through the Cascade Mountain Range and it was refreshing to see lakes and lots of pine trees.

We were fortunate enough to hang out with one of my old roommates from Ricks and her family in Port Orchard. Our kids had a great time playing together and we're pretty sure it made for Brandon's best day ever. He rode in a kayak, a motor boat, and a ferry all in one day! He also found some crabs while Kelsie built a sandcastle with her friend and decorated it with shells. Kelsie also rode in the kayak and saw a starfish and lots of jellyfish! We took the ferry into Seattle and got to see the city at night. It was really cool to see the skyline all lit up with the lights. We finally arrived at our hotel downtown around 10 p.m., and after unloading everyone and everything we crashed for the night.

The next day, we ventured out into the city and walked through Pike Place Market and down to the waterfront. Pike Place was really cool with tons of vendors selling everything from fresh seafood to knicknacks and flowers. Down by the waterfront, we searched for pirate ships and any other kind of boat we could see. There was a carousel ride for the kids and a pirate store, which of course, we had to check out. We had a good time walking around and taking in all there was to see. We also drove to West Seattle to Alki Point where we were able to see a lighthouse and spend the afternoon at the beach. The kids had a great time playing in the sand and throwing rocks in the water. Kelsie even found an arm of a crab! That night we treated ourselves to fish & chips and chowder at Ivar's Seafood Bar for dinner and walked along the waterfront one more time.

The next day we went to the Seattle Center in search of the Space Needle and the Pacific Science Center (Wally's personal playground). We were able to see all sorts of exhibits including The Tropical Butterfly House and the IMAX movie, Dinosaurs Alive 3D. Wally rode the High Rail Bicycle that was 15 feet off the ground while we all oooed and ahhhed. We all had a great time and really enjoyed all the different exhibits and things to do. We also walked around to see the Space Needle and the Folk Life Festival around the Seattle Center.

On our way home we stopped by the Seattle Temple and also made a stop to see Snoqualmie Falls to enjoy another waterfall. We really had a great time in Seattle and can't wait to go back! It is so fun to visit big cities and see what they have to offer. Some of our favorite vacations have been to places like Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, and yes, even Boston. Seattle is now right up there with all the others.

Here are some more pictures from our weekend and the last one, a particular favorite!

Aaaaaaaaargh!

Brandon decided a couple weeks ago that he really wanted to get a pirate ship to play with. I told him that if he worked really hard and saved his money that he could buy one. He thought that would be a good idea, so he started doing "extra" jobs around the house. I got him to do things like unload the dishwasher, take out the trash, weed the garden, fold laundry, the list could go on and on. During this whole process, we had to go back to the store to "see how the pirates are doing" and "make sure they are ok." After a couple long weeks of lots of jobs and saving his money, he finally had enough money to buy his toy. He was sooooo excited. I took him to the bank to exchange all his nickels and quarters into dollar bills and headed out to the store. By this time, I'm sure you can imagine, the excitement was almost too much to handle. Sadly, when we got to the toy isle, the pirate ship that he wanted was sold out. We drove around Richland for a couple of hours to different stores to see if they had the right one and didn't find it anywhere (Wally was even on the phone calling places to see if they had the right toy so I didn't have to wander aimlessly through all the stores). Luckily, Grandma Watkins found it at the store in California and agreed to send it to him.

He received his package in the mail yesterday morning and has been playing the pirates ever since. He even took them to bed with him last night. We realized how big of a deal this really was when he woke up this morning at 4:30 a.m. and came into our room asking Wally to help him turn on the light. He couldn't find his pirates and was wide awake, ready to play with them. He was pretty upset when Wally told him that he couldn't get out of bed or play with his pirates until it was light outside, but went back to bed patiently waiting. He was still awake an hour later when Caleb woke up to eat. Needless to say he loves his pirates. He played with them again ALL day long and fell asleep before he could ask to take them to bed with him. We are just hoping that he sleeps longer tomorrow morning and still wakes up eager to play with his pirates!

Life is good

Happy Mother's Day to all the women in my life! I had a great day that started off with breakfast in bed, cards, and homemade gifts. I especially liked overhearing Kelsie and Brandon outside cutting roses off the rose bush for me and Brandon whacking at them with his batman sword. Kelsie and Brandon sang Mother's Day songs with the primary during church today and have been telling me "Happy Mother's Day!" all day. Wally has taken over the cooking and more importantly, dirty diapers.

Today has made me think about being a mom and all that goes with it. Now that we have three kids, life is a lot more hectic and a lot more fun. Sleepless nights with Caleb are quickly forgotten with a big smile on his face in the morning. Bumps and bruises are kissed away and a new pirate adventure begins with Brandon. The innocence of childhood shines through with imagination and creativity from Kelsie. To be a part of all of this brings me so much happiness. I know first hand that there are times that are better than others, but in the end life is still good. Watching my kids growing, learning, and developing new talents is so rewarding to me. After all, isn't that what being a mom is all about?

Palouse Falls

We decided to venture out of the Tri-Cities today to find Palouse Falls. The falls were named after the Palouse Indians and has a very unique history. It was a beautiful day to go sight-seeing, so we spent some time admiring the falls and the surrounding area.




























There were some pretty wild flowers along the path. Brandon, our fearless leader, showed us the way.






































Kelsie, on the other hand, was a little freaked out about encountering a snake (thanks to her dad). A nice shot of the attitude we get so often! We were also able to get a cool shot of a rainbow from the mist.






































Caleb and I were also there, just not represented in pictures. He was under a blanket the whole time and I had the camera. We had a lot of fun exploring today and I can't wait to plan our next adventure!

Idol, Musical, Miles, and Smile's!

Along with the rest of America, American Idol has been a "must see" at our house. This is the first year that we have really gotten into the show and have really enjoyed it! We've rocked with Gina, cried with Haley, lived through Sanjaya, and bee bopped with the best of 'em. To our surprise, however, Kelsie has become quite the fan. She looks forward to watching it every week and has her heart set on Jordin to win the ultimate idol title. I was very proud when I heard her singing outside at the top of her lungs, "livin' on a prayer" over and over and over again. The other night we were trying to encourage her to read her book from school and Wally said, "How do you think Jordin knows all those words in the songs? She reads a lot and learns a lot of words that way!" Kelsie's response: "Well, I already know how to sing..." It took all I had not to start laughing! Of coarse I believe that Kelsie can do anything that she sets her mind to and I will in no way keep her from achieving her dreams, we just might need to invest in some singing lessons!

The other huge thing at our house right now is High School Musical. We have listened to the cd thousand's of times, watched the movie over and over again, woken up in the middle of the night singing "Soarin', flyin'..." and have even learned the dance to the final song. Just when I thought we had all we could handle of the show, there is a concert out now and a sequel coming out soon. Even though it gets on our nerves, it is really funny to hear Brandon break out in song while he's playing pirates. Nothing strikes fear into the heart of an enemy sea captain when he hears a 3 year old pirate belting out "Together, together, come on let's have some fun!"

Last Saturday we participated in the Family Adventure Bike Race here in Richland. It was designed along the Colombia River bike trail with 5 challenges along the way each family had to complete. Upon completing the challenges, you would draw from a deck of face cards and get as many points as the value of the card (ace=1, king=13). At the end of the race the points were added up and the family with the highest points won the grand prize. Kelsie and Brandon were very excited to race and rode their bikes with Wally and completed all the tasks (Caleb and I walked part of it and then met them at the finish line). Most everyone on the race was very impressed with Brandon's biking abilities and Kelsie kept everyone moving being the leader. After FOUR long miles (that's right, FOUR) and having completed all the tasks, we were lucky enough to be the family with the highest number of points and won the grand prize. Call it luck, but now we have a party package at the laser tag place here in town and a gift certificate to a bike shop. We all had a really good time and are proud of Brandon and Kelsie for finishing the race. We knew it took it's toll on Brandon when he woke up in the middle of the night because "my legs hurt"! We'll definitely be doing this again next year!

Caleb has reached another milestone in his few months with us. He has started to laugh and is smiling a whole lot more. It is hard to get a good picture, but we were fortunate enough to get a little video of a big smile to leave you with. Enjoy!

A new canvas to "paint" on . . .

Brandon decided to experiment with a marker this afternoon and just about scared me to death when he came inside! It was just too funny!

Flower Power

I practiced some more with the camera tonight and was pretty pleased with the results. I have been working on macro photography (really, really, really close) and thought I'd try it out on some flowers we bought to brighten our porch. I don't mean to brag, but then again, I've posted them here for all to see! The best part is that these are all straight out of the camera, with a little sharpening for the web. By the way, check out the water droplets!