Seattle 2017

This summer we took Rachel's invitation to visit her family in Seattle.  

We stopped for lunch on the way at the Twin Falls temple, and then later for a rest stop at the Boise temple.    

The kids loved the road trip activities that Rachel passed on to Renee.  

We stayed the night in Richland, Washington using Jared's hotel points and let the kids swim and get to bed early.  Then Friday morning made our way through Washington to meet Inez and spend the afternoon at her neighborhood park and beach.  

We walked from her condo to the park on a beautiful trail.

The kids were so excited about all the water and the new sights after the 13 hour car ride.
We saw a mother turtle and two babies sunning on a rock.

Inez treated us to Kid Valley Fish and Chips with malted vinegar and other goodies.  

Tessa quickly made friends to play with at the beach after lunch.  

We made it to Rachel's house in West Seattle by 6 and settled in with playtime and a pizza dinner.  

It was great to have a home away from home.  We filled each day with some fun activities, but appreciated the down time, family meals and early bed times with the Thomas'.  

Saturday morning we got to watch Ely's last baseball game.  He did a great job with his fun team!
Church on Sunday was nice too.  It was good to meet lots of friendly Seattle folks and do some non-touristy activities.   

After the game, Rachel took us to Ballard Locks, where the boats travel from Lake Washington to the Sound.  Jonathan got to practice his newest word, "boat."  The day was beautiful and we soaked in lots of new sights.  

Our visited managed to coordinate with a super jazz concert in the park.
The Botanical Garden next to the Locks and the fish ladder were a hit too.  We managed to navigate the crowds and only lose a child once for a couple minutes!  

Rachel's house is a block from an amazing beach.  We squeezed in a few visits with the kids.  They found creatures during low tide, played in the sand, and splashed around in the chilly water.  

Sunday involved some games at home, a walk in the nature reserve, and playtime at Ely's neighborhood and school playground.

Salmon Berries!

Whale Tale Park

**Rachel's Green Smoothies and Good Food**

Monday morning was Ely's last day of school.  We trekked downtown as a family to take a ferry ride to Bremerton.  

We had an hour and a half to explore the Navy Museum and park before catching the ferry back to Seattle.  

After the ferry ride we walked to Pike's Place market.
Jared made it to the front of the line for Piroschky and picked 5 varieties for tasting and sharing: 
cabbage and onion, potato mushroom, potato/cheddar, smoked salmon, and chocolate hazelnut. 
It was a walk back in time to the street vendors in St. Petersburg. 

sights at the market

The gum wall!

Ely and Tessa created a sale (or sail) with all sorts of goods made of paper: watches and bracelets, fans, origami fortune tellers, and railroad tracks.

Jordan claimed Ely's desk each night for bedtime reading.  He was SO kind to let us take over his room.

For our last morning in Seattle, we navigated (with Rachel's help) the C and D bus lines to downtown.  Ely recognized his counselor from the YMCA and they sat and chatted all the way.  She is finishing her teaching degree and was headed to class

Tessa and I thought this tree was so cool, grown from the seed of the tree outside of Anne Frank's window.

hands-on activity at the museum inspired by the Terra Cotta Warrior special exhibit.
It was a big hit with the kids.  I want to do more sculpting and pottery.

Cute bugs outside the Butterfly Garden

The kids sat so quietly to see if the butterflies would land on them.  Look closely at the page on Leisel's lap to see the real butterfly.  

A maze and huge playground next to the Space Needle

When we got home, Rachel and Jared took the kids for a last trip to the beach

Wednesday morning we said goodbye to Luna and the Thomas' and headed home.

Memories and Photos are the best souvenirs.  We'll treasure those fun times in Seattle forever!