We've just come back from our trip to Washington, where we were visiting some long-lost friends and family members. This was our third cross-country trip in the last 13 months - kind of crazy, but Finley and Charlotte are good little travelers.
First, here's a random cute picture of Charlotte all wrapped up after a tubby.
Finley on the plane. Both kids were pretty interested in the goings-on at the airport, as well as the view from the window after takeoff. They were remarkably well-behaved during all of our flights, both coming and going - an occasional mishap or fussing incident, but for the most part they were pretty peaceful.
Our first stop was Puyallup, where we visited Uncle Jason and Aunt Sharon. Here the inside of their new house - very exciting! The kids loved running through the "walls" and checking out the construction stuff that's normally hidden from view.
The next day we went to the Defiance Point Zoo in Tacoma. Finley was reluctant at first, as usual - he only wanted to see "small animals that don't make noises." Here he is looking thoughtfully at some sort of small creature. After a little while, he warmed up and agreed to check out the more exciting big animals, which included tigers, monkeys, polar bears, and walruses!
There was a nice little kids section with a cool double slide at the zoo.
After the zoo, we had a nice leisurely picnic in Defiance Point Park. It was a beautiful day!
Finley with Uncle Jason.
Finley and Charlotte with Aunt Sharon.
The Alsobrook brothers with Charlotte.
After our visit, we drove to Rockport, a tiny town in the North Cascades (Jason and Sharon very generously loaned us their second car, which was a huge help). We stayed in a nice little cabin with a great little playground that the kids loved.
Charlotte enjoying more great weather at the playground.
From Rockport, it was a reasonably short trip to Winthrop, where we visited Andrew and Danielle, our old friends from Pocatello days. We had a great time catching up and hanging out, and we went for a nice little hike on a beautiful day.
The kids absolutely loved running around and playing with Marit, Andrew and Danielle's daughter. Finley said that his favorite part of the trip was "playing with that little girl."
Our family next to a nice river in the middle of the gorgeous Cascades.
Finley and Marit - good little hikers.
Charlotte got tired in the hot, hot weather and ended up riding in the pack. This little carrier was a lifesaver - when you cart a three-year-old all over the state of Washington, she's going to need a break now and then.
Our final stop was Seattle, where we stayed with Malcolm and Megan, our friends from Walla Walla days. The kids were in love with their little Simon, who is just 10 weeks old. They had a great time chattering to him, making faces, and generally showering him with affection.
We went for some nice little excursions in Seattle, including a trip to a great beachside park, a visit to the Fremont Troll and a fantastic chocolate shop, and a walk around the Ballard Locks. There was a great little interactive model of the locks where the kids could press buttons and switches to make the locks open and the ships move through - pretty cool stuff.
Overall, it was a great trip. It was incredibly nice to catch up with so many of our special people in Washington, and we had fun with our various outings to interesting places around the state. We got lucky with excellent weather, and even luckier with our kids, who handled all the back-and-forth as well as we could have hoped. It's nice to be back home, but we're looking forward to our next chance to see all of our friends again!
No comments:
Post a Comment