Seattle Days 21-25

Day 21 - Tue. July 13th - We went back to the U-pick farms today and picked another batch of raspberries and then the blueberry fields opened that week so we went over there to pick blueberries too. 

The bushes were loaded and sooooo good I could have just stood there and eaten them all day... Paige did! 

There was also a cool old barn just at the end of the field that had the Eddie Bauer logo painted on the side but was weathered so it had been there a while and looked really cool. 

Day 22 - Wed. July 14th - We went to the Big Four Mountains and hike back in to an ice flow that it there year round and creates a giant ice cave down at the base. There were signs all over telling you not to go down by the base of the mountain or into the cave because the ice could be unstable and had actually had someone killed there in a collapse.

The hike was only a mile in and out and most of the trail was paved or board walk and because everything is so heavily wooded it was mostly in the shade so it was a beautiful walk and all the kids did great.

The only mishap was that Caleb wouldn't leave his hat on and dropped it along the trail but luckily we found it on the was back out.

 When we got back out we ate lunch on a lawn where the original Big Four Mountain Lodge once was and the fire place was still there. The drive up was about an hour and a half but it followed along a river with crystal clear water and it was a beautiful view the whole way.

Day 23 - Thurs. July 15th - This was another lazy day hanging around the house. In fact I didn't even get out of my pajamas all day long! 

Day 24 - Friday July 16th - We went to Bothell Park and it had a playground for the kids but right next to it was the original cabin of the first settlers in the area as well as the first school house in Bothell. The park was right along the Sammish river so we walked over this bridge and along a bike trail the followed the river and crossed the river 2 more times before we decided to turn back and head home for lunch.

 Day 25 - Sat. July 17th - We went to the Woodland Zoo. It was pretty cold when we got there and all the kids were complaining of the cold it was only 54 but soon warmed up and we were ok. They have lots of exhibits indoors because the animals can't handle the weather either, which was nice for us at the beginning when everyone was cold. When it did warm up it was still nice because everything was shaded, you can't go wrong with that. They had lots of different animals then the PHX zoo.

They had penguins, jaguar, snow leopard, arctic fox, grizzly bear, and hippos, to name a few. We didn't even see the whole zoo before the kids started having melt downs (especially Caleb, he wouldn't go to sleep in the stroller) but on the way out like everywhere else here there was a nice park right outside the zoo next to the parking lot, by then Caleb was calmed down so they all had to go play for a while. The street we took out of the zoo was called Aurora Ave, we wanted to take a picture of it with Rory standing underneath but there wasn't anywhere for the van to pull over. Seth and Nathan got home from scout camp this afternoon and sounded like they had a good time too. Also tonight for dinner we had a raspberry/blueberry pie made from the berries we picked and it was really good. 

Only 5 more days till we start our trek down to Utah and then another week after that till we get back home. Even though it feels like we've been gone forever, now the end seems like it is coming up fast, maybe it is just the heat I am dreading because it certainly isn't the fact that we will get to see all of you again!

Seattle Days 17-20

Day 17 - Friday July 9th - Today we went to a place called Remlinger farms and went Berry picking. They are a U-pick farm and we were able to pick our own raspberries and strawberries. 

The kids did a great job picking and we really didn't have a problem with them eating them all. Paige even told Mike over skype that " you have to pick the supper dark red ones not the kinda orange ones" so she new what to look for too. We stopped at Costco on the way home to stock up and ate lunch there. It was still pretty warm checking it at 87 degrees so the kids spent the rest of the afternoon out in the play pool in the backyard. While Shelley and I cleaned the berries then made some jam and froze the rest.

Day 18 - Saturday July 10th - We thought we had big plans for today but ended up forgoing the day trip to stay home and clean the house and allow Seth and Uncle Nathan to get everything ready for scout camp. The kids swam again we mostly just hung around the house today and they nice part was it was only 78 degrees. I made enchiladas for the family tonight and I got mixed reviews but it was only half of the little kids who complained which is a given on any night regardless of what we are eating so I'm not taking it personally.

Day 19 - Sunday July 11th - It has continued to cool down as each day goes by which is nice. This morning Adam was sick and throwing up so Nathan stayed home from church with him. We picked up our cousin Jaylin again for church and people asked me if he was my husband since they knew I was there visiting by myself before but nope not my hubby just a cousin. After church we came home and we had made the sweet pork, lime rice and cilantro dressing recipes from Cafe Rio and I made taco salad shells for dinner and we also had Itallian cream sodas to drink and then later after dinner we drove out to the Seattle Temple again so Jaylin could see it and then had a boston cream pie for desert at the park next to the temple before taking Jaylin back to U of W. 

Day 20 - Monday July 12th - The temp was 54 degrees today and rainy, it is crazy to have a temperature change of 40 degrees in a matter of days but it happened! Nathan and Seth left for scout camp this morning and then we took the rest of the kids to the craft store to get some things to make travel kits for the drive down to Utah. We were going to go on a hike to an ice cave but the cold weather and rain changed our plans for us. So another day around the house but the kids also got to pick out a little wood craft kit at the store that they were worked on most of the afternoon so that keep them pretty well occupied. Rory painted a ladybug and Paige glued together and painted a little bird house. I think we may go back to the berry picking farm tomorrow because blueberries just opened today, that is one of the perks about living up here everything grows here and you can get it fresh off the farms!

Seattle Days 10-16

It seems weird even to type day 16 and I was just looking at the calendar and we won't even leave for Utah till day 31 and won't get back home to Arizona till day 37!

Day 10 - Friday July 2nd I started off the day by taking Caleb into the walk in clinic. It was a really nice place but as usual we had to wait forever. Caleb did good though, we did find out that in spite of the las 10 day round of antibiotics he still has a double ear infection. And if that wasn't enough  he also has bronchiospasm which I guess is the beginnings of bronchitis. They did a breathing treatment in the office and the nurses we all very impressed with how well he did with it, he was a perfect patient. So the sent us home with a prescription for another 10 days of antibiotics and a breathing machine to continue the albuterol as needed. We were there for about 2 hours and in hind sight I should've just dropped off the prescriptions on my way back home but I didn't know where to go so I didn't and just cam home to put Caleb down for a nap. Later we all packed up to go out to Lincoln Park Beach on Puget Sound for dinner and dropped off the prescriptions on the way and at the time I didn't think we would have any problems getting back to pick them up by 9pm but I was wrong. Anyway we went to Lincoln Park and ate fried chicken for dinner ( I know you are jealous Mike ) then walked along the beach for  a ways and then let the kids play in the water for a while. 

 

There was a huge drift wood tree stump that they all played on and had a great time. When everyone was cold enough they changed back into dry clothes and we started to walk back up towards the car. There was also a big park up by the car that had a zip line so we had to stop there and let all the kids play on that too. Because it stays light so late here I didn't even realize it was already past 9 o'clock by the time we left so I missed picking up Caleb's medicine. But he did pretty well and we all had a good time.

Day 11 - Saturday July 3rd - We went to Leavenworth. It is this cute little town up in the mountains that looks like you are in the Swiss Alps. All of the buildings have that bavarian look to them. We went because we thought they were going to have a "kinderfest" but it was only on the 4th so we got there a day early. Our cousin Jaylin Jones is doing his grad work a Michigan State but is out in Seattle  for a 3 week conference and has weekends free so he came along too. We walked around town and looked in some of the shops and bought some fudge, the guys took the kids to a park while Shelley and I looked in more shops then we ate dinner at Uncle Ulie's Pub.

Then before heading back home we went out on the grass in the town square and listened to some yodelers it was pretty cool. Oh I forgot on the way up we stopped along the side of the road to play in the Wenatchee River. 

Again the water was freezing but the scenery was beautiful.

Again we were going to pick Caleb's medicine on the way out but it needed to be refrigerated so we decided we'd just get it on the way back but again we didn't get back home till almost 11pm so another day goes by untreated.

Day 12 - Sunday July 4th - Happy Independence Day! Well I felt like my ox was in the mire so I went to the drug store Sunday morning anyway to get Caleb's medicine and much to my dismay the store was open but the pharmacy part was closed for the Fourth!!!! AUGH! He and I stayed home from church in hopes that we both could get some much needed sleep since we'd had a few bad nights but he must have known we were supposed to be at church because he stayed awake the whole time they were gone. We had a nice dinner and Jaylin was with us again. Then after dinner at about 7:30 (even though it was still broad daylight) we started our own fireworks show in the backyard.

We bought some of the ground fireworks and sparklers from one of the many roadside stands and the boys took turns lighting them. Then we even let the little kids have a turn lighting them. The girls thought that was pretty cool to get to light the fireworks.

We had quite a few because it took us about an hour to do then all then came inside to eat apple pie and ice cream. We finally got the little kids to bed about 9 - 9:30pm and I was just sitting on the couch reading when Shelley came down and said "you've got to come out on the roof!"  I went up stairs and climbed out on the roof with Shelley, Nathan, and their older boys and watched fireworks going off all around me in every direction. It was Awesome! It was like the big shows we have at home but it was just people all over town setting them off themselves because they can!

Seriously you could see hundreds of them going off anywhere you looked! It was by far the best fireworks display I've ever seen and I got to watch in my pj's on the roof wrapped in a blanket for free. I just wish it wasn't so late because Rory and Paige would have loved it! Oh did I mention it was really cold outside that night! 

The girls had on jackets and Caleb was wrapped in a blanket and had on a snow hat and mittens while we were doing our show in the back yard. It just seems funny to be all bundled up on the Fourth of July!

Day 13 - Monday July 5th - We finally got Caleb's medicine and then made our way out to Padilla Bay to walk along the shore trail. It was a nice flat trail that was perfect for the stroller so I walked along the trail while the kids walked along the beach looking for shells and other sea life.

Paige found to little tiny crabs and was carrying them around in a bigger shell, she thought she was going to get to keep them and was upset when I told her they had to go back in the ocean.

This particular trail is known for being able to see orca pods out in the bay frequently but since we happened to be there at low tide our chances of seeing any whales was pretty slim. We ate lunch out there and then started back towards home but stopped at Willis Tucker Park to let the kids play at the splash pad since they didn't get to swim at Padilla Bay since it was all muddy from low tide. We hung out there for a while then home for dinner. 

Day 14 - Tuesday July 6th - Chet and Kian have cub scout day cam this week and we didn't do too much today just hung out around the house. We did go to Target later in the afternoon and bought a blow up pool for the backyard so they played in that the rest of the day. 

Day 15 - Wednesday July 7th - We went to Kelsey Creek Park in the morning after the boys left for day camp. It is a cute little park but it also has a working farm so that is what we went to see.

We saw horses, goats, chickens, rabbits and they had this enormous pig, named Joy. It was at least 5 feet long and weighed close to 1000 pounds and it was furry. I know pigs have hair but this one looked more like it had a fur coat on! 

After walking around the farm we played at the park then came home for lunch. Seth and the girls played in the pool in the backyard for a couple hours while we waited for Chet and Kian to get home then we went back to the splash pad with some friends from their ward. After dinner that night Shelley and I went to her book club with some of he other girls in her ward. It was on the book "The Hunger Games" and it was really good, I read it in about 3 days! There are 3 book in the series and I just finished the 2nd one last night and the 3rd comes out in August. If you are looking for a book to read these ones are great!

Day 16 - Thursday July 8th - The "Hottest" Day of the Year. It got up to 94 degrees today which is a total shock from being in the 50's on Sunday and Monday. We stayed home and let the kids play in the pool outside and worked on some craft projects Shelley had. it's not too bad considering no one up here has AC we just have all the windows open and fans going. The marquee outside the fire station read "What's that big bright thing up in the sky?" I guess seeing the sun is such a rare thing nobody around here is used to it. 

Seattle Days 5-9

Day 5 The church is till true in Washington! We went to church with the Carrolls and while Rory and Paige had a buddy to go to class with I was left on my own since Shelley is in Primary. We had good meetings and then afterwards someone in their ward must own a bread route or something because they fill up the kitchen with all sorts of bread, bagels, rolls, donuts etc. available for anyone to take home. So the whole ward stocks up and I think each of the kids had at least 2 bags that they were carrying out to the car. 

Day 6 Monday we just took it easy, stayed home and did some much needed laundry. Adam got sunburned pretty bad while clamming so we stayed inside for his sake while the rest of the crew played outside most of theday. The van was in the shop getting a dvd player put in anyway to make the trip to Utah easier so we just hung out. Some of Shelley's friends from Mesa stopped in for the night while they were on vacation. I knew the girl too from doing scrapbooking with her and Shelley. 

 

Day 7 Tuesday was also pretty low key. Shelley's friends left after breakfast and we hung around the house where Rory has become quite the Wii player. She watched the boys play for a long time then when she got her turn it didn't take long to figure it out. She even won a few times! Later in the evening when we went to another park nearby that had a big spiderweb type rope climbing thing. They have the greatest parks here and they are everywhere! 

Day 8 Wednesday we went to the Science Center in downtown Seattle. In fact it is right next to the Space Needle which we will go back an see on another day. They had a special exhibit about the circus, it was really cool. Rory got to walk across a tight rope, and all the kids dressed up in circus costumes. 

We also saw the IMAX 3D movie about the Hubbell telescope. It was really amazing to see all the pictures it took of things thousands of light years away, I don't know how you can see that and not think there it an almighty creator. They also had a tropical butterfly house that we got to go in and have hundreds or beautiful butterflies all around us.

 Shelley has a membership so we will probably go back again to see the rest of the exhibits we didn't have time for this trip. That night some girls in Shelley's ward were doing a movie night so we left all the kids with Nathan and went over there to watch When in Rome.     

Day 9 Thursday It is cold and rainy again today, hard enough that we could see it in the pond. We even turned on the heater this morning. We went to the store to get more milk and eggs since go through it so fast ( I can't imagine why) then we went to the library to let everyone pick out some books and get signed up for the summer reading program. When we were driving back home I saw a sign that said the temperature was 56 degrees and it was 12:30 and it is summer! The kids read a book about the story of the minotar then went out to play most of the afternoon anyway and I guess the boy were rustling the bushes because they girls now think there is a minotar that lives out in the woods behind their house. We watched a movie from redbox tonight. I think Caleb is getting even more sick so we'll try and take him to the doctor in the morning.     

Seattle Days 3-4

I have an addendum for Day 2 I guess, later in the evening after I wrote last time we went to the Seattle Temple. Like everything else it is surrounded by trees so you get right up to it before you can see it and even then there is a stake center right next to it but you would never know because the trees are so thick. We walked around the grounds and took some pictures. Paige tripped and fell twice on the side walk and scraped her knees pretty good to I took her into the temple to ask the man at the desk if we could have a bandaid and he was clearly flustered by our request, I guess that is not part of their training. He did end up finding one in the desk drawer and then the security guard driving around on the golf cart outside had two more so we got it taken care of. There is also a really nice big park near by that we followed a trail through the trees to and again you would never have know the temple was right there.

 

Day 3 We were going to go to a splash park in downtown Seattle but it was raining and colder when we got up so that was out of the running. It was weird because we could see the rain coming down but it was such a fine mist that it didn't even make ripples in the pond. Later in the day we did go to a park that had a pirate ship to play on and a merry go round. They all had a great time on the merry go round. Then we went to the store and home to take naps then just hung out at the house the rest of the day.

 

Day 4 Today was a big day we all went CLAMMING! We checked the internet to find out when low tide was and packed up to make the hour and a half drive to Samish Island. We got there right on time and sent everyone out to dig for clams. They squirt water up out of the ground and that is how you know where to dig and you have to be fast because they start to dig themselves down even deeper as soon as you disturb the sand around them. Rory was being a total girl and didn't like the slimy seaweed or the clams or crab or anything else the boys found but Paige was loving it. They both spent a lot of time collecting shells so they enjoyed themselves anyway. We did end up catching several big clams a crab that was probably 8 in across, some hermit crabs, a jelly fish and a giant sea star that was probably 12 in across.

 

 We only too the clams and crab home though. After that we drove over to Deception Point. It is a bridge that takes you to another Island and the water underneath is where the ocean meets the fresh water of a river so it is really turbulent and swirling around right there under the bridge. 

We drove down to the beach there to eat lunch and so the kids could play in the water. Rory was much happier playing on this beach and in the ocean because it didn't have all the "yucky stuff" at least that she could see. Paige was content playing in the sand.

 

 After everyone was done swimming we cleaned up and drove across the island to the Ferry at Mukileto. It was a huge multi level boat that you just drive you car onto and ride it across back to the mainland.

 Then we drove back home and made clam chowder and cooked the crab. Rory was not buying into the whole eating the "yucky" things we brought home but she did have to try one bite and she said it was okay but wanted to eat something else instead, Paige ate about half a bowl before she opted for mac and cheese too. Caleb did get a little sunburned on his cheeks while we were clamming but other then that he did pretty good considering we were out and about the whole day. 

Our Seattle Trip Days 1 & 2

***I know it has been forever since I posted and a lot has happened in the mean time so prepare yourself for blog overload! ***

DAY 1 - We made it to Seattle! Our flight was great everyone did so well. Mike took us in to security but then had to get to work but we were just fine! We watched the airplanes take off for a while then we ready to board our plane. Both girls were so excited they could hardly stand it! Paige got to sit by the window first and they switched seats about half way through. They were very excited to get to eat snacks and go to the bathroom. I had to go and with Paige to help her and we both barely fit in there! Rory did it all by herself! Rory colored most of the time and Paige ate most of the time! In her normal Paige manner she kept asking when do we get the snacks from the moment we sat down on the plane and even during take off when her snacks would have just flown right off her tray into her lap! Caleb was good too. I feed him during take off and then he slept for about 45 min halfway through and I just had him suck on a binkie for the landing since he has the ear infection I didn't want his ears to bother him anymore then they had to. They all did great though!  

 

Once we got back to Shelley's house we unloaded our stuff and then went on a walk to a park by their house and the trail to the park was like walking through the forest, it is all so beautiful and it is just their backyard! They have a pond literally behind their back fence and there are a family of geese that live out there with a batch of young goslings. Everyone just played out side until dinner and then again afterwards. Bed time was a little tricky since it doesn't get dark till after 9:30pm but I think they were all to excited to sleep anyway.  

DAY 2 - Today we went to St Edwards State Park. It had a big nice playground for the kids and we did that for a while then we hiked about half a mile down a trail through the forest/jungle to the beach of Washington Lake. 

The kids took off their shoes and were just going to put their feet in but it wasn't more then a few minutes before Paige slid on some moss and went in up to her waist and I guess since Paige was already wet Rory thought it was okay for her to do it too!

 The of course Shelley's boys decided to swim too. Oh well, they had fun anyway and it wasn't me that had to hike back all wet and cold! The dirt is almost black it is so rich and dark and their are big slugs everywhere. 

 Paige wasn't afraid of them and wanted to touch them all but Rory was not so inclined. Caleb did really well and even slept in the backpack for part of the hike but my back and shoulders didn't fair so well, the kid is HEAVY, but super cute so what can you do! After playing in the water we hiked back up to the park and had lunch then played for a little while longer and came home.

We are making homemade flour tortilla's tonight for dinner so I'll have to let you know how they turn out. It has been up to 69 and 70 degrees during the day so not as cold as it has been so that is nice, it is just cold in the morning like in the 50's.