Seattle- Part 1

 When our good friends moved to Seattle last summer, we knew a trip was in our future.  It was planned for July 2015....then they ended up having a baby due the same month.  So we moved back our trip to September.  And yes, the girls had to miss a few days of school.  But traveling across the country to see things they have never seen seemed like a pretty valuable learning opportunity.

I know a lot of people are scared of flying, but I LOVE it.  My first flight was when I was 18 and I thought it was AMAZING to feel the plane lift off the ground and see the world from a different perspective.   The only thing better is watching my kids get excited about flying.  This was the second time in an airplane for the girls, but the first one they don't really remember.  They both loved everything about the flight.  Even reading the plane rules.  And they kept themselves very busy.  SO much easier than flying at ages 1 and 3.

So we were visiting the Vroomans.  Tyler lived with Steve in college, he was in our wedding, we were in his wedding, Sarah and I were pregnant at the same time with our first kids, and I cried when they said they were moving across the country. Their second daughter, Willa, was only 10 months old when they left and now she is a walking/talking two-year-old!  They were equally amazed that Olive is a big girl now.  It seems like we missed so much, but with good friends you can just pick right up where you left off.  So we had 5 girls ages 6 and under all under one roof.  And they had a blast!  Here is their house (with Steve on the patio).

They can see Puget Sound from their front patio.  And if they walk half a block, they can look out over the Space Needle and downtown. 

Okay, let's go sightseeing!  First stop: Monorail Man and the monorail from the 1962 World's Fair.  Notice we are wet from the lovely Seattle weather.  We quickly learned our lesson and put on some raincoats.

looking up at the Space Needle

Next stop: Chihuly Garden and Glass right under the Space Needle.  I wish it could have been sunnier, but it was neat to watch the rain run down the glass walls.  

Pike Place Market- oldest continuously operated farmer's market in the US

At the famous gum wall

Seattle Central Library- admittedly a strange place to visit on vacation.  We went because of the architecture.  It is one of the weirdest buildings I've ever seen.

The next day we were playing in the alley behind their house.  Hannah was zooming down the hill at about 20 mph.  I said, "I don't think this is a good idea" since it was right before we were leaving on an island adventure.  Sure enough two minutes later this picture turned into...

this one.  We had an ER adventure instead with 5 stitches and a fractured jaw.  This is actually Hannah's 3rd time in an ER and second time with stitches on her chin.  So I'm thinking this probably wasn't our last visit.

We missed our ferry, but luckily made it on a later one.  We were rewarded with a rainbow.

to be continued....

First Shoes with Laces

Hannah has been able to tie shoes for over a year, but I wanted to wait until she was REALLY good at it before buying tie shoes.  She was super excited to get some new shoes with laces!

Hannah Quotes

me:  Oh, I forgot my sunglasses!
Hannah (exasperated):  It's fine.  It's not the end of the world.  The end of the world would be....bad guys destroying the world.

Hannah: Mama, here's something you can't tell any of my friends.
me:  Okay.  What?
Hannah:  I love Olive more than all of my friends.  Because she's my sister.

Hannah:  I love first grade as much as I love Mama!  No, I love first grade a little less than I love Mama.
me:   Aw, that's sweet.
Hannah:  No, it's true.

"You know how basketball players make lots of money and teachers don't?  I think it should be switched.  Because teachers are important.  And basketball is just basketball."

(getting on an airplane)
"I've been on the ground too long.  It's time I get in the sky."

KC Dance Day

KC Dance Day started with lots of drama.  Olive was crying and throwing a fit.  She refused to put on clothes.  I said that was fine, I would just take Hannah because she was dressed.  Then Hannah started crying because she didn't want to go without Olive.  So they were both crying and hugging each other.  I said if Olive got ready in five minutes I would take her.  Of course when we got there she loved it.  Ballet is more of an Olive thing than Hannah thing, so I have no idea why she didn't want to go at first.  Hannah took a ballet class, then Olive, then we watched the KC Youth Ballet perform.

 
Olive did a wonderful job of paying attention and following her teacher...and she was one of the youngest in her class!  She even ended up on TV!

Deanna Rose

It's been awhile since Steve has visited Deanna Rose.  It is open late on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the summer, so we were able to take him one day after work.

And we spotted a hot air balloon!  We could even hear the burners.  I wish our ride would have been over Deanna Rose!

A Week With Levi

I'm late in posting this, but I had these pictures on my phone.  When school started, my friend needed child care for her middle son because his preschool started a week later than her school.  I volunteered to watch him for the week.  Levi is three years old and the middle boy in his family.  He got along great with the girls! It was the same week Hannah started school and it actually helped Olive not miss her so much because she had someone else to play with.  So it wasn't until the next week that I heard "I miss Hannah!  I don't want to eat lunch without Hannah."

Here are some of our adventures with Levi.  First up with a trip to Deanna Rose.

Levi loved playing Little People with the girls.

We did some surfing in the ocean in our living room.

We went to a sprayground, but Levi did not want to get wet.  He asked to bring our umbrella and then he stood in the middle and said, "Having fun!"

When Hannah went to school, these two were hilarious together.  Olive dressed up as a zebra, and she decided Levi should be a duck.

Levi likes to call Olive his sister.  They look like the could be siblings.

We had a fun week and I got to see firsthand the chaos of three kids.  Everyone has always told me three is when it gets crazy and there isn't much difference if you add a 4th or 5th kid.  I agree.  I could not keep up with the toy tornado!  It was really quiet the next week with no Levi and Hannah at school.  Olive is bored with me already.

Crown Center

We love the free exhibits at Crown Center.  This summer it was all about kids' books.  The girls especially liked Chicka Chicka Boom Boom letters.

Peter Rabbit

Swimming

Every year we get a family membership to Prairie Village when they go half price in July.  Then we spend just about every sunny day there for at least an hour or two.  Even though school has started, you'll still find us at the pool when it opens at 4:30. :)  Since we are swimming so much the girls have picked up some new tricks.  By sheer determination, Olive taught herself to tread water (just for a few seconds).  She now loves to glide from the side of the deep pool into our arms a few feet away.  And after going off the diving board for the first time in swimming lessons, Hannah nonchalantly told us she was going off the high dive at PV pool.  Steve didn't believe her.  Then she walked over and did it (several times) like it was no big deal at all.  

You can hear Olive in the video saying "Go Hannah!  Go Hannah! Go Hannah!"  This is what she does while watching Hannah jump.  She is the best little sister cheerleader!

Olive calls this "the starfish"