Our Grand Northwest Adventure - Take 1

Sitting on the couch one night, Danny and I were looking at plane ticket prices.  That's what you do when it is your first Alaskan winter, you are freezing to death, and you wish you could see (maybe even feel?) the sun.  When, low and behold!  Cheap flights to Seattle.  Of course, these flights wouldn't be until August, but we could dream.  I started then making a dream plan of our adventure!

Fast forward and we are standing at the airport with three big duffle bags, seven backpacks, and seven car seats.  It sounds like a lot, but when you realize that the duffles held two toddler cots, two pack n' plays, and a toddler eating seat, we really just had the bare essentials.  :)

All the "stuff"!

Ready for take off!

So excited to fly!

After lots of flight snacks and movies we landed in Seattle!  With red eyes we waited for our rental van and finally got in our bed close to 2 am.

Never mind, up and at 'em!  We had a city to explore!

We started at Discovery Point.  It has a small lighthouse and a 3 mile hike to the beach.  However, you can also get a pass to park right by the beach.  I made sure we arrived at low tide so we could look for creatures and play in the water.  We all slipped off our shoes (and some of us had to take it all off) and played in the tide.  We found lots of clam shells and seaweed, watched lots of birds, and even got a view of Mt. Rainer!  Then, we found blackberries by the parking lot.  Free snack!  They were delicious!

Master treasure hunter!

All the sandy toes!

My favorite!

Made their own seesaw!

Next, we went to visit a troll under a bridge in Fremont.  The kids enjoyed climbing on it and posing as if they were being taken.  Oh, and picking his nose!  It was a fun 10 minute stop on our way to Lake Union.

At Lake Union, we picnicked and visited the Center for Wooden Boats.  There were several hands-on learning opportunities and they gave them two little boats to take home (and use in the water while we were there).  Oh, and it's free!  We were also able to watch water planes land and take off and see all the boats leaving for the locks!

Now for the big city!  We ventured into the depths of Seattle to see the Space Needle.  Let me say two things: 1. I am not great at estimating distances and forget that not all maps are drawn to scale and 2. parking a 12-passenger van in the city is like performing a small miracle.  I decided it would be best for us to park at the Space Needle and walk to Pike's Market and back to avoid having to find parking twice.  It looked like just a hop, skip, and a jump that separated them.  In reality, four-year old legs make that small space on the map stretch for eternity.  The journey was exciting because there is no shortage of unique people to see.  So, with the promise of gum, we made it to Pike's Market!

It was a busy place full of so many sights and sounds!  We watched men throw fish and chant.  The kids got a front row (and kinda splashy) seat.  We found Rachael the huge piggy bank.  And, the highlight, the GUM WALL!  This is an alley about 100 feet long covered on both sides with chewed gum.  It is disgusting and very interesting. People have been very creative with their gum art.  We all chewed a piece and added it to the masterpiece.  This small act was the highlight of Juliet's day!

Now, the hike back to the Space Needle.  I made this fun by asking questions from our reading about the Space Needle for which they could earn money for souvenirs.  It sure made them perk up when I started rattling off random information.  I am that homeschool mom.

We visited the International Fountain with its water squirting to the music.  The kids raced to see who could touch the base before it squirted on them again.  Too bad we didn't have any extra clothes!  Then we played at the Artist Playground.  And of course my daughter got stuck in the playground netting and was too scared to go up or come down.  Super brothers to the rescue!  The playground itself was designed to be a multi-sensory experience. I think we all had fun!

We ended our day at Chick-fil-a.  The sauce, the chicken, the waffle fries - all of the flavors we miss in Alaska.  And no dishes - it was the perfect ending to a rollicking, romping day!