A day in Seattle

Today, we travelled up to Seattle for the day. Teresa had to work in the morning at an OB/GYN conference, so we drove up together and the kids and I waited for her to finish up. Then we headed to downtown Seattle, to take a tour of Pikes Place Market. We spent a few hours touring around the stores there, and the boys even got to catch fish at the Fish Market! Then we headed north to the Alderwood Mall. We ate at the Macaroni Grill and then went shopping in the Alderwood Mall. The day was lots of fun, and everyone had a great time! Check out the photos:



The boys climb the stairs leading to Pikes Place Market

The boys thought that the fish on the left was pretty ugly. They got a kick out of it, when it would flop around from time to time (the employees tied a string to the tail and would give it a yank from behind the counter_

Jack was fascinated that the crawfish were still alive. Finally one got out and chased some of the customers with it's claws out. It was pretty funny.

Caution: Low Flying Fish! Jack took a shot at catching a fish (I pointed out the fish with a red arrow). He missed about four times, but the guy wouldn't let Jack quit until he caught it. The crowd had about as much fun as Jack did!

The big catch. Maybe the closed eyes were the problem?

Cole caught his on the first try, with roaring applause from the audience.

A shot at the crowd in the market. I think everyone came here today to get out of the rain.

We couldn't pass up the chance to add to our smashed penny collections!

The World's Best Kids stand in front of the World's Tallest Man.

Kate bought a bouquet of beautiful flowers.

The kids pose with Pike Place Market's official mascot, Rachel, a bronze cast piggy bank that weighs nearly 600 pounds. They say Rachel receives roughly $9,000 annually in just about every type of world currency! Jack wasn't happy in this photo (a long story). He perked up after a good lunch.

Brace Face

Kate got her upper braces last week, and she is her way to a beautiful set of teeth. She only gets the top ones first, then some more work and bottom braces later on. Here is a shot of her, just after she got back from the orthodontist's office.

Leavenworth: Day 3

Today was our third day in Leavenworth. We got up, and out the door for breakfast by 8am this morning. We surprised all of the kids by driving to a water park near Lake Chelan. We got there just as it opened, and were able to get lots of runs down the different water slides before it got too ridiculously busy. We left Chelan around 3pm and headed back to Leavenworth. After a little break at the hotel and a great authentic German dinner, we headed to the Leavenworth Outdoor Theatre for the Sound of Music! We were surprised to see some other people from our church there, and Kate's music teacher from Cascade Christian. It was even more of a treat because her teacher's oldest daughter was playing Leisel in tonight's show! She did a great job, and this year's performance was one of the better ones. Here are some photos from today:



Lunch at the Lake Chelan water park. I'm not sure why Kate looks so unhappy?




Cole and Jack team up on one of the water slides.



Lauren and Grant come next.



Last but not least, Kate goes down the slide...solo.



Cole leads the race on the water slide.



Jacks ready for another try.



Close your eyes and hold your breath!




A view of Lake Chelan from the top of the water slide park.



Jack takes one more run down the slide.



I kid you not, it actually read 112 deg. but I didn't get my camera up fast enough to record it! This was a personal record for me. Interestingly, that is 122 degrees warmer than my personal coldest night spent in Pullman. Yikes!



There was a forest fire on the other side of the hill, behind our hotel. It made the air quality a little hazy, but made for a pretty picture.



We went to dinner at our favorite German restaurant for some Jägerschnitzel and some King Ludwig’s Oktoberfest beer. Yummy.




I said "smile" Jack, nor "snarl".




An evening view of downtown Leavenworth, under the smokey haze.



The gang's all ready for our 6th annual watching of The Sound of Music. Kate's music teacher (and family) sat right behind Heather.



A shot of the stage before the play started. No photos are allowed during the performance.



Today was Lauren's official 10th birthday. The Mother Abbess and two of her postulates sang "Happy Birthday" to Lauren.



Kate and Lauren get their picture taken with Maria and Captain Von Trapp.



Kate with her music teacher's daughter, Raevynn Leach, who played Leisel in tonight's Performance.

Leavenworth: Day 2

Today was our second day in Leavenworth. After a great breakfast in the hotel, we went into town to do some shopping before the temperature got too warm. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed some time in the pool. For dinner, we had a great Italian dinner and topped it off with some Gelato for dessert. Here are some highlights from today:


Jack and Grant show off their jumping skills, while waiting for the girls to finish shopping in the "girlie store".



Cole tries on a hat to cover his braided hair.



Kate picks out a hat to try on.



Cole thought that his friend, Jack Taggart, would enjoy this Snoopy hat.




The fact that I am starting to blink only adds to the attractiveness of this hat.

I took a picture of Cole through a kaleidoscope. It came out pretty good!

I quickly took a picture of this friendly moment before the sibling rivalry continues.

This could have been a Christmas card photo if I hadn't forgotten to tell Lauren to take off her goggles!

Cole finally gets a chance to cool off.

Tim and Grant have a great time in the pool.

The view out our hotel room.

Flash forward 15 years....a scary thought!

The girls pose for a photo before we head into the hotel.

I couldn't resist trying out my new camera with a pretty night shot.

Leavenworth Trip

Today we left for Leavenworth for our annual trip to see the "Sound of Music" play. Our family traveled with the Irey family today, getting in to Leavenworth about 3pm. We did a little swimming and shopping and had some dinner downtown before heading back to the room for the night. Here are some photos from the first day of our trip!



Jack is helping load "The Edelweiss Express".




Now everyone knows where we are heading!





Our first stop was in Cle Elum for lunch.





It was a little warm as we drove into town. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

The kids go for a swim before dinner.

Cole poses by the Bavarian Lodge's "Hummer Recovery Vehicle".




We head out of the hotel for dinner.





The boys wait for a table at dinner.






Lauren and Kate pose for a photo.






This weekend is Lauren's 10th Birthday. Tonight we celebrated with some gifts during dinner.




Walking around downtown Leavenworth.






Doing a little window shopping.






A little Gelato for dessert.






Nightime in Leavenworth.







Kate poses for a photo in front of our hotel, before heading in for the night.