Birthday Fun!

On Friday morning (Kyle's birthday) we took the Kingston ferry over to Edmonds. We were staying in Bremerton and this was the quickest way to get across the water to the fun center in Edmonds.

The whole process was kind of cool.

We drove our car onto the ferry and had the option of staying in it or getting out and going up to the top deck. Like nerds we stayed in the car. Or with the car. We never went up to the top deck to check out the view.

Then we spent the entire day at the Bullwinkles Fun Center and Kyle had an absolute blast.

Look at this big boy! Four years old!

I took too many pictures to narrow it down, so here's a collage of my favorites.

In the evening we took another ferry back across the water, but this time we took the Seattle to Bremerton ferry. And this time Tyler and I went to the top deck and I'm SO glad we did because the view at night was amazing!

Back in Bremerton we got clam chowder at Anthony's, which is conveniently right next to the ferry terminal.

Truth be told, Kyle fell asleep in the car and was down for the count as soon as we left Bullwinkles and so we didn't end up having his birthday cake until the next day. But he still made a wish, blew out his candles and all was good.

Snoqualmie Falls

For Kyle's birthday this year we decided to travel up near the Seattle area and stay for the weekend. On our way we stopped to see Snoqualmie falls, which is something we pass every time we travel that way, but have never stopped to look.

It was well worth the stop! So pretty!

Where's Waldo 2015: Part 2

This week we visited eight more shops looking for Waldo.

Tyler found Waldo within seconds of walking into the storefront of Johnson Orchards....maybe because he was in practically the same place as last year.

Fiddlesticks was a new location this year and even though it's a fairly busy store, the boys found him without any help.

In the Pet Pantry, not only did the boys find Waldo, but they got to hide him in a new place for the next person to find.

At Off the Record, it took us a few hints to find Waldo hanging out on the ceiling.

At Essencia, Waldo was hiding behind the counter near the bags of coffee.

Next door at Ron's Coin and Book, Tyler found Waldo in a display case.

I was the first to spot Waldo at Northtown Coffee.

And at Yakima Bindery he was hiding at the counter in a raffle box.

Pictures from Los Angeles

Earlier this month I went on a mini vacation away from the boys and spent a few days in Los Angeles with Anni.

I arrived late on a Friday night and in the morning I was greeted by Chubs with a look that kinda said hey, what are you doing in my bed and why aren't you petting me?

On Saturday morning we went to Griffith Observatory, which is one of those places we'd heard about but never went to when we were living in L.A. It's a nice space museum with awesome views of the city and tons of hiking trails on the grounds that I would've loved to go on if there was more time (or if I'd packed appropriate clothes for that sort of thing).

You could also see the Hollywood sign from the other side of the building, but it really small from that vantage point.

How could I have forgotten my selfie stick?

Later we went to Silverlake to visit the Spice Station so I could get some Indian spices, fenugreek in particular, which sadly they were out of at the moment. I still ended up a few new things to try.

On Sunday we went to the Getty, which really takes a good chunk of time to see all of the exhibits on both floors. We were hoping to also make it to the Getty Villa, but ended up running out of time.

The gardens outside the Getty were also really pretty and seemed like the perfect landscape for a jigsaw puzzle.

And then the big surprise of the trip was getting tickets from Susan to see The Phantom of the Opera as a birthday gift. At first when she said that Anni had my gift, I thought it was an object that she just didn't want to ship. But then after hearing bits of information here and there, I came to realize it was an event in Hollywood. The whole thing was like figuring out a game of Clue. I suspect it is Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages theatre in Hollywood. AmIRight? Anyway, it was an awesome show and I had a great time. I just wish I would've packed a dress of some sort.

On my last day I got to meet Anni's boyfriend and also do a little shopping in Old Pasadena. I bought an airplane friendly size of olive oil, just to get to the airport later and find that the flight was so full that they were checking carry-on luggage for free...meaning I could've gotten more olive oil. And fig jam. Gah!

 

And lastly here's a look at some of the food I ate. Such good food! I can't wait to go back!

Where's Waldo 2015: Part 1

It's that time of year again! For the entire month of July Inklings Bookshop hosts the annual Where's Waldo Yakima scavenger hunt. It's for the kids and it's mostly just for fun, but there is a prize drawing during the finale celebration at the end of the month. All you have to do is visit the 24 local businesses and have fun finding Waldo.

Our first stop is always at Inklings Bookshop since they're the host of the activity and that's where you get the passport showing all the 24 businesses that are participating.

One thing about the hunt is that Tyler doesn't like to get too many hints or he starts to go into meltdown mode. Some stores let you wander around forever without giving any hints and others won't stop with the hints. In some stores it's like: Oh, you're looking for Waldo? He's right here! Thanks, Bye. So on our first visit to Inklings, the employees kept giving Tyler so many hints that we just had to leave to avoid a total meltdown and come back another time. Also, Inklings is one of the stores that move Waldo on a daily basis so it's a new challenge every day.

So on our second attempt in Inklings, even with a hint, it took us awhile to find Waldo attached to a kite hanging from the ceiling.

At Boehm's Chocolates Waldo was hiding against the back wall on a shelf with ornaments and other knick knacks.

Kyle is doing a great job this year! He needs an extra hint or two, but he's having a fun time looking for Waldo.

At Loo Wit Gardens Tyler was the first to find Waldo hiding next to a display of greeting cards.

Ohana Shaved Ice is usually the easiest stop because it's nothing more than an outdoor hut, but still it took me awhile to find Waldo tucked into a corner of the roof.

Here he is at Vaux Shoes.

And at the English Country Market he blended right in with some nautical napkins.

At the Oak Hollow Gallery, Waldo was hiding on the floor and it wasn't until the store owner said, "if he were a snake, he'd bite you" that anyone noticed him so low on the ground.

And at Gasperetti's he was hiding pretty good on a shelf that we kept walking past numerous times.

Swim Lessons/Lego Camp

This summer we started Kyle in swim lessons at the Yakima Athletic Club. He was in the preschool 1 class for two weeks and then moved into the preschool 2 class for another 2 weeks.

He really did a great job and had a fun time. He learned all kinds of swimming basics such as blowing bubbles and jumping into the water. He also learned beginning motions for his arms and legs while swimming on his stomach and on his back.

And then to keep Tyler busy we put him into a week long Lego camp called Bricks 4 Kidz.

Each day they made 2-3 different remote controlled Lego models including a helicopter, airplane, a fire engine and a locomotive. He had so much fun and was so excited every morning to get to class. Honestly, there could not be a more perfect summer camp for him. I just wish it would've lasted longer or had different classes to continue the program.

Cherry Picking/4th of July

Normally Barrett Orchards has a cherry festival the weekend of or before the 4th of July, but since we've had such extreme heat this summer and the cherries were ready earlier than usual, the festival was cancelled and the U-pick days were moved up a few weeks. Thankfully, we made it over there on their final weekend of U-pick and still came away with a ton of cherries.

With temperatures expected over 100 degrees, we made sure to get to the orchard early in the morning. After an hour or so of picking we had two full buckets and were ready to go.

Then of course with some of our bounty and just in time for the holiday weekend, I made our perennial favorite: cherry pie.

The 4th fell on a Saturday this year, so Rick was home and able to join in the patriotic family photo. Kyle still needs reminding to smile during pictures sometimes, so for this one I said "Smile for cherry pie!". Worked like a charm.

In the evening we headed over to our favorite spot at the arboretum to watch the fireworks.