Wednesday!

On Wednesday we went up to Rainier.  It is a beautiful drive up there, and there are so many great hikes.  We love it up there. This is one of the many views of Rainier that you get.  The week they were here was sunny and warm and the sky was perfectly clear.

 First we went to Silver Falls, which is a great waterfall. Very beautiful, one of my favorite things is the crystal clear water that is soo amazing to see.

 Our hike. Becky is an awesome photo bomber!

 !Brody!- need I say more

 Cute picture of the family, with Micah making her goofy faces.

 Clay and I- Brody only wanted to do the tough boy picture.

 This is my moms favorite hike and after we stopped for lunch we headed on down the trail.  It is the Grove of the Patriarchs.  It is very beautiful and the trees are so big.

 This is the bridge that you get to cross.  Because of safety you can only cross one at a time.  It is a very bouncy bridge.

 This is the coolest root ball.  Probably one of the most photographed as well.  It is really fun to climb in and its sooo big how can it not be.

 We sat down to relax for a little bit and watch a chipmunk.  It was hanging out with all the people trying to get some food, I think.

 Family pics with the big trees.

 Hiking with the family!

 Photo bomb!!

Another view of the mountain!  It really is amazing.

 Up at Paradise there is still a bit of snow so of course we had a little snow ball fight.  Well the kids did, and I took photographic evidence of it.

By the time we were done at the Visitor Center it was getting later so we decided to head home for the day.  It was another long day but it was another fun day as well!

Tuesday!

 On Tuesday we went back down town to the Pacific Science Center.  The kids loved it. It is huge I had no idea how big it was.  We will be going back to this place because we did not get to see it all and we were there for about 5 hrs. 

 I can't remember what the red disc is called but you talk into it and there is another one on the other side of the room and you can whisper to each other.  And then there is the giant table that you can sit at.

 Then we got to watch a 3D movie on lemurs.  It was a really cute movie.  And really fun to get to see in 3D.

 They also had robotic dinosaurs.  Clayton thought that was pretty awesome.  They got to play with one and make it move.  Brody thought the dinosaurs were real and it took me some convincing to get him to stand here for the picture. 

 Then they got to sit in a space shuttle and touch all the buttons they could possibly imagine.

 At the end of the day we found the bug house.  The kids were so sad that we did not get to hang out there for longer.  They also had a butterfly house, I did not take my camera in there and I was so sad that I didn't.  That was one of Brody's favorites.  I could not get him to leave, everyone was waiting for us and he kept finding more butterflies to watch.

Not the adults favorite day, but the kids loved it.

Monday!

 The next day was a long one.  We went to downtown Seattle on the water taxi, which gives you a great view of the skyline of Seattle.

 Then we headed over to the Seattle Fish Market.  The kids climbed on some of the artwork that is all over the city. 

 On our way up we saw the gum wall.  Micah was absolutely disgusted by it, which was pretty funny to watch.  She is her mothers daughter for sure.  It was interesting to see how other people handled it.  There was one kid that put his gum on the wall to take a picture and then took it back off and finished chewing it.  It must have been really good gum to go that far to keep it.  Sooo gross.

 Here we are at the fish market.  The kids loved to see all the huge fish that they have on display.  Unfortunately, no one bought fish while we were around so there was no throwing.

 Then is was back down to the pier to go to the Seattle Aquarium.  This is the octopus behind Brody.

 We saw all the fish, but the best part of the aquarium is the touch pools.  They have awesome tide pools for you to be able to touch, feel, see, and learn about all of the animals in there. 

 Brody, Micah, and Grandma are checking it out here. And in the background Becky and Brett are checking them out as well.

 Here is Micah, Clay and the back of Brody's head.  They have people there to talk to you about what you are seeing and touching. The kids loved it. They learned all new things about the sea cucumbers and sea worms.  We have been there 5 times now and I learn something new every time and it is always fun to do.

 Ryan was able to meet up with us for the rest of the day.  As soon as he picked up Brody for a hug he was out.  It was a busy day. While Brody slept we went on a Seattle Harbor Cruise.  We learned that Seattle is number 4 for the worst traffic in the US.  Which we also learned later in the week.  It is horrible.  Never drive downtown between 3-6pm.  Its awful!

We then went to dinner and I did not get a picture of that.  It is on grandmas camera and I forgot to get her pictures from her.  But then Becky, Brett and I stayed downtown to check out a couple more places.  We also found out the farmers market runs on normal hrs and not tourist hrs. :(  So most of the shops were closed.  However, we were able to go to the famous chocolate shop Fran's.  And it was sooo worth it.  Most expensive chocolate that I have ever eaten, but it was the best as well.  Sooo yummy, and they gave out samples!

 I got a picture of B and B in front of the farmers market when it wasn't as crowded and crazy.  And then we drove around down town for a while and they got to see all the cool houses and crazy architecture that is there.  We also found a cupcake shop that was open and got some to go.

And here is the evidence that we had cupcakes, because I failed to get one of them before they were gone. :)  They were also very delicious!

FAMILY!!

After the 4th of July we headed home because my family was on their way.  We had a crazy busy week and saw all of the awesomely fun touristy sites that you can imagine.  It was wonderful, and I only got lost in downtown once.  So the first day they were here was Sunday and we had both driven for hours the day before. We went to Snoqualmie Falls. It is a beautiful waterfall with a small hike and it was a fun day out.

 We thought we would be able to get in the water but we weren't able to. So we stopped down the road a bit and the boys jumped in. 

 They are tough boys. The water is freezing! I was only able to stand in it for a little while.  They all love the water!

 Even Micah got in on it and ended up half way in and her dress was soaked, but we were all loving it!

Then it was home for dinner. And while we got it ready Brody and Grandpa crashed.