travels to seattle!

we just took our third annual summer trip with the kids to seattle to visit abuelo and abuela.  we always have a great time spending time together as a family and love a chance to hang outside by the water or hike through the trails in the backyard.  abuelo and abuela are always the most gracious hosts, and livi and jacks love playing with them, so john and i actually get to sneak away for a little downtime.  

this trip was slightly complicated by the fact that john had to be in nyc at the start of the week, which meant that it was just me and the crazy toddlers on the way up.  thankfully, they are pretty well behaved, but I always forget how exhausting it is with them on these long outings – carrying multiple bags, waiting in multiple lines, going to the bathroom multiple times, etc.  there was a huge smile on my face when carlos was waiting for us on the other end of security at the seattle airport!   of course, just my luck, there was a glitch with john’s ticket on the way back, and he ended up not being able to get on our flight.  poor john – the only way he could make it back to san francisco the same day was to fly first class on a flight leaving 45 minutes later…must have sucked in that big comfy chair, being offered as many mini toblerone bars as he could handle! =)   

made it through security (next up, bathroom to pee, get in line for food,
leave the line because both need to poop, then back to the line actually buy some food…)

buckled up and ready to go!!

our chauffeur was waiting for us and even brought stickers

livi showing off her alphabet skills for abuela 

jacks would have loved to spend every waking minute with this electronic train 

with john in nyc, i didn't want to sleep alone…thankfully, i didn't have to!

we were greeted first thing in the morning by shoe snatchers
(livi, of course, proceeded to scold them)

i had to wait over 24 hours to finally find out...

let's do it

the frosting will either be blue or pink...

it took us a few minutes to realize the frosting was NOT blue

livi was cheering with the rest of us 

jacks had one thing on his mind, and one thing only

exploring the backyard
(i had to clear the path of spider webs with the broom!)

climbing up for a better view 

down the street are two cows and a few alpacas

moo!!!!!!

hey there, cutie pie

headed back home

these two came outside to see what all the commotion was about

the riff-raff was outside throwing rocks

livi presented her rock to pancho

they then both practiced some doggie relaxation techniques on their first patient

whoa…choo-choo!

even livi (kinda) mastered the controls

i noticed this cute pic when on a conference call in the office

we wanted the kids to experience the world's most comfy bed

doing what we do best…nothing!

lakeside lunch

more ketchup please

the crew getting down to business while i picked up a latte

we always make a stop to see kinsey (our freshman dorm mate)
and her family when in seattle 

off to spend the weekend at the lakebay house

collecting rocks in their jammies

foraging for blackberries

ready to head down to the lake

they were little troopers on the long walk down

through the neighbor's rock stairway

over a stream and through the grass

we made it!

not quite sure what to do

they were initially creeped out by the seaweed

but then waded right through it like the dogs!

fancy boat ride 

john taught jacks how to skip rocks

then jacks taught pancho

muscle man!

they are just like puppies….constantly in play mode

unless they're in fighting mode!

just two old souls in a rocker, enjoying the lake view

time for nap!

it obviously didn't work
(back to the cribs they went)

good morning!!!

back at the airport

"look, mom - mount rainier - isn't it amazing!"
(yeah, he didn't really say that)

but we did have a great view of rainier

waiting for john to arrive in san francisco

thankfully, everyone was in good spirits

only had to wait a few more minutes for our ride to pull up

to say we were all a bit tired would be an understatement

of course, the first thing they requested when we got home
was to drink milk and get "nice and cozy"