Snoqualmie Falls

We had never even been to Snoqualmie Falls before. Eric took a break from work and met us there. The waterfall was beautiful! But I have to admit that we probably enjoyed the darling little shop inside as much as the view outside - heehee! Mom and I love to browse around those kinds of shops!Eric just loves how affectionate Nyah is. Well I should say we all do! She is such a little cuddle bug.

Bellevue Botanical Gardens and crab dinner!

I decided on a whim to take my parents to the Botanical Gardens, and I'm glad I did. I think they enjoyed it more than anything else we had seen - especially Mom! The gardens really are beautiful and the day was gorgeous. (Mom and Dad couldn't have picked a better week to visit - we had sun all week, crazy!!) It was peaceful and relaxing to meander along the paths, enjoying the lush landscape and soaking up the sun.See Dad in the background?! :)Later we had King Crab legs for a special dinner! Eric and I wanted to take Mom and Dad out for seafood but we decided to stay in with the kids and enjoy being together at home. It was delicious and fun! :)

a night on the town

Friday night we got a babysitter and the four of us went into Seattle for the evening. We walked along the waterfront and watched the sun set into the bay. For some reason I really love these wooden carvings they have around the wharf! :)Later we went to "the" park in Queen Anne that has a spectacular view of the city. We topped it off with a movie at home - it was a really fun night!

Easter!

It was a special treat to have Grammie and Papa here for Easter! I think I may get into the whole Easter basket thing more than anyone else... including Gabe! haha! It was so fun to have the egg hunt and then watch as everyone had to search for their baskets! I had a great time! :) Gabe loved his basket this year. I try to do little toys instead of so much candy and he doesn't seem to mind. I totally forgot to take pictures this year (I guess I was having too much fun watching the excitement!)

We celebrate the Easter bunny portion of Easter on Saturday so right after our baskets, we headed to the church for the ward Easter breakfast potluck and egg hunt. It was so fun for me to introduce Mom and Dad to some of my friends here. It is amazing how close you get to your ward here - they really are like a substitute family.With Gabe running around gathering eggs, I had more opportunities to snap pics of Nyah with her Grammie and Papa!Easter dinner was on Saturday too since Mom and Dad's flight was Sunday afternoon. We had our traditional ham and au gratin potatoes. Mom even made homemade rolls - yum!!The girls on Easter Sunday.

an Easter hike

The weather on Saturday was phenomenal. I know my parents couldn't truly appreciate it, especially since they got sun all week! (I'm sure they think I'm nuts when I say Seattle is gray and drizzly now!) But it was amazing on Saturday and Eric and I were loving it - as I'm sure everyone else in the Seattle area was!! I think it almost hit 70 degrees!!! Wow! We had planned on hiking that day so it worked out perfectly.
It felt so good to be out and about in the mountains - breathing that wonderful, fresh air and using our muscles a little! Mom and Dad loved the green. One thing about those two is that they always appreciate the beauty of nature!

Tulip Festival

Our friends invited us on a day excursion to see the Tulip Festival in Northern Washington. It was so fun! The flowers were breathtaking and Gabe thoroughly enjoyed stomping through all that mud with his pals, Rachel and Jenna! The Wi family!Nyah was excited to finally have a moment to crawl around on the ground. She was filthy in about 30 seconds flat. Oh well - she was happy! :)Gabe smelling the tulips... my sneaky way of capturing photos of him with the flowers was to ask him what each one smelled like! :) Sadly, he reported that most did not have a smell!
We took the scenic way home through Deception Pass. It was beautiful... from a distance. Once I got out on the bridge, I was too dizzy to appreciate anything! Wow - that is high!! With the wind blowing and traffic passing as you walk along a scandalously narrow sidewalk (that does not seem nearly well enough protected from the drop) and swirling water fathoms below you, it was almost more than I could handle. Whew! Seriously I had a death grip on Gabe - I kept imagining him tripping, somehow perfectly arrowing through those holes in the railing and plummeting down... I know, it's really creepy. I couldn't stop imagining it though and it was making me so shaky and dizzy!!My boys underneath the bridge...
What a FUN day!!

Victoria, B.C.

I loved Victoria - what a beautiful city! The Parliament Building was my favorite with it's green-blue roof but all of downtown was full of lovely buildings and parks.It sprinkled lightly while we were walking about. The rain cover on the stroller worked perfectly to keep our kiddies warm and dry!The shields behind this fountain represented each province of Canada. It looked like they contained their motto and what each province was known for.Fisherman's Wharf. We walked along the docks and into the floating shops and restaurants. Lunch was some delicious fish and chips and fried calamari. I couldn't talk anyone into poutine, dangit! There are even quaint, little, floating homes along fisherman's wharf!We were thrilled to see 4 harbor seals that playfully swam around near the dock, waiting for a handout I'm sure! Someone obliged them when they bought some raw fish and hand fed the seals. It was so fun to see!