Traveling home..........

We are so sad to be leaving Seattle today. We've had such a good time playing "tourist" -- and right in our own backyard! The trip was truly a labor of love for the girls -- we tried to fit in as many things as possible and were on the go all the time. Of course when I asked the girls what they liked most about the trip, they answered in unison, "the swimming pool at the hotel"!

We left the hotel around 10am and headed to Bellevue. I wanted to drive by our old house and see the neighborhood again. I love doing that. We got on our way up the pass at around 11am. The girls wanted to stop again near Vantage at the Wild Horses Monument......they wanted to hike up to them again. We did....and I'm so proud of myself again! What a hike and what great exercise! And what a great view! Incredible.

It took me longer to get up the hill than the girls (of course) and when I finally got to the top, they were here sitting on this rock waiting for me. Aren't they sweet?!

Audriana had to get one more picture of Froggy -- this time alone on a horse!

The view is breathtaking! Here is Sofia in her new dress that Grandma and Grandpa brought her back from Mexico -- she loves it! It will be a very cute summer dress. Today she has on tights, a sweater and a coat over it!

We couldn't pass through Moses Lake without doing a couple of things......

1. Stopping at the taco truck and eating tacos....and

2. Driving the extra 30 minutes or so to Ephrata to see the Sandbergs!

We didn't stay for long, but we did get to see their amazing new house (it's beautiful!) and the kids got to see each other and play for awhile.

Spring Break in Seattle! Day #4

Seattle Center, Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Butterflies, and the Monorail! What a day -- what fun!

Spring Break in Seattle! Day #3

Rain Rain Go Away...Come Again Some Other Day!

It rained on our trip to the Woodland Park Zoo today. But as I told the girls "we aren't afraid of a little rain"! "It's just water....it'll dry"...right?!?! I was trying to stay as positive as possible.....and I truly thought that it would just sprinkle...or drizzle...or stop....but it didn't. It rained so hard! We stayed though! And just chocked it up to "The Seattle Rain Experience"!!!! It was a bit cold -- but it is such a cool zoo. We don't have a zoo in Spokane, so we all thought that it was still pretty awesome. The girls' favorites were the monkeys, gorillas, bears, and feeding the birds. We spent about 7 hours wandering (stopping to rest and duck out of the rain quite a few times, too). After the zoo, we were just plain exhausted. We headed back to the hotel and rested for just a few minutes before heading out to have dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. This was Audriana's idea -- and she really wanted to take Froggy there for some pictures. She has been so cute with Froggy, always making sure he is with her and making sure I have taken lots of pics of the two of them. She'll be a really good mom some day....

Anyway, the highlight of dinner was the kids getting these really cool, blinking neon lit glasses. It was $5 extra, but it was well worth it. It kept the kids just busy enough so that Matt, Angie, Martin and I could enjoy our dinner and have some adult conversation. We really had a good time. After dinner we headed back to the hotel where the kids swam for about an hour and then finally to bed at 9pm. We have been going going going, and the girls have been so good about everything -- their reward has been getting to go swimming each morning and each evening! Luckily the Meadows love to swim, too, and the boys and the girls get to play and swim together. So much fun!

Almost to the penquin area......!

Audriana and Sofia feeding the birds! This was so cool...and a "first" for the girls!

It was so rainy....here is sweet Jakey trying to share his umbrella with Sofia.

This bear was sitting on this rock (left hand side foreground) for so long...then we guessed that it got tired of the rain, too, and decided to take off. We got such a good close up look at this huge bear because it was so close to the viewing area that we were in (it was dry and undercover, so we stayed for a while escaping the rain).

A beautiful bald eagle and his nest!

Audriana petting a snake! Sofia chickened out....... :)

Huge hippo....

Then ended the night by having dinner at the Rainforest Cafe! :)

Spring Break in Seattle! Day #2

Day 2 of our Spring Break excursion!

After a morning swim, breakfast, and coffee for us, we all got in our cars and headed North on I-5 for Downtown Seattle! We were all so excited to be down on the pier (the smell alone brought back so many memories!) and on our way to the Seattle Aquarium. And it didn't dissappoint! There were many exhibits and areas for the kids to touch sealife, learn about fish, and watch them swim. There was an amazing tank of jellyfish, all lit up in some areas so you could see through them. There was also an area where they detailed the life of a salmon. I think the kids liked the sea lions the best. We got to see them being fed, which was pretty neat. The trainers had to really be careful, because the seagulls would come and swoop down and take the fish almost right out of their hands!

Here is Sofia touching a starfish. There were staff members all over the aquarium talking to the kids about the fish and sealife. Very nice.


Angie and the boys, Jakey and Justin.

There was a very big area where the kids could touch! Look how beautiful the colors were! The pictures really don't do it justice.

Reading and learning......

The Meadows family

The Alfaro family -- having fun in Seattle!

A sea lion -- so close we could almost touch it!

Look at the cool bench~!

Feeding time for the sea lions!

Sofia and daddy listening to some awesome street music.

Pike Place Market - gorgeous fish, fruits, veggies, and flowers.

Another picnic lunch!

The view from our picnic spot...a Seattle Ferry. It did rain on and off today, but with those periods of rain, there were also bright periods of sun. It was a bit chilly for most, but just right for me.

Audriana and Froggy in Seattle

We headed back to the hotel at around 3pm. We all hung out in our room and made plans for dinner. Angie had brough hotdogs and buns, so we decided to just make that for the kids (which they were completely thrilled about). Angie and I went across the street and got some Thai food to go, then met up with Matt and Martin and the kids down at the hotel pool. The kids swam and we dined on some really awesome Thai food. It was great! :) We enjoyed dinner, and they enjoyed swimming. Brilliant!