(Early) Spring Break

Let's not make this post too long with a long introduction of how everything came about and we'll just say that due to baby girl arriving at the beginning of the summer, I knew we wouldn't be able to make our annual Utah road trip and decided to have a fun Spring Break instead.  I decided we'd go to Seattle since we haven't been since before Alice was one, and Greg hasn't been since Rex was 9 months.  Then we decided to go a month before Spring Break so we wouldn't have to pay for a plane ticket for Henry and then my sister and her family decided to come and then my brother and his family decided to come too.  So our early Spring Break turned into a mini-cousin reunion.  And it was pretty crazy.  We packed in tons of Seattle activities since who knows when we'll make out there again.  And then Mom packed in tons of cousin activities for the time we were home.  I gained about 5 pounds from how much food my mom feed me.  Greg said he couldn't have imagined a tastier menu than what we had.  Maybe I should let him move in with my mom.  We had a great time, but had to take a 2-day rest when we got home.  Also I didn't take as many pictures as I should have because I couldn't find my extra camera battery until we got home.  Oops.

So Day 1: Saturday. Flights.

I decided I didn't want to pay an extra $25 each way to check luggage, so I borrowed a few suitcases from a friend and packed light.  We managed to pack our entire family of 5 in 4 carry-on suitcases, with room to spare.  I did laundry while we were at my parents so we still didn't use about 1/4 of the stuff we brought.  I'm pretty good at packing.

Once we got to our gate, I looked pathetic and asked the flight attendant to check out bags to our final destination.  She obliged.  Greg doubted me.

The flights themselves were as good as can be expected with an almost-2-year-old.  Rex listened to books on tape; Alice watched movies; and Greg offered to buy drinks for the people sitting in front of us and who Henry kicked for the duration of both flights.  Henry eventually fell asleep for the last 45 minutes or so of the flight from Salt Lake to Seattle.

Pretty much as soon as we got to my parents, we changed and headed to the temple.  Greg was surprised by this because he failed to read the detailed trip itinerary I made in early January and updated weekly.  My sister and her husband came along but had made dinner plans with an old friend from college.  We missed the session that would allow to keep their dinner plans so we did iniatories instead.  Hey, we tried.

Then back to my parents and bed at 8, Seattle time, which is 11 Charlotte time, and considering I woke up at 4 Charlotte time, I was pooped.

Rex listened to books on tape most of the flight, while Alice watched movies--they were golden.

This little boy, on the other hand, was just about as 2 as a two-year-old could be.

Sunday: Valentine's Day

Sunday also happened to be my parents' stake conference and their stake center happens to share a parking lot with the temple and we happened to arrive about 20 minutes early so my sister and I walked the older kids over to the temple snap a quick picture.

We used our raincoats a lot this week.  I'm glad I managed to find one for everybody before we left.

Don't let their cute hand-holding fool you, they fought about 50% of the week.

After church a few people took naps and my dad headed to the airport to pick up my brother and his family, then the Valentine's activities started.  Mom had the kids do a painting activity.  Alice and Rex got really into it.  Henry is anti-mess...unless it's his idea.

Alice and Korey getting ready to paint

Rex, taking his painting very seriously

Violet getting left out

 My cousin and his family came over for dinner and I loved seeing them.  His wife and I share a due date and are both having girls.  June 6th is a popular day for girls this year.

Cousin bath time.

Monday: Pacific Science Center

This was a Rex-centric activity.  Pretty much as soon as we arrived, Greg and Rex meandered into their nerd-dom and left the rest of us.  Then Alice laid down on a bench and refused to move due to an elevated temperature (my brother-in-law the doctor wouldn't let me call it a fever due to something medical), meanwhile Henry climbed into the water table and attempted to climb into the tide pool.

Eventually, sick Alice, Henry and I left with my brother so that Greg and Rex could read every sign in every exhibit.

I finally convinced Alice to get in the stroller instead of me carrying her around.  I let her watch Netflix.

Greg helped me move the carseats so I snapped this quick and lame picture of Rex in front of the Space Needle while I had a chance.

Tuesday: Zoo Day

Alice and I stayed home since she had had an elevated temperature the day before.  Amber also stayed home with the twinners, since it's just easier not to take them around.  Alice and I painted our nails for  a while, watched a movie, played with stencils and were looking through photo albums when everyone got home.  She actually felt fine most of the day, but I decided it'd be better for her to take a day off and get over the jet-lag so we could enjoy the rest of the week than try to drag a sick Alice around for the rest of the week.

The boys had fun at the zoo.  Henry, apparently, really liked the alligators and insisted that Greg buy him a large, stuffed penguin.  Greg just handed it to me when they got home and said, Good luck packing that.  Not a problem, I'm that good.

Tuesday night, the adults snuck out to do a puzzle room.  This one was pretty awesome--it's called Locked in a  Room with a Zombie--like a real zombie, by which I mean an actor playing a zombie and if the zombie touches you, you're out--pretty crazy.  We got out, thanks mainly to Greg, of course, with 5 minutes to spare.  They said that was a pretty good time.  We were pleased to get out.  We wouldn't want a lose on our record.

I should mention, Jess left early Tuesday morning.

Wednesday: Ferry to Poulsbo

Really my kids just wanted to ride the ferry so we had to pick somewhere.  Poulsbo is a cute little Scandinavian town across the Sound from Seattle.  We got the most delicious donut I've had in years and decided that West Coast donuts are just different from East Coast donuts.  I, obviously, prefer West Coast donuts.  The rest of the town was antique and gift shops so we found a little playground instead.  The men-folk took the older kids down to the water, at which point Henry walked straight into the water with no intention of stopping until I finally reached him when he was just about knee deep.  And then Alice had to go potty so Grandma agreed to take her and Autumn tagged along.  Alice had to poop.  And then Autumn decided she ought to poop too.  Thirty minutes later they were still at the little cafe pooping.  Grandma said she wouldn't take the kids to the bathroom again.

Dustin and Korey left early Wednesday morning.

We found this cute phone booth and played, how many kids can we fit in a phone booth.  Then we had to explain what a phone booth was.

Alice and Autumn spider swinging.

Henry and Violet spider swinging.

Thursday: Pike's Market

I'm not sure the kids super enjoyed Pike's Market, but it was one of those things we had to see in Seattle.  I had intended to buy a fish there--one of the ones they throw.  Turns out those fish are $200-$300.  Greg went to a fish market near my parents' house instead.

We also stuck some gum on the gum wall and then took a long cold walk to a toy store near Pioneer Square so Rex could pick out a prize.  

When we got back to my parents' house, my aunt Carrie was there.  Her father-in-law had just passed away so she flew in that morning for the funeral.  

That afternoon, my sister pulled out her wedding dress, my other sister's, and my mom's (mine is in Charlotte) so we had a little photo shoot with Alice and Autumn.  

That night Greg's sister and niece, who live about an hour south of my parents, and Greg's dad, who was in town helping Andrea move, came over for dinner.  Then we headed out to a near-by children's museum to play for a few hours before bed.

Henry was done for the day.

Rex tried to throw his gum to the top.

Henry refused to sit on the pig and watched the construction workers instead.

Waiting for the fish to fly.

Autumn in Hannah's dress; Alice in Amber's.

Alice in Grandma Pattie's wedding dress

Alice, Autumn, and Peaches walking to the museum.

As soon as we paid, the older two ran off, so I only got this one picture of Henry while we played at the museum.

 Friday: Our last day: Boeing Museum of Flight and the Knife Factory

My mom scored us some free tickets to the Boeing Museum of Flight so Greg, Rex, Henry and I went to that in the morning.  My mom and her sister took Alice and Autumn to a bounce house.  We only stayed for a few hours since Greg had an appointment at a knife maker's shop he did not want to miss.   Also there are only so many airplanes Henry can handle looking at. When we got back to my parents', my uncle Terry was there to pick up Carrie and take her to his parents' house about an hour away.  Rex went with Greg to the knife shop while Henry slept, and Alice and Autumn played.  Lots of playing.

That night, Alice and Autumn took a 2-hour-long unsupervised bath during which time, they dumped out 4 bottles of food coloring and about 15 partial bottles of shampoo/conditioner/body wash and then used my sister's toothbrush to scrub themselves.  My sister was annoyed.  I said it was worth the 2 hours of silence.  After we got that cleaned up, Henry and Rex took a bath, during which time, Henry pooped in the bath.  I think it was just what my mom needed to be ready to see us go.

Saturday: We flew home.  

Henry slept about 1/2 of the first flight and then the second flight was nearly empty so he and I got a row to ourselves. We got home around 11 Charlotte time, ate a snack and went to bed. We were late to church the next day, then came home for naps and hardly moving so as to recover in time for school on Monday.

Alice is planning her next trip to Seattle already.  Rex talks about all the activities my mom had for the kids to do.  Henry is working on getting his sleep back to usual.  And I am finally semi-caught up on laundry and house cleaning.  But totally worth it.

Now to get ready for the Month-O-Birthdays.