A year ago at this time G and I took our first trip to Seattle to visit his sister Lesley and her then boyfriend (now husband) Ben…which reminded me that I have yet to blog about the trip we made back to Seattle a few months later with the whole family!
(For those of you who think I’m on top of things, let this be proof I’m not.)
Last November G, Kate, G’s parents Steve and Pam, and I made the exciting trip from Wisconsin back to Seattle for Ben & Lesley’s wedding! Here’s a look at our fun-filled jam-packed weekend while we soaked up the Seattle sights and celebrated the happy couple!
Thursday
We left Wisconsin on a very cold Thursday, with a full day of travel ahead of us. We had been prepping Kate for her first flight by reading her airplane books and explaining the process as best as we could. When we first walked into the airport she looked around and exclaimed, “Is this a bowling alley?!”
Kate (34 months) chillin’ at the airport check-in with her carry-on and (completely unnecessary) “personal item.”
Kate’s things, going through security.
Since it was our first time traveling with a toddler, we arrived early at the airport to account for anything unexpected. Once we made it through security there was plenty of time for Kate to play in the children’s play area to burn off a little energy before our fight!
Fun in the airport play room!
Kate running down the Jetway with Grandma,and all buckled in for her very first flight!
Kate was so excited to fly and wasn’t scared one bit when the plane took off! Once she boarded the plane she kept cheerfully chanting, “I want to fly! I want to fly!”
It was a 4 hour flight to Seattle, and much to our surprise, Kate didn’t nap a wink. Thank goodness for the iPad and headphones! She was happy as could be watching a new movie we downloaded for her (Toy Story 2) with Sheepy.
Kate in flight
By the time we arrived in Seattle and made it to our rental house we’d had a full 12 hours of travel, and a very tired little girl. Kate was in wonderful spirits the whole day until the last 15 minutes of our trip when she cried for about 5 minutes and then finally fell asleep in the car just before we arrived at the house. We quickly made up her room and put her to bed at 10:30pm our time – 4 hours past her bedtime.
Friday
Kate was awake and ready to greet Seattle by 4:30am local time (6:30am our time)! She was so excited to see Lesley and Ben and their little dog Morty – and, of course, the Space Needle.
Once we were all awake and ready to start our day, our first stop was Lesley and Ben’s house in the Queen Anne neighborhood. Kate was thrilled to meet Morty (they’re great friends on Skype) and then the 7 of us (G, Kate, me, Steve, Pam, Lesley, and Ben) ventured down to the overlook at Kerry Park to admire the Space Needle from afar and snag some family pictures:
G&D and Kate at Kerry Park, overlooking Seattle, WA
We were lucky to have a beautiful, sunny Seattle day, and our next stop was the famous Pike Place Market:
Grandma Pam, Greg, Kate (in stroller), Lesley, Grandpa Steve, and Ben in front of Pike Place Market
Of course I couldn’t visit Seattle’s Pike Place Market without taking Kate to the very first Starbucks! Mama got a latte and she got her favorite KIND bar:
Kate’s first visit to the very first Starbucks!
A mother/daughter side-by-side of pictures from our first trips to the first Starbucks
Exploring the sights and shops at Pike Place Market
Of all the fun things Pike Place Market had to offer, Kate’s favorite was chasing pigeons!
After the market we walked down to the Seattle Aquarium – a place where the lobby was so impressive that Kate didn’t want to leave to go inside!
Kate enjoying the fish and scuba diver in the enormous aquarium in the lobby of the Seattle Aquarium with Aunt Lesly, Grandma Pam and Grandpa Steve.
Splashing in the touch pool with Daddy and Grandpa
Kate and Mommy checking out a tube filled with jellyfish
Everywhere we looked there was sea life to be seen – even in the ceiling!
Kate & Daddy in the underwater dome at the Seattle Aquarium
After all that excitement (and considering she’d be up since 4:30am!) we were certain Kate would take a great nap before Ben & Lesley’s pre-wedding party. Instead, when we checked on her she proudly handed us the “present” she made for Daddy – her bunny in an empty Kleenex box…and a dresser top covered in tissues:
No nap
Kate is a little girl who’s used to a lot of sleep and sticking to a schedule. Needless to say, after 12 hours of traveling the day before, a full day of sightseeing on this day, and minimal sleep in between, we knew we were in trouble. Kate started losing her coping skills around 4pm local time – just as we needed to leave to attend Ben and Lesley’s pre-wedding party. I figured we’d be putting her down for bedtime as soon as we walked in the door (if she even made it that long) so we skipped the cute little outfit I had planned for her and opted for pajamas.
Once we arrived at Ben and Lesley’s, however, Kate blew us away by getting her second wind! She had such a great time running around, charming guests, and playing with their little dog Morty. At one point, after we’d gone upstairs for a potty break, she said, “Hold my hand and let’s walk back to my party.”
Kate (34 months), roping Daddy and Grandpa Steve into playing Ring Around the Rosie with her.
Kate, sneaking treats to Ben & Lesley’s dog Morty!
By 6pm Kate was ready to say goodnight to “her” party and asked to go to bed. I tucked her in upstairs and she was quickly asleep. Now it was time for this Mama to get her drink on and celebrate with these two wonderful soon-to-be-newlyweds!
G’s sister Lesley and her soon-to-be husband, Ben!
G, Pam, Steve, and I enjoyed the rest of the evening socializing with friends and family, and then (around 8:30pm local time; 10:30pm our time) us party animals had to call it a night and get back to our rental house with the kiddo. We had a big day ahead of us – tomorrow was the wedding!
Continue reading Part 2 of our Seattle family vacation!
Hi Dusty! I’m one of your regular readers who lives in Washington (about an hour south of Seattle) and I’m so glad to hear that you had a great time! I also love your Kerry Park picture with the ray of sun in the background – it’s great proof that it isn’t always rainy here! Thanks for posting!
Thank you so much, Megan! Yes, we were blessed with a beautifully sunny day in Seattle during our first day of the trip. So far we’ve had pretty good weather both times we’ve visited. Seattle is good to us!
Hello, thanks for blogging!
I am getting ready to go to WA this week for the annual “end of the school year road trip” woo hoo! Anyway I saw citypass and thought it sounded like a good deal….if I go to every place. I am trying to plan events that are close together.
Round 1—- Pikes/aquarium/argosy – will I have time in 1day?
Round 2—-pacific science ctr/space needle/emp museum – to much in 1 day?
Round 3——museum of flight
This would use every coupon. In the citypass…. I have 4 days and was hoping to get some “non structured” touristy browsing in as well. So I may ind up leaving 1 or 2 items out…in which case the citypass wouldnt be a deal. Thoughts?