Seattle--Dick's Burgers

On our way to the zoo, John and Wendi took us to Dick's Burgers for lunch. It was yummy and cheap! My too favorite things about food!

The girls each had mint chocolate chip ice cream instead of milkshakes. They got greedy and chose to get the double scoop. They both admitted later that one scoop would've been plenty! Live and learn! I would've picked the double scooper too, so I can hardly blame them, can I?! Guess it's in the genes!

Seattle--Fish Ladder

Right next to the Locks there is a Fish Ladder for Salmon to swim from the ocean into the lake and on to their spawning grounds. It was also free, and educational, so it was the next stop!

One of the girls handed Glenn their gloves. His ears must've been cold!

There were these cool wave sculptures, so of course we took a picture.

November is not a busy time of year for the fish ladder. At first, the only fish was this tiny guy. The kids named him Bob and cheered him on. "Go, Bob, go! You can do it! Swim, Bob, swim!!" I'm sure he appreciated the encouragement!

Is there anything in there?

And then Larry showed up. He could've easily eaten Bob. We were grateful he didn't. And a third fish showed up (the kids named him Harry!). It was almost gridlock in the Fish Ladder--three whole fish!!! Crazy!

Seattle--Ballard Locks

The next stop on our tour of Seattle was an educational one (and it's free--that never hurts my feelings!!). We went to the Locks where boats move between the ocean and the lake. Our timing was impeccable and a boat moved through right when we got there.
The water at lake level.

The water down to sea level. It moves by gravity. Isn't that fascinating?!!

There were these crazy steps that led right down into the water a little ways away from the Locks. I'm a little mystified as to their purpose. If anyone can educate me, I'd be forever grateful!

Seattle--The View from the Top

Glenn and I were very brave. While John and Wendi slaved away at work on Friday, we ventured into Downtown Seattle. We discovered and said prayers of thanksgiving for the GPS in Glenn's Smartphone! Even with it, we messed up a couple times. I can't imagine driving in an unknown city without it!

After much research and contemplation, we decided to forgoe the space needle at $18 per adult and instead check out the observation deck from the Columbia Center. At 76 floors and twice as tall as the space needle, and only $5 for adults, it was the view for us!

Can you spot the space needle?

You can also see it here behind this pretty girl.

Look at those ants down there.

It makes a person a little dizzy to look straight down. Morgan and I decided that the cars looked like hotwheels!

Seattle--Getting There

The kids (and I) did very well on our long car trip to Seattle. It took us about 7 hours. Thankfully, we were able to borrow a couple of DVD players (thanks Jen and Tara!!) so the girls could watch one movie in the back seat while Morgan watched another in the middle row seat. Ahhh, peace and quiet! Ellea's first words after we picked her up from school to head out of town? Where's the DVD player?! She was ready to plug in!!! I held her off until Lewiston, but not a mile farther!
Our first stop along the way was the Lewiston McDonald's. They have the best sundae's. Could Morgan stretch his lips into a bigger grin?!

I did lots of Internet research on different ideas to pass the time and printed off all kinds of different activity sheets. The best activity by far? Aluminum foil.

Yup. I threw in a roll of the stuff. Glenn looked at me pretty funny, but we were both shocked at how many miles went by as they dreamed up things to mold that shiny silver stuff into!

Morgan's mohawk. He was multi-tasking. Movie and tin foil

Ellea's wearing a crown she fashioned and she's wrapping sections of Nicole's hair in strips of foil. I wanted a picture of Nicole with her silver tresses, but she removed them before I could get one. We were stopping for a potty break and she didn't want to walk around with tin foil in her hair. What's the matter with that girl? Doesn't she know I need pictures of absolutely everything that goes on around here?! Who cares if people would look at her funny!

Seattle

We came back from a long weekend in Seattle to visit Glenn's niece, Wendi and her hubby, John. They are a delightful couple and were, of course, fabulous hosts for our very first visit to the Puget Sound. We headed over Thursday afternoon and survived the 7 hour drive. My kids haven't travelled very much, but they did well. I did okay, too. I'm not a big fan of car trips!

We had LOADS of fun (and acquired lots of blogging material!) over the next three days! Stay tuned. I will write lots and post plenty of pics. You'll feel like you went to Seattle with us!

I start my new job today (yippee!). I'm working as a tutor in the high school for students who have struggled with the standardized test which they must past as a graduation requirement. It's 20 hours a week and I'll have all the same days off as my kids--perfection!

Wish me luck!