Our Valentine's Weekend

How was your weekend of love? My was fabulous. Chris took me on a romantic getaway to Seattle. And, since we've been in need of some quality family time, we brought our girls along too. I wouldn't have had it any other way (and neither would Cora). We stayed in a hotel in the shadows of the iconic Space Needle (although we didn't actually go there this trip). Ally didn't get a pool as she had requested, but she was really excited about what we compromised for: free parking, breakfast, and a king-sized bed in which we all cuddled.


Saturday we went to the Woodland Park Zoo. And no outdoor activity in Seattle is complete without a little rain, so here we are with our trusty umbrellas. The weather actually wasn't bad for February. We saw lots of animals (duh!) including a hippo out of the water, a baby gorilla playing hide-and-seek, and a roaring lion. It wasn't until we left the zoo and made the sacred pilgrimage to Archie Mcphee that Chris and Cora got attacked by the giant python.


We visited Whidbey Island on Sunday. We took the ferry across instead of trying to turn our car into a boat as Ally had originally planned. Once there, we cautiously walked on and around the WWII-era defensive structures at Fort Casey and Fort Ebey.I discovered I've become quite used to (and appreciative of) all the safety features found at most tourist locations these days, because I spent a lot of time being nervous and Ally spent all her time holding Daddy's or Mommy's hand. While on the island, we climbed a hill overlooking a beach and saw surfers in the water and giant pieces of driftwood on the shore. We drove out to Oak Harbor in search of a replica Flinstone's car, but only found a giant windmill instead. We also saw the Admiralty Head lighthouse, which wasn't open for tours, but was open for deer-crossing. We finished the day off with a ferry ride back to the mainland and a Valentine's dinner at a Mukilteo Mediterranean restaurant.

On Monday we went to the famous Pike Place Market. Like most Seattle tourists, we had to see the flying fish. We walked the market, taking in the bright colors of all the fresh produce and flowers. We also came across this random lizard eating a green bean.


Then we walked up to the city center to give Ally an early, in-depth lesson in anatomy and physiology.
Ally did surprisingly well in the exhibit, especially when she saw the giant poster of the digestive system. I pointed, and she named the organs-- thanks to the puzzle Daddy had given her at Christmas. ("That's the stomach! That's the liver! That's the large intestine! That's where all the poop comes out!")

We returned to the market and ate lunch overlooking Puget Sound and the snow-topped mountains of the Olympic Peninsula. And then it was time to head home.