We’ve caught up on a majority of our summer but there was quite a bit of time this summer that we spent in Michigan.  Three weeks just about and it felt long and eventful and peaceful at the same time…at least for me, maybe not my parents.  It was a wonderful time and the longest time I’ve spent somewhere away from Seattle in forever, longest time for the girls, and the longest time I’ve been in my parents company since some time in college.  That’s a long time ago.  The first two weeks were a bit of a blur and a lot but the last week I really felt like we fell into a groove that was more manageable and easier on everyone.  So let’s take a look…

The trip started off with next to no sleep and yet still a lot going on.  We took the redeye flight to Detroit, a rare thing we do, and so the night of our flight was relaxing and enjoyable, getting dinner and drinks in the Alaska lounge, and then we boarded our very late flight and spent not even four hours in the air. 

Not nearly enough time for anyone to get a full nights sleep but this was on purpose, in a way, because with our night owls and moving from PST to EST, we would have had some party animals on our hands for a full three weeks.  This was painful for the first day but did help us reset our clocks faster.  Dad was at the airport to pick us up and once the car was loaded we hit some major thunderstorms during the first 45 minutes of our drive to the cottage.  Bryan and I each got about an hour nap in on the ride up and before 10 am, we were pulling into the cottage.  Mom and Grandma were there to greet us, and Sophie and Isabelle, and we got to check out all of the new finishes and additions at the cottage and get settled in before anyone else did.  

We were at the cottage with the whole family for the next three nights.  We had perfectly warm temperatures to make swimming in the lake, paddleboarding, skiing and tubing enjoyable but it wasn’t as steamy as the last time we were up so it was still quite comfortable sleeping, being by the campfire, eating dinner on the deck and going for walks around the lake.  All of which we did. 

On one afternoon we broke out the new cornhole set and that was fun down at the lake.  We had the annual family cottage playlist jamming as soon as Chad was up there with his giant speaker.  We had the Tigers game on and displayed whenever possible.  The girls greatly enjoyed Gator rides to the campground and around the lake.  Mom had a great idea to craft up some directional markers to the various cities we all call home and these turned out great and was a fun activity.  And of course we cannot forget about the food.  We had our usual burgers and onion rings that were fantastic, Sue’s boil that I definitely put down a pound of shrimp at, and the new addition of Phil’s cedar planked salmon that came out perfectly.  Bryan also helped make a pancake breakfast for everyone’s last morning before departure.  I think that everyone had a great time at the cottage and I will have a lot of memories of being up there.

We drove back home on Thursday, Chad following shortly thereafter to spend the next two nights in East Lansing with us before heading back to Chicago.  On Thursday, the whole family walked a good distance to get fish and chips, a current Reese favorite.  On Friday, I had to work but Bryan took the girls on one last daddy daughter outing to one of the trampoline parks and Burger King during the day.  That evening we had Jennette and Terry over to catch up with them and ordered Lou and Harry’s to have at the house.  Being the last opportunity and a Friday night, Chad, Bryan and I headed to downtown EL on foot afterwards to get some drinks.  We met up with Chad and his friends first at Crunchys and after a fair amount of karaoke and bucket beer later we continued on foot to Barrios for $5 happy hour margaritas and chips and salsa before coming back home. 

Chad headed back to Chicago on Saturday so we said goodbye to him later in the day after a morning spent walking/biking to and from Patriarch Park for the playground.  We enjoyed a relaxing night on Saturday, ready to gear up for our next portion of the trip:  Cedar Point. 

Sunday we all packed up our bags and piled into the car about 1 pm to make the three hour drive to Sandusky for our stay at the Hotel Breakers for the next two nights.  The girls didn’t have more than 10 minutes in the hotel room and they were changed into their swimsuits and ready to hit one of the many pools.  We first checked out the kids pool with the small slides but Brooke wouldn’t even attempt one of those slides so we then moved on to the bigger outdoor pools with a large hot tub and then went for a stroll along the beach and boardwalk. 

We cleaned up for dinner and had a reservation at the hibachi restaurant inside the hotel.  This was the girls first hibachi experience ever, and the first in a long time for me, and it was excellent, as usual.  Reese loved it right away but Brooke was fearful of the fire at the table and didn’t want to try the Baby Sake squirt gun the chef was squirting out.  All of the adults did partake in the Adult Sake squire gun though and that was great fun.  The food was delicious and I was so pleased that Reese ate quite a bit and even Brooke had a good amount of fried rice. We strolled the boardwalk after dinner to watch some kite show and a daredevil diver.

The next day we got up early enough for Bryan to go for a Starbucks run for us, get a little breakfast, and then get in line for the hour early entrance we had to Cedar Point at 9 am.  We were in the park right at 9 but immediately had a hiccup to our plan as the Top Thrill 2 was not yet running so we headed to Siren’s Curse with Reese which unfortunately wasn’t moving fast because it was down to two cars and it kept breaking down.  After waiting in line for 90 minutes we left the line and moved on to Millennium Force, with Reese.  She said she wasn’t nervous but this is still one of the scariest rides in my opinion.  She did it and I still cannot believe it.  We rode Iron Dragon with her and then reunited with my parents and Brooke and they headed off to the kids area so that Bryan and I could ride some more rides by ourselves.  We were able to ride the Rougarou and the Valravn, met up with the family and then went on to do the Gatekeeper and the Raptor while they got lunch. 

We met up with them again and went to ride the Corkscrew and the Power Tower together before walking north to Frontier Town and the second large kids area of the park.  We split off again to get some much needed food and then rode Steel Vengeance (our favorite) twice, Maverick twice and finished the night with a last minute Fast Pass on Top Thrill 2.  This was the only one that I was actually afraid of but it was fast and over in no time and the view from the top was just epic. 

We definitely left the park on a high, feeling like we had achieved what we had come for and had a great time.  The girls lasted until nearly closing time before they could be convinced to return to the hotel to get in a swim session.  We stayed up swimming until close to 10 pm with my parents ordering some delicious pizza to be delivered to the pool for us.  We all went to bed pretty tired that night.

Our last day at Cedar Point started with one more swim session.  The girls swam inside and outside and I got in a walk with my mom around the nearby campground and boardwalk. 

We returned to clean up, pack up, and then checked out and headed to a pancake house in town.  We were all pretty hungry as it was close to noon but had a great brunch here before heading to the Detroit airport to drop Bryan off for his flight back to Seattle.  We made it back to East Lansing and it certainly felt like it had been a long drive.  We were excited to get back to Sophie and all took her for a walk to stretch her legs, one that was more eventful and probably lodged into the girls brain forever, as a neighborhood dog pounced on Sophie to all of our surprise. It’s a whole story and any one of us can easily share it.  We got back home quite frazzled and shaken up about it.  

We spent three more nights in East Lansing, me working and my parents in charge of the kids now that Bryan was back in Seattle working.  They did a half day gymnastics camp at a nearby gym called Kiki Gymnastics.  This was Brooke’s first camp experience and both girls enjoyed it, even if it wasn’t that heavy on gymnastics.  The girls got their nails done. I got my haircut one afternoon by my mom’s hairdresser and this was needed as my Seattle hair salon is closed indefinitely for a fire.  My parents took the girls to an arcade downtown and a candy shop and broke out the splash pad as it was still quite hot throughout this week.  

On Friday afternoon, we packed up the car for one last trip, back up to the cottage just the five of us.  We settled into a relaxing and rather quiet weekend at the cottage and cooler temperatures.  We enjoyed more paddles around the lake, a few Gator rides, walks around the lake, the girls did some crafting out of a book, we did a puzzle together, had some campfires, and watched some movies.  We took a boat ride and Grammy was the one brave enough one to go swimming in the middle of the lake with the girls.  We had burgers one night and picked up Mr. Pibb’s broasted chicken dinner another night.  This was a really enjoyable time back up at the cottage.

Back in East Lansing on Sunday night and we have five more nights in East Lansing.  I had a big meeting on Monday and my parents took the girls to open gym at Kiki’s gymnastics, out to lunch and then to watch the Toy Story 5 movie in the theater while I could be in my all-day meeting.  On Tuesday, mom took the girls shopping for back to school clothes at the Gap and J Crew and the girls were totally into giving us a fashion show when they got back with all of their new looks.  I set out with the girls to go have dinner at my friend Nisa’s house.  I think of it as being a new house, as I haven’t seen it, but she’s now been there three years.  It was a super nice house with a beautiful yard and we had a great meal together.  I even got to see her mom, Saichon, whom I haven’t seen in probably 10 years.  The girls thoroughly enjoyed entertaining everyone at dinner and playing in the basement with all of their fun games.

On Wednesday, Grandad took the girls to open gym again while mom and I drove down to Jackson to the House of Colors to get my colors done.  I’m an autumn and this was a very fun and informative experience.  I was eager to get back to my closet and had a lot I left with.

In the afternoon, we tried to ride our bikes on campus to see the Spartan Marching Band practice, which is a thing to do, but we think that we were a week early for their afternoon practices.  We still enjoyed the ride around the very bustling campus with everyone coming back to school.  We biked to downtown East Lansing to get a table on the rooftop at El Azteco where we had a delicious dinner, margaritas and our good friend Tom joined us for the night.  The girls then rode their bikes home with no problem while Grammy got a flat tire! 

And on our last night, we set out early afternoon to Grand Ledge to visit with my grandma once more.  Terry and Jennette came over to catch up as well and the girls put on another fashion show for them, an abbreviated version, and that rolled into a dance performance for everyone.  We said goodbye to Terry and Jennette and then drove over to the A&W down the street that Chad and I always used to go with my grandparents.  We all got root beer floats and some food and enjoyed the whole experience and conversation.

Friday was our departure day and honestly I wasn’t too ready to get back to Seattle, other than to see Bryan again.  The girls got in one more outing at the trampoline park with Grammy and Grandad while I worked a bit, showered and packed.  We managed to pack up all of our things in our bags and loaded in the car and set out for the airport around 2 pm.  We got to the airport with plenty of time, checked our bags and said our goodbyes.  The flight home was smooth and the girls did great.  We landed around 8 pm Seattle time and Bryan was there to pick us up and help us with our luggage.  We settled into our house for the first time in three weeks and it was actually good to be back but I definitely have nothing but positive thoughts towards our three weeks in Michigan this summer.

— 
Chelsea

It’s hilarious really that the last time I wrote about the going ons around here was right before school was out for the summer and here we are, yesterday we were back to school and back to a new year (by the skin of our teeth I might add thanks to the contract negotiations of the teachers union).  But SOOOOO much has happened.  I’m not even sure how to approach everything, so here we go…

Reese’s summer was a great one, I would say.  She enjoyed all of the camps that she was in.  She spent a lot of time with her friends.  We had some late morning departures to camp,  with her on bike and me on foot for the half mile or more to her camp.  She slept in and stayed up late.  Reese spent two weeks in Girls Rock Math, two weeks in Galileo stem camp, a week at Kids Club for their two-night overnight to Camp Burton, her first full week overnight camp with five friends at Camp Sealth on Vashon Island (she departed and arrived by Da Boata, a ferry for just the campers), and she really enjoyed a week long soccer camp at the Arboretum.  Her gymnastics continued, with the exception of overnight camps and August when we were in Michigan.  

Brooke’s summer programming at school was also a lot of fun for her.  Her school continued but spent a lot more time just playing outside and they had multiple field trips, including:  Aquarium, Pacific Science Center (which I chaperoned), Volunteer Park multiple times, and Miller Park.  She enjoyed the Volunteer Park concert series like we do every summer, although without her sister because of gymnastics conflicts.  She learned to ride her bike, as easy and breezy as can be, just like her sister did on Lake Washington Boulevard when it was closed to cars.  She enjoyed some time with just Bryan and I while her sister was away at overnight camps.  She also continued gymnastics and was even just recommended to join the Pre-Team. Brooke also made good progress in her swim classes and did a great job in her end of school party.

My summer was brilliant!  I finally got the pass that I needed for the SE so I can finish that book and stow it away.  This also came with a nice bump at work and I’ve also handed over a lot of my sealing responsibilities to one of my employees so I truly can focus on other tasks at work now.  I have not gone on any more bike rides but might try to this fall.  I have continued to play soccer when I can and am losing a toe nail as we speak to prove it.  I mostly have been trying to keep sanity with all of the various schedules and activities that take place every summer.

Bryan also had a wonderful summer, getting a job he really wanted and has been quite patient for some time.  Now he has a bajillion employees and giving his all to each and every one of them, as Bryan does.  Bryan just converted our garage to a workout space and it is excellent.  I don’t even know how he did it with all of the stuff that we had in there before.  Bryan has been a great friend ito those that need it and great dad and husband at home too.

As a family, we shared many trips together this summer.  We were invited out to Mira’s family’s cabin on Vashon for a weekend in June.  This was pleasant and relaxed with great food, a trip to the farmers market in town, and a paddle to a hike ashore. 

The very next weekend we spent one night for Fourth of July at Georgie’s family’s cabin.  The kids had a great time paddleboarding and swimming off the lily pad.  We got some paddles in and shared more good food.  The fireworks show was spectacular and we watched this from the raft in the middle of the lake and then enjoyed a campfire before bed. 

We took our annual trip to Chelan and it was a great trip all around, minus Bryan having to end his trip short by two nights to get back to work.  We stayed at the Lookout again and the kids were great.  We spent so much time in their two pools and one afternoon down at the lake playing on the beach and the water trampoline.  We got the whole group out to Succession Wines for an afternoon of sipping alongside the live music.  We enjoyed a full day at Slidewaters water park and finished that night with pizza.  And we had a lot of fun playing on the grass with whiffle ball, frisbees, footballs and beach balls.  We caught one of the evening concerts and finished the trip with a DJ pool party at night with smores. 

We’ve been trying to make use of our boat share membership and have taken a boat out a few times, just us and with friends.  We even took one of the Ranger Tugs out in the San Juans overnight in July.  We had a tentative plan that mostly worked as we drew up.  We set out for Rosario Marina on Orcas Island, docked there to get dinner and then found a mooring buoy to tie up to off of Obstruction Pass State Park.  We woke to a rainy morning but were protected from the weather thanks to our boat and made it safely back to Bellingham where Bryan expertly docked the boat.

We celebrated SeaFair in our general fashion, with one afternoon tugging all of our fun toys to the point at Seward Park.  Our friends Anne and Phillip joined us, as usual, and Allie and Marius did as well as they were visiting Seattle at the time.  Unfortunately, it was too windy and the Blue Angels were canceled that afternoon.  First time canceled for weather ever in its history here.  We still had a good time but missed the show.  We caught it on Sunday from the overlook above the I-90 bridge instead, which was easy to get to but definitely less impressive.  We spent one of the nights at Bryan’s coworkers pool party on the Eastside, which was a lot of fun, with catered food from Paseos, a claw machine, tetherball, shuffleboard, and of course swimming and ice cream.

We celebrated our 10^th wedding anniversary!  Bryan got me 10 roses that were beautiful and we enjoyed a night out just the two of us at the Corson Building in Georgetown to a delicious dinner and good conversation. We were also able to go to a World Cup game just the two of us and a friends birthday party one Friday night which was very fun.

We went to the mariners game for Father’s Day with some friends from Brooke’s school and we enjoyed the annual Stevens Carnival.

Shortly after our anniversary and picking up Reese from her week-long overnight camp we packed our bags for three weeks to Michigan.  More on that soon…

— 
Chelsea

Where has the time gone.  Last time I wrote we had just gotten back from Phoenix, I had just finished my exam, and we still had two months left of school and soccer games.  Now we are in June.  Reese has a mere six days left of school of her 2^nd grade year.  Her soccer team had their last game this past weekend.  Brooke has finished her mini tap dance for the year.  We are quickly entering summertime shenanigans and my head is already spinning.  This week is a doozie with just a whole bunch of things.  But first, what else have we been up to?

Reese:  

Her team tied in their last game on Sunday.  It was an easy season, no practices, games at Garfield, a three-minute drive down the street.  Her team did well again but honestly, I am ready to have a season with practices again.  Luckily, I can wait until the fall for that season to start.  Reese is still going strong with gymnastics, twice a week for three hours at a time.  Her team has morphed throughout this spring but as of this week they have some new blood on the team.  She is still in the youngest cohort (6/7/8 year olds) but they are breaking them up by age and not by skill level this year for practices.  They’ve had some fun with warmups, had a pizza party after practice one night, and they’ve ended with popsicles a few nights now.  

She got to celebrate her summer birthday at school last week and we had the TOPS spring social, called Taste of TOPS, at her school two weeks ago.  I was able to attend another field trip with her school, which was enjoyable, and Bryan and I have met with her teachers a few times to set up a personalized plan for her for next year.  She’s made a ton of progress with us in reading and with a tutor and is really working hard at it.  

Brooke:

Every weekend for the past several months has started with our girl biker/scooter gang ride to Brooke’s dance class with her buddies Madison and Halle.  We’ve enjoyed these walks/rides and have been truly fortunate with weather for them.  Brooke did seem to enjoy tap class and says she wants to try the mini hip hop next.  Brooke has still been in gymnastics on Tuesdays right before Reese’s class.  I just signed her up for an entry level swim class up the hill at the YMCA and so far in three classes, one was a fail but the last two were a success.  But we are trending the right way and she was so proud of herself.

We had Brooke’s school’s art show and auction a few weeks back and the artwork the kids made was impressive.  We even got to come home with the beautiful butterfly that her class made but that Brooke personally put in so much effort on.  We had gotten some grooved paper books for Reese to practice writing her letters and numbers and Brooke has been quite taken with these.  Brooke has had a few friend’s birthday parties lately, at the climbing gym, at Playdate and at the park this coming Friday.  Her end of school play will be at the end of the month and apparently she will be the owl in the skit they are doing of the book The Mitten.

Chelsea:

Now that my exam is over and I’ve been in the “waiting period” for results, I’ve been able to read a few books, tackle a few outstanding items for work, volunteer at FareStart, coach soccer, have gone for a few bike rides, have been able to play soccer, and helped the girls start some plants from seed.  Work is going well and chugging along.  I spent two nights in Spokane a few weeks ago and am going back again for another two nights in a few weeks.  

I survived a long solo weekend when Bryan went to Austin for Memorial Day Weekend.  Brooke even had a day off of school the day before the weekend so I tag-teamed entertaining her and her friend Grace for half of the day and her mom did the other half of the day.  I hosted three of Reese’s friends that night for the new Gabby movie in the backyard.  We spent Saturday of the weekend at Brooke’s dance class and then swimming with Sarah and Lottie before going out to dinner with them down the street at Communion.  On Sunday, the girls and I headed to the Seattle Center to spend the entire afternoon enjoying the Northwest Folklife Festival.  We took in a lot of music, dance, art and crafts, and some of the street vendors for snacks.  The girls played in the fountain and we also enjoyed the water toys in the Science Center’s plaza.  We bussed there and back and that worked out really well.  And on the last day, I took the girls and Lottie all of the way down to Olympia to the Hands On Children’s Museum where we spent over five hours playing.  It was a great kids museum and could have easily spent the entire there.

Bryan:

Bryan had a great time in Austin celebrating 20-years with the riders in his Texas 4000 group.  Many of them were able to make the trip or live locally and they had a great time catching up with one another.  They had a few easy porch hangs at night, a party at one friend’s house, they took a boat ride together, they did a 20-mile bike ride, they got brunch, Bryan got to walk around and shop around the university.  He had a great time but was worn out afterwards.

He had to come back and immediately solo parent but enjoyed some good quality time with the girls.  He will be solo again in less than two weeks.  He’s had a few guys nights/days that have been good for him.  There is also an opening at work that he is very excited for and currently in the process of applying for that position.  

Bryan also drove to Vancouver to pick up Lon and Trish who were here for a quick three-nightvisit at the end of their Hawaii cruise.  They got to catch one of Reese’s soccer games, see gymnastics practice for both girls, get some Thai food and go to Tutta Bella and just generally have some hot weather.  

 

We are almost into true summer months, both from a schedule perspective and with our weather.  I’m ready for it.  I’m ready for no more 6:30 alarm clocks and rush out the door.  I’m ready for not wearing a jacket in the morning.  I’m ready for more bike ride and boat rides and long walks.  I’m ready for all of the chaos.  

— 
Chelsea

Well, the dreaded April 16th, Exam Day, is behind me.  I am feeling good about how I did and I just so hope that I can put this saga behind me and never have to take an exam again!  Ever.  The coming spring weather and the NCAA tournament helped break up my study routine at times but the last two weeks were really nose to the paper and there wasn’t a lot of room to break up the monotony of studying.  I did feel a lot lighter as I walked home from the Seattle Center and the testing center, although I always expect to just feel bliss and instead it is a little more nuanced than that coming off of something that takes so much of my precious time and energy for awhile.

But, like I said, there were some things that broke up those last few days for me.  First, Michigan won the whole tourney! This was an exciting Final Four to watch and despite not playing their best game for the final, they still came away with the victory over Connecticut.  I very much valued the basketball tournament this year because it gave me specific breaks from studying.  Also, Reese actually started watching the games and cheering for the team, so that was fun. 

Reese’s soccer team played a very good team for their second match and their third match ended up being a scrimmage due to the lack of players but also, we were in Phoenix for that game. 

Brooke dragged me out of the house one night to join her and Daddy for dinner at her favorite, Tutta Bella, after gymnastics one night.  We celebrated Easter by having an Easter egg scavenger hunt at home, walking to church in the beautiful weather, and then having Lottie and Sarah over for a typical ham dinner.  Girls had a few Easter egg hunts this year.  In addition to ours, we checked out old Bellevue’s egg hunt at the businesses and then spent some time at their downtown park in the sunshine.  They had an egg hunt at church.  And then Lottie made them an egg hunt at our house when they came over.

One other outing we had was that we drove over to West Seattle High School as they were doing The Sound of Music for their spring musical and the girls have really gotten into that movie over the past year.  The high school did a really good job with the production and the girl that played Maria was outstanding.  Like the movie, the play was forever long though and so the 7 pm play didn’t end until about 10 pm which meant the girls weren’t really in bed and asleep until almost 11 pm on a school night! 

Bryan also graciously took the girls for an afternoon outing to the Pacific Science Center the Saturday before my exam.  We were lucky enough to get the tickets free from the Seattle Library’s Museum Pass and were able to take Ryuhei and his two kids as well.  They were able to catch the KPop Demon Hunters laser light show that was very cool and then they all went out to dinner to Bryan’s new favorite sports bar, Tom’s Watch Bar next to Key Arena before heading back home.

But the real news, aside from my exam, was that we just got back from visitng Grandma and Papa in Arizona.  With my exam at the tailend of Spring Break for the girls, I suggested Bryan take them down to Arizona a day or two earlier than me and then I join them there, so that is what we did.  The girls had a sitter at home for Monday and Tuesday and then on Wednesday afternoon, I drove them all to the airport to head down to Phoenix.  That way I got a good night of sleep before my exam, had the exam the whole next day, and then was able to pack Friday morning and head down to meet them there.  While I was doing that, the girls were getting in some precious time with their grandparents and getting two swim sessions in before I arrived.  They bunked with Lon and Trish those two nights and then when I arrived we rented a car and had an Airbnb about a 10-minute drive from their house.  It all worked out really well I would say, although Bryan has been on dad duty a lot lately!

The weather we had in Phoenix was hot but perfect for pool days.  Our Airbnb was quite nice and spacious and we had a hot tub too that, once the temperature was turned down, the girls really enjoyed.  After I arrived on Friday, I got to see everyone at Lon and Trish’s then we checked in and headed to Si Senor for a Mexican dinner.  Great margaritas and a quesadilla the size of Brooke for Brooke.  The girls also really liked the sopapillas. 

We headed back to our rental and had a hot tub session before going to bed.  On Saturday morning, we set out for a place called Slick City, which is an indoor play center with a bunch of extreme slides.  They have a 7 and under session on Saturdays at 8:30 am and thinking of how it is in Seattle, packed, at places like this, we thought getting there early and with younger kids would be a good idea.  Little did we know that we would be the only guests there for the full 90 minutes we were there.  Right as this session was ending some kids started to arrive but it was crazy having the place fully to ourselves.  Reese was brave and went down a few of the bigger slides and even Brooke went down one I wouldn’t have thought she would.  I think they would have done more if you didn’t have to go on your belly on mats face first.  There was also some more gentle slides and a little kids area to play in that they enjoyed.  Overall, they enjoyed their time there and we got a slushie as we were leaving. 

Back to our place, we relaxed for a bit and had lunch and then checked out our complex’s pool.  Only ones at the pool but it was frigid!  They said that it would be heated through the winter and spring but it was definitey not heated.  Despite this, we swam for a while and then warmed up in the sun and then the hot tub before reuniting with Lon and Trish for dinner.  We all headed to a place called Rustler’s Roost and this was a very cool place for dinner.  There was a longhorn outside, the views from the restaurant are really beautiful as you are set up on a hill, and there is a metal slide inside the restaurant that the girls could go do laps on when they wanted a break from their dinner.  We got there at 5 pm and it wasn’t very busy but by the time we were leaving it was packed.  Dinner was good and we all had a good time.

On Sunday we started the day by the girls joining Grandma at the nail salon to get our nails done while Bryan and his dad went out for brunch.  The girls were so good in the salon and both got a different color for every nail. 

After this, we headed to Target and picked out some new shoes and sandals for Reese because she definitely needed some.  We reunited with the boys and then our family headed over to Mesquite Grove Aquatic Center for the afternoon to swim.  We did the lazy river and the slides a few times with Reese and then mainly just chilled in the shallow pools.  This place reminded me so much of the East Lansing Aquatic Center that I worked at.  Even got to see them do a few drills.  We went back home, girls warmed up in the hot tub and Bryan and I showered and got ready to go out for a date night.  Lon and Trish came over and we got them a pizza while they watched the girls for the night.  Bryan and I didn’t have any concrete plans but we knew we were going to go to downtown Chandler.  We walked around for a bit to see all that was there and then settled on a place that came highly rated on Google called the Hidden House.  We were seated in their back patio and got some great drinks and a few delicious small plates to share.  The food was very good and interesting.  After some time there, we went over to a speakeasy in the basement of a restaurant called the Ostrich Bar.  We got two drinks here and just enjoyed some conversation.  After this, we enjoyed the slightly cooler air and walked around some more before heading home and putting the girls to bed.  It was an enjoyable night out.

For our last full day, I had to take a call at 11 am for work so Bryan took the girls back over to Grandma and Papa’s pool where the water is warmer.  They swam there for a while until they headed back to shower (or the girls hot tubbed and bathed) and had lunch.  After lunch, Bryan and Reese were heading to Pecan Lake Entertainment as they had the day pass to try a bunch of different activities.  Brooke was a little too little for pretty much everything, so after dropping them off I took her to a place called Kiddie Academy that was an indoor playground and had some arcade games and ride-on cars that she could do.  We had fun here, and since she didn’t have her typical buddy and leader, I told her I would follow her anywhere she wanted to go.  We spent a few hours there and then drove back to the other two. 

They were in the middle of the high ropes course and zipline so we got to see them do the last little bit of that.  They had already done the arcade, the go karts and mini golf.  We then got to watch them do a funny thing called Dark Zone and then play each other in laser tag.  We got a giant red cream soda to quench the thirst and the girls then pretended to play all of the arcade games while we were accompanied by Lon and Trish and ordered their Family of Four BBQ platter next door.  The BBQ was very good, although Brooke did not like the hatch chilies in the mac and cheese, and we enjoyed the perfect temperature once the sun went down.  We headed back to our place and said our goodbyes to Lon and Trish. 

The rest of the night we had to do some laundry and pack our bags as we had to leave our place at 6 am to get to the airport for our 8 am flight.  We had plenty of time in the morning and our flight left without any issue.  We were back in Seattle with our bags and got back home just after noon.  The girls had a really good time in Arizona and loved all of the pool time and fun things they got to do for several days.  They weren’t the least bit interested in going back to school or their daily routine.  I guess that is a sign of a good vacation for them!

Chelsea

Ha, just like that another month has gone by.  Sayonara March.  You came.  You went.  The past month, plus some, have been busy with two trips for work for me, meaning two trips away that Bryan had to be a solo parent.  On top of that, once I returned from these trips, I’ve been having to fully dive into studying for the SE exam, once more, so Bryan has been so helpful in doing pickups, taking the girls to and from gymnastics and helping entertain them a little more than usual on the weekends.  He’s been so wonderful and I could not do any of this without him.

My first work trip came at the end of February.  A trip to Greensboro, NC to hold my employee reviews in person.  My new employee from Spokane joined me on this trip, so we shared flights, a rental car, and most meals together.  We had three full days in the office, arriving Monday night late and leaving after a day in the office on Thursday.  The days in the office were filled to the brim.  I had five employee reviews to hold both Tuesday and Wednesday and the spare moments were filled with work conversations and a team lunch both days.  On Thursday, I had my own review and then a four hour long strategic planning session and lunch and then the drive back to Raleigh. 

The trip went swimmingly, but then our flight was canceled at the last minute.  The only sequence of flights that would get me back to Seattle before Friday night had me go from Raleigh to Charlotte, then Charlotte to Phoenix, getting in at 1 am, I had to switch terminals and then flew Phoenix to Seattle at 6 am.  I got maybe two hours of sleep on the flight to Phoenix and maybe two hours of sleep in a booth of an empty airport restaurant next to my gate in Phoenix.  The saving grace was that I got upgraded to first class for my last flight to Seattle, otherwise I would have been a miserable human.  I landed in Seattle around 8:30 am and was home by 10 am.  I managed to stay awake most of Friday but got pretty delusional by early evening.

I was happy to be back home with the family though and enjoyed our biker gang to and from Brooke’s dance class on Saturday and on Sunday took Brooke and Madison to the Children’s Museum while Reese went to Clara’s birthday party and we had a great family dinner out to Din Tai Fung that night.  

The very next week Reese had her last gymnastics meet, midweek on a Wednesday a minimum 90-minute drive away in Skookum at the Little Creek Casino and Event Center.  As a family, we all drove down to Lacey on Tuesday night after Brooke’s gymnastics class, had dinner at Red Robin and then checked into our hotel, got in a quick swim session and then all tried to get to bed on the earlier side as we had an early wakeup.

The next morning, we woke up the same time we would have for school, but got Reese dressed and ready, enjoyed the surprisingly good breakfast at the hotel, and then drove the last 20 minutes to the meet.  Reese got another medal for bars and we were happy to be completed with the first season of meets.  The bronze girls all went out to lunch after the meet and it was a good bonding experience for both girls and parents.  We drove home where we had the rest of the Wednesday afternoon together at home.

Bryan was able to get in a night out with Philipp and to volunteer at FareStart.  We had a pizza dinner at Stevie’s Famous on Friday while Reese was at gymnastics.  We spent the weekend at dance class, the park, having Lottie over, and I played a super wet and soggy soccer game. 

Come Monday, I was heading out of town again.  This time, the trip was to Salt Lake City for my team to have our annual conference trip to the ASCE Geo Congress.  My flight didn’t leave until mid-morning so I was still able to see the girls off to school before heading to the airport.  The flight to SLC is only about 90 minutes so I touched down around 3 pm.  The first night was the first welcome lecture and welcome reception, held at the convention center.  All 13 of my employees made it to SLC with relatively little hiccups and we convened for the reception.  

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at the convention center for the conference and thought that the presentations, topics, and team building aspects all were great.  The lunches were surprisingly good too and they had a networking break each day around 3 pm so that I could get outside or catch up on work before the evening events.  Both nights had an evening lecture and then we followed that up with team dinners at some nice places.  Both places that I had reserved for my group worked really well.  The first night, we had the private library space at Bodega & The Rest and this was a super intimate and quiet spot for our group with good food and drinks, but somewhat slow service.  The second night we dined at Lake Effect and my group had the drinks flowing and there was a live musician but who wasn’t too noisy and this was a late night but everyone was really enjoying one another.  I was feeling very good about camaraderie and teamwork. We had a mix of weather but I was able to get out for a quick hike by the temple, Capitol and up Ensign Peak.

On the last day, 2 in our group had to fly back early, so some stayed for the last half day of the conference and 7 of us went to Brighton Mountain to go skiing.  This was a sunny day with no fresh snow but we had purchased half day lift tickets good for noon to 4 pm, which was perfect and the snow had softened up just enough to not be icy and the groomed runs were great.  The skill level of our group was pretty balanced so we all hung together and skied the full four hours straight.  My plan was then to catch the uber back with the group and go straight to the airport but the Ubers would not accept our ride request.  Fortunately, one employee had rented a car with his family that tagged along so I was able to hitch a ride with them to the city and then was able to catch the Uber from there to the airport.  I just barely made my flight but the 90-minute flight back went smoothly and I was home before the girls were in bed.  The rest of my team got the bus back down the mountain and most stayed Thursday night in SLC as well.  I had a lot of my employees reach out to thank me for a great trip.

Bryan and the girls kept busy with work, school, the playground when the weather allowed, cartoon happy hour at Central Cinema when it didn’t, gymnastics and dinner out at Tutta Bella.

As soon as I was back home my work was sabotaged a little.  First, on Friday, we got snow and then Reese had a performance at the school assembly so all three of us went to watch this.  Then on Monday, Brooke was off of school for her teacher conferences.  The three of us went to her conference before heading home and she had a playdate from school, Grace, came over for her first playdate ever for the afternoon.  Over that weekend, we also had Georgie come over for a sleepover and Brooke’s buddy Halle came over after dance class.  We attended our friend’s 40^th birthday party on Saturday evening and I got to play soccer again.  Bryan called our house a daycare.

And last week I got back to FareStart to volunteer and then we had a babysitter for Friday night to attend Reese’s school’s auction.  We had a great time at the auction with our friends and were the last group to leave the auction and then headed down the street to the Zoo Bar with our group to at least stay until our girls were asleep.  The following day, while we were recovering from too much to drink, we had our friends Luis and Carina and their kids over for dinner as their kitchen is still being remodeled and out of commission.  Kids had a good time with them.  And Sunday, after the hangover was gone, I was back to playing soccer, this time in the sunshine and the girls tagged along and did great on the sideline and at the playground.  We also made it to church again!

To round out an exciting and eventful March, Michigan has made it to the Final Four and has been very fun to watch.  As were MSU, Texas Tech and Texas in their exciting runs in the tournament.  My bracket isn’t doing well although I might come in second if Michigan does win the tourney! Bryan also got an ice cream maker from work and we’ve made some exceptional ice cream; chocolate chip, Cookie Monster, Nutella, and mint Oreo cookie to start.

Reese’s spring soccer season just kicked off this past weekend in a very cold and wet game.  Girls were all in great spirits despite the chill and weather and managed to win 4-3, should have been 4-0 but we had a very bad four-minute period where the team just shut down. We also went to the Seattle Center to watch Lottie perform as Tammy in the play Tammy the Troll. This was a hilarious experience and the girls played at the playground before and after and then we all had dinner together afterwards.

I have two weeks until my exam and two weeks until we head down to Phoenix.  We are all looking forward to that trip and the countdown has begun.

— 
Chelsea

I’m not even sure what February was to be honest.  It’s been nearly a month and didn’t necessarily fly by like Februarys tend to do but I cannot really think of what we have done.  We’ve done stuff.  

The end of January was sealed a date night, a Guest Chef Night volunteer party at FareStart that we brought the girls too, a group outing at the park with our Boeing friends, and then Reese’s second meet, this one being at the Seattle Convention Center.  This one was full of balloons and cool photo opportunities.  The new convention center is beautiful.  Lottie and Sarah came to cheer on Reese and had a good performance all around.  However, this meet followed a very stressful gymnastics drama week and we were all a little shellshocked and in a funky mood.  Reese walked away with a medal for bars and seemed to let her guard down a little bit after the meet was over.  

The next week started off as it should but quickly went downhill for Bryan quick.  Starting Tuesday morning he started to really not feel well and the entire rest of the week stayed home, took two days off of work and barely mustered to work from home on Friday.  This meant that I tried to keep the girls entertained at the parks (thankfully had nice weather) in the evenings after school pickups, got them to gymnastics and tried to make some feel good dinners but was pretty spent by the time Saturday rolled around.  Reese really wanted to get together with Lottie though so after Brooke’s dance class I took the three girls up to Everett to Flying Squirrel trampoline park for an afternoon of jumping.  Bryan was starting to finally turn the corner Saturday night and felt good enough to participate in our planned activities on Sunday.

On Sunday I went to play soccer at the Arboretum while Bryan chaperoned the girls to another birthday party at the Montlake Community Center.  The girls enjoyed making some glitter slime, getting their face painted, having pizza and swinging at the pinata.  I managed to score 2 goals for my teams win of 6-5.  Felt very good to play soccer and have that release after the long week.  I showered up and then we all headed over to the eastside to David and Tina’s house for the Super Bowl with the Seahawks vs the Patriots and a house full of kids.  A house full of kids with our girls means that they forget we, their parents, exist long enough for us to enjoy food, drinks, friends and most importantly, the game.  The Seahawks got themselves the biggest win of the season in an overall not-thrilling game but we will take it.  

The week after was more of our normal week without much events.  Reese’s gymnastics team drama has continued but she’s settled into her new coach alright and their third meet was on Valentine’s day morning so this week was some meet prep.  We got an early Valentine’s dinner at Elliott’s on the waterfront on Friday night while she was at practice.  This was thanks to a mystery shop and Brooke totally fell asleep on us and fell asleep through dinner, through pickup of Reese and through the night.  Bryan and I had a great dinner and enjoyed the easy bedtime.  

Valentine’s day was a packed day.  We got ourselves ready to head out of town first thing in the morning, while also getting Brooke ready for dance class and a playdate with Madison and we got Reese ready for the Candyland Invitational in Monroe at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds.  We walked Brooke over to Madison’s house with her bike and her dance outfit on and then headed to Monroe with Reese.  It was nice being able to just sit in the bleachers and watch Reese in her meet without having to entertain and watch Brooke as well.  Plus, Brooke had more fun with her buddy Madison and their dance class.  Reese seemed to be more in her groove and having a good time during this meet, maybe it was thanks to all of the candy giveaways going on.  She walked away with another medal on bars and her team came in first place winning a big trophy. 

After this we drove back to Seattle to collect Brooke, pack up the rest of the car and then set out east on I90 towards Chelan.  The girls both had no school on Monday and Tuesday so we took the opportunity to take some time off of work and have a little family vacation.  We last minute booked a condo in Manson, north of Lake Chelan and our condo had beautiful views of the lake, was in walking distance of a few tasting rooms and restaurants and had a complex hot tub that we spent at least six hours in.  We stopped for a great dinner in Cashmere at a food truck connected to Yonder Cider.  The place was busy and full of children and had games you could play while waiting for your food.  We even ran into another family with a kid that Reese competed against at the meet that day.  We pulled into our rental just after 8 pm and settled in then headed to the hot tub before it closed at 10 pm.

For our first day in Chelan we were hoping to find some snow.  We knew that the place we had hoped to take the girls skiing at and sledding had been closed for some time but when we drove to the ski resort and beyond it was green without a fleck of snow on the ground.  We parked at a trailhead as high as we could get and set the girls out on a quest to find snow.  This worked in getting them to hike just over two miles.  They stopped at each ice little snow pack to create a snow ball to throw at Dad who was in the lead.  We made it back to the car and headed back home for lunch and a warm up in the hot tub.  Bryan and I each went for a walk to get some fresh air and exercise and then walked into town.  We stopped first at Diffraction Wines which is a tasting room with old school arcade games, Mario Kart and Diffraction and Cardeas Wines.  We got the red tasting flight while the girls played some games, then I had to flex my Ms Pac Man skills and we bought a bottle and headed to dinner next door.  This little Mexican spot was busy and took some time to get food but we had chips and salsas and drinks and the girls were on great behavior.  Our food came and was well liked across the board  and then we walked back to the condo for a movie night.

Our second full day in Chelan started with snow falling.  I first went for a walk around the point just south of us as the snow was falling down.  I came back and we got some lunch from town and then headed to check out two wineries.  We stopped first at the Tipsy Canyon Winery where we had the whole place to ourselves, split a tasting while watching the girls make massive snowballs in their yard while we were cozy under a blanket.  This was peaceful.  After this stop we headed to Hard Row to Hoe winery where we were again the only ones for quite sometime and enjoyed another tasting while the girls kept busy with their color by sticker books and we shared two of their massive chocolate truffles that the girls got to pick out.  After this place we headed back to the house to get the girls wet snow gear off, I took them hot tubbing while Bryan went for a walk and then we all walked into town to find dinner.  I say find dinner because on this Monday night, nothing in Manson was open.  It was also President’s Day.  We set out for Buddy’s but then saw that the door said 21+ so kept on to the only other restaurant in town open that we knew of.  It was a place called Tapped Out that has only recently opened but they had good burgers, fries, hot dogs for the girls and fish and chips.  Bryan set out to buy ice cream from the nearby grocery store and the girls and I walked back to the condo.  We had another movie night and ice cream before calling it.

We woke up Tuesday and were leaving this day but of course the girls wanted to hot tub one more time so they did.  We got ourselves all packed up and ready to go and left just after 10 am.  It was snowing pretty good on Blewitt Pass which unnerved Bryan a bit and then stopped to get some fast food for lunch and the girls said they wanted to try and ski at Snoqualmie, which we were driving by on our way home.  Snoqualmie Central is closed right now because of lack of snow but that meant we had the whole bunny hill to ourselves and we were going to pull them up to ski down anyways so this was super fun.  Reese really loved it and Brooke eased into the situation but did much better than last year.  After a little over an hour both Bryan and I were pretty tired from the pulling and the girls were good to leave so we headed back to the car where our leftover ice cream, recently bought the night before, was nice and ready to serve as a milkshake with a straw on the rest of our drive back to Seattle.  We had packed leotards to head straight to gymnastics and so that is what we did.  The girls both had their classes before heading back home finally.  It was good to be back but it was a nice little vacation away.

The rest of the week Reese was still off of school but Brooke’s school was back in session.  Reese did a climbing camp at Seattle Bouldering Project with her friends Clara and Fiona and I picked them up from camp at 2 pm on Wednesday to play at our house and then she went over to their house on Thursday after camp.  Bryan did FareStart on Thursday night so we had a girl’s night.  And Friday was a very full day.  Reese’s gymnastics practice was moved to the morning so I took her and Bryan picked her up.  Then I had a lunch for an employee’s review who met me in Seattle downtown.  We then went as a family to the University of Washington’s gymnastics meet against Minnesota with the rest of her team for a team bonding night.  Finally, we headed home to change, greet a new babysitter (Raqui’s cousin) and then Bryan and I walked down the street to the Bottleneck Lounge for Halle’s dad, Dan’s 38^th birthday party which was a costume party.  This was a lot of fun and we had a great time but boy was yesterday a busy day!

I leave for a work trip on Monday and then am back for a full week and then have one more work trip the following week and then I’m set with traveling for work for a little while, I think.  I cannot believe it is already almost March!-

– 
Chelsea

 We are almost through the first month of 2026 and January was a whirlwind of a few trips for me and a nice two-week long visit from Grammy and Grandad.  The very first day back to school for the girls and I had a very quick one-night trip to Spokane to make.  I felt like absolute trash basically the entire two days that I was there.  Thought I was on the mend from this terrible cold but felt horrible on the flight out.  It was still good that I was there to see the office fully staffed (doubled in size in the past four months) and operating and feeling like a solid office.  We had a team social that Tuesday afternoon and then I flew back to Seattle, feeling some better.

Mom and dad were coming to visit us, arriving the night after I got back.  Their flight got in late so Bryan put the girls to bed while I went to collect from the airport and got them checked into their Airbnb a few blocks away.  Their Airbnb was a nice little setup that I think worked out well for them and they were about an 8-minute walk away.  I spent a little time catching up with them and then went home to catch some shut eye. 

I was letting them get some sleep the next morning and got Reese on her bus but Brooke wanted to see them before school so we drove bye to say “hi” and Brooke somehow easily coerced Grammy to ride with us to school for drop off.  Grammy and Grandad were on babysitting duty Thursday night so that Bryan and I could volunteer for Guest Chef Night together at FareStart for the first time since Reese was born!  I went for a nice walk with my parents around Madison Park Thursday afternoon before then getting ready to volunteer.  The girls were very excited to be picked up in the afternoon from them and enjoy a night with just them.  They had a great night, showing them their new gifts, having some Pagliacci pizza, and playing games.

Friday was more or less a normal day.  Work, school, Reese’s gymnastics.  We had dinner at home of chicken fajitas and then I made a command to get some solid sleep since the past few nights were late ones and Bryan and I were going to have another late one the next night.  Saturday started off nice and relaxed at home.  We then all headed to Montlake Community Center for Brooke’s good buddy Halle’s 4^th birthday party.  This was a fun dress up themed party that Brooke thoroughly enjoyed and then we all headed to the playground to get some fresh air.  Mom and I opted to walk home from the park to talk and get some exercise in. 

Once back the girls packed their overnight bags to head over to their Airbnb for a sleepover while Bryan and I went to the party.  The girls were very excited and packed several games to take with them.  Bryan and I started to get ourselves ready for the party; 70s vintage Vegas themed.  We did alright with our costumes but never took a single picture all night.  Our party was just down the street at our friend’s Becky and Aaron’s house and was a murder mystery potluck party.  The crew really went all out with costumes, acting and food and drink.  Everyone nailed their part and it was very fun playing along with the cue cards and directions of the game while imbibing and catching up with one another.  We had a great time with good people and headed home a little before midnight since I needed to be up about 5 amthe next morning for my next work trip.

Sunday morning, I left early for St Louis for my first Annual Management Meeting (AMM) for United Rentals.  I had to get there by 4 pm to check in at the convention center but fortunately my flight was on time and I arrived without issue to my hotel next to the Arch and got checked in with some time to spare and time to walk around the Exhibition Hall and various vendors.  It was impressive its shear size.  From there I had a team dinner at a place called Rigazzi’s with one of our vendors.  It was good to see familiar faces from the Trench Safety group at this dinner and the food was mediocre at best but conversation was good.  

Monday and Tuesday were full days of scheduled meetings.  Monday started off early with a presentation by many of the executives, concert style, and then we all broke off to our respective meeting rooms for the workshops on being “All In and All United”.  I wasn’t sure if my group would be totally random but I was at least placed in a table with people all from the Pacific Northwest.  These meetings lasted all day, before and after lunch.  After we were finished with those we had the big Awards Ceremony with noise makers and lots of videos and applause.  From there, I walked with my group to the Awards Party at Ballpark Village.  Drinks, food, the football game, concerts, etc were available here and I stayed for the majority of the night and had a good time but really need a buddy at these sorts of things.

Tuesday was a little less scheduled for me in the morning as I had a break in my agenda which allowed for me to get caught up with work a little bit and get a walk in around the Arch Park.  After lunch I headed to the Trench Safety specific meetings which were interesting and informative but quite long.  This headed straight into another dinner at the conference center and once this was over my time at the meeting was over and I headed back to my room to relax.

I had a relaxed morning but was more than ready to get back to my family and parents who seemed to all be having a good time.  They spent the majority of Sunday together, sleeping in on Sunday morning and then Grammy and Grandad took the two lucky girls to see the new Wicked movie and lucky Bryan got nearly a whole day to himself.  They sealed the night with Thai food from Manao.  On Monday and Tuesday, Bryan got the girls ready for school but my parents were on pickup duty.  Bryan got some evening workouts in and they got takeout from Ezell’s one night and Pagliacci’s again another.  The girls had gymnastics Tuesday night and then I was home Wednesday night and the parents cooked us an excellent salmon dinner at home.  Such a treat!

Thursday and Friday were nice and quiet nights and typical days.  I was slowly starting to feel better.  I had signed up to chaperone Reese’s school field trip to the Seattle Art Museum on Thursday, not realizing that I would be sick still or coming back from a trip, but I’m glad that I went and Reese was glad to have me there.  I blazed through my work when I got home and then was able to meet the crew at Little Park in the afternoon before coming home and having dinner of chicken paprikash.  

On Friday, we had Reese’s first real meet of the season at the Battle of Bellevue just across the lake at the Bellevue Convention Center.  Reese had an 8 am start time so we had to leave early and both girls got to skip school on Friday.  Reese did great again and it was still so fun getting to watch her compete and do something she loves.  I think the 8 am start time is a bit rough for the girls though, who are not used to practicing or competing that early in the morning.  Reese ended up getting a medal for her vault event for her age group and her team placed third for their gym.  After the award ceremony was over, we all walked over to Bellevue Square to have a great, filling lunch at Tavern Hall.  From there we walked over to Downtown Bellevue Park to play at their amazing playground and walk around their little walking trail.  The weather was absolutely perfect but, on our drive back to Seattle, the fresh air and sunshine put us all to sleep.  We had a nice lazy night at home on Friday.

On Saturday we had another nice and quiet morning.  Mom and I took the girls on a walk/bike ride to Sam Smith Park for some sunshine and fresh air and Grandad brought them back home while we walked back home.  Then Bryan and I got ready for the first Seahawks Playoff game against the 49ers and the girls were having one more sleepover at Grammy and Grandad’s.  We were excited for the game, and to get there early to enjoy the atmosphere and a drink before the game started.  Then we were especially pumped when the Seahawks just came out totally swinging and the 49ers never had a chance.  Such a fun game to be at and sealed another playoff game at home for us.

On Sunday, we got to sleep in slightly and then I went to play soccer for the first time in ages and Bryan went to the butcher and then got a run in as well.  It was another beautiful day.  We headed home for showers and then waited for the girls return home.  We spent the evening watching more football and getting Thai food, this time from Hanuman down in Madison Valley, which ended up being equally good.

Monday was MLK Day and my parents were watching the girls for me while we both worked.  They came over in the morning to collect them and then all went bowling at West Seattle Bowl and then shopping at the GAP in University Village.  This was super helpful and Monday night Bryan had prepped and prepared a delicious roast beef like we had at Christmas.  I made my homemade bread and we rounded this out with mushrooms, green beans and mashed potatoes.  It was a fantastic meal!

Our last full day with my parents here was on Tuesday.  We still had beautiful weather so after an online exam I had to take in the morning I went for a walk with them through the Arboretum.  This was a nice, long one and then they took the girls graciously one more time to gymnastics.  That night we made the shrimp and green bean dish together and had some of the homemade potstickers that we had made and froze Christmas Eve.  It was sad to say our goodbyes to them on Wednesday.  They came over early to walk with Reese to the bus stop and then said goodbye to Brooke before she headed to school.  After they finished packing up at their place, I drove them to the airport and said my goodbyes.  

It’s seemed a lot quieter since they have left.  Fortunately, the good weather lasted for awhile longer.  It has rained a bit today for the first time and I think we will have a few more days of rain before it clears again but we had such a nice stretch of weather while they were here.  The day after they left, I volunteered once again at FareStart for a sold out and delicious night by the Homer restaurant.  The girls have continued to have gymnastics and Brooke had her first mini tap dance class with her two buddies on Saturday.  Reese had a sleepover at Georgie’s house on Saturday night and Bryan and I were able to get a sitter for us to attend the NFC Championship game against the Rams on Sunday afternoon.  This was quite a suspenseful game, no surprise as it always is against the Rams.  We loved it though and felt so fortunate to be able to attend this game.  And the last update is that we have now had two sessions with a reading tutor for Reese and we like her quite a bit.  I think this is going to be a great thing for Reese and our family and looking forward to having her come once a week.

It’s been a really great January and I am still feeling very thankful and happy about all of the various activities and time we have had this month and coming up.-

– 
Chelsea

This winter break was a relaxed, lengthy break full of family time and good food at home.  As much as we enjoy being with family over the holidays, this year, coming off of our trip to Japan, it was much needed for us to spend the holidays at home.  The break felt like a long one but this means that we all did get to catch up on our sleep and enjoy friends and activities locally.

Bryan was off of work beginning on the 24^th through the 1^st so that helped with care of the girls while they were off of school.  Right before the break we enjoyed a great cookie exchange at Brooke’s school. The weekend before Christmas we had a nice and quiet day on Saturday thanks to Georgie’s family taking Reese with them to a holiday concert downtown and to lunch and then on Sunday I took Reese to a holiday ladies tea party at our friend Clara and her mom Becca’s mom’s house.  It was nice being able to catch up with a few of the ladies from Reese’s friend group. 

Brooke went over to Madison’s house for a little play date while we were at the party.  When we got back from the tea party, Georgie was planning to spend the night and Madison and Brooke walked over with Bryan to spend some time at our house, have dinner with us and watch a movie with the big girls.  Everything was going well and they were far into the movie and nearing ready to go to bed when Reese developed what we are now guessing are pediatric migraines.  She complained of a headache, wanted to lay down in the quiet and dark room, and then threw up one time.  While we then felt fine after that, the vomit aborted the sleepover and we had to sadly drop Georgie back home.  Both girls were disappointed for sure.

For the two days that Bryan was in the office, we made due at home while I worked.  Reese went out with Georgie and her sitter for some fun most of the day on Monday.  Brooke had her buddy Halle over for several hours to keep her entertained.  On Tuesday after a quieter day at home and Brooke’s 4-year checkup at the doctor’s office, we drove to the east side for our annual visit of Snowflake Lane in downtown Bellevue.  We made a reservation for 12 people at STK to enjoy some happy hour snacks and drinks with Halle and Madison’s families and then all enjoyed the parade together.  We had a great time and Brooke was in hog heaven with her buddies.

Christmas Eve was fairly quiet.  I still had to work but also had to make a grasshopper pie and coffee cake for Christmas morning and then as a family we made Chinese pork dumplings and Brooke snapped us a bunch of green beans.  We magically got that all done before the Christmas Eve service at 5 pm at church.  We even got there fairly early and were able to snag a Lowrider cookie they had out, hot chocolate, and got a rare family photo taken in their picture taken setup.  The service was great and Reese was patient sitting through it (she was also given a goodie bag with some snacks and activities at the church entrance that helped) and Brooke fell asleep on Bryan for the duration of it.  We couldn’t even wake her up enough to hold and light her candle for silent night.  After service we headed back home to fry and steam our dumplings, which we had with some of Brooke’s green beans and a spicy smashed cucumber salad.  It was a great meal!

Once we got the girls in bed there was a fair bit more of work to do.  I had a bunch of little presents to wrap, Bryan assembled Reese’s new bike, and then we put together the girl’s new vanity.  We finally wrapped up our work sometime around 12:30.  Fortunately, the girls slept in until about 8:30, which was their norm during the break, so we were able to get some adequate sleep before heading down and starting to unwrap presents.  Everyone made out really well with gifts and were all happy.  There were certainly a few hit gifts that the girls really enjoyed.  We spent our day playing with our new things and setting up the new Tin Can phone.  Bryan then went to work searing and sous viding his roast.  We sat down to dinner around 5 pm and had the delicious beef, more green beans, my homemade bread and salad.  It was a delicious lazy Christmas Day and I didn’t even get out of my new Christmas jammies, which I had put on Christmas Eve!

I was back to work the day after Christmas but the slow day allowed me to spend some more quality time with the family and also help find places for all of the new things.  Sarah and her mom offered to take Reese and Lottie to the Burke Museum for Natural History at UW’s campus, thanks to free tickets she got from the library, so she spent most of the day with them.  We got some lowkey quality time with Brooke.  I showered and changed for the first time in three days and then took Brooke to a playground in the dry weather before going to get Reese.  

For that weekend we did a few fun activities.  We went bowling on Saturday morning with our friends Anne and Phillip and Rosalie and Reid.  The bowling was a hit and the girls loved it.  We then went with them to Lincoln Park to play on the playground since it was sunny out and after we had been there for some time and had worked up an appetite for lunch we went with them to a great little deli for a delicious lunch.  On Sunday we got to watch the Seahawks with an easy win over the Panthers and then in the afternoon we drove down to the Rainier Beach Community Center Pool for an hours swim in their lazy river, slide and shallow area.  We then showered and changed, got McD’s for the girls on the way to Harvest Vine where the girls, without coloring books or tablets, sat and enjoyed a dinner with Bryan and I for a nice night out.  The solution ended up playing a whole bunch of telephone at the table.

Monday and Tuesday were work days for me so Bryan tried to keep the girls entertained.  Girls, who were starting to get a little moody and testy at times.  Both days were actually beautifully sunny so after some time at home each day they were able to get out and enjoy the weather.  On Monday, they headed to Sam Smith Park, the I90 bike tunnel and surrounding trails for Reese to try out her new bike and then play at the playground.  We then had Lisa and Georgie and Sam over for a great dinner at our house.  On Tuesday, Bryan took them to the Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island and then took Reese to gymnastics, which she very much needed to see some friends and exert some energy.  I got my hair highlighted that day so was out of the house for a few hours.

Wednesday, New Years Eve, I woke up not feeling the greatest.  I had set a goal to have 100 outdoor miles in the months of November and December, and all of my miles had been jogging but I had 5 miles to complete and couldn’t do a run so I took a nice solo 5-mile walk in the Arboretum before we got ready to head over to Anne and Phillips to watch the Texas vs. Michigan bowl game, me with three UT alumni.  The game didn’t end up how I would have liked but the rest were happy and it was nice to socialize through the game.  We then headed home for about an hour, mainly to prep my bread, to then head over to Sarah and Lottie’s house for NYE at their place.  We had some great wine, my bread and some nice cheese, and soup that Sarah had made.  We toasted to east coast New Years and then headed back home after that.

I had the day off on the 1^st and we really didn’t do much at all that day.  I honestly can’t remember much about this day other than we watched a lot of football and movies and picked up Thai food for dinner.  Bryan was back at the office on Friday so I had one more day of working at home with the kids there.  Lottie came over for several hours and the three actually played pretty well altogether and were not too distracting.  Reese had one more gymnastics practice that she was excited for we took Brooke down to Sky Zone trampoline park for a friend in her classes birthday party and then we had one more weekend over break.

On Saturday we had the big Seahawks vs 49ers game to watch that night so we wanted to get the kids outside and expend some energy before that.  We headed to Montlake playground and Madison met us there for some time as well.  The Seahawks managed to defeat the 49ers in a good game and we were quite pleased.  Our last day of break was a day that Brooke had another no-sibling birthday party at All That Dance so Reese went over to Lottie’s for a few hours and for dinner while I took Brooke to the birthday party which she loved the hour dance/movement class the teacher led them through, she got to see a bunch of her school friends, and then they got to have pizza and cupcakes after.

Whew!  We made it through a very, very long winter break and survived.  

— 
Chelsea

Japan and the Christmas season has not been the only things keeping us busy since the beginning of November.  There has been a slew of things:

End of soccer:  At the very beginning of November, Reese’s team capped off an amazing fall soccer season with a solid win against their friendly opponents, the other TOPS and Montlake team.  After the win, we headed over the short distance to Powell Barnet Park for some glorious November sunshine, hot cocoa and Top Pot donuts and I handed out certificates to each of the girls.  They essentially had an undefeated season and I was super proud of all of them.

Halloween:  Second year in a row for a rain-soaked Halloween here in Seattle.  Fortunately, it was warm but it rained a ton.  We frantically changed and headed to Brooke’s school for pick-up and to head out with her class to start, managed to grab some clear ponchos that a friendly neighbor had left out for people, and were able to see several friends throughout the night and brought home a boatload of candy.  We have learned over the past two years that Nerds and M&Ms packaging does not hold up well in the wet weather.  Someone should let those candy companies know.

Disney on Ice:  I took Brooke to Disney on Ice, something I had done with Reese at about the same age, and it was so much fun again.  This was again thanks to a mystery shop and free and again back up at the Everett Angle of the Winds Arena.  This time there were seven mini performances done for a variety of movies:  Frozen, Tangled, Moana, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Wish, and Aladdin.  Brooke and I had a great time during the show and got pizza and our nails done before the show.

Wild Waves:  While Brooke and I were at the Disney on Ice, Bryan took Reese and Luis and Eliana and Lucas to Wild Waves for the day.  They managed to luck out with dry, nice weather and no lines.  Towards the end of the night, they started to put on their Fright Night scenes.  They stayed a long time and had great fun and then got Red Robin before getting back to Seattle.

NYC trip:  My engineering department headed to NYC for the second year in the row for our end of year trip and site visit.  This year we stayed right in the Theater District and could walk or ride the subway everywhere, which was nice logistically.  This was also the first time that I was seeing most everyone in my company since being promoted.  We had three great team dinners, took a sightseeing cruise, got passes to go see another landmark so I went to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which was great, and then had our site visit of the Hudson Yards project.  Everything went swimmingly until my return trip home, which ended up as a saga and I ended up having to get the last hotel room near Newark and fly back early the next morning.

Vaccines and trampoline park:  We all got our vaccines done on the same day and decided to again treat the girls for getting theirs by going to a trampoline park.  We headed up to Montlake Terrace’s new Sky Zone to spend a few hours there which was totally packed.  Girls still had a good time but I wouldn’t return to that one again.  After that we went to Tom’s Watch Bar to have dinner and catch the first half of the Georgia vs. Texas game.  

Dinner at Polly’s:  I hadn’t seen Polly in literally forever and they have recently bought a new house.  We had invited them over for dinner but couldn’t make it down here so we drove up to them and had dinner at their house.  The girls loved playing with Niko and Hugo so much they have since requested going back there.  They also were able to loan us a Japanese phrase book and some Japanese cash to get us started for our trip.

Hair appointment, dentist appointment, eye appointment:  This past month we have had an eye appointment for Reese, dentist appointments for both of them and a hair cut appointment for Brooke.  Getting all of those appointments in always adds a lot on the calendar.  All went well enough though.

Conferences:  We had conferences for both girls right before we left for Japan.  Our conference for Reese’s teacher, Ms. M, was insightful and inspiring and we truly believe Reese is in good hands and has made a lot of progress in reading and excelling in math.  Brooke’s conference went very well and we got to look at a lot of pictures of her doing things.  They don’t believe Brooke is silly though which was shocking to both of us.

Brooke’s Stone Soup:  The Friday before Thanksgiving, Brooke’s class rode the bus to Miller Community Center and fed the families the soup that they made, with bread and cookies, and did some songs for us to showcase the Stone Soup they had been reading and learning about community.  It was a nice day so the kids got to play together at the playground before and after the celebration and Reese even got to come to the even to support her sister.

Mini Nutcracker:  As a family this year we attended a difference version of the Nutcracker than we are used to.  DASS Dance puts on a miniature version of the show with more contemporary dance and costumes and at a 45-minute duration for younger kids with shorter attention spans.  They had some hot drinks and sweet treats before the show and the girls really seemed to enjoy this production, held at Seattle Central.

Rosalie’s meet:  To get Reese some exposure to gymnastics meets and to support her friend Rosalie, we went to the Star A gymnastics meet at the Burien gym.  Reese was totally focused on the meet and Brooke was off playing with Reid.  It was good insight into what the meets are like, just scaled way down from Reese’s future meets.

Reese’s meet:  Reese’s first meet was really just a practice meet where they are critiqued and scored by judges individually but not competing against the other teams.  Reese was so excited for this meet and her friend Mira came with her mom to cheer her on, which made Reese’s day.  They were supposed to start at 5:30 pm on a Sunday but it ended up starting at more like 6:30 pm so it was a late night.  You couldn’t tell from Reese though because she was full of energy.  She did so well and appeared so confident out there.  She started with her floor routine, which I was the most nervous about, and then went to vault, bars (her strongest) and finished with beam.  She was on cloud nine on the drive back from Tacoma.  As a family, we got a very early dinner at the Wooden City tavern in downtown Tacoma before heading to the Tacoma Convention Center for the meet.

Brooke’s bday party:  With us in Japan over her birthday and being a December birthday, we didn’t have much planning for Brooke’s b-day party this year and decided to do the same thing we did for Reese for this.  We headed to Playdate, paid for everyone’s admission, got some pizzas and snacks, and brought cupcakes and goodie bags.  Reese got to bring Georgie and Clara and Brooke probably had nine friends there.  She hung mostly with her besties, Madison and Halle, and had a great sweaty time.

Madison’s bday party:  Madison turned four right before our trip but we were able to attend her birthday party at Arena Sports inflatable zone.  Reese came with too and we brought Lottie for her.  Brooke had a great time and it was a good time for them to get some energy out on a rainy Sunday evening.

Cookie Exchange:  Brooke’s school had another event just on Friday at the Miller Community Center again.  This time we did a cookie exchange and the girls had helped me make the peppermint chocolate cookies we love so much for the exchange.  We have a full cookie box now which makes me so happy.  They sang a couple of songs and had a hot cocoa bar and the cookies out plus some crafts to do at the table.  Reese was again happy to come along and enjoy in the festivities.  

Seahawks vs Rams:  Bryan got out for the last Seahawks home game of the season for Thursday Night Football against the Rams this week.  It was a crazy game.  We started off brilliant and then quickly fell behind.  The people next to me left when we were down by 16.  Next thing you know we start to catch up, getting two two-point conversions in regular time and then again at the end of overtime to win the game by a point.  So crazy and so, so fun!  We rode the scooter over to Bait Shop for our third annual date night there during their Christmas light show and I swear it gets better and better.  It doesn’t hurt that the bar itself is so fun and their food and cocktails are really good!

— 
Chelsea

While I’m far behind in reporting on general life around here I must recap on our most current adventures across the big, big pond to Japan as a family.  This was a milestone trip for us because it was our first real international travel together as a family and as Bryan said, it was confidence boosting in many ways.  The girls were definitely exposed to a world and lifestyle much different than our own.  They handled all of the various modes of travel extremely well and for the most part were on great behavior throughout the trip.  Reese started off really experimenting with the foods and differences but once she was sick, I think the need for comfort of home and familiarity outweighed any new experiences for her.  And I get that.  But overall, I’m impressed with the things we saw, did and ate.  I would do the trip over again…although I’m good getting over this sickness we have all gotten from it.

So, our Thanksgiving was quite a bit different this year.  There was no turkey dinner, or sides, or pie, or get together at all.  We had our bags packed and were headed to the airport around 8 am on Thanksgiving morning.  We had no issues with departure and were able to enjoy the Alaska lounge for a few hours before boarding our flight.  We were able to get coffee and food, stretch out and relax in a more peaceful environment, and the girls love their pancake printer.  At noon our flight to Japan boarded and we occupied the four middle seats.  We got blankets, and pillows and an accessory pack and two meals were served on the plane.  Although our 10-hour flight boarded at noon we made sure not to sleep so that we were more than ready to go to bed once we got to our hotel in Tokyo.  We landed at the Narita airport at 4:30 pm their local time, the next day.  We spent much longer in the airport than we would have cared for, first through customs and then they couldn’t find our umbrella stroller that we had checked in Seattle so we had to file a claim form with the airport.  We got our bags and boarded the Narita Skyliner train for Tokyo.  This was about a 40-minute train to one of the subway stations in the city and then we got on a short bus to our hotel, Hotel SAILS in the Taito area of Tokyo.  

Checking into our hotel was a good feeling as it was now the middle of the night Seattle time.  We had two separate bedrooms, a little kitchenette, a big bath and shower and washing machine.  The hotel staff were very friendly and the hotel room was very clean and even had robes/jammies for us to use.  After getting settled in we were fast asleep….and then up at the early hour of 4 am. 

It took us a little while to adjust to the time difference and for several mornings we were waking up no later than 6 am.  And one thing I had read prior to the trip is that businesses start normal hours but many restaurants, museums and other places don’t open until 11 am or so.  Even after taking our dear sweet time that first morning we were dressed and out the door by 8 am.  Every day was sunny and surprisingly warm for late November.  Most days were in the mid-60s and one day even got up to about 70.  Glorious!  And not a drop of rain!  The girls were walking on their own two feet for about a ½ mile to a breakfast place near Ueno Park that had the fluffy souffle pancakes I’ve read and seen.  We got there right as they were opening at 8:30 am and got two types of pancakes and a prosciutto toast (and a slice of chocolate cake for Brooke).  The food was very good and the staff were friendly and the girls made several in the café laugh as they tested out the bidet in the bathroom, giggling through paper-thin walls.

From breakfast we continued on foot through Ueno Park which was a great adventure.  The park was beautiful and we stumbled upon a koi fish market, a bunch of families going to the zoo together, some lovely walking paths, a little playground, some street food that we got to watch and try these little hello kitty bite-sized waffles, and a pop-up Christmas market where we got some photos taken.  From there we went to Ueno Station to activate our 72-hour metro cards and took the subway to Shibuya Station.  Shibuya Crossing is apparently the most pedestrian traveled intersection in the world.  I was expecting a bigger area but we crossed and then shopped at many stores in this area.  The girls got to try their hand at Gacha machines for the first time (little toy vending machines) and a claw machine.  It became a good lesson for counting money during the trip.  We explored Miyashita Park where Bryan watched the end of the Texas vs Texas A&M game and then we grabbed a late lunch/early dinner that was super filling at the all-you-can-eat MoMo Paradise, which is a shabu shabu (hotpot) style place.  The girls did great, Reese tried some udon in the broth, meatballs and potstickers.  Brooke stuck to rice.  Both girls finished the meal with ice cream.  We were stuffed and tired already by this point so we explored the Sanrio (Hello Kitty) store some and then took the train home to our hotel for sleep.

On our second day, Bryan and I each got out for a run from our hotel, venturing north towards the Sumida River, with views of the Tokyo Tree over the river in the sun, which was very nice.  We had breakfast at our hotel and then headed to the subway station for Ginza, the ritzier area of Tokyo.  We headed first to Tokyo Station to find some great ramen underneath the station at Ramen Street.  This was an interesting place, a basement filled with many, many highly acclaimed ramen restaurants.  We didn’t know what we were doing but chose one that looked good and used a ticket machine to order our food, got a ticket and then waited just a few minutes for a table.  It wasn’t long for that or our food but long enough that Brooke fell asleep on me and slept on me all through lunch, all while eating super-hot ramen over her.  Mom skills.  Reese even enjoyed the thick ramen noodles in the broth that we made a bowl for her.  From here we explored Character Street in the station as well but managed to get out of there without buying anything.  We headed west and our next stop was a four-story toy shop that I had read about where you can try out all of these toys before buying.  This was a cool place and we were able to pick out a few Christmas presents for the girls and birthday presents for Brooke.  

Moving on, we headed by subway the short distance to Azabudai for our timed entry at the teamLab Borderless museum.  This visual art interactive museum was very cool and I knew the girls would love it.  You explore yourself, moving through whatever rooms you want to all of these visually amazing displays with lights and crystals and various elements.  There was one room the girls could slide down and there was another room that you could color your own sea life and then a machine would bring it to life on the wall and ceilings.  Super cool experience.  We headed from there back to our hood by the subway and managed to get tuckered-out Reese to a local izakaya (Japanese tapas of sorts) of a variety of grilled meat kabobs, tempura, and veggies.  Yum!

Monday, December 1^st was our day at DisneySea.  We left the hotel around 7 am and took two subways and the Disney train to get to the line at the entrance a little after 8 am.  There was already a hefty line waiting.  The park opened at 9 am and we were able to get in not much after that.  The park was beautifully stunning and so clean.  The attention to detail was super cool but navigating the rides and lines was something else.  You have to do a lot of it from your phone which is a little frustrating.  We were able to get on one ride right away and booked a rollercoaster for Reese and Bryan right after that.  We were off to a good start.  Brooke and I headed to Ariel’s Lagoon to enjoy some of the smaller kiddo rides and then we moved on to the Arabian Coast area.  We rode a double decker carousel and had a few rides booked with timed entries in the afternoon and were still trying to get the very exclusive access to the Frozen ride for Brooke so we decided to get lunch while we could.  For lunch we decided to wait in line in the Mediterranean Village for a lunch that would be more ideal for the girls.  Once we got a table, Bryan and I were able to order a four-course holiday special adult meal that was interesting, beautiful and enjoyable while Reese got a Mickey Mouse kids plate of pasta, meatball, and dessert and Brooke a margarita pizza.  

After lunch we headed to the Finding Nemo ride that we had booked and this was a fun ride.  We then set out back towards the back of the park, first going on the Sinbad ride and then it happened, we got Elsa.  We hurried over to the ride and skipped the 180-minute line and it was a very fun and magical ride.  We went on Rapunzel’s Tangled ride next which was quite lame and then Bryan and Brooke went to the Tinkerbell ride while Reese and I went to the 3D Peter Pan ride, which Reese said was her favorite.  After this, we had done most that we could.  The Indiana Jones ride was unfortunately closed and the Toy Story and Tower of Terror lines were too long.  We took the electric train to the American Harbor and explored the US Columbia ship that they had.  We took in the lights and had hoped to stay for the show and fireworks but it was still two hours before that would happen and we were still not time adjusted.  Reese had fallen asleep in the stroller (yes, SeaTac had still had it and had it shipped to us the day after we arrived) and Brooke fell asleep on me as we were exiting the park.  We got back to our hotel and both girls continued to be passed out and the parents had survived.  

The next day we could tell that Reese was feeling a little under the weather but not a full-blown sickness yet.  I went for another beautiful run along the river and we took some time getting ready in the morning.  We then set out by subway again to explore another area of Tokyo, Yogogi Park and Harajuku.  We first got off at Yoyogi Park, explored an interesting children’s playground and then got a kid-friendly lunch of burgers and hotdogs and milkshakes at a place next to the park called Arms Burger.  From there we walked to the north edge of the park to the Yoyogi Pony Park where they have a free and open pony brushing and riding session everyday starting at 1:30 pm.  We got there a little early, bought a drink from the ever-present vending machines, and met another mom with her two kids from Australia (an English speaker!).  Then the girls each got a turn to brush and pet the pony before riding them around the corral.  The girls would love to ride horses more, both were so happy and content on them. 

From there we walked through the park to the Meiji Jingu shrine.  We had promised the girls to rent bikes from the Yoyogi Park Cycle Center for their adjacent cycling field for kids but we had to walk all the way around the park to get there and after coercing them (and carrying them) the 30-minute walk we get there to find it closed for some sort of cleaning/renovation.  Major bummer.  We walked back into Harajuku which I had heard was the hipster area of Tokyo.  There were a lot of coffee shops and some narrow streets but we did a little shopping but were mostly tired, in need of food and a good night’s sleep.  We settled on dinner at a basement restaurant on one of the main streets for gyukatsu which is essentially a good steak, lightly coated in panko and then you finish searing it on your own little skillet.  This came with rice, miso and cabbage and an assortment of dips, sauces and spices which was very fun to kind of explore how you liked it and fun to cook it.  After dinner we headed home for our last night in Tokyo.

On Wednesday we woke up, packed our bags, and were greeted with the first cloudy morning and some very light mist.  We checked out around 9 am with all of our bags and stroller and took the train to Toyosu in Tokyo as I had purchased tickets to the KidZania there.  I was very excited about this experience and so were the girls but Reese was now full-blown sick, very low energy, lethargic and had chills.  She still wanted to go and was a trooper up until we were just about to leave at 2 pm.  This was such a fantastic experience though.  Each girl got a job sheet schedule and first got themselves open with a bank account and a debit card where they deposited the 50 KidZania dollars they were given to start. 

They then proceeded to try their hand at a variety of jobs of their choosing that each lasted somewhere between 30 minutes and 1 hour and could earn more money doing each job.  They were each a baker and made fresh, delicious croissants, then a lab scientist and made a yogurt drink they got to enjoy, then they signed up to be a makeup artist and loved this (although they did have to “fix” Brooke’s eyeshadow), then they were flight attendants and were assigned the food and beverage service and I was a passenger.  Reese hit her limit at this point so she cashed out with Bryan and I took Brooke over to the hospital to be the eye surgeon which was certainly the most entertaining to witness from the hospital window.  They then withdrew their money with their debit card from the ATM and could shop at the KidZania department store to leave with a goodie.  

We got our bags back and headed to the bus to go to Tokyo Station to catch the high-speed train to Kyoto.  We had assigned seats and I was grateful that Bryan had actually been on this train before.  It took about 2 hours (I think) to travel all the way to Kyoto, only stopping three times on the way.  We arrived at the Kyoto Station around 7 pm, then took the JR rail to the Nijo Castle stop and had an 8-minute walk to our new apartment hotel.  This was a very cool apartment.  We again had two bedrooms, which is great when traveling with kids.  We had a nice big bed in a big bedroom and the girls had some pretty comfy mattress that were on the floors.  We were again given jammies and house shoes for our stay.  We had two more toilets with bidets and a huge jacuzzi tub.  The coolest feature was the living room/kitchenette that had a table inlaid in the floor with cushions and a temperature control to heat the floor for your feet under the table.  Loved this!  Reese was so tuckered she went straight to bed which meant we had to go out to bring dinner back.  I managed to find a ramen shop offering takeout but that was quite the experience because once I was back home, I realized that the noodles weren’t cooked and the broth itself was frozen solid so we had to do a little kitchen work to get dinner together, thankfully the girls were already asleep.

Our first full day in Kyoto was Brooke’s birthday.  I had picked up some donuts for her to have that morning.  The girls were really wanting an easy day, Reese was still quite sick and Brooke was just wanting to hang with her.  While they soaked in the jacuzzi, I explored the nearby market which was super close to our apartment and very cool.  I was in search of a pizza lunch for Brooke to bring back and some slices of cake for her birthday.  Managed to find both after some time but didn’t have cash so Bryan went out exploring and to buy the cake later that day. 

That afternoon we finally got the girls out to explore the nearby Nijo Castle, which Brooke immediately fell asleep in the stroller for.  We then went back to the local market to a kimono store and the girls each got a beautiful kimono and sandal set from a very nice lady.  We went to dinner for Brooke’s birthday at a place that specializes in tempura dishes and very cheap food and beer and it was so much fun.  They sell all pieces by the price so we tried a bunch of different skewers, a bunch of tempura shrimp for me, a bunch of $1.50 beers for Bryan, the girls enjoyed the soda that they got, the fries, the edamame, and rice and tempura sausage.  We headed home to sing to Brooke and have the slices of cake we got earlier.  I think Brooke enjoyed her birthday just fine.

We had two more days in Kyoto and Japan and the weather was still much the same, Reese was slowly getting better, but I think both girls were starting to miss their home, their foods, their bed, etc.  But we were still having fun.  For the first day we set out on foot to explore the Nishiki Market.  This was like the market next to our apartment hotel but much, much bigger.  Reese tried a snoopy pancake with peanut paste filling and a cup of strawberries with chocolate fondue and Bryan and I tried some scorching hot octopus fritters.  Literally burned the inside of my mouth on these.  We also got some chicken skewers a la 7-11, if only our 7-11 were anything like the ones in Japan.  We then got two e-bikes for rent with kid’s seats on the back, one for Reese’s size and one for Brooke’s size.  We set out on a 3-hour rental and headed north along the Kamo River to the starting point of the Philosopher’s Path.  This pedestrian/biking narrow street winds along a little creek lined with shops and was just really peaceful and idyllic.  We stopped first at the Nanzen-Ji temple and then continued through Maruyama Park and into the tangled web of neighborhoods in east Kyoto which are cool and highly photographed but weren’t maybe the most bike friendly.  We then headed back west to drop the girls at our apartment for a warming soak in the jacuzzi while I returned the bikes.  Bryan picked us up a huge sushi platter for dinner and KFC for the girls, lol.

And on our last day we didn’t really know what we were up for but Bryan picked out a cool adventure setting out north of the city to take the cable car and ropeway up to Mount Hiei.  The views of the city and the large Lake Biwa were magnificent on this sunny day and we caught our first dusting of snow on the ground at the top of the mountain.  Brooke learned that she actually does like hot chocolate, just not when it is so hot.  We made our way back to our place for the girls to have one more soak in the jacuzzi before we set out for our last dinner in Japan, to grill our own meats yakiniku style.  This was fun and Bryan certainly enjoyed all of the red meat.  Girls did great again, eating and coloring and sealed the deal with really the first ice cream of the trip.  

Sunday was our day of departure but I was really wanting to get out for a jog so I set out early morning in the brisk but beautiful weather towards the northwest part of town, hoping to be able to see the Golden Pavilion.  It was a 5-mile round-trip run and the entire journey up to the temple was slightly uphill.  Unfortunately, the gates were not open until 8 am and so I couldn’t see the temple from the street but I enjoyed the scenery on the way back, nonetheless. 

Back home, showered, packed up, breakfast eaten, and we started our epic adventure back to our house in Seattle.  Light rail to Kyoto Station, Shinkansen fast train to Tokyo Station, subway to Nippori Station, Narita airport train to the airport, wait for the gate to open to check our luggage, 9-hour flight “overnight” to Seattle, light rail to Beacon Hill Station, bus to home.  Ahhh.  I had access to the lounge in the Tokyo Airport but only for two of us and Reese was starving and really wanting to go.  We decided to do something we rarely do, split up.  Reese and I enjoyed the lounge and Bryan and Brooke went to go get pizza and ice cream.  Both of the girls I think needed a little distance from each other and enjoyed the solo time with each of us so this was actually a win.  Reese and I enjoyed the peace of the lounge for a little bit and then all reunited for the flight.  Flight was super smooth and had no issues other than only sleeping for a wink, but the girls probably got a good 7 hours of sleep in.  

Happy to be back and happy for the memories and experiences.  Japan was a very cool visit and some place I would visit again.  We felt safe, comfortable, and in awe at many times.  It’s a beautiful country and exceptionally clean.  Reese would also now like a bidet for Christmas!

— 
Chelsea