Seattle 2

We couldn't leave Seattle without doing some hiking. I had heard about Rattlesnake Ledge, and seen some photos. Once I saw the pictures, I knew we had to go!

I looked up the hike and it said "easy" and that it was 1.2 miles.

Oops… my facts were wrong!

It was definitely intermediate and was 4 miles round-trip.

Still worth it, though!

It just took longer than we thought. 

We took this right before we left. That big mountain behind him is the one we climbed.

Here's one more shot from the bottom…

And here's us at the top! It was absolutely breath-taking. Can't wait to do that hike again.

Here's another shot from the top. We could have stayed up there for hours and been happy. 

You know… if it wasn't a cliff..

After our hike, we met some friends for pizza. They took us to Snoqualmie Falls, and it was GORGEOUS!

I don't know why anyone lives outside of the NorthWest.

Seattle 1

Ever since we moved to Oregon, we've wanted to visit Seattle. Well, after almost 6 years, we finally made it. 

And it did not disappoint!

We met our cousins from San Francisco and stayed in a little house just right next to downtown. It was amazing.

First, we went to a gigantic indoor playground to get all the wiggles out after the 4 hour car drive..

Isn't this place awesome?

We took a pic of E right before you left. You can tell he's pretty winded and sweaty in this picture. 

Juuuuuust the way we like him!

After the playground, we all went to the house to take a nap. Vacation is heavenly!

Then, we went to a Seattle Mariner's Game. Seriously, so fun. Ethan LOVED being at the ballpark and watching baseball. We brought his mitt just in case!

We also splurged and got him a ball cap while we were there. He loves it.

Here he is, ready to catch a home run.

He now wants to be a police officer, a robber, and a baseball player. 

Such ambition..

We had to take a family photo while we were there. Ethan's face is priceless!

Our view of the field was excellent. 

We can't wait to come back in August to go to another game!

Before/After Preschool

Get ready to crack up - these pictures kill me! The ones on the left are at the beginning of preschool. The ones on the right are his last day. Needless to say, he was so sad to be done!

 We ended up taking him to lunch to celebrate, so don't worry, he wasn't sad for long.

Schooooooool's Out for Summer!

I can't believe our boy is 5 and done with preschool. It just sounds so grown up. It was just yesterday he fit so tiny in my arms as a newborn. 

His last week of preschool made me really reflect on the last year, and how our boy has grown up.

I may have cried a bit when he graduated!

I always thought preschool graduation seemed a bit ridiculous, but when his teacher hugged him with tears streaming down her face.. it was a really great moment. We are so thankful Ethan had such a passionate and engaged teacher. She was such a blessing. We will truly miss her.

Oh geez - I'm getting choked up just writing this post!

 THAT FACE! I love that he's at the age of weirdo smiles. I don't want it to go away.

 

Their last time in the circle.

Ethan made so many great friends this year. I hope these boys will be life-long friends. They're all so sweet!

And how photogenic are they??

This picture is everything that a 5-year-old is. We went to this school because one of his best friends (on the left) signed up. I can't imagine having gone anywhere else. 

Next stop: Kindergarten!

Side note: I think Ethan is a little confused about when Kindergarten is happening. We have a meltdown every morning that he has to wait 3 months before school starts again.

Adventures with Water & Babies

We got to go on a really short hike last week with some friends, and it was so fun!

It was a trail just off of a park we frequent, and we couldn't resist - the weather has been so nice lately.

We got to go with my friend Leanna, who has 4 kids, including a 1-year-old baby. I like exposing Ethan to babies so he can get a feel of what our life will be like soon. This was particularly fun, because this baby was enamored with Ethan.

And Ethan LOVED IT.

He's a comedian with his friends and loves to be the center of attention, and loved making baby Liam laugh. It melted my heart to see this.

As kids do, they found water to play in. Splashing in water is always preferable to NOT splashing in water, so this occupied almost an hour of our time (no joke)! Baby Liam loved watching the kids splash, so Ethan entertained him for quite a while.

This face! I love it.

I love that look of joy on his face when he's having fun.

Can't wait for lots more summer adventures!