Savor Made: Pacific Northwest

Just when we settled back into "normal" life at home, we packed our bags and flew to Seattle. We were going to a friend's wedding and decided to extend our trip to spend time with family (and more friends). This was Hayden's first trip to Washington. This little guy has been to 15 states in 5 months. Can you believe it?

I forgot to ask for Hayden's first pair of wings back in June, but luckily we flew Alaska then and again this trip and luckily I remembered to ask.

Sleeping prior to boarding.

We arrived to Opa and Omi's house and it was like an Easter egg hunt for me. Really, it was for baby Hayes but every room seemed to contain little surprises. Above a lion bath towel with his name embroidered on the back- I forgot to take a picture of him with his little face covered by ears and fur. It was cute.

A Boeing flight jacket, aviators and a bear rug.

Then we snuck into the garage, put on our new bucket hat and jumped on Opa's motorcycle. Look at that smile. Vroom, Vroom!

I cant believe we are wearing a tank top in Seattle and not at home in California. Summer flipped.

We went out to Tacoma to have dinner with Matt's mom, brother, niece and a few new friends. We met at Boathouse 19 and what a great location. You can smell the salty water of the Puget Sound while you sit at your table, taking in this view. At night certain tables convert to a fire pit to keep you warm. Clever idea, lovely ambiance and if you have a boat you can practically park at your table.

We captured this brotherly love fest, clearly Matt enjoyed seeing his brother. Poor Alex had to endure Matt's big smooch.

I think we were really hungry because this was all I was able to capture of our meal.

I think the littles had the best expressions (Ali with her hand behind her head and Hayden couldn't take his eyes off of her). Kaytlin, Alex, Ali, Me, Hayden and Matt.

We decided to walk down to the dock for sunset, which did not disappoint.

The next day we woke up and had cereal. Remember the boxes that converted into a bowl? They are gone and when you open the variety pack out come these little bags. That is going to complicate my future camping menus, not really.

We drove to Tacoma to visit the Museum of Glass. We say we are going to the museum, every time we visit and this time we finally went...to Tacoma. We drove through North Tacoma neighborhoods, walked around downtown, ate lunch at Taco Del Mar (a favorite during our visits) sampled some sweet treats, purchased a few t-shirts (we do not usually buy t-shirts on our vacations, but we found ones that reminded us of our Washington home at Bleach) went into the student store at U.W to prepare for the coming football season and managed to arrive at the museum 10 minutes before it closed. Guess what? We missed it again! Next time.

He just woke up and I put this on his head, please forgive his, not so smiley face.

These glass sculptures remind me of rock candy. You?

A family shadow photo.

Then we made our way further down the waterfront to Dukes.We met my mom (Grandma Jeanne our travel buddy,) and our friends Tom and Diane.

This guy and his bottles. Lucky for him I like sparkling water, so he gets a chance to hold them frequently.

We drove home and I loved riding in the backseat with this sweet boy holding my arm.

The next morning we road into Seattle with Omi and met my mom at Boeing. Hayden and I received badges and we were given the grand tour. I was told everything is top secret so here is my mom and myself carrying Hayden in the parking lot. It was nice to meet many of my mom's work buddies and she was able to introduce her first grandbabe to all of her co-workers. After our tour we headed into downtown. We came across this fabulous little shop in pioneer square called E. Smith Mercantile. If you are in the area, check it out! Then we met up with Nate, Melissa and Zoe for lunch. Our friends recently moved back from New York to Washington. It sure is nice to have them on the west coast because we have really missed them.

Grandma Jeanne and Melissa pushing empty strollers while Nate and I hold the babies. They were having a good ole' time chatting it up.

We left downtown Seattle and headed to the University Village. We stopped at mama's favorite candy store. Ever. The Confectionery. Then Grandma Jeanne wanted to stop at baby gap and well, the rest is history. Thank you Grandma Jeanne for Hayden's back-to-school loot. We ended the evening by meeting up with papa at BluWater Bistro for dinner ( I am still sad the artichoke dip is now a "seasonal item.")

Matt and I enjoyed a slow start to the day the following morning, as we got ready to attend Aaron and Jenn's wedding. Hayes wore a blazer (miniature clothes are so cute) and he turned 5 months. We drove out to Key Peninsula and had the pleasure of witnessing these two marry and then we celebrated their special day.

Our drive home- pretty spectacular sunset, huh?

The next morning we planned to go to the Point Defiance Zoo. He had a quick tummy time session and I snapped this shot prior to leaving for breakfast. Boy were those some delicious blueberry pancakes.

Look at the traffic jam at the zoo. Waiting for a parking spot.

I had to try this hurricane simulator and yes, that is my face among all of that hair. It was super fun. I don't know why no one else wanted to jump in the booth with me?

Baby boy meet baby tiger.

All of these animals made him a sleepy boy.

We returned home after a day at the zoo and a stop at the market for some BBQ essentials. We enjoyed a delicious spread-thank you Opa and Omi.

In the morning we went on a walk and much to our surprise the trail was lined with ripe blackberries. Of course we stopped to sample the northwest version.

Matt found these hops among the vines. I had never seen live hops and now that I have I think they would make a beautiful fall wreath.

After our walk we packed up a picnic and headed to Poulsbo for the day. Baby Hayes had never been on a ferry so that was exciting (probably more for me than him). Another form of transportation under his baby belt.

Look at those bricks of cheesecake. I was tempted but I didn't bite.

Battle of the viking. Who do you think one the battle?

A much better view from papa's shoulders. A quick dip of the toes.

We ended the day by celebrating Opa's birthday a little late and Matt's birthday a little early. Oh, and did I mention a cribbage game which Omi and I won 3 for 3? Matt says "it is not nice to brag or boast." I am just documenting our vacation.

I used to babysit Tom and Diane's daughter Alexis (alley cat) when she was Hayden's age. Now she is in India for her first semester of high school. Matt and I wanted her to meet Hayden before she left the next day and of course we wanted to visit with her. We met for breakfast (see my huge pancakes) and then drove her home. This adventure that she has embarked on is just a once in a lifetime, life changing opportunity and we could not be more proud of her.

Can you see Hayes smiling at alley cat in the mirror? After we dropped her off at home we made our way back to Opa's house. During our drive I took these photos from the car window. Mount Rainier is incredible, no? We met up with Opa for lunch and decided to head back to the Tacoma waterfront but this time we went to the Lobster Shop. I had never been and we took advantage of the weather by eating lunch on the deck. After lunch we took a stroll along the water before heading over to meet Grandma Jeanne. Once we had Grandma Jeanne in the car with us, we headed over to meet Nate, Melissa and Zoe for dinner. Turned out they received the keys to their new home. We were so happy to be able to share the exciting experience with them and share their first meal in their new home (pizza delivery, of course!)