What's new at the zoo...

Even in the wetness of Saturday we decided to take Abigail to the SD Zoo! She has been pointing at the elephants in our Zoonooz magazine for weeks so we figured it was time for her to see them up close...and that we certainly did!! The new Elephant Odyssey at the zoo is amazing!! You feel like you can just stick your hand out and touch them - Abby sure did love seeing them up close! You should have heard her and seen her - making her elephant sign and sounds!

She pretty much made faces or sounds for all the animals - she just categorized the ones she didn't know and made them up to fit the animals she does know - fish, bird, lion/tiger, sheep, elephant, giraffe, dog, seal, etc. Below though, she had it right - a wild boar was a "pig."

And of course, our favorite one is the giraffe. The giraffes were also awesome to see so up close! There were a couple really young giraffes and one that had just been born months ago. Abby drew a crowd herself as some other zoo visitors noticed her doing her giraffe.

Ok, so I know this isn't from the zoo, but I thought it was adorable. She's learned to blow on her food if we tell her it's hot...

Cool & the pool...

Over the last weekend Abby had a blast with her very own pool! We blew up an inflatable pool for her in my parents' backyard and it was the most gorgeous day to enjoy some splashing. She thought it was fun at the very beginning, but then decided that she'd like it better if she was just on the outside, leaning in and splashing with her hands. She really loves the water - we'll probably be in the pool a lot this summer!

We also enjoyed a wonderful Memorial Day with some wonderful friends! Abby got to "play" with Austin and she again was in the pool (not for long though ;) Thanks Jeremy and Shelley for inviting us over to your parents house (you can see pics here).

Coffee anyone?

Seattle is coffee town isn't it - city of the first Starbucks remember?! I mean, they have signs for coffee as if it's as important as how to get to the hospital. Ok, so one of my agenda items for my trip in Seattle was to try different coffee spots and see what truly is Seattle's best coffee...and don't forget that I was only here for four full days...so here are my findings:

My first try of coffee was Tully's... a nice aromatic flavor, with a nice after taste.



Then of course, that day we had visited Pike Place where the first Starbucks is, so this is just me ordering a drink there...I am biased with Starbucks because that's all I have in SD, so they are out of the running...



I then tried All Time Coffee...tasty, but a bit heavy and somewhat bland in flavor, leaving a bitter after taste...




Pegasus coffee house was on Bainbridge Island and I enjoyed the unique flavor it had - nothing fancy, but it was tasty...



My next coffee from Vivace's was unique, not just because of its taste, but because they are known for the artwork they create with the blend. Beautiful images of leaves, hearts, etc. were hung on the walls...a very full bodied taste and very warm throughout...





Ok, so I was waiting to post this because I knew that there was going to be a Seattle's Best at the airport so that I could try my last cup of coffee there...well, I did "try" it, but all I was able to have was about 2-3 big swigs of it and I had to toss the rest because silly me forgot that you can't take liquids through the security check point. Oops...so, needless to say, the balance wasn't even against Seattle's Best.

But, what did I fly away from Seattle with as the best tasting coffee in that city?! Drum roll please... Vivace's!! Best taste this weekend!!

Thanks again Trixie for an awesome weekend!!

More to SEEattle...

Today was such a nice day for relaxing after our last couple of days of full activity. We started off by visiting Mars Hill where we heard a really awesome sermon by Mark Driscoll - what a powerful pastor. Loved the experience...

Then we went to have a picnic lunch at the Locks in Ballard. This is really a neat engineering marvel. Don't ask me how it works entirely, I wouldn't give it justice. It was just nice to lay on the grass near the Locks and nap a little in the sun while the boats went by - yeah...more sun - who can come home with a little sun tan from Seattle?! ME...

My dad worked on a project in Seattle and I was really glad I got to see the finished result. It was absolutely gorgeous and the lady showing us around kept saying how so many people have just stopped in off the street to say so themselves.

We decided to go for a nice dinner on one of the piers, so we went to Ivar's where I actually tried clam chowder. "They" say it's the best around and it was delicious - yeah, even I thought so...

When we returned home, Trixie taught me how to make her famous cheesecake! Yum...so I have a souvenir to bring home for Robbie now too :)

Another Ferry Fun Day!

So the fun continued today! We started off the day again with some coffee and then walked down to board the Washington State Ferry to head to Bainbridge Island. Such a neat experience to see Seattle from the water...


I learned that I'm visiting Trix during National Tourism week...great timing!

The island is very beautiful - lush and quiet!

There's a very yummy local ice creamery on Bainbridge island called Mora and it was delicious! I had a scoop of Mexican Chocolate and Trix had Coconut...yum!

When we got back to Seattle we walked over to Elliot Bay Book Company which is where Frasier references in the tv sitcom. Huge book store and Abby's going to have a couple extras to add to her library :)

We had to get home quickly so that we could get ready for Trixie's friend Megan's birthday party. They were going to a retro roller skating rink, so they all got decked out in fun gear! Here's Trix and the birthday girl and below are all of Trix's friends...

Sleepless in Seattle? - not after today!!

I can't remember the last time where I walked all day long and traveled such a long distance - Trixie is keeping me on my feet! We had such a great day today exploring the city and enjoying beautiful Seattle. Apparently I brought the sun with me from sunny San Diego...absolutely gorgeous weather here (a bit chilly at times :)

We started our day walking from Trix's place in north Beacon Hill to the Industrial District which is where you can find Seattle's Chinatown.



After picking up some coffee we headed to Pioneer's Square. I quickly learned along the way that apparently Seattle's construction and building are required to incorporate art into their projects. It was interesting to find art pieces along the way throughout the entire city!

In front of the clock tower of the Union train station...


After crossing the train tracks, we got to see Qwest Field where the Sea Hawks play...

After Pioneer's Square we made our trek to Pike Place Market and along the way we stopped at the Bubble Gum wall at Post Alley. Crazy - natural art...

We purused through the market and picked up a little snack/lunch at Beecher's Cheese and had the best macaroni and cheese I've ever tasted!!

The fish throwing...however the crowds were intense today because apparently everyone comes out when the sun does...so no pictures of fish throwing.

The first Starbucks shop from 1912! I had already enjoyed some coffee in the morning, but I couldn't resist buying another just so I can say I did :)

We took the Monorail from Westlake Center (a mall) in the Retail District (where you can find the first Nordstroms) to the Seattle Center.

Seattle Center is equivalent to San Diego's Balboa Park packed with museums, kids rides, science centers, malls, and of course the famous Space Needle. This is the view of the city from the top...

After we came down from the Space Needle we headed along the shoreline to Sculpture Park and I imagined my dad loving all of the interesting pieces along the way...

As if we hadn't walked enough, we then headed back up near Pike Place to meet up with Trixie's really sweet friends for a couple drinks and snacks before heading to the ball game.

Safeco Field doesn't beat Petco Park, but it definitely comes close - for once I was actually hoping for some rain so that they would have to close the roof - didn't happen, but the Mariners did win!

Okay it's May...

Sorry May ~ We have been enjoying you! We just haven't displayed it very well! We had a fabulous Mother's Day, we visited my Aunt & Uncle in Garden Grove, and have gone on many walks (Robbie thinks he heard her say "bird" - I haven't witnessed this yet...).

I leave for Seattle tomorrow because of a super sweet gift my friend Trix gave to me for Christmas! Her giftcard is helping me make it happen and I can't wait to see her this weekend for a girls' weekend of fun! But before I leave, I thought I should post some of Abby's cuteness! So here ya go...

She is getting closer and closer to full on walking. She loves going outside and she loves the challenge of getting there.

Our lil' talented one has made all of us laugh even harder these days! She has learned more animals - if you ask her what a giraffe does, this is what you'll get...

She will also show you what a seal does (she claps), what a elephant does (she lifts an arm with a little squeal), what a fish does (imagine puckering lips and bubbles) and what a skunk is (she waves her fingers in front of her nose for stinky). But our favorite is still the sheep (with a loud Baaa!).

This video is hilarious...she really badly wanted to hold the cup on her own at dinner....so after a bit of hesitation on my part (ok... a lot of hesitation), I finally decided to let her have it. She was quite shocked needless to say - just watch :)