There's always a lovely supply of roses in February! Love these beauties!
After reading the book Conclave I was eagerly anticipating the movie. I love this quote:
Gave me a chuckle.
Brigitta's pencil case:
But if you're intimidated by her incredible organization skills, just know she does this too:
Yes, she got stuck in the chair.
Last Valentine's Day at the elementary school! Sydney's cards said things like "Skibidi Do I Pick You", "You're My Sigma" and "Without You I'm Cooked." We gave fuzzy balls with sticker feet and she said it was a hit- especially with her crush. In a way I will miss this but in a way I am so very very out of ideas so I'm glad it's the end of the road for kiddie Valentine's.
Watching Gone with the Wind with Gita: "What the flip!?!?!!! That's a FAT dress!"
While the older two were in Seattle, I took the younger two into the city for President's Day. On my Chicago bucket list was to try Pizzeria Due (the companion to Pizzeria Uno). As you can see, Gita found this bust inspiring.
It was a cool place with a lot of ambiance. The deep dish pizza was really delicious!
Great cheese pull as you can see.
On a cold day, it was just perfect and we had leftovers to bring home to Brent. I wouldn't abandon our favorite Lou Malnati's for it, but I'm glad we tried it out!
Taking advantage of our membership, we stopped by the MOSI where the girls were invited to step inside the vortex.
This is kind of a big deal. Sure some of my kids have gone inside but usually as part of a huge group. I saw the staff member putting on a headset and I told the girls to stand RIGHT by the ropes and look cheerful. It worked!
Eventually they let in some other kids but for one shining moment, it was just Brigitta and Sydney!
One floor above this space is a dish of water with needles that touch it at four points which creates this pattern.
Gita worked on her hip hop with a virtual coach.
And Sydney was lightning before the thunder.
Liesel and Ireland had a choir concert and Ireland was one of the only people who helped set up. Also she stole my shoes. Liesel did too for that matter.
Sunday selfies with Liesel!
Despite the cold weather, I took some brisk walks around the lake.
With President's Day off, we thought it would be nice for Liesel and Ireland to have a mini-cousin getaway. They met up with their cousin Elizabeth to help Julie and her two kids Vera and Zoey while her husband was deployed. With Liesel old enough to fly as a full-fledged "adult" (according to American Airlines anyway) this was the first time they were traveling without any supervision- which they were plenty excited about. They've both traveled as unaccompanied minors and with school groups. Not to mention they know O'Hare really well so we weren't worried. When I asked them if they had any trepidation about the possibility, I was met with a roll of the eyes and an exasperated response. OK, OK, but a mom needs to check!
Upon landing in Seattle, they immediately hit Pike Place Market. It was a bit rainy (hello, Seattle!) and chilly which is just what you'd expect from the Pacific Northwest. The girls really enjoyed all the cute shops with fun trinkets.
Ireland immediately began helping with her younger cousins but they all did a bit of shuffling to get some iconic photos.
The gum wall is one of those things that looks so cool in photos but when you get there it really hits you it's used gum. Liesel said, "It's definitely gross but made me LOL!" She tried to find a clear spot on the wall for her gum but in the end still covered some of someone else's.
They were lucky enough to catch the tossing of the fish (pun)!
As always, the original Starbucks had a line out the door and around the corner so they just snapped this photo and skipped getting a beverage.
The girls admired not only the fresh flowers but the beautiful bouquets of dried flowers. Liesel and Ireland snatched some up and brought them home.
Waaay in the back of the Elliot Sound you can see the container loaders that reputedly was the inspiration for the AT-AT's in The Empire Strikes Back. I believe it's been debunked, but they still remind me of them!
Julie took them to Pike Place Chowder where they filled up so much on the soup hardly anyone could eat the delicious bread bowl. They are famous for their clam chowder but Ireland tried the lime & coconut chowder which she says was yummy!
They stopped by Kerry Park to take in the incredible view of Seattle and snap a few more photos.
Doesn't Elizabeth look like she fits right in? They all look so... cousiny!
The girls were great about helping with their little cousins. They made slides, had dance parties, gave baths and changed diapers. Here they are reading to Vera who only wanted to hang upside down off the edge of her bed- so they all read the book upside with her!
There's a lot of beauty in the Puget Sound!
To the Chicago cousins, the chill was still warmer than the midwest winter. To the Clovis cousin, it was really chilly!
On the way to do some thrifting Julie drove by a street she knew would resonate with Ireland.
They went to Coupeville (where Practical Magic was filmed) for shopping and lunch. They loved Kingfisher Bookstore which Liesel called a "cutie bookstore" with fun totes. Speaking of totes, at Madrona Blossom, Liesel struck up a conversation with the cashier who was painting some jeans. Liesel and Ireland showed her their totes which they had painted themselves. Julie bought everyone a strawberry-shaped trinket dishes and the cashier generously gave them a discount. After a bit of a wait, they had an amazing lunch at Front Street Grill which is right on the water.
They visited Fort Casey Historical State Park and isn't that view just stunning?
Here they were able to run around to their hearts content.
I'm guessing Vera slept well after this.
They watched movies every night but Liesel and Ireland often fell asleep due to the two hour time difference which Julie and Elizabeth teased them about.
The girls came back with some great souvenirs and fantastic adventures under their belts!
And yes- they easily navigated all that unsupervised travel like pros!
