Alki Beach {June 20}

Another sunny day. Another beach.

I didn’t love this one as much, even though it seems like it’s more well-known. Maybe it’s just the part of the beach we were on, but there was a sandy beachy area, then about 10 feet of rocks on a hill, then a long stretch of seaweed covering the sand, then some little tidepools, another sliver of sandy beach, then the actual water. It was really pretty though, and I’d love to go back when we can just walk along the long trail that borders the beach – especially the part that looks over Elliott Bay at the city. We still had fun playing in the sand and hanging out with friends – we just didn’t venture through the rocks and seaweed and pools to get in the water.

One Day, Two Parks {June 19}

Last Tuesday was one of the still-somewhat-rare warm, sunny days we’ve had. One of my favorite things about Seattle is all the parks and all there is to do outside – despite the rain, we’ve spent a lot more time outside than we did in Utah – but maybe that’s because it had just started to warm up before we left. Anyway – we discovered two great new-to-us parks last Tuesday: Green Lake Park with friends in the morning, and Gas Works Park with Nate in the evening. Both on the list of places to definitely return to!

Green Lake Park

A fun little lake with a great paved path around the edge; lots of green trees, etc. around the outside of the lake; pedalboats, kayaks, and paddelboards on the lake; and a great playground for the kids. We parked and walked around the lake for a little ways to get to the playground, and were glad we did – the scenery along the way was beautiful.

no mom, I don’t want to look at you and smile.

can you tell this little guy likes to swing?

 

Gas Works Park

A sunny evening, a picnic on the grass, blue skies, and sailboat races on Lake Union with Seattle’s Downtown in the background. We loved Gas Works Park.

 

my attempt at taking pictures of Nate & the boys & Ryan didn’t go so well…

Father’s Day at the Seattle Temple {June 17}

On Father’s Day, after church, naps, and a yummy sweet & sour chicken dinner, we drove over to the Seattle temple, mostly so we could show it to the boys. When we were in Utah, Bennett always wanted me to point out the temples to him as we drove by.

Ryan made some new friends:

 

I should have had them pose for a nice-looking Father’s Day picture, but this one is a pretty good representation of the boys having fun with their dad.

Bainbridge Island Ferry {June 16}

Visiting Bainbridge Island was fun, but the best part of going over there is really riding the fairy (at least for us). We loved being on the water and looking back at Seattle, seeing the cargo and cruise ships going out to sea, and seeing Bainbridge Island as we pulled in. We knew we wanted to take a ferry over there, but when we looked up things to do once we got there, there weren’t too many activities that the kids would enjoy and that we could do in the rain, since it was supposed to be raining off and on. We walked through the small town that was just a short walk off the dock and had lunch there, then although it wasn’t really touristy and wasn’t really unique, we decided to go to the Bainbridge Island Aquatics center. The kids loved it – they had a lazy river, hot tub, rope swing, and a water slide that was calm enough for Bennett and Ryan to go down with us. We decided not to take our car with us (we were too cheap :) so to take the ferry, we parked, walked 2 miles to the dock, walked 1.5 miles each way from where we got off the ferry to the aquatics center, then walked 2 miles back to our car – in the rain – carrying Bennett because he hadn’t had a nap and fell asleep while we were holding him. It was a fun day, but we were exhausted by the time we got home.

view of Bainbridge Island from the ferry

Bennett in front of the ferry – we were surprised by how big they are

two cruise ships and a cargo ship sailing off towards the ocean

   

Bennett didn’t like the wind, so we stayed inside a lot of the time

 

I’m kind of embarrassed that Ryan has his pacifier in this picture – I know he’s too old for it…he usually just uses it when he’s going to sleep, but we got desperate on the ferry because he hadn’t had a nap and wanted to run around yelling. Although we got a few annoyed looks, he mostly managed to make friends with the other passengers while making a beeline for fire extinguishers, stairs, and anything else hazardous.

The Beach – Golden Gardens Park {June 15}

Last Friday was a beautiful sunny day, so we jumped on the chance to go to the beach with some friends. I’ll admit my expectations were low – the beaches I’m used to in Oregon are usually either sunny but windy, or not windy but overcast – i.e. never very warm. This little beach was not what I expected though – nice sand, great views, and sun without wind (although the water was still plenty cold). We enjoyed relaxing with our friends, digging in the sand, and dipping our toes in the water – or in Ryan’s case, a full-body plunge. He had been playing with something a few feet back from the water when I turned to take a picture of Bennett. When I turned back just a few seconds later, he was on all fours with his head barely above the water, trying keep his head up with each wave that came in. He apparently didn’t understand how he had gotten there, because he was trying to crawl forward, not realizing that the water would just get deeper. Poor little guy. He seemed to be fine once we got him dried off and in some clean clothes.

 

throwing handfuls (handsful?) of sand into the water

Playing in the sand – Ryan must have really liked this truck because he usually wasn’t willing to get any sand on himself – Bennett however loved to dig in it and bury his feet

 

Jumping over waves

Tugboat Story Time {June 14}

Every other Thursday, there is a free story time on a tugboat on Lake Union. The tugboat was undergoing some repairs when we went last week, so although we were on the boat, it wasn’t quite as cool since we were covered in a plastic tent. Still fun though. Afterwards, we wandered over to the little farmer’s market on the boat next door, and mostly let the kids explore the ship. They had fun pretending to steer the ship and looking out over the water. We’ll definitely be back again, especially since they said the plastic tent should be off by the next time!

Striking a pose with the space needle

Pacific Science Center {June 9}

The last top on our Seattle City Pass was the Pacific Science Center. We headed over there Saturday morning and spent several hours there – and could have stayed longer. There were some really fun things for the kids (bug exhibits, giant moving dinosaurs, a big play area with musical instruments and a “river” of water to play in, and tide pools where you could touch starfish and anemones, just to name a few), and for the adults too.

driving the space shuttle, and Ryan mesmerized by the big wheel

The butterfly habitat was definitely a favorite – so many beautiful – and different – butterflies. I loved the ones that were brown underneath but blue on top when their wings opened up (top left). I didn’t get the settings right to take a good picture of the one on Bennett’s arm, but you can at least tell he was excited about it, and he was really good to hold still while it was there.

They had a fun area outside with different water tools – this one made the gears turn when you shot the water at them

 

Family Portrait in the water-covered moving giant ball (not sure what it’s really called)

 

We walked around the Seattle Center (where the Space Needle and several museums are) after we finished at the Pacific Science Center, and found this cool fountain. It was almost like it was in a crater so you had to walk down to it.