Seattle Trip

This week Justin worked from home on Friday, giving us the opportunity to rid ourselves of all the junk we had remaining. We rented a pickup truck and hauled it all away to the dump. The weather Friday was crazy beautiful! It was a summer day for sure - followed by two rainy days. Boo! That morning I met a friend from church at the zoo. She has an 11 month old, so it was fun to watch the babies interact and look at the animals. The best part was the polar bear - this thing was MASSIVE - I totally underestimated how big they are. It was smashing a plastic toy in the water. I couldn't help but imagine it smashing a person and how they'd be dead in no time - ha! I know, terrible, but I couldn't help it. I enjoyed hanging out with Katie - she was the perfect partner to do the zoo with because we did it early before the million other people showed up on the nicest day of the year so far, and we breezed through the whole thing in less than an hour. AND she payed for us with her yearly pass - sweet!

Saturday my family held a baby shower for Amanda in Boise. I thought about going for a hot second and decided against it. So we decided to do a day trip to to Seattle. Rain was in the forecast, so we took the ferry to Bainbridge and back before the clouds blocked the view. We had incredible views of the Olympics, Mount Baker and parts of Mount Ranier. Emmett loved watching the seagulls swoop up and down. I had an irrational fear of him falling off the side of the boat. Half-way across the captain stopped to do a memorial service - we don't know why but everyone was quiet for it to pay our respects. Once we landed we were greeted by many Earth Day advocated with their science suits and picket signs marching on Seattle. They were a fun group to watch, and dare I say very stereotypical *cue old women with long gray hair and Patagonia gear* ha I know I'm sorry, I'm terrible but I can't help myself today #shameless.
We enjoyed our favorites at Pike Place Market - fresh doughnuts, fresh flowers, and fresh produce. I love our occasional romps to the city.

Emmett is now crawling up on all fours and getting better at standing. He crawled up three stairs today, so it's fun watching him figure that out.

He pulled himself into the laundry basket the other day

Tulips and Easter

We had a great Easter weekend - Justin told me he would be working from home Friday, and part of the day he'd be in doctor appointments, but Thursday night he said it was all a ruse. He took the day off for us to drive to Mount Vernon for the Tulip Festival. It's a good two hours away without traffic. We hit Nordstrom on the way up - I got myself some Hunter boots and I don't know why I didn't get a pair immediately upon moving here. They've changed my life! We enjoyed freshly made kettle corn, hot dogs, and hot cider while walking around enjoying the beauty that is Skagit County. It had a very small town feel - I really enjoyed it.

We drove to Anacordes to see Deceptions Pass and the beach. The Navy has a strong presence here, and we could see two HUGE battle-ship looking ships on the ocean. It was a beautiful day.

Justin and I are losing weight together, so we get one cheat meal per week. We drove to Seattle to have burgers and shakes and wait the traffic out before continuing on home. It was great quality family time.

Saturday I broke out my boots again and went to work on the outside of the house. I cleaned up the back yard from all the mess Jackson has left - every chew toy he's ever had was destroyed in a cotton/fabric mess. Justin helped me clean out the shed, and we agreed to get rid of a ton of things we've been holding on to for no good reason. There are few things that give me greater satisfaction than throwing stuff away. I don't do clutter, and I live more a more minimalist lifestyle when it comes to our home. We will rent a truck later to take it all to the dump. We hired landscapers to come lay new bark, weed, and trim the edges. Our house has had a major face lift and it looks amazing!

we went to the church fields and threw the disc for an hour

Easter Sunday we had a great sacrament meeting - lots of singing and scriptures/quotes in between. My favorite was listening to the primary sing - they always kind of mumble the words all throughout, but they always get the most important part right at the end, "Live like His son" - love it. We drove to Silverdale for the annual Easter Egg hunt - I participated with Emmett for the first 10 minutes or so. I found five eggs, while the Rose Boys were racing each other to find the most. I think Justin wins every year - and he scored some nifty gift cards this year. ;) Judy made ham and potatoes and the cutest Easter bunny cupcakes. It was a great day with family.

Emmett is pulling himself up to standing on everything lately. He's starting to shimmy down the length of the couch - we might have a walker before we know it! He brings me so much joy. This morning we were playing with his toys and I am so grateful for my simple life with him.

he likes to try to fall asleep in random places

helping me walk the dog ;)