Seattle

Remember July? It was a long time ago, I know. Well, during that blessed month, we went on a family (plus my adopted-second-husband-and-Justin's-best-friend, Chris) trip to Seattle. Here are some (a lot of) pictures with limited (probably too much) narrative.

*Oh- and all (except 2) pictures were taken by my talented mother. :) Thanks mom!

I think there's a rule somewhere stating that any time you go to Seattle, you must go to Machiavelli's- the best Italian restaurant. Ever. And since I'm a rule-follower, we went.

And ate (inhaled) a deliciously delectable dinner.

And then threw Kennedy in the bushes.

The boys were staying in a hostel in Seattle for the next few nights, so we ladies left them there and drove on home to la casa de mi madre (that's "my mom's house," for all you non-Spanish speakers).

There's another rule somewhere stating that if you are on vacation and within 30 minutes of a beach, you have to go. Not doing so would be an abomination. And, like I said, I like to abide by the rules. So the next day, we met back up with the boys and went to the beach.

*sigh....my favorite place in the world. The beach.

Kennedy busily constructed sand castles.

Chris was trying his best to make this picture awkward. He totally succeeded.

And just look at this house that was across the street from the beach. LOOK! It makes me want to cry because it's so beautiful and happy. One day when I have lots of time and money, this is what my house will look like.

That evening, my mom had a "special surprise" for Kennedy. We had been giving her hints all day, and she was trying so hard to guess what it was. Candy? Toy? Clothes? Pony? Nope.

Aladdin: The Broadway Musical!

As soon as she found out what it was, she was pretty dang excited.

Although that excitement was nothing compared to the anticipation of meeting the actors after the show.

She got autographs from the genie...

..and from one of the other characters who was really cool but I can't remember his name.

We had so much fun. The musical was spectacular and it was great seeing Kennedy so excited. Thanks again for that fun evening, mom :)

Also, sometime during our stay, my mom took Kennedy to the swimming pool. Here's a picture.

Now, I don't think there's a rule about pedicures, but they sure are fun. So the following day, we met up with my aunt, cousin and possibly soon-to-be cousin for a girls' day.

We went to lunch.

And our feet were pampered.

For some reason this picture makes me want to play "eeny meeny miny moe"...

After we were done, we got cupcakes. I don't have a picture of that. Sorry. So instead, here's a picture of Kennedy and myself. No, I didn't get a boob job. Thanks for asking. This shirt just seems to nicely accentuate certain features.

You know how Seattle is like the music center of the world? (Or at least one of them.) Well, since we had 3/4 of our band with us, we decided to go to open mic night at a restaurant near my mom's house. It was quite fun.

Another fun thing to do in Seattle is go take a ferry up through the San Juan Islands. Wow, is it beautiful up there?! Yes. Yes it is.

Look at us! We're on a ferry.

We hung out at Friday Harbor, ate food and browsed some shops. And smiled really pretty for the camera.

On the way back from Friday Harbor/San Juan Islands, we stopped at Deception Pass. Because it's gorgeous. See?

After Deception Pass, it was up to Bellingham to stay with my fantastic, wonderful and hospitable aunt Kristin and uncle Craig. (Thanks for letting us stay with you!) Bellingham is such a charming and beautiful city.

While there, we enjoyed a small hike/walk through Whatcom Falls Park, which is so gorgeous I can't even stand it.

So gorgeous, in fact, that I don't think I took any pictures of the scenery. Go me.

Anyway, we played on the playground, afterwards.

Chris and Justin played "king of the castle" and made all of the children cry.

And guess what else can you see in Bellingham? Llamas.

And that, my friends, is the end of our vacation. I apologize for the length of this blog post. I'll make up to you by showing you another picture of Kennedy.

You're welcome.

[P.S. To all you "I don't like Seattle because it's always raining" people- I'd like you to find any grey skies in my pictures. I dare you.]