Is November over yet? Why am I still writing about November??? I have to admit that part of the reason I procrastinated with catching up is because there is just too much to write about that it's almost exhausting. Oh to be those people who have to think hard about what new things happened in the month because there is repetition in their lives. Sometimes I wish there are more repetitions in my life and less newness. Not here folks. We are crazy, and that's ok we've already came to that conclusion.
So Chicago, got it's nickname Windy city for a reason. Oh my was it cold and windy. It made Seattle's winter down right mild. Did I mention already that we had to go buy jackets, gloves and hats? We stuck together real close because we had to to stay warm and lots of soaking in the hot tub after! We got hot chocolates, yummy treats and ate at McD one too many times. The kids missed it. Not I!
We toured what we can during the day and went back to the hotel and played because it was so cold
Loved that we could still see the beautiful Fall colors
We did a lot of driving around as a way to tour. I guess we miss driving.
We took the kids to the science museum (because our Seattle PACSCI museum pass still works as a reciprocity) that had a really cool view of the city. For a moment the sun came out as well which helped
BACK TO THE TOWN WE LOVE. I have given thought to maybe trying a new area after we get back from Vietnam but really we haven't found anything we like as much as Seattle. Austin Texas came close but still not the green Dan likes. Anything deserty is out of Dan's list. He doesn't like the brown. He wants greens and lots of it, mostly the natural kind that looks luscious because he's color blind and the light green kind of look brown. I honestly can say I am not a fan of desert scenery either. I love moisture, Seattle has a bit more than I like but I do like how it feels on my skin.
And we got our car back from my friend's house in Issaquah. Mommy drives, too? Of course we had to document that?! No way we'll ever drive in Vietnam, its traffic is too crazy
So after a hotel stay and one night of rest near the SEATAC airport, we met up with the Astles. Oh how much we've missed these guys!! Reunion was so sweet
Also something else so very sweet was lunch with our renters inside our own home. They invited us over and made us food. It was so tender to see my furniture and seeing my house again. They have kept some things and added some of their own furniture of course but that console table, the mirror and my black couches, the tall ceilings, oh how I have missed it all!!
Darion just found himself right at home and slept on the couch for nap time.
I escaped a few times and visited some friends. Some I did not remember to take pictures with, some already left out of town due to Thanksgiving
One of the escapes was for some Pho that Darion got to join in and he showed off his chopsticks skills
Got to meet up with my best friend Shellee and her new little guy and showered him with gifts. It's amazing how tiny they start out. I felt like I was holding a little doll. I guess none of mine ever started out that small
Thanksgiving came and Darion's birthday party came also. I can't believe my baby is 2. If we did it like Ronin I would be holding another baby. I was pretty sad that Ronin grew up overnight when I had Darion. I think ideally there would be at least 3 years between my babies so I have more time with each of them. Darion is definitely getting his baby time in. I'm still nursing him and I love that. Free milk, why not, plus I get to eat more which allows for more milk for him and shedding off some calories for me :)
So thanksgiving dinner/Darion's birthday party was held at Dan's cousin Dave's home. Tons of pies and cakes and what I loved and appreciated the most was that everyone made food and contributed to a successful party. I managed to get some decorations bought and put up and some goodies and gifts for the kids. The cousins had a lot of fun together and Darion loved his gifts very much. New toys and lots of friends to play it with.
The next day we took the cousins out to eat in downtown and went tree sighting. The Fairmont hotel put on the most magnificent decor with many trees and it was beautiful.
The breakfast was probably our biggest bill in the whole trip minus hotels and flights but we could not say thank you enough to these guys for hosting us for nearly 2 weeks. It was our way of saying thank you
We also went to downtown center for some merry go rounds and saw gingerbread displays of the most amazing art work around town. Took too many pictures to post them all here but you get the gist of it
We took off and went to Walla Walla after to reunite with our besties.
We stayed with them for a few days. Loved every moment with these guys and I'm not sure I know of another group of kids like ours that adore each other this long and this much
