Ashlyn & Waverly's Birthday Luau Party

This year, we combined Ashlyn and Waverly's birthday party and it was so much fun! I love themed parties. We went up just for the day, but squeezed in all the fun. We wanted food to be super easy so we went with Hawaiian Haystack. We didn't pick up food until up there, which made it a lot easier. I handled decorations and food. My brother in law handled the cake and the games, but he also did a lot of the decorations as well. For the decorations, I ordered everything off Oriental Trading, and boy, they sure do make it easy! I had seen their previous catalog that had a luau theme so I knew I would go with them for decorations. When I went on there, I went straight to the luau theme and picked everything that I wanted. It was so simple!

My mother in law helped chopped the food, and my nephews helped with setting things up. Some people brought additions which was really nice. For games, we had a water balloon fight, hula-hoop contest (to which Brandon found out that I was really good at hula-hoop contests - guess it just never came up in our 11 years of marriage), and sack race.

All the kids loved it, and the labor was definitely worth it.

Waverly in Twelve Months

Waverly is turning 1 on Monday! I can't believe how fast her first year has flown by. Having Mason definitely sped that up. I hardly even remember having her nap on me when she was very little. It was wonderful when I just had Mason, and he basically napped on my chest for my whole maternity leave. It was amazing, and it was beautiful. I took so many pictures of him napping on my chest. With Waverly, there wasn't a lot of time for that. She sort of had to grow up. And that's exactly what my little bebe has done.

She's such a joy. I just love everything about her. I love how chunky she is. She's in Size 2T!!! Like, what the heck?! She loves snuggles when she's tired, but don't get in her way when she's not because she is a very busy body. She loves to climb absolutely everything. Even things that she can't climb, her little short legs will try. She's a good eater. She's a good sleeper. She's still on two naps a day. She sleeps 9pm - 6 or 7pm. I wish she would sleep a little later, but I'm not complaining. She loves to play cars with her brother although he doesn't like her playing with his cars. Sometimes she will make the car sounds like her brother. It's so darn cute. She loves to smile, and I love her squinty eye faces. She's walking and falling, but she loves walking and being so independent.

I'm so grateful for my phone for the easy captures! The pictures came out of order :(

Our Quick Seattle Weekend

We had the best time this weekend! Brandon's been working out of town so much that we really needed a little vacation to just get away. I wanted to sightsee in Seattle as it's in our backyard and I didn't want to move from here, and never stay in Seattle.

Brandon picked out our hotel, and he did so good! We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Seattle right off Pine Street. We both had a brain fart and he originally booked a double room, which we somehow forgot meant it was two beds, not two rooms. So on our way up there, Brandon had to call and sort that all out and we decided on a suite. I am so glad we got the suite! It was 800 square feet (twice as large as our last apartment!) Everything was absolutely beautiful and we had three large windows that had city view as well as a bay view. Unfortunately, there is another building that blocks where the sun sets so we didn't get that. The suite was large enough to stick Waverly in the entry way and not be bothered by us if we wanted to watch television. The sitting area had its own television separate from the sleeping area. The bathroom was beautiful with marble tiles and a separate bathroom. The robe was so soft, and the slippers were super soft too! I didn't want to leave! I could have spent the entire weekend in the hotel (okay, just kidding but seriously it was really nice!).

We went to the Woodland Park Zoo, and it was a warmer day so we didn't get to see as many animals as wanted to. We got to see the hippos, giraffes (which were several which was really nice), lemurs, and many many others. Mason seemed most infatuated with the fishes! We didn't make it to the aquarium this trip, but we will definitely go there the next time around.

The penguins were fun to watch. A couple swam around and put on a little show for us.

He wasn't as excited to sit on this hippo, but hey, it's a picture opportunity!

Mason and Waverly also got to ride on the Seattle monorail for the first time! The monorail was really close to our hotel (another plus for our hotel!).

We went to the Pacific Science Center, and made a complete day of it. The Pacific Science Center is actually what prompted us to take this trip. Since Mason loves dinosaurs, Brandon kept telling me that we should take Mason here. Brandon remembered his experience as a little kid and going to the science center so he wanted that experience for Mason. Since the dinosaurs move, Mason was a tad bit scared at first, but he eventually warmed up to them!

There was a cute tot area and we let Waverly free to explore! Usually she gets stuck in our arms or the stroller, so I was super glad that she could get out and walk around and play.

The science center had this relaxation game that Brandon and I played and then Mason and Brandon played. It was really cute. Basically, the more relaxed you can get, the further the ball moves away from you. Once it gets over to your partner, you win. One tip is to not breathe! LOL.

Lil Mama was totally knocked out! We grabbed some lunch at the Armory. I loved the wide array of food selections. 

Afterwards we walked to a park that was really cool. It was quite warm that day and Mason was feeling a bit under the weather so he didn't join in the fun, but isn't the playground amazing? Since having kids, I've been so much more aware of playgrounds and which ones I want to take my kids too. This is definitely a really neat one! It's right in the Seattle Center which is really convenient.

After lunch we went back to the science center where Mason got more time with the dinosaurs!

We went to a part of the exhibits that we completely missed.

Finally, it was time for the Terracotta exhibit which was awesome! It was really cool to learn more about the warriors and the Qin dynasty.

Both nights that we were there, we got dim sum at Din Tai Fung. They are famous for their soup dumplings. We got to try the soup dumplings, fried rice (Mason and Waverly loved this), noodles with braised beef, bok choy, and a couple of other dishes. So good!

I took a bath one night there. It was so nice! The robe and slippers the hotel provided were so comfy!

Before we came back home, Brandon dropped me off so I could get us some doughnuts. Seriously, we've been waiting on these doughnuts for the past 7 or 8 years. The last time we visited Seattle to sightsee, we were too late for the doughnuts so this time we finally got it! And I sampled the best peach there. I didn't end up getting some which I still regret. Maybe in another 7 or 8 years? LOL

Mason enjoying his doughnut on our way home. 

What a fun trip we had! I'm so glad we got this trip in before the end of the year. Traveling with our kids is hard, and everything takes just a tad longer, but it's so worth it!

Kaolee

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