Missing an Hour of Sleep in Seattle

Last weekend we went to Seattle for the weekend. It was about a 24 hour trip, but it was super fun and just good to get away and have some time as a family. I've explored the city of Seattle a lot, but not since I've been married with kiddos. It was time.

Stop one, was the American Girl store. As much as I struggled with this being a destination, the truth was that the girls were super excited to get something new for their dolls. They'd never actually gotten anything other than the dolls from American Girl, (evidenced in Kit's homemade duds she arrived in) so it was fun for them to pick out an outfit and accessory for their doll. Smiles were wide upon leaving here, paving the way for a happy trip. Kit got glasses and a hiking set, Lainie high tops and a roller skating ensemble. Julia even let me brush Lainie's hair into submission during the trip.

We stayed downtown on the 38th floor of the Westin. What an adventure that was. We could see Lake Union from our windows.

For the "fun" of it, when we left the Westin to go explore, Julia and I decided we would take the stairs down from the 38th floor, prompting Avery and my husband to do it also. We worked up a good sweat on our journey down.

We ventured down the street to Westlake Center where we caught the Monorail to the Space Needle.  was a beautiful evening, just turning dark as we arrived at the Space Needle. My husband stood in line while the girls and I found sustenance in the way of small pies from a nearby food stand.  If you have a fear of heights, just don't watch as you soar upwards, protected only by glass. At the top we circled the deck. On our way down someone asked what would happen if there was an earthquake while we were in the Space Needle. The reply? It's the safest place to be, built to withstand an earthquake measuring 9 on the rictor scale. Our feet safely on the ground, we listened to a jazz trio, the saxophone sweetening the air.

We later ordered room service. It was daylight savings time so we lost an hour that night. We went swimming the next morning, then trekked down to Pike Place Market for some exploring.

There was a Cupcake Royale on our way back to the motel so of course we had to stop. Julia's lavender cupcake modeled for this shot. Cupcake Royale's cupcakes have the supreme crumb, in my opinion, and are moist, dense, and yet light and fluffy. Their frosting is equally good.

We then ventured to a new area of Seattle to see Archie McPhees for some random trinkets. The girls got very excited about buying tiny pepsi cans and miniature cutlery for their dollhouse. We ate a seafood lunch at Ray's by the water and hit Golden Garden's Park before it was time to venture home.

We know so many great people in Seattle that the next time we go, we'll have to do some visiting, also.
Thanks for a great time, Seattle! Thanks family for the good times! Thanks Molly dog for spending two nights in the kennel so we could play.