Wiedeman Littles: Seattle Trip

Operation Meet Great Grandma was a success! We flew into Seattle in the evening on August 23rd, and our return flight was Sunday morning, the 27th. It was a whirlwind trip, but packed full of lots of fun and family. My dad's brother and sister live there with their spouses, as well as my grandmother (who is the only living great-grandma for our kids.) My aunt and uncle very graciously bought our plane tickets to help us get the baby out to Seattle to meet my grandma. She had flown to the East Coast last November for my dad's 60th birthday and decided that she didn't want to do flights that long any more. She's in her early 90's, so it's completely understandable. Luke and I were super grateful to have a chance to be there so she could meet her fourth great-grandchild!

Thursday
There were no set plan for the morning that day giving us a chance to sleep and get settled in. Once we were all up and dressed, my uncle took us down to Pike's Market to check everything out. We got to see the fish throwing, the original Starbucks (the line was way too long to buy anything), and he took us to a restaurant called The Pink Door, which did not have a sign, but was just a pink door in an alleyway. The food was delicious! We stopped at a chocolate store to get some fudge, and my uncle treated me to a mocha. So good!

My aunt (my dad and uncle's sister) met up with us at lunch, and after we were finished up around the market, we headed down to the pier to wander around. We bought some t-shirts for the kids and rode on the Wings Over Washington ride, which was a fun way to "see" many of the major things Washington state has to offer. Clara was starting to get fussy after that so we headed back to my Aunt and Uncle's house and got to see my grandma.

It was SO special watching her hold Clara (her 4th great-grandchild), and she asked me if Clara's middle name was after her- of course, Grandma! Clara was getting a little fussy so I put her down for what we thought would be an evening nap, and she ended up sleeping until 2 a.m., nursed, and then went right back to sleep until about 6. Worn out!

Friday
Friday was also Luke's birthday, and we got to spend the day exploring Mt. Rainier. We drove to my Aunt's house in Tacoma, and then caravanned to Mt. Rainier National Park. Clara was HATING the car seat, and we were driving for most of the day which was a bit rough. But we did stop and walk around at different points to take in the amazing views, and stopped so I could nurse her. After dinner at my Aunt's in Tacoma, we headed back to Seattle to sleep!

Saturday
On Saturday we took the ferry and got to explore Poulsbo where both my Grandma and Grandpa lived at various times in their lives. My great-grandparents continued to live there when my dad and his siblings were born, so it was fun hearing my uncle and aunt share some memories from when they would come stay with them.

We only were able to stay in Poulsbo for a few hours, and it was a charming little town- on the water, a cute historic main street, fun little shops. We even visited what used to be the newspaper building where my great-grandparent's ran the town newspaper for years. I really enjoyed the family history lesson, and Luke and I both wished that we could have had more time to explore the town. Next time for sure!

We took the ferry back, and then went out to dinner at Anthony's to celebrate Luke's birthday. We sat at a table with a view of the water, ate delicious seafood, and witnessed a beautiful sunset. It was the perfect ending to our trip and time with family. Since we were flying out the next morning, I hugged my grandma goodbye and she teared up, which of course made me tear up!

I so hope we can go out to Seattle again soon with all the kids and spend more time with family! Thankfully, Clara slept in the wrap for the first half of the flight home, nursed for a bit, and then went back to sleep.