RoadTrip

Well, it wasn't a big one, but a nice 4 day weekend with our little family of almost five (well, and Kodi of course). Last Thursday we headed up to Washington for our little nephew's 3rd birthday and a little family vacation. I think the boys and I got pretty spoiled having Jason for four days. None of us wanted him to go back to work!

The trip started out with everyone all giddy and excited, chattering away. It's been about three years since we were in Washington last so it was fun for Seb to see all the sites again, and for Shan to see them for the first time.

We even got a chance to stop in Longview and have lunch with Jason's grandma, which was nice, since it's been a couple months since we've seen her too. Although, not long after we got back on the road, Shan passed out in the back and Seb was busy flashing fake smiles at me and folding himself into a pretzel...He's just too flexible!

About the time we reached Madigan we remembered just how fun all the traffic was, and by Tacoma we were practically parked on the highway...Although we were parked next to the Budweiser Clydesdale semi and when Seb & I saw part of a horse (mostly just his ear) we were all excited and hollering in the car. haha

We had a great time visiting with Jason's brother and his wife and boys. It was the first time we've ever been to their house so it was pretty neat...And I've gotta say, their house was definitely nice! Although, I forgot to take pictures (sorry Tutu). We ate some awesome food while we were there...Corn chowder, cod, crab & clams. -I'm going to have to start cooking like that I think.

After dinner Jason & Robert took the three older boys and went to pick up crab traps while Keiko & I stayed at the house with Noah. When they got back Seth & Shan were pretty much crashed but Seb called me out to the garage to see the crab, which were all still alive and moving around on the floor. I guess Jason had been teasing the crab with a squash and they were snipping it pretty easily. Robert underestimated one of them when he picked it up and the crab reached up and grabbed on to his finger and wouldn't let go. Needless to say, Robert had no problem cooking them up!

Friday we all went to the Naval Undersea Museum, which I figured would be a somewhat quick trip through but man, there was a lot of great stuff to see! Sebastian found a sub named "Alvin" so we took a picture. Then he found a microscope and slides so we had to check that out too. We learned about density, where animals in the ocean mainly live, the ins & outs of a submarine, read up on SeaLab III, launched torpedoes, and drove a sub. Seb & I even talked on the Sound Wave Phone, which I didn't know Jason had used when he was on the ship...Hard to hear out of but fun!

And then the boys all played in the kids' section, wearing the sailor hats, playing with puzzles (mostly Robert's thing I think, haha), wearing flippers (the only thing Shan really liked other than driving the submarine).

Seth's birthday party on Saturday was really fun...Kind of a glimpse into Robert & Keiko's world. And it wasn't until Robert pointed it out to me that I realized I was the only "American mommy" at the party...And yes, again, my boys were the only whities there. haha Robert & Will wore their chef's uniforms, Mya & Seth sang "happy birthday" with us (even though it was there big day), and Seth blew out all the candles before Mya could get even one...It was pretty cute though.

Nothing said "Party" like a tantrum...

Don't worry, he wasn't the only kid there having a bad day.

And we were told this is the phony smile, cute though, isn't it?

He got some pretty awesome gifts though!

Sunday we had breakfast with Robert, Keiko & the boys and then headed up to Port Townsend for a ferry ride to Oak Harbor. Jason & I had been wanting to take Seb back to see where he was born and where we lived by the ocean, and just to drive by our first apartment. We had an hour wait so we walked around town with the boys, taking pictures of the buildings and playing on the dock...We hopped back in the car just in time to give Kodi a potty break, drive to the front of the line, and watch the ferry leave without us...Yeah, not really what we had planned, but they wouldn't take the rest of our lane because the water was rough. (Note: next time make a reservation!)

So we drove back from Port Townsend and back to Oregon without going to O.H. but hopefully we'll get to go back up there next year with the boys. We did stop in Portland to enjoy a nice Olive Garden dinner before heading home. It was a pretty nice drive and a great visit with family. I think we'll have to do that more often!