A day at the Zoo and Aquarium

We had some great weather last week. Highs in the mid 70's with a breeze most of the time. We headed up to Seattle on Thursday for a day trip to see some animals. Ellie had been to the Indianapolis Zoo when we were on vacation last Memorial Day but I doubt she remembered. This time, Campbell got to go too. Ellie had a great time. Campbell was a little more interested in getting a nap in. All in all, everybody had a good time enjoying some sunshine. The Seattle Zoo is not particularly big but it's easy to get around in and has a lot of natural (like) habitat. There is a lot of open space with grass and picnicking is encouraged. Had we known this, we could have skipped the burgers and fries at the food court. But Ellie got a monkey sippy cup out of it so I think she was happy. If you're in the area, the Zoo is just 4-5 miles north of downtown. It's an excellent side trip with kids and they have a cool carousel (sadly, it was out of action while we were there.)

Campbell is a lot like Ellie was as a baby... Just happy to be here. She's content to be around us and likes to just check out the scenery. She's usually only fussy when she's hungry or tired. Even though nap and sleep schedules have been totally messed up the past 3 weeks due to the move and being in hotels, she's been a pretty happy camper. Today, we went over to see some relatives of mine on my mom's side of the family. Campbell didn't have any problem being held by my Aunt Sandy within minutes of arriving. Actually, I think Sandy said something along the lines of "I'll hold her" but it was really more of a command. :) It was ok by me. Ellie saw the swing set in the backyard and was itching to go outside. My cousin Sarah has a daughter (Kennedy) who will be three in July and My cousin Lisa has two kids (Mason and Madison who are 5 and 4 respectively. It was great to see Ellie around kids her own age for the first time since we left Fairbanks. She still asks me where Cody, Jacob and Livie are. Today, while we were driving around, she had my phone and was "talking" to those three.

We found a house in University Place just west of Tacoma on the peninsula. The area is very quiet and we're only about a mile off the Sound. There are walking and bike trails all around us. Hopefully, I can burn off some of this hibernation weight I've been carrying. Of course, most of it was with me before we moved to Alaska, so I can't blame it on cold weather. The house is supposed to be ready by Thursday or Friday. Depending on route, Jennifer will be 15-30 minutes from Ft. Lewis and 20-25 minutes to downtown Tacoma to catch the train up to UW for school. I-5 is a freaking disaster. Traffic in this area is just insanely bad. It can take an hour to go 15 miles and that's normal during rush hour. Just too many people without any alternate routes.

We are so ready to be in a house after three plus weeks in hotels. The girls have been super troopers but it's time for some more space. Remember when you were a kid and you thought eating out for lunch and dinner every day would be cool? Well, by the third week of restaurants for lunch and/or dinner, it's not so cool anymore. I'd kill for a home made grilled cheese sandwich right about now.