Tour de Northwest: Seattle

The last leg of our "Tour de Northwest" brought us to Seattle, Washington to visit the Kehrlis: Lynsey, Bob, Addison, and Kenai! It was my first-ever trip to Seattle, so I was super excited to be a tourist, and get to see the sights, while visiting with baby Addison & "Kenai Dog Dog"! Keeping with our theme, here is the Top 10 list for our weekend in Seattle!

1. MEETING ADDISON (MY BIRTHDAY BUDDY)
Addison Grace Kehrli was born on September 26th, 2012 (like me & Johnny Appleseed)! What a fun, lovey, happy little girl she is! I loved seeing Bob & Lynz in their new roles as parents, and was so entertained by Addison & Kenai's shenanigans! It was obvious that they were fast friends! Little Addison starting crawling just a few days before our arrival -- she's on the move now!

2. FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER IN GREENWOOD
On Friday night, Bob & Lynz surprised us with dinner out in Greenwood, a neighborhood in Seattle close to their home. It was a cute area with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. We had a yummy dinner, enjoyed cold beers, and (of course) snapped a family photo on "Greenwood Ave"!

3. SIGHT-SEEING IN SUNNY SEATTLE
Of the 3 locations cities we visited on our vacation, I was most excited to visit Seattle because it was my first time! Lynsey, Bob, and Addison were fantastic tour guides, taking us all over downtown, through the Public Market, past the first-ever Starbucks, through the flying fish, and on an awesome boat ride with some of the most beautiful views of a city skyline I've seen!

4. L&B B&B
Lynz & Bob were such wonderful hosts! If they ever decide to quit their day jobs, they definitely could run a successful Bed & Breakfast! Lynz has such great attention to detail, and sets the table even for the simplest meals! Next time I put butter on the table it will be in a cute dish (instead of the plastic tub), thanks to Lynz! On Saturday evening we continued to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL day & weather by BBQing in their backyard!

5. "KENAI DOG DOG"
Landon just loved "Kenai Dog Dog"! They had tons of fun wrestling around the house, and chasing each other up and down the stretch of grass along the side of the house! What a sweet, gentle, loving pup!

6. LANDON'S FIRST BOAT RIDE: THE SEATTLE WATER TAXI
What a treat! Our little man who LOVES anything that moves (cars, trucks, bikes, trains, boats, airplanes, and more) went nuts on his first-ever boat ride, the water taxi to & from West Seattle! It was a quick, easy, and smooth 10min ride there, where we got off, snapped a few photos, then headed back -- the perfect trip for a 21 month old!

7. STUMBLING ACROSS A PRO PHOTOGRAPHER ON A PIER
Our luck! While in West Seattle, we walked to the end of the pier to take a few family photos with that beautiful skyline as our backdrop! As I was preparing to set my very big, very expensive camera on a trash can and activate the self-timer, a nice fisherman offered to take a photo of all six of us! We, of course, said yes! Little did we know...this guy was a pro. He was bending down, changing angles, zooming in and out, and maximizing the gorgeous skyline behind us! What a treat -- and we were able to complete our trip by getting the third & final group photo...this time with Team Kehrli!

8. COMPARING "PARENTING NOTES" 
It was so awesome to see Lynz & Bob as parents! I really enjoyed getting to spend time with them, exchanging baby stories, and offering (and receiving) parenting tips & tricks! We've always had plenty in common, but now that we are all parents -- there's never a dull moment, and rarely a quiet room!

9. WATCHING THE "YELLOW AIRPLANE BOATS"
One of my favorite memories from our Northwest vacation was watching Landon watch the "Yellow Airplane Boats" land on the water in Seattle! We got to see at least 5 or 6 biplanes take-off and land that morning. He was very impressed that 2 of his favorite modes of transportation were combined in one. His little mind was blown.

10. SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS WHO ARE REALLY MORE LIKE FAMILY!
Bob & Lynz: thank you so much for opening your home to us, feeding us, and showing us around your city! We are so very happy for you guys, you are awesome parents, and we can't wait to see you in September for Katie & Vince's wedding!