My mom was able to visit us for a whole week!
Peach pie was made and consumed in celebration of the occasion.
And also s’mores. On the same day. Don’t ask questions, just relish this wonderfully melty photo my mom took of William’s “most perfect s’more.”
The three big kids were spending the week doing “Summer in the Woods,” an all-day nature camp run by the Quiet Heart Wilderness School. They loved this camp, so they didn’t mind that they didn’t get to go on outings with Grandma and Katie. Eleanor fussed when I pulled out my camera at pick-up time, so the only photo evidence of nature camp I have is my snapshots of the daily itinerary.
Eleanor is intentionally trying to block my photo in this last picture. (“None of the other parents are doing this, and you are embarassing meeeeee!”)
While the big kids were off at camp, Katie and Grandma and I had a series of Grand Outings (well . . . grand if you discount the massive school supply/grocery shopping trip we took on Monday).
On Tuesday we explored Alki Beach, one of the city’s true sandy beaches. Mom collected seashells to make necklaces for all the children.
Katie insisted we watch her as she huffed, puffed, and then dashed downhill towards the waves — only to stop short at the waterline. She would then dip in a toe, shriek from the cold, and hurry away. (This was repeated at least 20 times.)
All of this beachy goodness was followed by a divine lunch on the patio at Marination Ma Kai (I love having guests, because it gives me an excuse to take them to Marination Ma Kai.)
In the evening, Eleanor had a “grandma date” as three of us went shopping for back-to-school clothes at the mall.
I had made prior arrangements on for Katie to play at a friend’s house for Wednesday morning. Relishing our kid-free time, we decided to have tea at the Queen Mary tearoom.
Just how kid-free is this place? Take a look at the shop display:
Yikes, right? I was afraid to sneeze in there. The decor was indeed a little over the top, but the food was luscious:
It was William’s turn for a grandma date that evening, which was spent picking out a birthday present at Toys R Us. (Me: “The store is closing, William. We don’t have time to look at every toy.” William: “But we can try.”)
Thursday morning was spent running errands that seemed mundane, but were made fun with my mom along to chat with. Jeff was the one to get a grandma date that night. We took him to Full Tilt Ice Cream and played their vintage pinball and video arcade games.
Jeff and mom beat the first level of their “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” game, no mean feat for my non-gamer mom!
Friday was our last “outing” day. We headed for the Ballard locks first thing in the morning. My mom has a track record for seeing wildlife whenever she comes to Seattle, so it didn’t surprise us in the least when salmon were jumping out of the water, and a harbor seal was frolicking nearby (and probably feasting, too).
After applauding the yacht parade, we drove across town to the international district to have beebimbap at Uwajimaya. (Mom ate that meal with me the first time she came to visit me here, and she’s craved it ever since.)
Friday evening was Adult Time with a meal at Hamburger Harry’s followed by a walk on the Edmonds marina beach.
I’d like to say that we did something fun on Saturday, but I tend to collapse on Saturdays. (It wasn’t just you, Mom, it happens every Saturday.) We had a big, lazy, leisurely breakfast, using up the last of our farm-picked blueberries in a pile of fluffy buttermilk pancakes.
Then we cruised Deseret Industries for thrifty treasures before driving mom to the airport.
Whew! It was so fun having her here, such a fun treat for both of us!
Casa Camisas 