First Timer

Collin went on his very first airplane ride to see Aunt Lindsay in Seattle with me. We had a wild time exploring new parts of the city and old favorites. Lindsay is the best, most generous hostess. She had great ideas for kid friendly activities and some solid Sister Trip traditions sprinkled throughout. It was fascinating to hear what Collin remembered from our time living in Seattle and alternatively, watching him experience things for the first time. 

We hit the arcade, plenty of playgrounds, two beaches, Lake Union, the movies (Pete's Dragon made us so sad.), the Woodland Park Zoo, Pike's Market, the Fremont Troll, and Georgetown. Collin even helped Lindsay and I recreate this beach babe moment from 30 years ago!

Every trip, I am so impressed with the ability to get all caught up with my dear sister and feel so spoiled by all her efforts to give me a break from my day to day. She extended the same welcome to her very energetic 9 year old nephew that has no filter. I wish I would have documented all the funny quotes and quips from riding the bus and walking around downtown. Traveling with a special needs child is not for the faint-hearted, that is for another post though.

Get away

 After more than two years, Matt and I had a little weekend to ourselves. Hooray!

It worked out that two would be at camp for most of the time so the Grandmas would only have to wrestle two wildlings for a couple days each.

 We decided to stay in town, enjoying our own home and the best of Boise's eats. Once Matt was off work and the boys were settled in, we headed straight for Tin Roof Tacos. Our new favorite in town, the fried chicken taco is killer!

 We hiked up Table Rock and took some awkward photos to prove it.

 Matt finally got to try Bleubird in downtown Boise.

 And! We tried out a new place for both of us, Bacon.

 To cap it off, we all met up at Sockeye to celebrate Father's Day.

And then, because I was feeling particularly rested, I wrote this little tribute to my dad:

Cheers to dads who get ruffle-y socks to match puffy-sleeved dresses. Who take little girls to see Broadway shows and Clint Black concerts. The guys who teach their daughters the names of flowers while they complain about the weird smell of Home Depot. Who have a panic attack about the mention of a crush but want all the details. Cheers to the man that made me creative and fierce. Miss you, Dad.

Lately

Some snaps from around here lately. The Superbowl. Matt had a birthday, Parker got his braces off. My lil' Sweet P had a 49er birthday party. I live for these winter celebrations in the midst of cold gray Idaho winters. 

I also worked in time for a Sister Weekend. We had sun and of course, rain. Walking around old neighborhoods, eating the best Seattle fare. (This trip we hit up Cafe Flora in Madison Park. Fantastic vegetarian spot.  My favorite- Toulouse Petit in Queen Anne. The best. Period. In Ballard we hit  Percy's- outstanding drinks and The Gerald, which had a fun Mad Men vibe. In Belltown we ate at Some Random Bar. Good food and nice people.) 

I decided we had to see the Sisters movie. (Yikes, only good for a few good laughs.) We also watched The Room together. Horrified but also, give Jacob Tremblay an Oscar! That kid is legit.

Our chats about butter in coffee, Bernie Sanders, and teen rebellion probably make sense to no one else but us. I always leave feeling so spoiled and so loved. Thanks, Sis!

Sister Trip

My sister flew me out to Seattle last month to explore the city with her. We ate, drank, and walked our way through sunny streets all weekend long.

Tamales at La Carta de Oaxaca in Ballard.

Brunch at Cafe Pettirosso in Capital Hill.

Coffee at Bedlam in Belltown.

I always have a great time adventuring with her. It's good to have a sister and as far as sisters go, she's the best. Not a lot of pictures but memories made in abundance.

Reno

Parker's JV lacrosse debut! He is playing for Centennial High School and enjoying a new position on attack. The year kicked off with a tournament in Reno. 
Matt and I were up for some one on one time with Parker while Grandma Ellen took the other 3 boys for a fun weekend of their own.

(real reason for the road trip)


He played so well all weekend and scored more goals than all of last season. We stayed an extra day to sleep in and check out the outlet mall in Sparks. And one more meal at In and Out before hitting the road.



Parker is the best company, I joke that I gave birth to my best friends. Also, you can almost see in the picture that he is now taller than his dad. That seems noteworthy to me and it is still so bizarre that we have a child in high school!

master chef

Here is a fun thing we did this last year with homeschool. Our very own Master Chef mystery box challenge. I gave the 3 oldest boys a plate full of the same ingredients and Matt, Collin, and I judged their creations on presentation, taste, and creativity. I gave them angel hair pasta, sausage, parsley, shallots, heavy cream, pizza dough, romano cheese, artichoke hearts, lemon, and a very limited pantry. Most of the items did not have labels so they had to smell or taste or just ignore it if they did know what it was. They did not have to use everything and they had a small bit of help with the stove and blenders and such.

I was blown away! They did so great and got really into it, not to mention the food was really good. Aden made his own marinara and added carrots for presentation. (I thought this would be gross but the carrots were really good with it.)

Collin was very articulate and tried everything, giving feedback to each dish and writing down his score.

Kaleb opted for the pizza rather than pasta and it was delicious.

Parker did a pasta dish with lemon and even used the lemon peel in the boiling water for the noodles, very smart!

As for the scoring, each judge could give up to 10 points for the three separate categories and in the end a dish could earn a maximum 90 points. (up to 30 from each judge.)

Aden had the best looking dish in our opinion, not as creative but the taste was surprising and real good. He earned 79 points total.

Kaleb's pizza won us over in the taste category, we all finished every bite. He came in with 79 points as well.

Parker was the most creative, we thought. He used more sophisticated flavors and Collin hated it. In the final tally he earned 76 points.

Everyone was happy though. For about $30 in groceries, it was enough for 3 meals. It was cheap and fun and I love that these guys are developing this skill. Collin has already said we need to find another judge because he wants in on it next time.

escape to Seattle

Hooray for Spring! January and February end up being pretty hard months for Matt and I. (maybe the rest of the world too?) Between finances, the Holidays being over, the weather, oi! It gets a lil Dark Farm over here. So at the jump of Spring Break, Matt and I dropped off the boys at their grandparents and tried not to speed away too fast.

Seattle was the obvious choice for a weekend away. We left half our hearts in this city and were aching to visit. Two days downtown, eating our way through the city and two days at our dear friends guest house. It was the perfect trip.

The sunshine came out for us as it usually does. Not sure if the years we spent in the city were out of character, but we have no problem with Seattle weather. (having a WAY harder time with Idaho weather)

Salted Caramel and Thai Tea ice cream at Molly Moon's

Brunching with friends Ty and Rhiannon after date night with Hillary and Alfred. These friends really rolled out the red carpet for us. Rhiannon and Hillary also cooked up the most delicious spring supper for Matt and I's visit. All the while catching up and pouring drinks and welcoming a meercat into their home ;) I have missed these girls! (and Matt his fight nights in the Warbox)

As this girl!! Matt met up with a friend for a few hours while Linds and I toured her hip neighborhood and thrifted through Fremont.

She took basically the most amazing photos of me ever. (you know how you never like a photo of yourself? this was the complete opposite, brought out my narcisism in a big way ;) also, this one)

 Dan and Ellen treated us to dinner out at Brookyn's Oyster Bar. Amazing food, especially the Northwest Bouillabaisse. And this girl even tried a couple of those raw oysters! When in Rome...

 We grabbed breakfast at Homegrown before lunch at Buddha Ruksa. (some beach power walks in between) No pictures at Homegrown but it was delightful and the pictures of the Crispy Garlic Chicken may not seem like much but there is a reason it is called "Crack Chicken."

 Hard to drive home, but in the best way. And... we came home to Idaho rain.