Category — Things to do in Seattle

This weekend, we met our friends out at the Jubilee Farm for the first pumpkin patch of the year. The weather was beautiful and gave D a chance to try out his new (sort of) rubber boots. And quickly gave us a chance to spend the entire trip picking up the boot he chucked off of his foot. Ah well, lesson learned. We arrived in time to meet Andy, Jen, Sophie and little Elinor for some watermelon launching from a giant trebuchet and then boarded the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. It was really nice to be there so early in the month because it meant there were lots of picture perfect pumpkins waiting for the picking. Along with super cute photo ops of Dooz and his adorable friend Sophie. It’s so wrong, but Jen and I can’t help but joke about a possible future for the two. I SAID it was wrong, didn’t I?

The farm itself was really great. It’s not as big as Remlinger and not as basic as Craven, it was just right. It’s a working organic farm with cider demonstrations, animals, pony rides, horse pulled hay rides to the patch and organic food. It really is just perfect for the younger kids to allow them to have a great time without totally overwhelming them.

And, feat of all feats, we were able to see the animals, ride out the patch and back without any meltdowns or food freak outs. I have to say it was a success and the boy totally crashed out the minute we sat him in the car seat. Aaah fall, I love it!

Today, I took the bus to work to get some reading done (and take a break from burning has). Mark and Dooz planned on coming downtown to visit the Seattle Children’s Museum and then picking me up from work afterwards. Apparently, there’s a new Mr. Potato exhibit that just opened and D had an excellent time playing with the potato parts. You could hear this from the husband first hand if HE EVER POSTED. That’s right, I am not above publicly guilting my husband … isn’t that what the internetsess is for? I digress. The Museum is such a great place for D to play. They have an “under 3″ area with lots of soft places to crawl (and fall) around, a water feature and all kinds of things for them to explore. They also have a fake mountain trail (complete with a dark cave and hanging bats) and a special exhibit (the aforementioned Mr. Potatohead). It’s not very big, but he’s exhausted from a trip there regardless and there’s no end to his exploration. It’s an excellent trip during the week when it’s not super crowded.

Anyway, a good time was had by all. Afterwards, Dooz came to work where everyone could tell him how cute he is and he could say “hi” which is shorthand for holy cow! I had no idea you worked somewhere where there are so many keyboards and mice! There is nothing that pleases him more than pressing buttons on a keyboard.Well, almost nothing. The only exception is plucking said keys off of my keyboard requiring me to make my squinty face as I re-attach them all.

Let’s just say, he likes the office.

My parents are in town visiting for a semi-long stay as we prepare for my sister’s wedding next weekend out on Whidbey Island. It’s especially nice to have them out here to spend time with their first grandson and the Dooz loves to see them. The first day they were here, he walked right up to both of them and gave them a big hug.

This morning, we picked them up, indulged in Top Pot Doughnuts and then headed to the Woodland Park Zoo for a zoo day with families of my co-workers. We had a great turnout, a beautiful day and it even happened to be member appreciation day … which translated into flamingo hats, bounce houses and ice cream. We had a nice range of ages for the kids that came and it was nice to see their parents outside of work where we don’t have to talk about how we’re going to squeeze two months of work into one month. The interesting about my workplace is that I work with a bunch of really cool people. Many people have kids and there are regularly kid-related events, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t also flip cup tournaments, film festivals and a full bar behind reception.

Anyway, I digress. All in all the trip was a success and anytime other kids can tire out the Dooz is a good time in my book. We came home and he dropped off for an immediate two hour nap. He was turned over with bum in the air before I even closed the door to his room.

Tomorrow the parents begin their week long stay at our place and I’m really looking forward to that. It’s a great treat to watch my parents interact with him. They get just as much joy from seeing him (maybe even more, as if THAT’S possible!) than we do and he adores them. Oh and did I mention they are baby sitting so Mark and I can have a much needed night out. We’ll be having drinks with friends and seeing Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Showbox downtown. Cannot wait!

You know that song from Lou Reed, Perfect Day? The one that may be ingrained in your mind as the one that plays in Trainspotting while Ewan MacGregor slips away into his heroin induced carpet coma. It’s a beautiful song and to be honest, I tend to forget about it. That is, until I’m in the midst of a day that can only be described by that specific song.

Yesterday was one of those days. For the first time in a very long time, I actually had nothing going on at work and decided early in the week to take the day off. And so we woke up early and Mark had a chance to stay in bed for just a bit more. I sat the Dooz in his high chair while he happily munched on some Os and pointed out things in the dining room. He has this way of asking what things are and/or pointing them out by saying “S’dat?” I whipped up some homemade vanilla/cinnamon pancakes just in time for Mark to wake up. And it was so lovely, just eating breakfast as a family with no pressure of places to be, things to do.

Post breakfast, we decided to head to the zoo. It was such a clear and shiny morning, it seemed just right for walking around Woodland Park. We actually scored a free parking spot right in front of the west entrance and made it inside just in time for the gorillas playing right up at the glass of their enclosure. The Dooz was SUPER excited to walk around and even more excited to hit the Zoomazium. Basically, it’s a place to let your kids go crazy in one spot that happens to have lots of carpeting and cushion. We even had time for a snack on the grass by the family farm area.

Afterwards, we went in to Ballard to run some errands and walked over to the park which happens to have a nice little splash area. Though no one was dressed for it, we let D walk through through the water spots, pat the concrete urchin and splash through the area until he was totally soaked. He was so dang happy, I couldn’t have pulled him away if I wanted to.

And then, home in time for a nap and a little time to read and sit in the sunshine on our deck with the dogs.

The perfect day. And though I have a tiny bit of video of Dooz at the zoo, I didn’t have the camera for our impromptu soak fest at the park. At first, I cursed myself for not taking the SLR, but now I think that maybe it was for the best. Maybe days like this are best left to memory … like some special little secret.