Friday, July 29, 2011

City Museum

After months of trying and years of hearing great things about it, we finally made it to The City Museum today! We went with our friends Deanna and Maggie. It was slightly overwhelming but incredibly fun. Each corner we turned offered new and interesting activities and adventures. The whole place is really one giant adventure.

One of the first stops was to make some mustaches, of course. Then Sophia went around looking at strangers and saying, "Hallooo! I'm a mahn."

 


Their favorite stop was most likely the choo choo. The train's conductor was quite the hoot.

 


After a while with the mustaches, the girls got butterflies painted on their faces. They were adorable.

 




 


So glad we finally made it City Museum. We'll definitely go back to explore some more.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Wednesday Reading

 


Sophia didn't learn to read in Seattle, but she has taken up a renewed passion for sitting with books. Here she is enjoying a read in a comfy chair. Can you think of a better way to spend a summer day?
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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Our Friend

 


Emily came as a houseguest and leaves as a friend. Today we say farewell as she is finished with her run in The Merry Wives of Windsor.

It has been a wonderful summer having Emily around. Honestly, I can hardly imagine it without her now! Lots of sightseeing and fun in the city together. Sophia will miss her most because she's excellent at playing My Little Ponies and other imagination games. The two of them are a ton of fun to watch. We have all three enjoyed some fierce dance battles and games galore. We'll be glad to catch a visit when we can, but it's been a great experiment without a doubt!
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Friday, July 22, 2011

Reading Stories to the Princess



This scene just amused me immensely. Gabriella is behaving like a mad kitty chasing her tail and paper (and my foot) while Sophia reads her a story with facial and body expression galore. I have no idea what Sophia's story is about. Even after hearing it again. I think it was more about saying words while flinging her head than making sense. So, it's perfect...
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Monday, July 18, 2011

Gabriella

 


We have a new addition to the Creach household. She's slightly crazy, very independent, snuggly and absolutely adorable. A kindred spirit for Sophia.

She doesn't like to cuddle quite as much as Sophia would like, but after she is worn out from playing, she becomes a regular lap kitty.

 

 


She is very entertaining, and all of us are quite taken with her. I absolutely love this cat. Can't wait to share some Sophia-Gabriella tales.

 

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Back to the Beaches

Well, I wish I were going back to the beaches. How about back to the topic of the beaches.

One of the few "musts" on our list for the Seattle trip was a visit to a Puget Sound beach. We didn't care which beach, just wanted to walk in some sand. Even though it was July, we knew that there was a real possibility that we'd be visiting the beach in jeans and a jacket. That turned out to be far from reality.

Our first beach was Alki Beach. We first stopped at the local fish & chips establishment to grab our picnic.



Then, we headed down to the beach. Something we would later learn was a trend was that these two (plus Erick) were always the first to hit the water. In this case, it was low tide, so we began exploring in tide pools and on the islands created by the ebbing water.



Once the tide started to come in, there were plenty of low waves to jump.



Sophia insisted on staying on one of the tiny islands until it disappeared under her feet - or rather, under her entire body.



Before we left Alki, I snapped a shot that captured Sophia's sheer pleasure at being in a few waves.



So we learned the hard way that the kids needed swimsuits (it took one more lesson to learn that Erick needed his, too). And we hit our second beach, Golden Gardens. It's a very cool beach, too. A longer stretch of sandy beach for strolling and playing. More beach activities. I was mesmerized by the competitive antics of young Seattlites playing sand volleyball for quite a while. The tension between relationship and winning was entertaining when it came to one young couple. Anywho...

As I mentioned, lots of sand. There were many uses for it, it turns out. Burying feet.



Or entire kids.



Is there any better beach activity than collecting stuff? I know I enjoyed it. So did Sophia.



Our stint at Golden Gardens also allowed us to witness the comings and goings of cruise ships, cargo ships and this. Lots of people and it went slowly. But this gives you an idea of the views that one can have while lying in the sand. A little surreal, but absolutely breathtaking.



Our last beach was unique, as well. I was surprised in a couple of ways by the beaches on the sound. First, that they were so largely affected by the tides. I guess it's simple enough, it's still part of the ocean. I just thought that since the sound is so far inland that the tide wouldn't rise and fall at such extremes. I was also surprised at how different each of these beaches was. One almost entirely sand, another rocky, another covered in driftwood. So interesting! Our last beach was Carkeek, which is connected to a very beautiful park with walking trails through hills and thick forest. I'd love to explore that another time. The beach itself was covered in rocks that were covered in barnacles.



A very unexpected treat was to watch a bald eagle flying low over the beach while we were there - apparently being chased from somewhere by this crow.



Carkeek was on our last full day together. There were plenty of bittersweet moments. The kids just soaked up their time together. I love that about them.



They were all bravest on this last Creach trip out. So Erick and all three kids headed out as far as advisable while the tide came into the beach. It was so much fun to watch them and listen to the squeals of excitement.




When we had stayed as long as possible, all three of us had a tinge of sadness to say goodbye to the beach, knowing it will be a while till one finds itself between our toes again. It was, most definitely, hardest for Erick. Who knew? The guy's an ocean rat? Or is it waveaholic? Whatever it is, that's him.

Monday, July 11, 2011

The Little Mermaid

Friday night, we had our last big outing of vacation. Not that vacation is required to attend a show, but it still counted this time.

I am so grateful that the current heat wave waited until yesterday to hit hard so we could enjoy The Little Mermaid in relative comfort! The Muny is such a great place to see a show, but it is a much bigger gamble, as are all outdoor activities in Missouri summer.

Sophia loves to get fancied up for an outing like this. A little bit of lipstick and we were on our way!

 


It was a great night. The show was superb, the actors were right on. The company, as always, was my absolute favorite! I adore having adventures with these two.

 

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Friday, July 8, 2011

At Home

So we're back in Missouri after our adventures with friends in Seattle. There is no way to describe what a great time we had. Every day was full of fun and lots of laughter. We hadn't seen our friends (except on Skype) for over a year, but it took no time at all to find our groove.

We did some of the normal Seattle sites. Pike Place Market.



Chandlers at the market:



Erick saw the market, too, in spite of this evidence to the contrary:



Saw the view from Kerry Park. Mount Rainier looked like a hologram from almost every angle. Gorgeous hologram, though...



One day we got to see my cousin Zach. It was the most time we have gotten to spend together since we were kids, and it was great to hang out. Of course, Sophia loved telling him all manner of stories and facts.



The largest part of our outings were spent at beaches around Puget Sound. I will most likely write a post at some time about the beaches alone.

Anyway, the week was marvelous. Trying to put it all down would just be pointless and unfulfilling for both of us, to be honest. I'm sure there will be more to share, but for now, here are a few of my favorite shots.

Madilyn:



Blake:



Sam:



Janelle and me in the first rain of the trip - on the last morning:

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Still Enjoying Togetherness

 


We arrived in Seattle a week ago today. We have spent one morning apart during this whole time, yet the idea of leaving tomorrow isn't a relief. It's been fun and fulfilling. And that doesn't say the half of it.
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Sunday, July 3, 2011

Fresh

 


Last night, Erick went to the Portland Timbers game with Brian. He bought a jersey for Sophia, and I think it's going to be a challenge to get this off of her. This afternoon we we went to pick some fresh raspberries, and although I don't love the team, I do love this picture.
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