One of the very first things we did was take them to one of our favorite hikes at Mount Ranier to show off the beauties of Washington State.
It was nice to have Kenny around to help carry toddlers - something he's famous for being extra good at. And he even jumped into the Silver Falls! The scream of chill from the icy water had us all cracking up.
Nothing tastes so good as a picnic lunch in the mountains.
After lunch, we stopped and did the Groves of the Patriarchs hike.
The huge trees and bridge are always some of our favorites.
Because Amanda is from California, on a different day we took her to one of her favorite places: the beach. But before we headed for the sand, we stopped off at Ballard Locks to watch the ships go through and to see a few salmon running ladders.
Golden Gardens State Park along the Puget Sound has probably the best sand I've seen at a Washington beach, and it was sunny and warm as we set up.
As the boys in my family do, Kenny got started right away digging a giant hole.
And then he proceeded to bury Ammon in that giant hole.
It was fun at first, but then we quickly realized we could not get Ammon out of the hole. The weight of the sand made it impossible for Ammon to push himself out and his breathing was getting a little strained. So, with a bit of stress, we pulled as much sand off of him as fast as we could to get Ammon out!
It took us almost ten minutes to get this poor boy unburied. But he was unharmed once he was finally freed.
I've learned that beaches and babies don't tend to go well together. The sand mixed with the sun and the wind make for a hostile environment for my little three-month-old.
In other words, Ivy hated it.
Trying to keep her fed and cool and happy under the umbrella was a joke, and eventually even walking down to look at the water got old for her. And a fussy baby in a sea of sand is no fun either. I was grateful when it was time to go.
That day was also the BYU box day. Each year, BYU puts out a BYU box in each state for the fifty days leading up to the first BYU football game. Washington's day was while we were in Seattle and we planned our trip to the city on purpose, knowing they were probably releasing the box somewhere close by that day. We decided the International Fountain would be a good centralized location downtown to wait for the final word on where we would race to the box.
The water sprays in time with music and it was the perfect way to rest and cool off in the shade after our time at the beach. The kids were hesitant to get in the water until Uncle Kenny showed them how to let loose and live a little.
While we were watching the water, we got the final clue that the BYU box was dropped at the Huskies football stadium and we had a half hour to get there in order to be in the running for the prizes. We took off running!!
We ran to our cars and buckled everyone in as fast as possible. The stadium was only three miles away from where we were, but thanks to the notorious Seattle traffic, it was a twenty-minute drive! Ah!!
We barely made it time, and I parked illegally in a reserved spot, but we did make it just in the nick of time to get our picture taken to enter to win BYU shoes and other prizes. Of course, we didn't win a thing, but we did prove our fandom and loyalty to BYU. True blue through and through.
We've attempted to get to that BYU box for three years now, and we finally made it.
The next day we took Amanda to see Snoqualmie Falls. Unfortunately, it was very low due to the summer season, but we played in the rocks and river to add to our fun.
That night we went and did one of my favorite things of all time: visited the horse races!
Every year I buy tickets off Groupon to go to Emerald Downs to watch the horses race for a night, and this year I convinced the rest of the family to come along. I love horses and love to cheer each race for the one I believe will win. Last year the kids and I pretend bet on different horses and this year I was prepared for a more elaborate, realistic form of betting.
Everyone started out with around 100 M&M's that we then would use to bet on which horse we thought would win. After placing our bets in the pot, the actual winners would split the winnings among themselves. Some people just ate their M&M's, some placed big bets, and some risked little. Aunt Sandy came along and she bet actual cash on the horses and made some money. Beginners luck we say. The last race had the names of both my Grandma and Grandpa so Aunt Sandy placed money on both horses to see if either of her parent's names would win, and the one named Christa won! So we joked that Grandma was the winner.
Mom ended up being the final M&M winner. She won the most races and the final jackpot. Her gut feelings kept her going all night long. She looked for the feisty horse and that became her chosen one each round. Poor Kenny and Ammon didn't win a single race. Luckily, they both snacked happily on the candy they had in their bags. I just made sure I stayed away from their picks!
It was a serious good time watching horses, betting candy, and being together. My favorite part was watching us cheer like maniacs, jumping up and down, as our horses won and then claiming our candy winnings, while those around us bet actual money and watched calmly from the sidelines.
For our next activity, we embarked to the trampoline place.
So many fun ways to jump and climb and fall.
Of course, Brigham was extra good at most of the acrobatics. I watched with admiration and jealousy. Especially after I just flopped into the foam from the trapeze.
Kendrick had a blast jumping and we played basketball, dodgeball, climbed rock walls, attempted ninja courses, high wires, and more.
We spent quite a while in the silks and practice our best Greatest Showman moves. Some were much better at it than others, but we all cheered each other on and laughed hysterically at the tangles and falls.
Of course we fit in another taste test. This time chicken strips were the order of the day.
We had chicken strips from Arby's, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald's, and KFC. The results were surprising with Arby's coming in number one overall and McDonald's coming in first for the best chicken. Dang, those Arby's chicken strips were good. I would hands down pick them any day. We thought Chick-Fil-A would come in first because everyone normally loves their chicken the best, but they didn't even get a vote. I still maintain it was because the batch we received tasted weird and not like the normal Chick-Fil-A.
My favorite part was how Kendrick took the taste-testing so seriously.
He LOVES chicken nuggets and chicken strips so this taste-test was right up his alley!
The week we spent together was full! Full of adventure, fun, food, and family. That's my favorite way to live life. Kenny and Amanda were well loved by my kids, getting to know Amanda was just what we needed, and it always makes my heart happy the more family we have together. Can't wait for Kyle and Katrina to come visit next!
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