Annual Downtown Adventures with Grandpa Eddie

This morning we got up and did our annual downtown adventure with G.E. It is always around his birthday that we go. So it's doubly special. We met up at 10am...or we were supposed to I think we got there a bit late-was it 10:20ish, G.E.? It was Saturday that's all I could attribute to it. At any rate, we made it there. We walked straight to the Carousel. The kids could hardly wait to get on. I had to do a picture in front of the light up presents. This year G.E. has a camera so looking through my pictures realizing that he's missing. I am going to have to be more observant of that...years past he's been there so I never had to worry if he's in them or not. Daddy will always be in them. He'd rather be in them than hear me give him picture taking pointers. I don't blame him. I'm too obsessive to just sit back.

Dev didn't attempt to eat his candy cane until much later. The girls immediately stuck theirs in their mouth. I thought for sure he'd ask me right away to eat the candy cane they were giving away. That's his thing this year, candy canes. Last year he wasn't worried about it but this year it's his favorite Christmas treat. At this age, he gets to enjoy things he hadn't in the past. Advent Calendars, candy canes, making Christmas cookies and decorating the tree are things he wasn't worried about being a part of but this year he is all about it. Which is exciting.

I was sitting on a bench with Nana on the Carousel and since we were last to load I didn't get many forward facing pictures. So, here we have the back of Dev's head.




Daddy and Tiny. Tiny would not get on the horse she'd rather sit in Daddy's arms and go 'round.

My Nana. She didn't want to ride a horse. I don't know why. She has years past but today she went straight to the bench and asked me to immediately sit with her.

Isa. The rider. Always. She'll be the one riding roller coasters with Daddy. The rest of us are big chickens and would rather watch than ride...at least me, Nana and Dev are, we'll see about Madi.

Next, we went to Pike Place Market. We must've been hungry because everything smelled so good walking down towards the Market. The produce was beautiful. Everything looked so appetizing. We stopped at my favorite french bakery ever, Le Panier. Please if you go down there visit them and get a croissant (I recommend the Almond Croissant) with a latte. No sugar and high maintenance whatever just a straight up latte. You will not be disappointed. Delicious.

The kids' favorite Nutcracker. Last year these were at the Carousel so they we got to marvel at them there but this year they were at the Pacific Place so we got to marvel at them there and listen to Hawaiian Christmas music. The girls claimed that the flower one was there favorite until Dev spotted this one with the guitar. It was the Rockstar Nutcracker as he called it.

My beautiful babies minus one who was in the stroller with Daddy.

Before we made it to Pacific Place we did what Daddy called an Arctic Circle, I was wandering not really knowing where I was going. That's the beauty of no time constraints, you get to wander and look around but I chose the wrong kind of weather to wander in. Husband was freezing and so were the girls. If G.E, Dev and Madi were they weren't as whiny as those 3. But we stopped at Westlake Mall at Fireworks to pick up our annual ornament. Every year the kids have to agree on 1 ornament to add to our collection. Mr. Dev had to go potty so he missed out on choosing but he's pleased with the girls' choice. :) We'll visit you next year Carousel...thanks for the memories.