2017 Skagit Tulip Festival

A few weeks ago, I made the executive decision (as I am known to do) that we should visit the Skagit Tulip Festival because it conveniently coincided with the kids' spring break. My reasoning, you ask? Well, not only did the festival work with the school schedule (and trust me, you do not want to go to the festival on a weekend if you can avoid it), but neither of our kids nor my sister (who was in town) had ever been to the festival. 'Nuf said ... going was our only option!

So, last Thursday, a rain boot-clad Suzanne arrived at our door. I handed her a cuppa coffee (it was 8:30 ... we needed the fuel!), we got the troops wrangled, and we headed up north to discover some much-needed tulip eye candy.

As soon as we were buckled, Suzanne plugged in her phone and started up the playlist she created for the trip. I was highly impressed with her song selections, as were the kids when they recognized some of the songs. We diligently taught them how to "bom bom bom" during "Sweet Caroline" and all of us did our best YMCA dance moves while in seat belts.

Before we knew it, we were in Mt. Vernon anxiously trying to find the stupid illusive tulip fields. I'm not normally one to complain, but I have to say that the signage for the festival left a lot to be desired. I kid you not, one "Tulip Route" sign pointed us down a dead-end road ... that had a mechanic shop at the end and no flowers! (In hindsight, I'm wondering if some locals were having fun with us lost tourists...)

Thank God for our cell phone GPS and Suzanne's idea to navigate to a place called "Tulip Town"... two things that got us right where we wanted to be... in the middle of fields filled with stunning tulips, which were much more attractive than the fields of dandelions we passed trying to find said tulip fields.

Because we visited the fields on a weekday, the crowds were rather minimal. We easily found parking and often were able to get photos without extraneous people in the shots. Bonus!

Sisters selfie

Talk about picturesque

Hello, tulips

Fortunately, many of the rows of tulips were marked with the tulip type. Unfortunately, many of the times, we were on the opposite side of the row from the markers. Whoops! Didn't plan that so well, did we?

Double pinks

Conor had much more fun than his expression conveys in this shot; to his credit, Suzanne was saying "don't smile!" (Conor has the reverse psychology thing figured out!)

I like how the kids' boots compliment the tulip colors

Auntie Suzanne and the kiddos

I suggested to the kids that they might want to pop their faces through the various cutouts that were on the edge of one field. Both kids high-tailed it to this one, not even taking the time to look at the cutout. All that mattered was the foot race ... and winning it. 

Yup - this is what happens when you win a race before knowing about the prize

Annika, guardian angel of the tulip fields 

 Shockingly, we didn't have a single drop of rain fall on us the entire time we were out in the flower fields. We had prepared for a day of dodging the drops. Instead, we were dry (except for the random splashes we got when the kids opted to stomp or jump in the puddles). Thanks for giving us a break, Mother Nature. We are grateful!

Near the end of our time among the flowers, we ran into a very nice gentleman who started chatting with us and asking about our visit. Lo and behold! He is the owner of Tulip Town and emigrated from Holland (how authentic!!). He told us about his acreage, the various flowers, and even a bit about their business model.

Soon enough, we realized we were tired and getting rather hungry. We bid Tulip Town adieu (after buying a few pots of tulips for our front yard, of course -- Eric later said he had a bet with himself about how many flowers would come home with me. I never asked what his guess was... I should do that!) and we headed back into civilization (aka Mt. Vernon) and gobbled up a rather tasty lunch at the Skagit River Brewery.

A final, closing shot of our trip... just a last bit of floral eye candy for you, dear readers! I envy the farmers for getting to see these beauties day in and day out. I don't envy the work they put into them, though!!

Tubing Adventure 2016

For the past few years, we've collected our snow gear, packed up the troops, and gone up to Snoqualmie Pass to play in the snow and go tubing. This year, we incorporated our trip to the mountains as part of our Christmas vacation ... perfect timing, if you ask us!

The tubing area at Snoqualmie is great and this year was no exception. The snow was ideal, there was no wind, and we had great visibility. We expected snow to fall on us because of the dark, heavy clouds that loomed above us, but we didn't see any precipitation at all. (We heard people who went up later in the day got soaked with rain, so we're feeling really fortunate that we went when we did!)

As soon as we arrived, we got checked in, grabbed our tubes, and hit the hill with verve and gusto. When we got to the bottom after our first run, we realized that the rope tow we were so used to had been replaced by a covered escalator. How fancy!! 

We went up and down (and up and down ... and up and down) the hill for the entire two hours that our tickets were valid for. By the end, the kids were pretty pooped and ready to call it a day. Fortunately, other people called it quits sooner than we did, so the line for the escalator up the hill grew shorter as time progressed.

After our last run, we stacked our tubes and headed back to the car. We stripped off our wet boots, hats, scarves, and gloves; gulped down water (we planned ahead for once!); and plotted out where to stop for lunch. The closest non-summit place to grab food is North Bend, so we happily stopped there for some burgers before heading the rest of the way home. We also made a quick pit stop for some Starbucks for the grown ups ... we were cold and tired. Coffee = good! :)

 

All geared up - bring on the slopes!

Annika ready for her first run of the day

Conor wants me to point out it is really hard to smile while wearing goggles

Me getting ready for another run

Pre-launch planning conference

Eric about to re-conquer the hill

Bye, Conor!

Happy tuber

Inside the covered escalator

She looks happy to sit here and get her picture taken, but she was just
being kind to her old mother ... she really wanted to head down the hill again (at top speed!)

Annika agrees with Conor -- smiling while wearing goggles is no small task

The Olson Four

Have fun, Annika! See you at the bottom of the hill!

Our view for the day

Conor and Mama's Zoo Date

Our weekends have been a bit hectic over the past few weeks, partially because Eric has been working most Saturdays in preparation of his company adopting a new phone system. This past Saturday, Annika was invited to hit Snoqualmie with two of her classmates to have some snow play time... the kid couldn't have been more excited!!

With Eric and Annika's Saturday filled, I told Conor that he and I could do an activity of his choosing: movie, swimming, aquarium, zoo, Lego cafe, beach, etc. He pondered the possibilities for a few minutes and then decided he wanted to go to the zoo. Because he was the only kiddo going, he was in charge of picking which animals we visited and how long we stayed at each exhibit. We were going to visit the zoo with Tour Guide Conor! Before we left home, printed up a map of the zoo and then Conor took a crayon and circled every animal that he wanted to see. He wound up circling about 3/4 of the zoo's occupants... I had no question I'd be getting plenty of exercise that day!

Conor and I really lucked out in terms of the weather. It was cloudy, but not rainy... cool, but not cold. AND the recent rains left plenty of puddles for splashing and mud for squishing. (Good thing I thought ahead and made sure we wore our rain boots!)

Our zoo excursion started out like all others, with the penguins. These birds never fail to make me smile. There's something about the way they move that I find somewhat comical. I'm not a huge bird person, but I sure do enjoy the penguins.

Immediately after the penguins, we were off to the flamingos. Conor was really impressed that I was able to explain why the flamingos are coral colored (hint: the shrimp that they eat). I was impressed with the flamingos' flexibility!!

We spent A LOT of time at one of the in-zoo play areas; Conor was much more interested in climbing over, in, and through the various habitat-inspired play structures. He especially liked the sub-terrain  area and the rope spider web.

After much playing and a little encouragement about seeing animals while we were at the zoo, we left the Discovery Loop and made our way to see some animals. A few of the animals we'd hoped to see (most of the primates, the tapirs, etc.) weren't visible because they were either inside or because their habitats were under construction. Even with that in mind, we saw a lot of fun critters: komodo dragon, bats, meerkats, tigers, sloath bears, zebras, hippos, and giraffes... just to name a few.

Our kids love, love, love the various animal statues that are around the zoo. We simply cannot pass the statues without the kids climbing all over them. Ever since Annika was old enough to climb, an Olson child has made it a zoo tradition to conquer the statues and this trip was no different.

Because it was  a "Conor is in charge" outing, he decided that we'd have lunch at Red Robin (instead of the zoo ... I wasn't going to complain about that! Have you seen the zoo food prices?? Wow!) So, we called Eric, found out he was just about done with work and hadn't eaten lunch yet, and turned our Conor/Mama date into a Conor/Mama/Daddy lunch date.

Thanks to my sweet little boy for a fun day together; you were a marvelous zoo buddy, Conor!

A Circus Wish Comes True

For at least the past year, Annika has been asking to go to the circus. I'm not really sure what sparked her idea, but  she wasn't letting it go. She has even decided that she wants to be a trapeze artist when she grows up ... she is THAT interested in the circus!

A couple of months ago, I found out that the circus was going to be in town, so we decided to get tickets and surprise the kids. They had NO idea where we were going until we were there and saw the signs showing clowns and elephants. Conor was excited .... Annika, however, about came out of her skin with glee and anticipation all rolled up into one. It really was a dream come true for our little girl.


We weaved our way through the crowds and found our nosebleed seats. (While we were all about treating the kids to the circus, we weren't about to spend $100+ per seat!) Surprisingly, the nosebleed seats were quite good and we had a great view of everything.

Ready for the show to begin!

We were treated to clowns, acrobats, motorcylists, unicycle-riders, elephants, horses,dogs, and much more. The feats some of the people performed were really remarkable... the core strength of most of the performers was mind boggling!

I have to agree with Conor, who said some parts of the circus were simply too loud. At times, it was insanely noisy, but still visually impressive. (Note for any future circus outings: bring ear plugs!)

After the circus, we stopped at the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. During our meal, we asked the kids what their favorite parts of the circus were. Conor gave his vote to the acrobats (his new career path, by the way) while Annika's vote was for the trapeze artists (no shock there).

All-in-all, a very fun (and tiring) family adventure!

What a weekend!!

When Monday morning rudely arrived this morning, it was anything but a welcome sight for ... well, basically all four of us. We had one of those weekends that leaves you needing a weekend to recover.

On Friday, Eric went to dinner with his best friend (hi, Uncle Dave!), so the kids and I had a little bit of a date night. After dinner, we swung by the fabric store so I could pick up some tulle for an upcoming cookie project (see Sunday below). My hope was to "pop in and pop out", so I told the kids "stay close, we're not buying anything except what I need for the cookies, got it?" They both eagerly agreed to the conditions of the store stop. I then spent the next 30 minutes either calling out Conor's name so he could fine me (Marco Polo of the parenting world) or telling him to return the bolt of fabric that he was lugging around to the spot he found it. The rest of the time was spent explaining to Annika who every pretty and sparkly fabric that caught her eye wasn't "exactly perfect" for my project. Shockingly, I found my 1/2 yard of tulle and made it out of the store with both kids in hand.

After that, we made our way to the local frozen yogurt shop for our official date. I'm pretty sure that the kids rehearse their approach to the frozen yogurt shop when we aren't looking. While one kids distracted me, the other would fill a sample cup that is supposed to old about a teaspoon of frozen yogurt with about a 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt. Then, when I was wrangling that kid, the other would do the same. Smart little stinkers, I tell ya! Finally, we had our frozen yogurt (yes, too much, because they employed the same method when it came to move from the tasting cups to their actual bowls of frozen yogurt) to the "not, you cannot have more toppings than what you already have, I don't care if your brother/sister has marshmallow fluff and you don't.. you already have 2 kinds of candy on yours" discussion. By "discussion", I mean me removing the serving spoons overflowing with candies from my children's hands while (a) trying to to spill any candy, (b) keep an eye on both kids at the same time ... and, yes, they were going to  different directions, and (c) not look like "that" mom. Eventually, we got our frozen yogurt served and paid for. Not long after, our friends the Halls arrived. The funny part is I considered inviting them, but decided not to because if it being a Friday in Lent and realized I probably shouldn't even be taking my kids out for a treat, let along tempting another family into doing the same thing. Great (and sinful) minds thing alike!! Amy (the mom) and I got a big laugh out of the fact we both ended up there.

On Saturday, Annika went on a playdate with her friend Allison for a few hours, which left Conor and me to take a solo walk/bike ride along the Urban Trail while Eric continued his work on building more of our new kitchen drawers. Even after a bit of an epic wipe out on his Big Wheel (and a little first aid), Conor and I had a great time out together. We met a lovely couple who was walking their dog, and even let Conor throw the ball for their dog a few times. (Buca doesn't fetch, so this dog actually bringing the ball back was quite novel for Conor!). Eventually, I had to put an end to our Urban Trail fun so we could return home and I could bake the cherry pies for my brother's birthday celebration that evening.

As we were about to walk out of the door and head to Sammamish to celebrate my brother's birthday, Conor sheepishly approached Eric and me and told us the accidentally broke a window. (EEP!) After quickly assessing Conor and making sure he wasn't hurt, we had him take us to the window. Apparently, he was (once again) zooming and crashed his elbow into the lower window of the door that leads to what we call the dog run. Fortunately, Conor was wearing his winter coat, so he wasn't hurt at all; talk about dodging a bullet! Another fortunately: The window he broke is in an interior door, not nearly as big of an issue as an exterior window would have been. We cleaned up the glass and went on our merry way to my brother's birthday celebration. Later that night, I put cardboard over the hole to keep the basement from getting too cold... not sure what our long term fix will be, but we'll figure one out.

That leads us to Sunday, which was yet another full day. Conor and I went to 8:30 mass and then Fred Meyer for our weekly grocery shopping excursion. The kids' had a playdate with their buddy Valeria Sunday morning into the afternoon, which was really fun. All three of the kids play beautifully together and have so much fun with their imaginations. While they were busy playing, Eric continued his work on the last two kitchen drawers... I just have to say for the record, my husband is amazing!! I am so impressed with his drawer-making abilities. Beyond that, he had a lot of fun with the project and got a few new toys tools, so we're both happy campers, to say the least. Most of my Sunday was spent making sugar cookies for an upcoming event at the kids' school. Each year, the 8th graders have what is called a Potlatch ceremony, which is basically a coming of age/bridging ceremony. The kids work for months to prepare for this event and do a lot of introspection along the way. It is a chance for them to really consider what kinds of people they are and who they want to evolve into as they mature into adulthood. As a symbol of their journey, each student picks a Native American totem. I was asked to make a cookie for each student that has the person's name and the totem he/she chose. It was a very fun project, but also very time-consuming. I have to say, though, I'm quite thrilled with the final results and hope the kids are, too, when they get them on Wednesday. There were 17 cookies in all and 9 or 10 different animal totems.

I have to say, I basically fell into bed last night and was so grateful for the soft landing. You know you're tired when your dreams include you having jet lag! It was rough waking up this morning, but after such a full weekend, I'm not at all surprise. :)