Beautiful Afternoon at the Park

The sun has been out and despite a few clouds in the sky, its been warm and beautiful. So Shaun and I packed up a picnic basket and we headed to one of our favorite parks for some lunch and play time. The day was perfect and the ducks were out in full force. Abby and Ellie made a few freinds too! Ducks friends that is.
I love Seattle and days like this just enforce my love for this place. I love the rain but I also love that it made me appreciate the sunny and beautiful days even more.

Picnics and First Movies!

Grandma Zoe arrived today for a visit! She took a break from packing up her place in Porter Ranch to come and see us, our new place and enjoy a bit of a belated birthday trip. Shaun picked her up from the airport in the early afternoon and the girls were thrilled to see her. Abby and Ellie really wanted to jump in and do lots of things but because she had spent most of the day traveling here, we decided to keep things simple for today.
Shaun and I thought it might be nice to get out of the warm and sticky house and enjoy the beautiful summer day. So we decided to grab some lunch at Dairy Queen and head to one of our favorite parks for a picnic. Denny Park sits along Lake Washington and is a gorgeous place for a picnic. Today was so clear that you could see Mt. Rainier from several of the beaches along the lake. We also had the chance to watch the most adorable dog I think I have ever seen. It is very obvious that he loves to play in the water. The minute his person let him off the leash he charged in splashing and barking with each splash of his paws. He tried to bite at the water as it came up and he barked and yipped with such joy. His person called him back to their blanket for a bit and you could tell he wasn’t ready to leave the water. He sat and whined and cried until finally his person caved and let him go. Such an adorable dog! And as I am sure you can guess, he was a Lab.
After some food and the adorable entertainment provided by the cutest dog in the world, the girls wanted to play for a bit on the playground and we were happy to let them do that! Always a good idea to get some of your wiggles about before seeing a movie, right?
Some serious cheeseburger eating during a lovely picnic at Denny Park.

A beautiful summer day along Lake Washington.

Hot! Hot! Hot! That and this slide seems to quickly spit kids into the wood chips!

Climbing is lots of fun, especially for Ellie!

Beautiful bridge and walkway over Denny Creek. Love this place!
After our picnic in the park we decided to head to the movies and enjoy some air conditioning. Now, normally going to the movie is fun but today was extra special because it was ELLIE’S FIRST MOVIE! Yup, this was the first time that Ellie has gone to the theater to see a movie and she was super excited. Today we were going to see Despicable M 2, a movie that both the girls and Grandma Zoe have been wanting to see. So with drinks and snacks in hand we headed to pick out our seats in the theater!
All set with my Icee and some goodies for my very first movie!

In my seat and ready to go! Of course I brought my blankie with me too!

A girl must be prepared to attend her first movie, complete with jewelry, blankie and her purse!

Because it was such a special day, Ellie was give the chance to pick out where we sat. She chose our seats (good ones too, not too close but not too far away) and then made herself comfortable, blankie and all. She did an amazing job watching the movie and only needed to use the potty once. I kind expected that considering she sucked down her Icee.The movie was great and the girls were so well behaved. Ellie did a great job with her very first movie and I think it helped that they loved Despicable Me and the minions. After the movie it was dinner and then home. I have a feeling we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Cant wait!