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January 27, 2020

Calistoga, California Getaway: Napa Valley with Kids (Video)

Instead of exchanging traditional presents with my sister-in-law and her family, we decided to gift each other a getaway! Just after Christmas, we traveled down to northern California. After a quick afternoon, and night in the Oakland area (where they live), our two families traveled to Calistoga, in Napa Valley. The hot spring fed pools, and funky camper-van, yet still a comfortable resort, style led us to Calistoga Motor Lodge where we stayed for 2 nights.

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December 12, 2019

Downtown Seattle Christmas Fun: What Even is Figgy Pudding?

Every holiday season on the first Friday in December, we head to Downtown Seattle for all of the Christmas fun. This year like always, the kids and I hopped on the bus, and met Slaed at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel to start the adventure. Now that the kids are older, they know what to expect, and get so excited about all the happenings.

We have an activity advent calendar, so this tradition is of course included amongst things like visiting Santa, donating books and toys, decorating, and gift giving.

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November 27, 2019

Seattle Rainy Day Trips: Pacific Science Center

This past Sunday, turned into a rainy, dreary day. We’d already spend a bunch of time outdoors that morning. I’d logged 12 running miles in preparation for my upcoming half marathon, while Slaed and the kids trekked around Seward Park. After nap time, the family was in need of a restful adventure. Does that seem possible…or even make sense?

I seemed to think so, and quickly planned a visit to our Pacific Science Center. We are so grateful for our science center membership. Our kids, now 8 years and nearly 5 years, cheer when we tell them we are going, and never seem to tire of the exhibits.

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November 8, 2019

We Lost Our Kids in a Corn Maze: Fall and Pumpkin Fun at Skagit Valley’s Gordon Skagit Farms

Before we get too wrapped up in the holiday season (it’s still early November!), I wanted to share a fun fall adventure. Driving home from our recent trip to Orcas Island, we decided to stop at a pumpkin patch. We were in the beautiful farm country of Skagit Valley, Washington! AND it was a weekday (less crowds)! This definitely meant that this was the perfect opportunity to pick out pumpkins, and enjoy a fun farm experience.

A quick search led us to Gordon Skagit Farms in Mount Vernon. This was my first visit, and I was so impressed! Of course there are things you’d expect from a farm in the fall. But in addition to farm fresh produce, and a big pumpkin patch, there are gorgeous painted backdrops throughout the farm grounds, a haunted barn, and recipes on display. We grabbed a few items in the market stand area, and then made our way to the fields to pick our pumpkins.

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October 25, 2019

Favorite LEGO Creations: BrickCon 2019 +More! (Weekend Day in the Life)

We love living in Seattle, and love being able take advantage of all of the different things that our city has to offer. As you can probably guess, we are quite active, and get out and about a lot. On that note, we thought it would be fun to share a “day in the weekend life” with you in video!

On this particular day, we had two big activities on the agenda:

A walk (for the adults) and bike ride (for the kids) through the Washington Park Arboretum.
Heading to Seattle Center for BrickCon, the Seattle area LEGO convention.

As you are watching the video, you’ll see many of the models and builds that were created by the BrickCon folks. Slaed and the kids share their favorites, and we want you to do the same! Let us know in the comments, which LEGO creation you were the most impressed with. At the end, I share the creation that won the People’s Choice Award!

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October 23, 2019

North Carolina Family Road Trip to Raleigh, Kinston & Outer Banks: 11-Day Itinerary

Thank you to Moon Travel Guides for Sponsoring this post. All opinions are mine alone.

If you’ve been reading and following along on our YouTube channel, you know that we went on a big North Carolina road trip this past summer! There are individual posts and videos for each leg of the road trip. Our major stops (where we spent the night) were Kinston, Ocracoke Island, Duck, and Raleigh.

The trip was not just single trips, but an 11-day connected adventure! For that reason, I also wanted to have a resource that included the itinerary as a whole. Here you’ll find a daily overview with restaurant and activity suggestions. If you’d like more information on that particular stop, each individual destination is linked in the heading.

North Carolina, particularly the Outer Banks, is part of our family history. I grew up vacationing in Duck, North Carolina, and have traveled to the barrier island regularly for over 35 years! Even though we live on the opposite coast now, we set aside time yearly to visit and adventure in this special place.

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