Boys Love Them Birds

It started when our friend Kevin visited and the boys (Kirk, Kevin, and Bruce) huddled around Kevin's phone to knock down those darn pigs. Then, thanks to a pc app download it is currently on Kirk's computer. Everyone enjoys playing it! I was reading a magazine and saw that it was coming to a board game version. As soon as it came out we got it. I'm amazed that the boys have some amazing skills in launching those angry birds. Henry is saying more words, but his way to communicate that he wants to play Angry Birds sounds more like hocking a loogie, but that's his piggy sound. He asks daily. His progression of loading his bird in the catapult, every time....

Load Bird

Turn, Turn

Turn

Ready to Launch (and does surprisingly well)

Popular exclamations while playing are "Launch It!" and "Go!"

Utah

We took a flight from Seattle to Salt Lake City after getting off the cruise. It was a great opportunity to visit some friends we've been dying to meet! lol One day we went to the Logan Zoo. We visited a few other couples we gamed with, it was fun!


Hanging out with the Satterthwaites was the best. We spent so much time chatting and gaming with them that meeting them didn't uncover anything surprising. Thank goodness for that! One night we went to a brazilian grill. I loved being able to sample so many differently cooked meats.
Before we had to go we walked around Temple Square and made a speedy stop at Sweet's Candy so I could get some chocolate covered cinnamon bears.

Prince Rupert

Here we boarded a 20 person boat and spent several hours searching the area for wildlife. We were rewarded to see a pod of orcas, several seals lounging on some rocks, and a bald eagle. The boys did well considering I didn't bring much for them to do. As we trailed alongside several orcas swimming along the surface a handful more showed up on the opposite side. These were close enough to see the white along their head. Just amazing!

Skagway

In Skagway we boarded a train that took us along the White Pass and Yukon Route. This line was the result of men's need for an easier way to get to the Klondike during the gold rush.

It was eye opening to see the remains of the treacherous trail that wound through the hills. In some parts the path narrowed to just a few feet and was boarded on one side by a hill and dropped hundreds of feet down on the other. All risked for the chance of gold.

The North West Mounted Police were posted at the summit of the pass and required everyone had an adequate year's supply. This meant an actual ton of goods and several trips to move the required amount of supplies through the pass.

Sawyer Glacier

At first I didn't understand the attraction of our surroundings as we sailed to Sawyer glacier, but once I was on deck I was amazed at the waterfalls, iceberg chunks littering the water, and occasional seal sightings! Our ship got as close as we could to the glacier then turned right around. What maneuverability! Did I just spell that correctly the first time?

This little guy appeared very close to our side and tread water on the surface for several seconds before disappearing in the water. Any wildlife sitings brought forth Giddy Ginny. I couldn't help get excited! During the course of our cruise, from our moving ship, I did manage to see a few flukes and dorsal ridges belonging to unknown species of whale. Still fun to see though!

Juneau

Juneau's adventures included a drive through town to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center though we bypassed the center in favor of walking to Nugget Falls and the glacier. It is an estimated 45 minute walk round trip and we had about 45 minutes there till we were to be whisked to a hatchery tour. Children and our touristy sight seeing ways caused us to be in a rush to get back to our bus, but we made it.

The salmon run at the hatchery was completely filled with fat salmon fighting their way up. We enjoyed touch tanks (sea star, hermit crab, and sea cucumber) and aquarium. Click here for a live view!

After that we were transported to a salmon bake. It was all the fresh grilled salmon we could eat along with a campfire to roast marshmallows and a trail ending at a waterfall and abandoned mine.

Ketchikan

This Alaskan cruise felt different in that the entire cruise up through Alaska was spent with land views. The whole first day at sea we were struggling with Henry's shoes falling off. The velcro kept undoing. Thankfully the first building you come to when disembarking in Ketchikan was a store that sold shoes! Equipped with new shoes we were ready to explore the town.
Henry kept trying to feed this small totem a rock. Below is a picture of the boys and a totem in the visitor's center.
We didn't book any excursions, but knew there was a lumberjack show that we could see if we wanted to. And on getting it recommended to us by the store associate where we bought the shoes we decided to go. It was amazing watching them swing away with their axes so quickly. It was a good show.

Seattle Departure

We arrived in Seattle Friday night. Mom and Dad met us at the airport and we took a shuttle to a hotel. Saturday morning we woke up and took a van to Pier 66 to get onto the boat. It was a pleasant wait in the VIP Reception area while sipping on orange juice and snacking on cake. Lines, no thank you. We were escorted to Cagney's Steakhouse to enjoy a leisurely lunch while we waited for the go ahead to go to our room. It was nice exploring the deck and listening to the band as we disembarked from Seattle. The rest of the day included getting Bruce registered for the Kid's Crew and a mandatory boat drill. Kirk and I did go dancing in the evening.


The room was perfect for all 6 of us. There was a queen bed, a sofa sleeper, and pull down queen. Each sleeping area could be partitioned off with the curtains. It made naptime for Henry easy. Off to the right was where the dining table was located and when moved accommodated the pull down bed. We had just enough drawers for everyone's clothes. The bathroom included dual sinks with a tub and shower. Our cabin was located on the main level of the ship, deck 12. It was fantastic!

Alaska Whaa?

We recently went on an Alaskan Cruise with Mom and Dad Wing. It was AMAZING! Well, traveling with the boys was a bit stressful and packing conservatively for two different climates (possible rainy, chilly Alaska and dry, hot Utah) was a challenge. We planned to stop over in Utah following the cruise.

We've decided we cannot go on any cruises without Mom and Dad and their V.I.P status. The special banquet area while processing your paperwork to board the boat, reserved box seats, breakfast and lunch in a specialty restaurant, personal butler and concierge, and special escort as we're getting off the boat definitely spoiled us! I was very impressed with the staff's attention to the boys. They were friendly and accommodating. Bruce enjoyed the kids club. Kirk and I had plenty of opportunity to get out at night thanks to Mom and Dad.

For this trip, I was really hoping to see some whales. Let's be honest, it was to see whales and eat eat eat! Results...check and check!

What I Would Do

If I didn't already have a handful of projects waiting to be finished, an upcoming vacation, a new air conditioner to pay for, or limited space I would totally buy this set off Craigslist. I'd paint them and use the two end tables for nightstands, wack down the sofa table's legs to make it a bench for the end of the bed (adding a cushion of course), and see if there was room left for the last round table or use it in another place. If I didn't have all those other limitations, you see...