grandma jan's visit, syttende mai, and barnyard moosical

long post comin at ya! we had a really fun week with my mom in town. she always comes in may, but i mentioned azalea had her kindergarten music program may 18th, so she planned her dates around it. she also picked the week with the most spectacular weather of the year in seattle so far, so that was awesome! backing up to middle of last week...

wednesday ashford and i picked her up from the airport at lunch time and drove back to ballard. we went to ray's cafe (restaurant on the water) for lunch. we had been there with her before, but it was our first time sitting out on the deck. it was fabulous! 



after a gloomy, cool week the weather improved just in time for her visit. we picked up azalea from school and hung out until it was time for the syttende mai parade in our neighborhood. 

we went last year year too and it's so much fun. syttende mai (17th of may) is the norwegian constitution day and it's a big deal in ballard because of the area's strong nordic roots. 

the parade route is just a block from our house. we only watched for about 45 minutes, because we hadn't eaten dinner yet, but it was fun. our friends vanessa and ewan joined us for it too. we grilled salmon and broccoli for dinner when we got home.

thursday we dropped azalea at school, then my mom and ashford and i went to maple leaf park so he could play for while. we stopped at un bien on the way home for some caribbean sandwiches/rolls for lunch. so good! we picked up azalea from school and hung out until it was time for her kindergarten music program back at the school. 

we've been hearing about "barnyard moosical" all year, so i was really excited to finally see it! it was about 25 minutes long and so adorable! the set was really beautiful, the kids had cute costumes, and all the the kids did an amazing job! it was wayyyy more professional than any kindergarten music program i was ever in. ha! i guess it helps that she goes to a public school with an arts focus. azalea had a small speaking part and she blew us away when she got up to the microphone and clearly, loudly, and enthusiastically said her line. i was so proud of her! we came home and grilled turkey burgers for dinner.

friday my mom took an amtrak train to tacoma to meet up with our friends kathy and garry who were driving to seattle from portland. ashford and i went to the coworking space (good timing as it's invoicing time for me). in the afternoon we hung out in the sunshine on our patio before picking up azalea. my mom and kathy and garry stopped over after dinner time. kathy and garry rented a cute tiny house near green lake for the weekend.

saturday thatcher left the house suuuuuper early to go on a day hike with some friends. my mom and the kids and i ran some errands in the morning. we went to top ten toys to get a birthday gift for azalea's classmate for his party the next day and to the library. in the afternoon we went to see the place where kathy and garry were staying. they find the cutest little gems in this city! then we all drove up to richmond beach in shoreline. it was a gorgeous day and it was packed there. we soaked up the sun on the beach and the playground for over an hour. it was a great way to spend the afternoon! 

thatcher got home from his hike and had to immediately transition to "dad duty" so i could go out for dinner with the grown ups :) here is a picture from his hike: 

we walked down to ballard ave and went to an italian place called volterra. i had not been there yet, but walk by it all the time and always wish i was sitting on their beautiful courtyard patio. that night i was! the food was delicious, too. we weren't ready for the night to end yet, so we walked to a bar up the street called the noble fir. it was another new place for me. we had more wine and chatted for 2 more hours. it was such a fun night. kathy and garry are like family to me.

sunday morning azalea had a birthday party for her buddy max. it was at the community center right by our house and siblings were also invited, so it was great! the kids had a blast playing in the gym, and eating pizza and cake. it was a big party, but didn't feel too chaotic since there was plenty of space. 





my mom came to the party for a bit, then went to the ballard farmers market with kathy and garry before they hit the road. we hung out at home for most of the afternoon, then thatcher and i got to escape for an early evening date night! we went to south lake union and browsed REI for a bit (more him than me), then we had dinner at a place called ba bar that he has been to before. it was my first time. they serve vietnamese street food and it was delish! the only downside is that south lake union is so sleepy on the weekends. it's where amazon is located, so all the action is during the work week. oh well! 



my mom took the kids to scooters for burgers and shakes and they were thrilled. they also watched "annie" for the first time. we got back in time to put them to bed. 

monday we dropped off azalea at school then ashford, my mom and i went to swanson's nursery. my mom loves flowers, so it's a fun free activity to do when she's here. after that we went to fred meyer and ashford went to the childcare room while my mom and i shopped. it was awesome :) we met up with vanessa and ewan for lunch at mod pizza. the boys were super wound up and ashford was throwing tantrums left and right. it was far from relaxing, but we survived. thankfully his mood improved when we got home and my mom offered to watching him so i could work. i went to java bean for an hour and a half and sat right by the open "garage" doors. it was heavenly on a warm, sunny day! 



for my mom's last night we hung out at home and grilled dinner. 

we took my mom to the airport this morning. i can't believe how fast the last month has flown by - thanks to having three rounds of guests. it's been a blast, but it will be nice to get back to some normalcy too. i'm starting to see kids on social media who are finishing school for the year - azalea goes til june 26th!