back to life

We've returned home from a whirlwind five days in Seattle. Believe it or not, the weather in Seattle was absolutely beautiful while we were there, with no rain, and plenty of sunshine. We went to Pike Place Market, the aquarium, the zoo, Chinatown, and experienced a ton of other stuff. My sister even got married while we were there!

This was Kai's first plane ride, and he was a champ overall. On the first leg of our return red-eye flight home, he did toss and turn like an out-of-control gymnast, but for the most part he was great. And somehow, he managed to keep his internal clock on Eastern time the entire trip, so he was waking up at 4 in the morning and getting sleepy at 7pm, Pacific time.

My sister's wedding was beautiful. The ceremony was held at Parson's Garden, one of Seattle's many public parks, atop Queen Anne hill and was stunning. The sun was shining and the weather was cool and crisp. It couldn't have been more perfect. And, the day after the wedding, I actually got to spend some time and have a conversation with Lanna's new husband. I've never really gotten the chance to meet him, or perhaps never really given him a chance. But I thoroughly enjoyed being with Brendan, and was very impressed with him. And his parents were equally great. I look forward to getting to know his family.

On another note, Kai is full-on walker now. He can stand up easily on his own and walk wherever he wants in our home. It's scary how quickly that happened. If I ask him where my belly is, he will put his finger directly on my belly button now. He is also learning to put his cup down gently instead of just throwing it on the floor. And, if I ask him to read a book with me, he will crawl or walk right between my legs, turn around and plop down against me so that we can read together. It really is amazing.

Be sure to see Kai's latest photo gallery for the Seattle photos, and to link to Lanna's wedding photos. More after the break...