Seattle Trip

Joshua presented at the Northwest Philosophy Conference last weekend at Bellevue College. Mary and I tagged along, and we made a little trip of it and visited friends and family. Thursday afternoon we drove up to the Starbucks' house to have dinner and visit with them. We spent the night there, then Joshua drove the rest of the way up to Bellevue for the conference on Friday. Mary and I stayed at the Starbucks' with Rachel and the girls. We had an enjoyable day together visiting, playing, and making and eating food. Ben and Joshua returned that evening from work and the conference in time to all visit together a little more before calling it a night. Saturday morning, Joshua, Mary, and I left the Starbucks' house early to drive up to Bellevue again. We went to Starbucks and had a cup of tea together before Joshua headed off to present his paper. Soon Uncle Ray and Aunt Joanna arrived to pick Mary and me up, and we headed into Seattle.

We arrived at the Seattle Center around 11 am and went to the Chihuly Glass Exhibit. It was so cool. There was a lot more there than I expected, and it was impressive.

There were eight different themed galleries; this one was sea life.

The whole ceiling in one area was covered with glass sculptures.

This was my favorite gallery; it was a garden made of glass. It was quite stunning coming around the corner to see it all.

One of the galleries had elaborate chandeliers. This was a white one suspended over a glossy black platform that reflected the chandelier.

There were many points when we turned to one another and said, "How did he do that?!"

 The glasshouse at the end of the exhibit was also stunning. It was the only part of the exhibit that was illuminated with natural light.

  

Photo credit: Joanna

After the exhibit, we walked around the surrounding gardens, which were also beautiful.

Photo credit: Joanna

Mary and I got a picture in front of the space needle.

Photo credit: Joanna

Next, we headed over to the waterfront and met up with Joshua for lunch. Fish and chips and clam chowder, yum. We strolled through Pike's Place Market, then said goodbye to Ray and Joanna. It was great to see them and fun to introduce them to Mary. We were thankful they were willing to drive down to meet us for the day.

But the visiting wasn't over yet. It just so happened that our friends Andrew and Kristi, who live in Seattle, were baptizing their baby the next day. Malachi was born just a couple of months before Mary. Most of the Zellman family was already in town, so we stopped by to meet the baby and visit with all of them. The Zellmans and Kerrs have been friends for a lot longer than Joshua and Andrew have been alive, so it was fun to introduce some of the next generation. It was a short visit, but nice to meet Malachi and see everyone else.

Photo credit: Cindy

Andrew, Malachi, Kristi, Matt, Grace, Mary, me, and Joshua

Fall Vacation Visit

Dad, Mom, Heather, and the kids went on a fall vacation this month and stopped at our house as part of their trip. They arrived Saturday evening in time for a late dinner. This next morning, Mom, Micah, and I were on the breakfast crew and made pancakes, sausage, and blackberry syrup.

Photo credit: Heather

The oldest Chandler cousin and the youngest, just hanging out.

Photo credit: Heather

Dad and Mom got a new van right before the trip, so we all got to ride in it. It was Mary's first time in any of Grandpa's big vans.

Photo credit: Heather

We had a fun trip to pick out fabric while the rest of the family went to Goodwill and found some deals.

Photo credit: Heather

Photo credit: Heather

We enjoyed time outside in the warm afternoon, and even did some yard work which was helpful.

Photo credit: Heather

There was lots of game playing.

Joshua and Natalie grilled pork chops for dinner Sunday night; it might have been the best batch yet.

Mary got lots of attention.

Photo credit: Heather

Photo credit: Heather

After Joshua went to school on Monday, the rest of us walked to the Mongolian Grill for lunch.

We took a trip to the Smith Family Bookstore downtown; Joshua met us there, and we all came home together.

Afternoon hangout.

Photo credit: Heather

Monday night we had fun all playing a game together and eating chocolate, chocolate chip cookies.

Photo credit: Heather

This was followed by some late-night weight lifting where Evan impressed us all.

We had to say goodbye to the family Tuesday morning, but it was a great visit. Mary took a long nap that afternoon; all the excitement must have worn her out.

October Living

October has been unusually warm so far this year, but we've been enjoying it and soaking up a little extra sunshine. Classes started at the end of last month, so we're getting back into a more normal routine, which is nice. Joshua is teaching an environmental philosophy class this fall, and it is going well. Mary also started a class this fall; it's a music class at church once a week. It's super casual and a fun opportunity to get together with other families with young children to sing and play with instruments. Things have been busy, but we're enjoying watching the leaves change color around town and daily life with Mary as we transition to a new season and cooler weather.

Birthday Celebrations

Joshua had to go to an event for school the evening of his birthday last week, but we still got in lots of celebrating. We started by trying a new scone recipe for birthday breakfast, then had birthday dinner on Friday and again on Sunday with my family.

Five Months

Sweet little Mary is five months old as of last Wednesday.

She continues to improve her rolling, sitting, and standing skills. She can sit by herself in her highchair and loves joining us for meal times. 

One of her favorite things right now is when Daddy lifts her up in the air over his head; she stretches out her little body with a big smile and laugh. She also likes peek-a-boo and other simple games. 

 She reaches for things she finds interesting, including the animal prints on her blankets or designs on t-shirts. 

She babbles an occasional vowel/consonant combination, usually mamamamamama. 

Even without scooting yet, she is able to get around quite a bit when placed on a blanket.

 Mary loves exploring new things and is a lot of fun to be around. We are enjoying all her sweet little baby moments.