We are asking for prayers for our Pastor's daughter. Little Daisy Love Merrick is five years old, and two days ago they found a tumor the size of a nerf football in her abdomen. She will be going into surgery tomorrow morning to try and remove the tumor. You can see updates on her health here: http://prayfordaisy.tumblr.com.  

Seattle Adventure - The Third Act

Part 3: Day trip to Oregon and Aquarium

We decided to head out of Seattle for a day trip to Oregon. 

Jeff lent us his car and we took off to Portland. 

(Sorry Portland friends that we didn't say HI - it was a super quick trip.) 

The 2.5 hour drive turned into a 3.5 hour drive thanks to 

I-Don't-Do-My-Car-Seat-For-More-Than-1-Hour-Landon.

But the drive was beautiful and Portland is such a great city it was worth it.

We said enjoyed the park, Rouge Brewery, Powells Books, Whole Foods goodies, 

and walking around admiring fantastic town houses.

Our last day in Seattle was one of my favorites; 

we had some quiet family time. 

RJ and I revisited our European trip by enjoying

a leisurely breakfast of special sweeties and espresso.

Landon drew tons of attention,

 and he was more than happy

to flirt and show off his killer smile. 

It has been years since I've been to the aquarium so

RJ and I thought it would be fun to explore Seattle's.

While we realize Landon won't remember his first aquarium

experience we really enjoyed showing him all the fish. He loved looking at

the brightly colored species...and the oxygen bubbles in the tanks were fascinating.

But, the most significant moment of the entire trip: Teaching Landon

to identify a TROUT.

"Concentrate Son." 

Seattle Adventure Part II

Days 3 & 4: Bumpershoot and Easy Street Records

I'm feeling lazy and not wanted to write much. So enjoy the pics!

Trying on backpacks at REI

Landon is man enough to sport pink.

Dancin' to the Hip Hop group at Bumpershoot

Music Man

Introducing the boy to "the devil's brew" (according to Uncle Dallas)

So serious

Cupcakes are good!

A Seattle Adventure in 3 Parts

PART 1: Arriving and Day 1

The Hosking clan headed to Seattle over Labor Day weekend to celebrate our anniversary and get out of the crazy house remodel for a few days.  It was Landon's first time on a plane and I'm not sure who was more nervous - the other passengers or me. No one likes getting on a plane and seeing that they're seated directly in front of an infant. And try and they might people just can't hide that look of disappointment.

But you know who is the most disappointed to see a baby in their midst - first class passengers. Business folks and well off citizens who pay top-dollar to get unlimited alcoholic beverages, snacks served on real porcelain plates, and a quiet ride in which to enjoy the newest edition of Business Week magazine. So, image our delight, and trepidation, when RJ and I were told we had the first two seats in first-class. Why? We have no idea. RJ doesn't think he used extra airline miles to secure these highly coveted positions, so it must have been God was just smiling down on us, and teaching all other first-classers a lesson in tolerance. 

That said, Landon actually did great on the flight. He wasn't at all intimidated by Business Man 1C's glares and enjoyed a lusty crying session 30 minutes into the journey. Therefore securing himself the privilege of nursing the remaining 1.5 hours of the 2 hour flight. 

RJ and I love to travel. And we particularly love really getting into the local flavor of a city. So, we were so blessed to have Jeff and Libby take us in. Jeff is RJ's collage housemate and a key figure in RJ's testimony. Libby is Jeff's awesome wife. We hadn't yet met her since I was 8 month pregnant when they got married, and unable to fly to the wedding.  But it took us all of half on hour to realize that we love Libby. 

RJ had been to Seattle a few time before but this was my first visit. I love this city. It did all my favorite things really well - food (our trip was an epicurean delight), coffee (obviously), books (Elliot Bay is the best bookstore ever! - such ambiance), and fresh produce (Pikes). (Did anyone else notice that 3 out of my 4 favorite things are edible?!)


Jeff and Libby made sure we started our Seattle adventure well fed and well sighted. We saw all the Seattle musts. Great views of the Space Needle and Puget Sound, a Pike's Place tour, the diner from Sleepless in Seattle, the first Starbucks. And tummies full of South American food, Thin Mint and Honey-Lavender ice cream, the best hazelnut latte ever, Washington apples and blueberries, chocolate chip cookies, and more. 

But, one of the best things about our trip was introducing our son to our friends. Jeff and Libby were great with Landon; and we loved watching him interact with them. We are so thankful to have people in our life who love  our son. It makes my heart full knowing that if anything ever happened to us Landon would still be surrounded by a community of people who love him. 

Seattle: A Preview

A Sneak Peak...