Seattle Adventures

Since we are in Seattle & pretty much everyone we know is anywhere but here, I thought I would start writing a weekend update each week.  :)  Our goal is to take Nolin & Harris somewhere every weekend for a family experience.  There is so much to do here, so we have a lot to choose from.  Some things are free & others can be costly.  But, we want to take advantage of everything here while we can.  Also, for those of you wanting to come visit, you can take notes for things we can do while you visit.  Hint, hint!  Come see us!  ;)

I'm behind on starting this, but I don't want to leave anything out, so this post will let you know what we've done thus far...

February 15th-18th: Downtown Seattle, Pike Place Market, & Aquarium
Our first Seattle adventure was a big one.  We ventured to downtown Seattle.  Our plan was to go to the aquarium.  My mom was visiting, so we wanted to do something a little bit fun.  We actually didn't know we were going to downtown when we set out.  Turns out - that's where the aquarium is!  We parked right in the parking structure where Pike Place Market is located.  So, Paul wanted to check it out.  We didn't spend much time there, but it looked like it was pretty neat.  We will definitely go back when it is warmer.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat & headed over to the aquarium.  The aquarium was pretty neat.  None of us had ever been to one before.  We happened to plan our visit during Octopus week - that was pretty cool!  Those are some odd creatures!  Paul enjoyed touching all of the starfish & other sea life at one exhibit.  Nolin really enjoyed seeing all of the colorful fish.  Harris slept right through everything, except to nurse. 

February 22nd-24th: Ferry Boat, Bainbridge Island, & Kids Discovery Museum
This week we decided to take Nolin to the KiDiMu (Kids Discovery Museum) on Bainbridge Island, just off of Seattle.  There are several kids museums around, but we figured why not go to an island?!  We drove to downtown Seattle to get to the ferry boat.  The boat was huge!  I was a little anxious about the number of cars that fit.  We pulled the car on & then went up to the top of the boat.  There is a sitting area inside & outside, as well as a little cafeteria.  It reminded us of a cruise ship, only a bit smaller & less glamorous!  :)  It was quite windy this day, so we couldn't sit outside for long, but we managed to go out for a little bit.  This trip was probably worth just riding the 30 minute ferry boat.  However, we walked around the small town on Bainbridge Island, grabbed a bite to eat, & then headed to the kids museum.  Nolin really enjoyed the museum.  She played with a huge light bright, did some art, played in a a big sandbox, played in a tree house, & played at the pretend grocery store.  It was a pretty neat museum, but I've heard the kids museum right here in Everett is even better.  We will be taking Nolin there soon!

outside the museum

ferry boat ride

March 1st-3rd: WiggleWorks
It was still cold outside this weekend, so we searched for another fun indoor activity.  I came across a place called WiggleWorks, but I really didn't know much about it.  We figured, why not check it out?  It is located inside a mall between here & downtown Seattle.  We figured we could at least walk around the mall to get Nolin out, if the play place was a bust.  But, it was by no means a bust!  When we arrived, I had to put Nolin on a waiting list!  We went ahead & grabbed dinner while we waited.  Then we were finally able to play.  This was a really cool indoor play place.  Everything in the play area moves.  There was also a bouncy area & an area with balloons flying around.  I wish I had gotten more pictures, but Nolin was all over the place! :)

March 8th-10th: Country Village Shops, Saint Edwards State Park, & Marymoor Dog Park
This weekend was sunnier, so we wanted to venture outside as much as possible.  On Saturday morning we started out by visiting the Country Village Shops in Bothell.  This is a place that Paul drives by on the way to & from work daily.  It reminds me a bit of Gatlinburg, TN.  I imagine in the warmer weather, the place is packed.  There were great outdoor areas where live music happens, ducks & roosters roaming freely, a little lake, & a children's play area complete with real horses & a train ride.  Nolin enjoyed the playground, but we were too early for the train or horse rides.  We will have to go back for that.  Our favorite place in this neat little area, though, was the toy store.  It was nothing like Toys R'Us.  This toy store is called, Toys That Teach.  Everything in the store was educational & nothing that we found took batteries.  Paul & I had a blast in the store!  :)

On Saturday afternoon, we took Nolin to a park - Saint Edwards State Park.  This park is on the grounds of an old Catholic Seminary.  There is a huge play area for kids to play, an enormous green space for running & picnics, & tons of wooded trails.  Harris slept while Nolin played on the playground.  Then we walked around on some of the easier family trails.

On Sunday, we wanted to do something for Kai, since we haven't taken him to any dog parks here in Seattle yet.  So, we ventured out to the Marymoor Dog Park.  Marymoor Park is a huge place.  There is actually a Subway restaurant located there.  The last few weekends Cirque du Soliel has even been holding a show there!  We only visited the dog area this time, but we plan to go back in the future for playtime & even a family picnic.  The dog park was great.  It was a huge area with walking trails & even a river for the dogs.  Kai loved it!  It was sprinkling rain shortly after we arrived, so we didn't stay long.  We will definitely go back in the warmer weather, though. 

ready to go...

old seminary at the state park

trail at the dog park

Note to self - take some pictures of Harris on our adventures! :)

Pumpkin Carving Fun

The Markham family did some pumpkin carving tonight!

Nolin had a blast!  She was more interested in it than I thought she would be, really.  :)

I don't know where the squeal came from, but it was too funny!  I love my girl so much!

"Nigh, Nigh Punkin"

After we dressed Nolin for bed tonight, she had to go outside to say "nigh, nigh punkin".  She is just too sweet.  :)

Thoughts & Convictions: Concerning Animals

When we were expecting Nolin, Paul & I began writing Thoughts & Convictions on Raising a Tiny Markham.   This was a document mostly for us so we could seriously think about & document the way that we feel we should raise children.  It is always a work in progress, as we learn & grow.  I thought I would share a few things that we feel strongly about.

Kai was recently sick for about a week & had to spend the night at the Vet.  He had never had to do this before, so he has been on my mind a lot lately.  Our home was seriously missing a huge piece while he was gone, so I think there is no better place to start than with our thoughts on furry friends.  

This is what we wrote concerning animals:

Animals are a very important part of our lives.  To us, they are family members, not simply a pet.  We feel that animals should be loved and taken care.  We do not want to shelter Nolin from animals in nature.  We want to allow her to safely experience them and be curious so she can develop a love for them also. 

Anyone that knows us, knows how important Kai (our weimaraner) is to us.  Kai goes everywhere he can with us.  If public places allowed dogs inside, we would never be without him!  He is such a good dog & our lives would be so different without him.  To the outsider, Kai may seem a little wild, but he really is so well-behaved with us.  Weims just have a lot of love and energy!  Of course, Kai's life is about the change, just as ours is.  But we hope to keep his life from drastically changing - meaning that he will still be going with us as much as possible and he will still be allowed to be on the couch, etc.  We both feel that animals should play a big part in the raising of a child.  In Paul's words - Animals constantly remind humans who they are and that the world is with us, not for us.  We realize that it will take a lot of work when Nolin arrives.  But we plan to let Kai be curious and hope that Nolin will be cuddling on the couch with Kai in no time!  More than anything, we want Noin to know and love Kai as much as we both do.

Nolin & Kai have been together now for over 15 months.  Possibly longer even, considering Kai was probably the first thing Nolin ever heard!  They aren't yet cuddling on the couch - Kai is too anxious & Nolin doesn't sit still!  But, these two really are best buddies.  From the beginning, we allowed Kai to be curious about Nolin & now Nolin is able to be curious about Kai.  She loves to hug & kiss him.  In fact, she won't leave the house without giving him a kiss!  Nolin wants to help take care of him by feeding him, cleaning his paws, brushing him, & more.  They love to chase each other through the house & Nolin continuously brings toys to Kai.

Don't get me wrong, there are difficult times!  It has been hard on Kai to have to stay quiet for a baby to sleep.  She sleeps about 14 hours of the day, so that's a lot of quiet time for a crazy pup!  There are also times when Nolin chases Kai from spot to spot when he is trying to get some peace & quiet.  He has fussed at her a few times, but he would never hurt her.  Soon she will be old enough to understand when he wants to be left alone.

Since Nolin has been around Kai her entire life, she understands animals as a part of our lives.  She loves dogs - maybe too much for dogs that we don't know!  Anytime she sees a dog, she pats herself (the sign is to pat your leg) & she says, "ooof, ooof, ooof, ooof".  I just love hearing her little bark!

We haven't had the chance to have Nolin around many other animals yet, except some chickens & goats (which she was equally curious about).  But I hope to take her to the zoo for the first time very soon.  I know she will love seeing the animals from our books in person!  

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy we could ask for!  Nolin thinks the world of you & you are Kai's best buddy.  I can't wait until Tiny Markham #2 joins the family.  I know he/she will think the world of you also.  We love you Daddy!!

Happy Father's Day also to the other father's in my life - Daddy, Benny, & Eddie.  I couldn't ask for better grandfather's for my children.

Happy Easter!

"Hoppy" Easter from the Markham's!  

We hope you have a happy day!

Trust

I absolutely LOVE the relationship that is blooming between Nolin & Kai, her fur sibling, otherwise known as "brother" or "bubba".  Kai was around for a long time before Nolin joined the family & he was used to getting all of the attention.  Let me tell you, he requires a lot of attention!  So, we were concerned about how he would feel about his little sister, Nolin.

At first, Kai was very skeptical.  He really didn't want to have much to do with Nolin.  However, as time has moved on Nolin & Kai have developed a very loving & trusting relationship.  Kai now sees Nolin as an important part of the family & he would do anything to protect her.  Nolin has never known anything other than having a dog as a brother.  She will be that kid in kindergarten who draws a picture of her family that includes her "brother", the dog.  We wouldn't have it any other way!

Nothing says trust like a weimaraner laying comfortably next to a 10 month old & allowing her to love on his neck.  :)

See how their relationship has grown...

I can't wait to see how their relationship continues to grow...

Happy Birthday Kai!!

Our first child, Kai, is 4 years old today!  It's hard to believe that it's been that long.  Kai has been such an important part of our lives.  Our house would be so different, if it weren't for him.  We hope to have him around for many years to come!

Happy Birthday Kai!!

Nolin says, "Happy Birthday, Big Brother!"

Kai is exhausted from all of the celebration!  :)