After spending a week on the Snake River with Dustan's extended family (a couple posts below), we decided that we were close enough to my family in Seattle that we should go visit :) It was a fun and relaxing week visiting with my family. Like the Snake River post, I will just briefly touch on a few of the highlights of the trip.
Dustan was very excited to bring his mountain bike with us to Washington, and he was able to hit a few trails in the mornings before it got hot. One morning Dustan biked around Duthie Hill Bike Park and another day he road nearly all the mountain biking trails at Tiger Mountain. Dustan really enjoyed biking around Tiger Mountain, he loved the single track through the pine trees. He liked the biking in Washington enough to curiously look up housing costs in the area for the future, haha. I still need to convince him that the weather isn't always lovely in Washington (though it always is when he visits!).
One of the big reasons to go home was so that I could have a baby shower with my family and friends from Washington! Though some of you may have already read about the baby shower on one of my baby blog posts, a little repetition won't hurt, haha. My wonderful mom and sister planned and threw the party for me. It was SO cute, SO fun, and had lots of good food like any Nielson party. We had some good savory food and a trifle bar--which was like a throwback to my wedding! We hosted the party at our house out back on the deck and just ate and chatted before opening some presents. Dustan and I are so thankful for all the generous people that came to the shower. Thanks to them, baby girl finally has some clothes, blankets, toys, and more for when she is born :) My mom even gave us the awesome hiking backpack and umbrella stroller she used with Michael, yay!
Another highlight of the trip was when the family (minus Sam and Leah because of work, boo) joined with some other Nielson family to hike Cherry Creek Falls. It was a pretty chill hike, fairly flat and about five miles roundtrip. The greenery along the trail was incredible--the Pacific Northwest certainly doesn't disappoint in greenery! We loved the moss hanging from the trees and the ferns especially. Along the trail were also a couple old, rundown cars that had obviously been there for years. At the end of the trail, we reached the Falls. A few went "swimming" (there was only one small, deep area) while the rest of us waded in the incredibly chilly water. It was a beautiful hike for a hot day in Washington! Afterward, we celebrated a successful hike with some lunch from the Costco foodcourt.
Other than these main events, the week consisted of my usual favorite things when home: good food, movies together (and binge watching Avatar: The Last Airbender), and lots of games--outdoor and board games (such as ping pong tournaments, Spike Ball, Ticket to Ride, Super Battle Pets, and more). We had some of our cousins in town from Idaho and we spent a late night up with them playing games and hanging out, which was a lot of fun. We also had multiple big dinners with my extended family in the area, which is always a highlight. It reminds me of how often we did big dinners at grandma's house growing up :)
I just wish we had taken more pictures during the week! It was such a fun and relaxing week but similar to the week camping on the river, we didn't have the camera out a whole lot. But I guess that means it was a good time. We are always so thankful for my family and all that they do for us! We loved seeing them again! We didn't quite get enough on the cruise over Christmas ;)
NEW POSTS BELOW!! Up next: third anniversary/babymoon trip!
That looks like you guys had so much fun! I am glad you had a good visit with them before the babes comes! Seems like you guys had a good visit.
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