This last week was pure magic. We just got home from 9 days in heaven and now I'm enjoying all of our amazing memories we made during our week at Walt Disney World. It had been over 16 years since hubby and I visited Disney World, and to say we were overdue is definitely an understatement.
This is us in Disney World back in 1999 with my two sisters {I'm second from the left, hubby is on right}. We were BABIES! 
Willkommen in Leavenworth, WA
It’s been a pretty hectic holiday season already and I’ve been working a ton recently while running from event to event. So, when we found out hubby had a few extra days off work, I wanted to make the most of them. We needed to get out of town and get somewhere where we could just relax and have some good family time before all the festivities next week, and I knew just where to go.
Located just a few hours outside of Seattle at the base of the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, very near the geographical center of Washington State, is the cutest little town called Leavenworth, WA. It’s been one of my favorite spots in Washington since I was a girl, and I love that it’s basically unchanged in the past three decades.
A little history: In 1962, Project LIFE {Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone} Committee was formed to transform the city into a mock Bavarian village to revitalize its economy. From the architecture to the specialty shops and retail, it truly feels like you are strolling through a quaint German town instead of a tiny town nestled in the mountains in Washington State.
Here are just some of the reasons why you should check out Leavenworth in the winter:
As much as we love to explore new towns, we definitely have our favorite local towns we could visit over and over again and probably never get sick of. One such town is Edmonds, WA, located just 11 miles north of Seattle but worlds away in terms of pace of life. Even with a busy train station, a popular ferry route, and an abundance of city-wide festivals, markets, and holiday celebrations, Edmonds still manages to feel like a small, close-knit town.
In fact, some of our most idyllic nights as a family take place along the Edmonds waterfront and it has become one of the kids' very favorite places to swim and play in the ocean. 
Admit it, it's pretty hard to top this view of the Edmonds-Kingston ferry on a beautiful summer evening. Whether you are enjoying the view while sitting on the beach and listening to the waves, or you are dining at one of the handful of restaurants with an awesome waterfront view, this view never gets old.
Have you noticed it's been a bit quiet here recently? Want to know where we've been for the past few weeks? The answer is everywhere. 
After my sister announced she was moving across country last month, we embarked on a mission to see as many of our favorite Washington sights as we possibly could fit in. Knowing that we would all be adjusting to not living walking distance to each others homes and instead being two planes away was tough on everyone. But our mini road trips gave us lots of time to talk, to make plans for future visits, and to let our kids enjoy a condensed version of the summer we were hoping they would have. 
I love Greenlake in Seattle, WA. The area around the lake, the lake itself, and the walking path that surrounds it all have had my heart since I was little.
Growing up, my family used to visit Greenlake almost as often as we visited parks within walking distance of our house, and it will always remind me of playing in the wading pools {which have since been removed, probably as a result of the thousands of stubbed toes I gave myself growing up}, playing on the playground, and renting paddle boats {happily, these are still there} during long summer days. 
Every year we go see the tulips with the kids, and this year we decided to go even earlier than normal after hearing that the tulips were out even before the festival "official" opening. And, I'm really glad we did. Almost no crowds to deal with, great weather for pictures, and beautiful blooms in just about every field rounded out our trip to see the tulips at Roozengaarde in Mount Vernon, Wa. 
Here's just a few of the 200+ pictures of our trip up to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival this past weekend. 
Baby is here! Our sweet baby girl arrived almost a week ago and all of us are already crazy about her. So far, she’s been a dream. She has spent most of her time sleeping or cooing quietly in our arms while everyone begs to hold her next, and has proven to be quite the good little traveler. She's already slept through a few hours of road trips, a ferry ride, a day exploring the islands, and even made it in time to see our beloved Seahawks in the Super Bowl. All that in 6 short days. 
The kids especially are over the moon about her and every time she makes even the tiniest noise they come running to help. I know this super helpful phase won’t last forever, but I’m enjoying it immensely right now. What makes me the most happy is that based on what I’m seeing they are going to be truly good helpers when I need them to be, and that’s more than I expected from a 6 and 4 year old. 
As for her actual birth, it was quick and went smoother than I ever could have dreamt. Even the nurses who helped me deliver her were commenting that her delivery was absolute perfection and exactly what they want for themselves when they have babies. I haven’t seen hundreds of births every year, or even more than a handful, but based on the stories I hear and have read from other moms, my births are what everyone hopes for and this one was the easiest yet. 
Our birth story:
Oh, packing. Packing is usually my most dreaded part of traveling, especially now that I have young children I need to pack for and must anticipate all that they might possibly need in the length of time we will be away. But, this fall I was able to pack and make a difference when traveling to Beaches Turks & Caicos with Pack for a Purpose and that made packing fun and rewarding. 
Were you one of the dozen people leaving messages and texting wondering where we were last week? Sorry about that, I must have forgotten to mention that we were IN THE CARIBBEAN. 
That’s right, while all our friends and family back home were braving high winds, record-breaking rainfall, and low temps, we were sitting in sundresses in the sand, swimming with fishes, partaking in exotic beverages and enjoying world class cuisine.
Oh, did I also forget to mention that our resort in the Caribbean wasn’t a quaint hotel or bungalow – we were enjoying the all-inclusive luxury that only a Sandals Resort can offer? Now, I’ve been wined and dined throughout the years with lavish parties at Sundance and BlogHer, but I have truly never experienced luxury quite like what we saw at the family-friendly Beaches Turks & Caicos. 
To say that we were excited about this vacation is a huge understatement. We’ve been looking forward to October ever since last April when I got one of the best blogging emails I have ever gotten inviting me and my family to the Social Media on the Sand conference at Beaches Turks & Caicos. Well before the itinerary was released and plane tickets were purchased I was dreaming of white sand and crystal clear water and couldn’t wait for fall to arrive. 
Can you blame me? This is what was waiting for us after our international flights. 
