I am like a bee

I've been pretty busy for the last few days; my mom flew up here for a brief little visit on Monday and left this evening. She's been doing all the classic grandma sorts of things, including doing S-Boogie's hair in all sorts of fun styles, buying cute clothes for the grandkids (like an adorable bumblebee suit for Little Dude for Halloween), and spending way too much money on us. On Monday evening we decided to head down to the Chittenden Locks, which is where boats have to pass through to get from Puget Sound into Lake Washington. Master Fob was a little skeptical about the fun potential of such an excursion, but we all had a great time. It was a beautiful night with a gorgeous sunset, and we got to see salmon swimming up the fish ladder, a boat going through the locks, and a train passing by on the trestle bridge overhead. That's the kind of fun S-Boogie goes for--loud noises, machinery, and space to run around. Yesterday morning we headed downtown and went to the aquarium and Pike Place market. The aquarium was fairly nice, and Grandma was generous enough to buy us a year pass so we can go back on rainy days. S-Boogie still likes to just run through the entire thing and stop for only about 5 seconds at each item, so getting a pass to come back is a good idea. The market was a good experience too, although I wanted more time and money to really browse and shop. And I wasn't a big fan of the skeezy homeless guys sharing a bong in the park next door (note, I really do feel bad for most homeless people, just not the ones who openly smoke pot in a crowded park; especially when I want to eat my lunch and nurse my baby in the park). My mom bought us some tasty pastries at a french bakery and we got a cheap, and gorgeous, bouquet of flowers. She also bought some pickled asparagus to take home and share with my dad. I'm glad she didn't leave it with us--I think I want to go back and get the pumpkin butter instead. So we've had a fun few days and I'm still mostly enjoying Seattle. The weather has been beautiful and warm for nearly a week now, so I know I'm getting spoiled. I will say that I hate the traffic and tomorrow I plan on staying home and not getting in my car at all. Driving around here just wears me out--I think I need to get my bike fixed up so I can try something new and maybe work on getting rid of my jello belly. I need something to counteract the French pastries and artisanal cheese I plan to buy at the market.