5.Versluys'.us

In lieu of photos from Canada, all of which are conveniently located 1000 miles away on my dad’s computer until my sister can send me a DVD with copies, I will share some pictures from our short stay in Seattle.

Post-Canada, my parents and the girls and I spent a lovely morning in downtown Seattle at Pike Place Public Market. The first ever Starbucks cafe is just across the street, and if you’ve ever watched the product-tossing fishmongers on the Travel Channel and wondered if it’s the same in real life… yeah, we saw them too, and it wasn’t quite as impressive.

When we hit the market in the morning, my mom and I strolled amongst the stalls oohing and aahing over the gorgeous (and cheap) fresh flowers for sale. Meanwhile, Dad and Roma had only one thing on their mind – food.

Since the flower-adoring slowpokes were delaying the search for breakfast pastries, Roma and her G-Dad took advantage of the time to snag every free sample in sight:

We finally paired our first-Starbucks-store coffee with a yummy raspberry coffeecake. Dad and Roma didn’t show any effects of the sampling – they both ate as much or more than the rest of us.

I knew monkfish are among the ugliest species inhabiting our waters, but imagine the horror of having this thing at eye level.

Needless to say, Roma didn’t go within 15 feet of the thing.

Teaching ‘em young to feed the pig:

Those boots were a steal on sale at Old Navy, and she was complimented on her fashionable zapatos every hour on the hour as the day went on. There’s no way my kids are going to be embarrassed when they’re grown at the way Mom dressed them “back in the 00s”. Or so I say now.

Our stay in Seattle was much too short, but Mom and Dad had to hit the road for their drive back to California and we girls had to make our plane to Colorado.

I was dreading the airport screening process with a stroller, two car seats, two pairs of shoes to remove and replace, a giant backpack with liquids packed solidly in the bottom, and two very awake girls to juggle.

I was also dreading the 1.5 hour pre-board shuffle, where Roma gets antsy as we wait for our plane to appear on the horizon.

However, my most humble thanks and a big shout-out are due to TSA Seattle. First, the ID-check guy dropped a hot tip: there is a kids’ play area just up the ramp from the B terminal. Next, as I held my breath with anticipation and hope, an angel dressed in a dorky TSA uniform appeared and helped me get my stuff through the x-ray machine and off the conveyor belt. Not to be outdone, the guy manning the metal detector had a big smile and high five for Roma as she tiptoed through the scanner.

After wrestling beribboned boots back onto my wiggling toddler (at that point I didn’t care if the “children’s play area” was a padded cell – she was going to stay there until time to board) and telling the now-fussing infant strapped to my chest that Mama wasn’t going to leave her on the conveyor belt so there was no reason to whine, we headed out in search of the promised land.

And the promised land it was.

To a little girl who adores airplanes and airports, this was heaven. A plane popping out of the ground, a control tower, plenty of suitcases and ladybugs to go around, and even a slide.

To a mama who just wants an hour to pass with the least amount of toddler-chasing possible, it was heaven with an open bar.

Roma played for a solid hour, while Quincy slept and I had friendly chats with fellow traveling moms.

If you are ever in Seattle with a kid, go to the play area. You won’t be sorry. Although I think several moms were sorry they even attempted to have a pleasant experience there…

As I was lounging on the padded bench at the edge of the play yard, one mom attempted to cajole her son into eating french fries. “Matt, please just eat one fry!” “I want you to come back and try these yummy french fries!”

The independent thinker with a faux-hawk wouldn’t have any of it. He was enjoying himself without any french fries, thank you very much.

When it was finally time for their plane to take off about 45 minutes before ours (I breathed a sigh of relief knowing ol’ Mattie-boy wouldn’t be sharing cramped quarters with us), that kid led his mother on a steeplechase around the play area.

I think Roma was a bit perturbed by the young man’s display of athleticism:

His red-faced mom finally caught him and dragged him to the bathroom where we heard shrieking cries for a good 10 minutes. For some reason, I doubt she was spanking him.

The pair finally left amidst cries of protest, whereupon the remaining parents eyed their own kids and wondered what the future held.

Another scene ensued between another boy and his mother when it was time for them to depart. Except instead of playing greased pig, this kid channeled a WWII air raid siren.

He let out one good scream as his mom struggled to strap him into his stroller, took a breath, and then really let loose.

No joke – you could hear this kid’s piercing screams for at least 5 minutes as they walked away down the terminal.

His mother was probably even more embarrassed when she had to retrace her steps and passed by the windows of the playground. The minute that child saw the planes and slides he was not playing on, he went ballistic.

When it was time for us to hit the tarmac, I called Roma to me with bated breath. Praise the Lord, she came with minimal fuss. I certainly didn’t march out of there gloating, since I knew we still had 4 hours until we were out of the public eye (and ear).

Thankfully, both girls actually did extremely well on the flight. Roma had a meltdown just before touchdown, but it was minimal in scope. At least relative to the other ones witnessed earlier.

I did feel a little sorry for the older folks in front of us when Roma started the weeping and gnashing of teeth because we weren’t at Oma’s house yet.

However, we made it home safely, and that’s what matters in the end. I picked up Eric later that night from the Air Force base, where he had just arrived after 10 days in Wyoming for his annual training.

If you’re still with me, check out the other photo gallery featuring our happy baby, gleeful toddler, and a pair of blinded parents.