Leavenworth

We had our almost yearly trip (seems we really only get up to going every other year, really) to Leavenworth this past weekend. My dad has made it somewhat of a tradition to get as much family together as possible for the tree lighting festival in Leavenworth the first weekend of December. I went once before having kids in 2006 and then again in 2008 with Aaron and Jayden as a "wedding present" from my dad (he gifted us his standing room reservation for our wedding that year). This year was a special occasion as my stepmom, Lisa, celebrated her 50th birthday yesterday and so we were using this year's vacation as a birthday celebration for her. It was the first time in years that we were able to get the entire family together along with significant others and we were all able to stay in the same bed & breakfast in the heart of Leavenworth.

We left to meet up with my dad on Friday morning to drive over there. Jaxson had it in his head that he was going to be the one driving and refused to give up the driver's seat to Mommy. His new obsession is "beep beep" or driving and pressing the horn. As an almost "terrible two", he's definitely asserting some independence and will absolutely let you know when he doesn't agree with you... which he did when I promptly removed him from the driver's seat and made him sit securely strapped in his car seat in the back. I know... I'm such a bad mommy. Shame on me for being such a killjoy. :)

After a quick meet-up with my dad and family at their house in Sammamish, we set off for Leavenworth. The passes were great and, even though there was snow in the mountains, the roads were clear so my chionophobia (fear of snow... or just driving in it) was alleviated for the time being. Traveling with two small kids is just crazy, mind you. Both times (there and back) our drive cut into nap time, which Jayden promptly refused to do, and Jaxson screamed when he wasn't sleeping. Then Jayden wanted to talk (ahem, whisper) to us the whole time and couldn't understand why we wouldn't answer him (we couldn't hear what he was saying half the time) for like 2-3 hours straight. Makes for an interesting "soundtrack" between the two. In addition to my terrible sciatica which then leaves me stiff & numb from the waist down... I cannot tell you how glad I was to get out of the car.

Once we got in to town, we checked into Mrs. Anderson's Lodge Bed & Breakfast (the oldest standing building in Leavenworth). After a room mixup (they expected all 4 of us to fit in a queen bed...ha!) we were moved into Room 5 which gave us a lot more room to move around.

After settling in with our luggage, the kids automatically wanted to go play in the snow, so off to the "sledding hill" we went. This, my readers & friends, is where we spent most of our holiday. Jayden lived on this hill along with my two younger brothers and his dad (who is pretty much a big kid himself). Jaxson went down a few times, but was more of an observer... and then he wanted to run around in the gazebo.

After the sledding hill, we we went to Ducks and Drakes to get a large and overpriced basket of french fries (which my kids cannot get enough of) while Aaron was stuck back at the B&B on a work call. This is what happens when you are a project manager and your clients are lawyers--- they don't give a crap if you are on vacation with your family...

Then we went back to the B&B to warm the boys up with some hot cocoa and they had fun running around in our room and jumping on the bed. Soon after, the crankies set in and since Jayden hadn't had a nap and Jaxson only had a short one, we tried to get the boys to sleep a little early. Ha! It took me 3-4 hours to get Jaxson to sleep that first night. He was overtired, overstimulated, and in an unfamiliar place. We all took turns trying to calm him down unsuccessfully, and he finally crashed after I was at my wit's end around 9:00pm. Then, because of his recent bout of night terrors, he would scream and cry in his sleep every hour until about 7 or 8 the next morning.

Saturday was a day of a lot more sledding & some overpriced shopping. We stopped at the Taffy Shop to get some fabulous salt water taffy & also walked out with some expensive toy laser guns for the boys to annoy everyone at the B&B with (they did come in handy at bedtime with Jayden as he's afraid of the dark and thinks monsters are out to get him--- now he can protect himself and "get" the monsters with his gun. Boys.).

We then took the boys back to the B&B to take a nap which was like pulling teeth again, but was successful. Aaron was able to have lunch with a friend who was visiting and then I was able to go out and walk the town & take pictures of the festival before meeting up with my dad, brothers, & family friends, the Mahoskeys, at the riverside park for a snowball fight & giant cookies from the Gingerbread House. Then I stopped to get a Leavenworth-famous bratwurst topped with caramelized onions and ketchup before heading back to pick all my boys up for the tree lighting.

We perused around some more and finally found Santa and took a picture with him before heading out to Los Camperos with our entire crew for Lisa's birthday dinner. We feasted on beans & rice and chips & salsa (Jaxson wore more than he ate) before heading back to the B&B for cake and gifts. After that, the crew dispersed to do their own thing--- Aaron and I stayed behind to let the boys watch cartoons before putting them in bed for the night (which, again, was nothing short of a huge challenge). After the boys were in bed, Aaron went to play card games with my brothers & the Mahoskeys while the rest of us made a makeshift theater upstairs with a projector and a sheet and watched Love Actually. Or most of it until Jaxson woke up screaming. I settled into bed around 11:00...and was then promptly woken up by both boys at 4:30am.

Needless to say that Aaron and I didn't get much sleep the entire time and we were cranky with each other and wondered how in the hell we were insane enough to think that a vacation with two small kids with agendas of their own was even a remote possibility. In the end it was worth it because the boys had fun, but it makes us rethink whether or not we want to press our luck in the near future.

On Sunday morning, we got up and had bagels, juice, & cereal for breakfast downstairs. The boys asked just once more to go outside to the sledding hill to play. Before making our way there, they were entranced by the icicles (which they promptly named "ice swords") and had to carry one. So after packing up & checking out, with their ice swords in hand we made our way to the sledding hill to play before saying our final farewells to family and friends and heading back home.

Home. Oh boy, I don't think Aaron and I have ever been so happy to be back in familiar territory! It was the most fabulous feeling to be able to turn on the heat and curl up on my own couch. Despite the pure chaos of vacationing with small kids, it was still a fun (and expensive!-- just ask Aaron about his $15 nachos!!) vacation. I can only hope the next one will be smoother and sleep-filled so I don't feel like a pregnant zombie.