Lil travelin' man

November was quite the traveling month for us. Between Layla’s work trips and a Thanksgiving vacation in Mexico, we covered some serious ground. It’s a good thing Luke is pretty good on planes, but by the end, we were all a bit tired of hotels and restaurant high chairs. Survival became paramount to manners, but we never got kicked out and we still managed to have a good time. Fun as it was, I was actually excited to get back to the unseasonably warm temps (10 degrees above) and frozen cubes of mac and cheese in Barrow.

Here’s the jist, with a few surely welcome gaps…




The weather isn’t the only reason Luke would rather play indoors in Barrow. Catch a rerun of “A Christmas Story” if you need to jog your memory of the joy of snowsuits.



We spent a few days in a cabin in Girdwood where Luke showed his undeniable male instincts. The ridiculously large TV was a magnet, and it didn’t take long for him to figure out the power, channel, and volume buttons. When he had it just right, he found himself a seat and the vegging began. Couches were too far from the TV, so he found a crab cooking pot in the cabinet that was just right.



This move momentarily made me think we needed a TV for the house…momentarily.



We traded the snowsuit routine in Alaska for the sunscreen routine in Mexico. Despite the fact that it takes about as long to put it on, even with Luke’s help (above), we were happy to make the switch.



Luke loved the water, almost too much. After a couple days in the pool, he decided he could lunge into the water himself, go under, and…uh, well that’s when mama or dada scoops him up. Brave and fun, yes…



Flat water squashed my surfing safari dreams, but Luke loved letting the calm ocean lap over his legs.



It was great to have Nonna and Grandpa join us.



Luke was in heaven exploring the rocks and tide pools…



…and jumping head first into the pool, the sand, our laps, the couch pillows…whatever was around.



My moment of heaven.



Of course, that couldn’t last too long, so off to Seattle to cruise the town while Layla went to a meeting. The nice thing about work trips is that we get to stay in hotels that are convenient to the meeting, not just the cheapest one that doesn’t have roaches. Nice view eh?



Pike Street Market is a toddler’s dream, at least for a couple hours. Good thing these crabs were some of the only things within Luke’s reach, but that didn’t stop him from running the halls, chasing pigeons, dancing to the live music and otherwise entertaining the crowd.





Luke was a bit surprised by his first bite into an apple that was actually crisp. Not our usual fare.



Look over there!



Whoa! Music!



Watching Luke dance was definitely worth a buck. Teaching Luke not to reach into the tip jar to get his buck back is another story…



Got to stop in Portland to visit Harper, his summer fling and, if Layla has her way, his future wife. Big hugs and a great visit for us too.



Maybe it was his aversion to the arranged marriage thing, or maybe it was the lingering 60’s vibe still in San Francisco, but it didn’t take long once we were there for Luke to attract attention from cute little women. Don’t worry Harper, he’s only begging for her toy cell phone.



When Ella had to take a call, Luke decided it was time to chase some more pigeons…



…and jump off a few steps.



By this time, we had had enough of hotels, even our regal digs in the towering San Fran Marriott. Good thing there was a park across the street.

All in all, it was a great trip. A bit hectic sometimes, but fun. Now, as the temps get closer to normal here in Barrow and the glow from sunshine farther south mocks us on the horizon for a few fleeting hours, we’re thinking of how we can get back to Baja and the sandy feet sunsets of just a few weeks ago.