This was the year that our little Ryan discovered that he can entertain. Others learned that he likes to dance and sing. "You and your sister, you know were a little shyer. Tatsu was not so," said my mother. She could have been talking about our two oldest in comparison to Ryan.
Our three kids got in plenty of quality play time with their cousin Lianne, the precocious four-year old daughter of my sister. It was quite the foursome with plenty of make-believe, laughter, and making up. Childhood fun that is especially memorable for grandparents.
Although there were several outings for food, as Dorothy put it, "the best part of the vacation was your mom's cooking." This for Dorothy was so not only for the sushi and other sumptuous Japanese food made for us, but for the fact that she did not have to cook!
Of the food outings, perhaps the highlight may have been Hiroshi's Restaurant (reviews) located at 2501 Eastlake Avenue in Seattle. We found our way there one night because my sister's husband (the best bass player in Seattle) had a gig there. Listening to overpowering jazz in a slightly small Japanese restaurant located in a quiet strip mall would lead one to believe that the owner must be a jazz fan. The music was good, but the food may have been an even more pleasant surprise.
Another interesting find was the indoor snowfall at Pacific Place in downtown Seattle. It was similar to what we experienced at Disneyland at the end of their nightly fireworks show but better because it was in an indoor confined location. Okay, it was somewhat corny and not real snow, but it is some place that we will probably take our kids next year. This year we only stumbled across it when we were out sans kids to enjoy a dinner out and do some last minute shopping.
This was also just the second time in all of our trips to Seattle where we experienced snow. Although this years' version was more like half-melted icy snow the morning after a light dusting of snow. We managed to make what amounted to a four-inch tall snowman. Whoo-hoo! We did this for Ryan since this was his first experience with snow.
Happy New Year and best wishes to you for 2007!
