Conference Weekend getaway

My parents have designated April conference as a family reunion weekend for the Alberts family. We took off to the Oregon coast, one of my favorite places. It was an awesome opportunity to spend time together as a family, get away for a weekend, and feast upon the words of our prophets. I have loved conference weekend since I was a youth. I think its an incredible opportunity to gather as an entire body of the church and I am always strengthened, uplifted, and redirected.

Spring break happenings

Spring break! FINALLY! One week of no school! WOOHOO! We tried to do our best at taking advantage of the time! 

Beach bonfire with friends! Hot dogs, marshmallows, games, and sand (in the mouth and in the diaper) included!

We had sandy diapers for a week!

Beautiful hike! And Laila loved our new hiking backpack. Thank you craigslist! And thank you to our friends for a great hike! 

Laila's first dentist appointment! ha! I know, a joke! I though it was the craziest idea to take a one year old to the dentist, but the pediatrician insisted its best to start early. We found a fabulous dentist and it went really well! We celebrated with Fro-yo afterwards! 

Cam and I took off the last part of the week to Vancouver, Canada. It was really exciting! Laila stayed in Seattle with Lala and Opa, and clearly was distraught that her parents left her behind! NOT! She had a blast! 

We hit up the Aquarium (which was AWESOME! complete with a dolphin show, a beluga whale show, and a sea lion show. life long dreams fulfilled!) the olympic torch, and amazingly delicious food! 

Chinese noodle house. Fancy top ramon, but incredibly delicious! Broth simmering for two days!?!? Totally worth it! It was really yummy! 

This was the favorite find! Best waffle of my life!

Beautiful sky line. 

We finished up the weekend in Portland, Laila and I...helping a friend move. 

Bus ride home to Seattle. That was an adventure. 

It's beginning to look like spring

A little bit of this and a little bit of that..

Rainy day! A walk in the rain. 

Playing on the stairs at church. My favorite part about this picture is the lit up ears! :) The Alberts family would be so proud! 

A day at the park! This girl loves to swing! 

Cute cute cute! 

Walking around Capitol Hill. For all you who are not Seattle natives, these homes are incredible! Not to mention the view. We stumbled across this beauty! Big white pillars, wrap-around porch, closed gate, and lions to boot....Cameron's dream house! :) We had to take a picture for him!

Celebrating PI Day with our fabulous friends! There is a cute little Pie store over in the Fremont area where we stuffed ourselves with key lime, strawberry rubard, pesto mac and cheese, beef stroganof, peanut butter moose, and triple berry pies. 

Cameron has been our ward choir director here for over two years now. We have some regular junior choir members that attend weekly! Each part covered! 

The big 50! Happy birthday LaLa! So happy we were able to celebrate with you! Here is the cake Cameron and I created together for the big celebration! We spent the weekend visiting Grandpa Garner as well for his birthday, bowling with family and of course lots of yummy food. 

The cherry blossoms are kind of a "landmark" here this time of year. Some of the streets are completely littered with them on both sides. They are stunning! 

Playgroup at the Botanical Gardens. Cute kiddos! 

Free day at "Paint the Town", a local ceramic shop. 

I have been able to be part of a book group for the last several months. It has been so great! And I love having a deadline to finish a book...makes me make time to sit down and read, which I love. This last book we read is called "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet".  It was a great read! And it is based off of real events during the World War II era right here in Seattle. We went for a group field trip downtown to Chinatown and what used to be old Japantown; Kobe park, herbal tea at the Panama Hotel, Canton Alley, Union State and delicious Chinese food. The Panama Hotel's basement is still filled with suit cases and personal belongings that belonged to the many Japanese families that were pushed out of their homes during World War II. I can't imagine the stories that basement can tell. 

Best buds on the bus ride downtown.