John's family came to visit over the holidays. We didn't take the duck tour, much to Rose's disappointment, but we did play tourist.

the King Tut exhibit

We actually saw this when it first came to town, but David wanted to see it again, and since Seattle was its one and only North American stop, we thought it would be a good treat for the out of town relatives.

I love museums. I love feeling a connection to the artistic aesthetic of people who lived thousands of years ago, and I love learning about their culture. The exhibit is a bit sparse if you've been to the original or seen the one in Egypt (I have, in fact, done both), but it is well laid out. I especially liked walking through the four chambers like in his tomb. The first time we went David only lasted 45 minutes, which is pretty impressive for a six-year-old, but not enough time for his chaperones. This time I had the great idea of buying him and Rose the audio tour. He then didn't have to rely on his emerging reading skills and took on the tour like a treasure hunt. The relatives seemed to enjoy it too.

the Great wheel

Yes, I know this ferris wheel on the Seattle waterfront is nothing but a tourist draw. So. Rose, Grammy, and I had a lovely time waiting in line for an hour while we listened to Christmas music and Rose practiced her knot tying skills. The first five minutes of the ride I was not having fun. Have I mentioned I'm afraid of heights? It does not matter the cars were completely closed in; I could see out. We just stopped near the top and dangled for awhile. Ugh. But once it got moving I relaxed and enjoyed the grand views.

Wreck It Ralph

Note to self--do a large scale evaluation of movies before you take the kids. We only take the kids to the movies once or twice a year. The ads had led me to think it was not inappropriate, which was true. And kind of cute, which was true too. But, it was too loud, too visually overwhelming, and for David, too scary.