Meet the Morans: 2017

Sunday, December 31, 2017

2017 Year in Review

Looking back, our theme for 2017 was TRAVEL! With a trip of some sort nearly every month this year, it was a BIG year for us in terms of trips and adventures. Trips included Disneyland with my parents (January), Whistler with the Barths (February), a girls' trip to Portland (March), Kauai with the Reeders (May), adults only Ibiza/Amsterdam getaway (June), an Alaskan cruise (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria B.C.) with my family to celebrate my grandma’s 95^th birthday (July), a boys camping trip at La Wis Wis (August), a parents-gone-wild trip Nashville with the Barths (September), a girls' trip to Vegas (October), and Corey visited his dad in Santa Rosa (December)!

In other news, Cole turned 3, became potty trained, and officially started Preschool. There, his teacher finds him very independent, happy and is impressed with his writing and drawing control. He continues to be a clown, always finding ways to make us laugh, and to have tons of enthusiasm and zest for life which he conveys through his endless amounts of energy, excitement over everything, BIG hugs, and our favorite – jazz hands. He enjoys costumes/dressing up (he has a special appreciation for dresses that “twirl” and capes), playing outside, doing puzzles, and playing with his kitchen toys/food. Some oral testing earlier this year deemed him no longer allergic to peanuts or almonds, and he has been loving all the new food options now available to him. Currently he’s looking forward to his 4^th birthday next month.

2017 was a big year for Jackson, who turned 6. He graduated Kindergarten at Evergreen Academy (queue the mama tears!) and started 1^st grade at Creekside Elementary. He rocked the transition from a small school where he was among the oldest and knew all the kids and teachers, to a school of over 750 kids (!!!) in grades K-5. Seriously, he made it look like no big deal and here I was a nervous wreck over it for weeks leading up the switch. He's in the before-and-after school care program there, and has seemed to enjoy that and all the activities and (summer) field trips it provides. He continues to love school (especially math), enjoyed cross country at school and soccer through Arena Sports, and is looking forward to playing baseball for the first time come Spring. He learned to swim, and was thrilled to pass the swim test at the YMCA which allows him to go on the water slide. He continues to be (extremely) curious, sweet and kind, and his teacher and caregivers all talk about what a great, responsible and helpful kiddo he is. He loves going to the movies and the arcade (his top pick when he earns enough poker chips through his behavior chart).

After this year, we'll be slowing our travel schedule down a bit, but not completely. We've got Whistler, Vegas and Kauai trips planned, and my mom and I will be returning to Palm Springs for a quick mother/daughter getaway in the spring. I'm hoping to run another half marathon.

Here's a look back at some of our 2017 highlights. And if you're interested in previous yearly recaps, you can check them out here: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009.

We wish you all the best in 2018!

Friday, November 10, 2017

We Heart Nashville

Yes, it's been almost two months since we actually went to Nashville, and like four months since I've blogged, but this post has been on my to do list and I really, really want to cross it off...so here you go!

Back in September, Corey and I headed to Nashville to the weekend with the Barths. We'd talked about tacking it on to one of my Chattanooga work trips, but that didn't ever work out, but then when the Seahawks schedule was published and included a game in Nashville, we decided it was time to pull the trigger. Luckily Joan and Elliott agreed to watch the boys so that we could go (thanks again for taking such great care of them!)

We arrived around midnight on a Friday and were greeted with very hot and humid temps, and an incredible nightlife. We literally wheeled our suitcases down streets busting with crowds. I've never seen anything like it outside of Vegas (though on a much smaller scale of course - the main drag in Nashville is only about three blocks long).

Our hotel was right in the middle of all the action, and we enjoyed some amazing food at Etch, Silo and Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint. Even though some of the places we ate were in other neighborhoods, it's an easy city to get around in quickly with Uber or on foot. We did some shopping, enjoyed lots (and lots) of cocktails, and stayed up way too late enjoying all the live music Nashville had to offer. Seriously, every bar was several floors and each floor had a different live band. And then most bars had a rooftop deck, which would also showcase live music. We loved it and just couldn't get enough.

On game day, it was just a short walk over the river from our hotel to the stadium. Prior to the game, we hit up a Seahawks tailgate. It was fun to see so many Hawks fan so far from Seattle; however, it was HOT. I think the temps were in the mid-90s and it was SO humid. In just shorts and jerseys, we were dripped sweat before the game even started. Titans fans were very friendly and didn't do a lot of trash talking (minus the 10-year old boys behind us), which we appreciated, considering the Hawks lost.

Despite the loss, we had a wonderful time with highlights being the food, going to a Hawks away game, Alex singing karaoke (!!!), and the music. Our three day was definitely not enough and we hope to make another trip out there again sometime!

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Alaskan Cruise

We just returned home from a great getaway with my family aboard the Norwegian Jewel. Our party of 11 planned our trip to help my grandma celebrate her recent 95th birthday - my parents, brother, sister-in-law, uncle, aunt, Corey, the boys, and I all joined in the fun.

We sailed out of Seattle last Saturday and stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria. And in the middle of the Alaskan stops, we were able to see some icebergs and a 500 year old glacier. In port, we typically wandered around a bit and did souvenir shopping, and in Juneau, we did a gold mine shore excursion at the AJ Mine with my dad.

Overall, the weather in Alaska was gray and on the cool side (60s) but we did get a bit of sun in Ketchikan, and luckily no rain. The cool weather didn't stop us from enjoying a few hot tub outings on the ship, or the boys from enjoying the water slide (and since you had to be 42" to ride it, my dad and I got to enjoy a few freezing cold slide rides with Cole - ha!)

The boys seemed to enjoy cruising, with highlights being running in the wind on the upper decks, the arcade, activities at Splash Academy (NCL's kids club), evening shows, whale (tail & spouting) spotting, and mining for gold in Juneau. Corey and I were able to enjoy drinks alone several evenings, and some adult only dinners with my family.

The room was pretty small but the boys slept well. Keeping them quiet and from jumping around was tough at times during the day, but we did our best. Cole napped like a champ, cuddling with us (something we never get to enjoy during naps at home anymore!) and falling asleep almost instantly.

The restaurants on board were really good, but with such a big party, various schedules at play, and kids in tow, it meant more meals at the buffet than we all probably preferred. But convenience and large selection often won out and we ended up there for several breakfasts and most lunches. We did all enjoy a few nice meals together at the steakhouse and Benihana-like restaurant on board.

While we liked the posts in Alaska, our favorite was Victoria and we hope to return for a long weekend sometime.

Here are some photos from our week at sea!

Seattle & Around the Ship