meeting sweet Violet!

Colin and i took a little trip to Washington to meet the newest member of our family.  it was a funny experience flying with Colin.  i got lots of stares in the terminal with a baby strapped in a front carrier, a back pack, and a trolley with my bags on it.  lots of people asked if i was okay, and i was like, "this is my fourth baby, i'm on vacation!"  we originally planned on spending time in Seattle once we arrived, but i opted to rent a car and get to Olympia stat. 

we had these people to see, can you blame me?

Colin is a big fan of his cousins.  and Laine is a great cousin to climb all over.

 and as all grandchildren, Colin is a big fan of his Grandpa!

 baby Violet did not dissappoint!  she was a doll, and a total angel!

 we did get to spend a fun day in Seattle with Henry and Laine.  Grandma and Granpa took us to the Space Needle!  it was so fun seeing such a landmark.  Grandpa was all about getting this shot of the kids with the needle above them.

 here's the same shot with Colin and me this time!

 we were lucky to get a semi clear day for our trip to the city.  everything was so beautiful.  after some fun shopping and sight seeing, i headed to the Hanley's house (or should i say houses) to visit with my dear old pals.  i can't believe that after all this time we can still hang out 'til the wee hours of the morning and never run out of things to talk about.  another trip to Seattle is definitely in order!

 Colin served as my dutiful assistant during my newborn session with baby Violet.  still not quite able to crawl, but giving it the good ol' college try.

 such a helpful prop manager:

 the 4 days i was in Washington, the skies ranged from clear and blue, to the traditional overcast, to a complete white out. 

 after we finished up our portraits, it started to snow.

 it snowed all day and all night, we built a snow man, and played all day.

 though beautiful, it was a little touch and go for a while on whether or not we were going to be able to get out of there.  the flight was delayed almost 8 hours.  my parents were kind enough to follow us to the airport just to make sure everything went smoothly.  all in all, it was a wonderful trip!