Our Trip to Tacoma, WA

Wow, it's definitely time for me to do some MAJOR catching up over here on the blog.

After many texts, phone calls, and messages from my sister-in-laws, I figured I better get a blog post up {and up quick....oh, and one that included some "belly pictures"} so that they didn't reach through the phone, slap me in the face, and take a picture themselves! ha.

So...Erin and Ellen, there are "belly pictures" in this post...and there are more on the way! Enjoy! :)

A few weeks ago, my parents and I took a trip to Tacoma, WA to visit Del and to scope out one of the cities we could possibly be moving to if Del matched here. None of us had ever been to WA, so we were really looking forward to the trip. Especially because it meant escaping the Little Rock heat for a few days, and entering the land of 75 degree days and 60 degree nights! Ahh...purely wonderful.

We visited during the week, so Del had to work during the days...which left a lot of time for my parents and I to do some exploring around the area. Unfortunately, I came down with a nasty head cold the day after we got there...so I set up shop in the backseat of the rental car with my Kleenex box, Tylenol, and Benadryl. I would fall asleep and during the ride, and then my parents would wake me up if they saw something neat or if we stopped for lunch.

One of our favorite stops was Gig Harbor. It was a sweet little town right on the bay. We ate at a restaurant called Tides Tavern and it literally had the BEST Clam Chowder maybe in the entire world. That may be an exaggeration because I'm not really a Clam Chowder expert, it I could have dove in and swam around in that stuff. It was de-lish.

 After spending a couple of days in Tacoma, my parents and I headed up to Seattle on Friday morning and then Del would meet us later in the afternoon after he got off work. Our hotel was right around the corner from the Space Needle so we walked up there to check it out...and while there...my dad took my 20 Week BELLY PICTURE!! ha. I really despise this pictures because of the angle, but I'm posting it because it's different than all the other ones we've taken. And it will be fun to look back on all the different places Baby Davis will have traveled before he even arrived!

Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that we decided on a name!

Davis Cole Sloneker

 Don't ask where the name came from...because it literally came out of no where. We don't know anyone with that name, it doesn't {really} have any spiritual significance {other than it means "son of David" and after studying the life of David this summer, I would be proud to have my son's name be related to his in some way}, and it's not a family name. All I know, is that every time Del calls him that, writes it in a letter, or sends a text calling him by name...I immediately start balling. It could be the pregnancy hormones...but I love it none the less.

{Ok, Back to the story....}

After Del arrived in Seattle, we walked down to the ocean to scope out the Bay and take in the view.

It was beautiful.

Then we headed over to The Crab Pot. It had been recommended to Del by one of the residents and it did not disappoint. It was a super fun atmosphere and super yummy food. For the menu, you chose which mixture of seafood you wanted and they brought it in a big bowl and then dumped it out on the table for you to dig in. Good thing they give out bibs before you start to dig in, because it got messy....but totally worth the mess.

 Then on Saturday Morning, we headed down to Pike's Market to spend some time taking in the sights before our plane left that afternoon. I think it was a blessing in desguise that I was still battling my head cold because being pregnant mixed with the smell of fish...might have just done me in!

 I've always wanted to visit Pike Place Fish Market! I think the four of us could have stood there all day just to watch them work! It was so fun to see them throw the fish...or should I say launch the fish at one another?! I always thought they just tossed the fish around. False. Those guys aren't messin' around. They throw them fiercely fast! And sometimes they catch them....and sometimes they don't! ha.

 ....And, of course....we had to visit the VERY FIRST Starbucks. Del and my mom were in Coffee Heaven!

 We finished up the morning by getting some yummy breakfast sandwiches from a local bakery and eating them by the Bay, while enjoying our "special" Starbucks drinks. {Just to let you know, they don't taste any different from the rest of the Starbucks in the world}

Then it was time to say goodbye and send Del off to his next destination....

Yep, you guessed it...HAWAII.

Ha. We saw this sign when we were getting in the car and it couldn't have been any more appropriate!

He left for Hawaii a week later....and yes, you better believe that I went to visit him there as well! :)

I told you, Davis is already quite the world traveler!

So, I leave you with my "official" 22 Week Picture.

{I know, I missed week 21, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses and move on}

But Davis is growing and moving around like crazy. I have to tell you that the only thing I prayed for our trip to Tacoma was for Del to feel Davis move from the outside, because neither of us had felt that yet. And I am here to say, that God answered that prayer the last morning we were there! It was such a neat moment, and Del and I crack up every time it's happened since! I hope this feeling never gets old.

During Week 22, we prayed that Davis would get caught when he's guilty, so we memorized

Psalm 119:71

"It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn your statutes."

Thanks for bearing with me on this LONG post...but now you are almost completely up to date on what's going on with us! Check back on Monday for our trip to the beautiful beaches of Oahu!