Geigerpalooza, part 1

seasoned travelers

in August, we once again flew across the country for our annual Geigerpalooza meet-up with my side of the family. this was going to be the first time my girls would meet their newest cousins, and we were so excited to spend time the whole Geiger gang! there are two nonstop Alaska flights from Pittsburgh to Seattle, one that departs at 7 AM and one that departs in the evening. last year I opted for the early morning flight so we wouldn't be landing so late in Seattle, but it was painful to wake up and hustle the kids out the door in the wee hours. this time, I changed tactics and booked the evening departure so we had all day at home to pack and prepare. our flight was delayed an hour (due to a delay on the inbound aircraft) but once we actually got to the airport, everything went swimmingly. there was no line to check our bags and we were the only ones in the TSA precheck line. we got Chick-Fil-A dinner while watching planes take off and then boarded. my strategy for choosing seats is two rows, one in front of the other, with each row containing an adult, a big kid, and a little kid. this worked pretty well and although Victoria stayed awake for almost the entire five-hour flight (!), there was zero screaming and that is a Flying with Children win if ever there was one! 

it really helps to have big kids to help corral the littles!

Greta took this artsy photo after sunset

despite our late night arrival, the kids were awake bright and early the next morning ready to play with cousins. it is so much fun to see them all together, and of course I had to get some twin snuggles in too! 

watching for the neighborhood peahen 

pretending to be bears

that evening, we all went to cheer for John playing a game with his recreational softball league -- very nostalgic for me having grown up cheering for his Little League games, and so fun for the girls to see their uncle doing something he loves! Kira and I cheered obnoxiously loud and a few times we actually felt bad if we were embarrassing him in front of his friends, but the other guys on the team seemed to love it. 

feeding Uncle John some snacks to keep his strength up before his next at-bat

the next day we took the kids to the Woodland Park Zoo. I hadn't been here since I was a kid and really only remembered the gorilla exhibit. highlights were the petting zoo and the tiger! 

roaring like a dinosaur (this is a photo I think we need to make them recreate in ten years)

some short-lived hand holding. sweet while it lasted!

kings of the rock

covering her face just like the tiger

"don't worry, Vicky -- the tiger can't hurt you"

this baby sloth bear was too stinking cute!

cautiously petting a goat

getting braver now! 

that evening, Dad booked a chef known as The Taco Guy to come prepare delicious tacos for us at the house! he and his wife and daughter set up a tent in the backyard and cooked various meats on the griddle. it was sooo good and even my picky eaters were able to piece together a delicious meal out of the various components. 

we had two adult tables, one kid table, and two high chairs set up!

the next day, most of the adults headed north to Canada for my cousin's wedding festivities, while Mom and Colin's parents held down the fort with seven kids at home. all of those details to come in part two!