Location: Highlands Park, Mill Creek, WA – stolen Snohomish and Coast Salish land
Date: January 23rd, 2019
Activity: Stroll and grove exploration
It’s been cold and rainy, so we took the kids to the owl park, just to get them out of the house. Their friend Jackson got to come, too!
Leeloo loves it when Jackson comes along because he can follow her through and under bushes, so she really gets the full exploration experience.
Sieh appraised several of the cedars in the grove, but didn’t seem to find any that he absolutely HAD to climb.
Leeloo, on the other hand, climbed higher in a tree than I’ve ever seen her go! This is a blurry picture of her lazily climbing a bigger tree, but she was about 8 or 9 feet up a slender tree before she stopped, clung for a second, then jumped straight down to the ground. Ouch! I try to catch her on her way down, usually, but it all happened very quickly and I was closer to Sieh at the time. Thankfully she was fine, but we’ll definitely be watching her a little closer from now on!
Snuggles with Gramma!
And their favourite, treat time!
The kids got to run around for a while longer until it started to get dark so we headed home.
The best seat in the house, according to Leeloo. She was tired after all that running around and climbing!
Location: Saint Edward State Park – stolen Duwamish land
Date: January 15th, 2019
Activity: Easy hike
It was so lovely and warm (50F) today! We’ve been having such a lovely January, it really feels far more like spring than winter, which I’m pretty okay with. I get to wear my cute pea coat, and not be freezing, haha.
Was originally going to take the kids on the Orchard Loop, but Leeloo decided we should go down to the water instead.
Even though the kids, especially Leeloo, love people, they get pretty nervous when we encounter other hikers on the trail. Since this is a busier trail that we usually frequent, we had lots of pauses to let people pass.
The kids’ leash manners were TERRIBLE, and I had forgotten to pack any treats, so it was slow going. Since I was walking them alone, I swapped them being in and out of the backpack.
Leeloo started, and did some good trail running for a while before she got distracted by birds and plants to try to eat.
Then it was Sieh’s turn, and of course he had to feed his tree obsession by inspecting every large tree we passed to evaluate its climbability.
Super annoyed that I won’t let her play in the creek.
Leeloo decided that she wanted to ride on top of the backpack, which is always fun. Because she has cerebellar hypoplasia, she’s pretty clumsy and has bad balance, so I have to hold the leash tight when she’s up there because she’ll fall off.
It was so beautiful down by the water!
When we got down to the water, Leeloo just wanted to get back on the trail!
She even jumped off of one of the little bridges into a creek, and I had to pull her back out by her leash and harness. She was so restless!
Sieh really took his time and poked around the rocks at the water’s edge.
He found a really fantastic hollowed out tree right as we started to head back. He was so sad when we had to leave it behind!
I accidentally took the most difficult trail back (not actually very difficult, but I wasn’t dressed appropriately and I didn’t have any water with me), so both kids went into the backpack for the return hike. Look closely and you can see Sieh underneath Leeloo. They like to stack like a layered dessert.
Location: Discovery Park – stolen Skokomish and Duwamish land
Date: January 8th, 2019
Activity: Stroll and tree climb!
Took the kids to Discovery Park with tio Jamie. It’s so funny, the park is well inside of city limits, but it felt like it took an hour to get there!
Sieh enjoying the local cuisine before I made him spit it out.
There was unfortunately lots of traffic noise, so Leeloo felt a bit uneasy. She had also injured her foot earlier in the week and was on pain meds, and then she got cold, so she spent a good amount of the adventure in either tio Jamie’s arms or in the backpack.
We actually ended up leaving a bit early because she wasn’t having a great time.
She did get to have a little fun before that, though.
Sieh, on the other hand, was having a blast.
We found a small cedar grove for the kids to explore, and the kids did some exploring.
He REALLY wanted to investigate a higher branch, but decided against trying to jump up to it (he’s very thoughtful, and plans things out and thinks a lot before he does them…so, basically Leeloo’s polar opposite, haha), so I held him up so he could sniff it.
Sieh got to engage in his favourite activity: tree climbing!
He climbed on two really big trees, and was very proud of himself!
He did get a bit annoyed at one point when he jacket got a bit stuck on the tree.
Classic Sieh yelling at a tree like an enraged otter.
The kids got in some good bathing snuggles when we got back.
Location: McCollum Forest Loop Trail– stolen Coast Salish and Snohomish land
Date: January 1st, 2019
Activity: Stroll
Happy New Year!
We wanted to start the new year on the right foot, so we grabbed the kids and took them for a short hike through the McCollum Park Forest Trail. It was chilly but the kids had a lot of fun.
They were super interested in all of the little cut-throughs (which I don’t usually explore for conservation reasons), and they even found a hidden grove with a big hollow stump!
Leeloo tried out walking on fence rails,
and they both climbed on a big stump.
Leeloo checked out a big puddle, and even put her front feet in. I’m glad she didn’t fall in, because it was really cold outside!
We finished the loop and went home to get warmed up.
Location: Mill Creek Town Center – stolen Coast Salish and Snohomish land
Activity: Meeting Santa!
Date: December 19th, 2018
[This post had been delayed because we’re still waiting to get the digital copy of this photo, but I’m tired of waiting, so here’s a picture of the physical picture, lol.]
The kids got to meet Santa! Leeloo got to meet Santa last year, but this was Sieh’s first time. We went to the UW Bookstore in Mill Creek because Santa was there with his sleigh. We got in line, and Santa’s helper greeted us, and asked for the kids’ names. When we got up to Santa he greeted Leeloo and Sieh by name! He told us that Mrs. Claus is a cat petter at PAWS, which is awesome! Santa was very nice, and Sieh was so excited to be petted by him.
After meeting Santa, we walked over to Paddywack, and I finally got some pictures there! Everyone who works here is so nice, and they have really fun stuff that you don’t see anywhere else. It’s definitely the kids’ favourite store.
Their gramma had the kids try on some cute hats, we picked up some snacks for Christmas (the kids have been VERY good this year) and then headed back home.
Thank you, Paddywack, for so much good fun this year!
Location: Owl Park, Mill Creek, Washington- stolen Snohomish and Coast Salish land
Date:
Activity: A brisk stroll
I’ve been super busy lately, and the weather has been cold and horrible, but I try to get the kids out and about at least once a week. I texted Haley, and she said that she and Kai were free to join us for a stroll!
Unfortunately, I didn’t pack the regular stroller and hadn’t brought a cat backpack, but we still had the old stroller on hand. It’s definitely not as nice and the new one, that’s for sure!
While Haley and I caught up with all the latest book news, Leeloo and Sieh took in the air from the stroller, and Kai walked very patiently alongside.
We walked to the Owl Park in the Mill Creek neighbourhood (it’s a little Stepford/Edward Scissorhands over there, all of the houses look the same!), and let the kids explore for a while.
You can’t see them because the kids have on their cold weather gear, but they’re wearing their new RC Pet Products Adventure Cat harnesses! So far they seem pretty comfy!
Kai and Leeloo are very good friends.
Kai is really eager to become good friends with Sieh, so he’s really good about respecting Sieh’s boundaries.
Leeloo was a little startled by some traffic noises and a jogger,
but overall a good time was had by all! And we even ran into the kids’ Gramma on the way back!
Location: Mill Creek Trail, Mill Creek, WA – stolen Snohomish and Coast Salish land
Date: November 20th, 2018
Activity: Stroll and birthday party!
Since Leeloo is a rescue, we aren’t sure when she was born, so we decided to celebrate the day I brought her home, November 17th (she’s probably about three months older than this, but hey, who’s counting).
Tio Jamie came up to Bothell for Leeloo’s birthday festivities! I picked him up, we ran a couple of birthday-related errands, and then took the kids to their favourite store, Paddywack! As usual, I completely forgot to get any pictures of them while we were there. This place is really so great. When Sieh decided to crawl into a shelf and lounge on a bag of dry food, one of the employees commented that that’s exactly what Noodle used to do. It really touched my heart. We grabbed some birthday treats and toys, and headed out.
We then went in search of the woman-owned, pet-friendly comic store that a friend had told us about, only to find that it had closed its doors. That was a bummer, but we got the kids out on the Mill Creek trail, so they didn’t have time to be disappointed about not being able to explore another business.
The kids got to explore and jump around on some rocks,
Leeloo got to stalk some squirrels,
and they both checked out a wooded area.
They got to play for a while, and then we had to head back to their Gramma’s so we could get the party started!
We dropped the kids off, then headed to Central Market for supplies. Tio Jamie helped me buy Leeloo’s birthday steak (as a vegetarian, I’ve never bought meat before, so I needed help!), we grabbed a cake and some prosecco for the humans, then headed back and started decorating.
Thankfully by this time their Gramma was on hand to start cooking the steak (another thing I don’t know how to do, though I probably could have figured this one out, haha). The kids had several rounds of birthday steak (even Dewey got in on the steak action), and then it was time for cake and presents!
Lots of their friends came! Leeloo’s Very Good Friend Jackson came with his mom, Michelle, and our friend Haley, which is Leeloo’s dog friend Kai’s mom came too! We all sang to Leeloo, and then enjoyed our cake while she played and ate.
Leeloo got some fun Pusheen toys, and a BUNCH of treats. She got chicken jerky (and ate the entire bag when we weren’t looking!), more steak, and a really cute pupcake that we picked up while we were at Paddywack.
Location: Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, WA – Stolen Duwamish and Coast Salish land
Date: November 13th, 2018
Activity: Exploration stroll!
Tio Jamie came over and together we roused the kids and got them into their stroller, then we all rolled down the hill together. Tio Jamie stopped to get a coffee (which was so poorly made he ended up having to throw it out) and while we were waiting, the kids and I ducked into the tiny dog grooming salon next door. We found Sieh a super cute grey Seattle hoody, which I imagine Leeloo may end up borrowing too.
Leeloo was afraid of the traffic noise, so Sieh draped himself over top of her. He’s such a brave protector, taking care of his sister.
We started out at the south end of the arboretum, in the area with the trails where Sieh first really started trail-walking. He’s such a competent walker now!
He yells when he wants out of the stroller, and then he’ll walk right by my side.
Leeloo went with tio Jamie,
and Sieh went with me.
We worked our way northward, taking breaks for exploration and rest.
So much is blooming, there are berries everywhere, and there are still some mushrooms to be found.
We hung out in the Winter Garden for a while, then headed back home.
Bonus pic of the Woodland Garden pond. So different from just a couple of weeks ago!
Ended up being a pretty uneventful camping trip due to the cold, but we had some fun anyway! Had to drive through some pretty foggy stretches to get out here! Especially since this is deer country, you really don’t want to be going too fast at night. There was also quite the obstacle course to get through the final 5 miles due to all of the downed trees. Consequently, we didn’t arrive until around 10:45pm, which is quite a bit later than our usual. The kids’ grandpa had arrived around 1pm, and had steak waiting for them. They love camping with Grandpa!
Getting camp set up didn’t take too long since I downsized a bit (no cot, no side table, etc), so we were in bed before midnight. Both kids wore their fleecy sweaters for warmth, which was plenty for Sieh. Leeloo is a lot more sensitive to the cold, so she slept in the sleeping bag with me (under a ton of extra blankets, it was chilly!)
Woke up at precisely 9am to two very hungry kids. Got their breakfast for them, then got the water heating for my tea, breakfast, and face washing. Ate breakfast, got cleaned up, and decided it was time to get the fire going.
Had just gotten the kids all kitted up and out for a walk when it started raining pretty steadily, so we had to postpone while we got a tarp over the fire. I always carry a very small, stinky, black-stained tarp for precisely this reason. I’d never put my nice tarp over a campfire, but a cheap blue one certainly does the trick! Should have done it earlier, but we were hopeful that the weather would remain fine.
Had a bit more tea while waiting for the fire to recover, then proceeded with the interrupted exploring. Sieh was feeling his tent time so I just took Leeloo instead of carrying him in the backpack and then switching them out. She mostly wanted to explore the road that runs by our site. It’s a source of endless fascination for her.
In spite of her cold, she had lots of fun running around!
We even got some jogging in!
She loves hanging out on the bridge, looking down at the raging waters below.
She rubbed against the bridge and got paint and green slime on her coat, officially breaking it in.
Sieh gets more and more confident on every adventure! He’s getting a very good sense of where the leash is, so now he feels more comfortable making leaps and bounding about.
He has to stop frequently to joyfully rub against things,
and tree climbing is high on his list of ‘things to do in the woods’.
He explored all over and then was very cross when it was time to head back to camp because it was getting dark.
Wow, the temperature got down to freezing our second night out! I finally had both kids in the sleeping bag with me! Leeloo had already burrowed in when Sieh came over and laid on top of us, and I could feel him shivering. I grabbed him and shoved him inside and he didn’t even shift around to get comfortable, he just feel right asleep all warm and happy. He finally learned the joy of camping snuggles!
Day two we didn’t do much, just took a short wander around the campsite, packed up, and shipped out. It was too cold to stay without a fire, and we burned all the wood the day before.
But we finally roused them, got them sweatered up, and in their stroller. It’s getting brisk outside! The weather held long enough for us to take the kids on a loop through the arboretum. We started out on the newer paved trail that runs down by the road. Sieh gave Leeloo a protective hug to make sure she felt secure.
We saw so many mushrooms! All different kinds!
We let the kids explore the pavilion at the Visitors’ Center, and they quickly found a little path that wrapped behind it.
There were spotted towhees hollering in the trees, and the kids found a little hollow full of bushtits. It was like a spectator event, with the little birds flying and hopping around inside! Both kids spent quite a while checking this out.
We saw more things blooming.
After checking this area out for a while longer, we finally got going to head back. We took the main gravel trail this time, through the winter garden, and emerged by the Woodland Garden. The kids had fun exploring the dock and around the pond (though they were strictly forbidden from jumping into the water!)
Tio Jamie has become Camp Like Noodle’s de facto PR person! Every time we were stopped by someone who was asking about the kids, he’d make sure to tell them about this website and blog! I really need to print up ‘business cards’ that have our info so we can hand them out when people are curious about cat adventuring.
We’ll have to make sure to come back when the Winter Garden is in full swing!
Location: Owl Park, Mill Creek, Washington- stolen Snohomish and Coast Salish land
Camp Like Noodle 