Seattle: The Great Wheel and Seattle Aquarium

Before driving back home the next day, we all decided to spend the morning and early afternoon exploring the waterfront in Seattle.  We started at the Great Wheel ferris wheel on the pier that allowed for stunning views of the city.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the kids had a blast riding.

We somehow managed to fit all 10 of us inside one of the pods, it was a bit squishy with kids on our laps, but at least we were all together.  Within seconds the cameras and iPhones came out to document our fun...

I absolutely LOVE Seattle.

What a beautiful city!

After riding the Great Wheel, we walked down the pier to eat at the Red Robin for lunch.  It was located out above the water.  I swear I've never seen a prettier Red Robin restaurant.

The kids had a blast eating yummy food (although Daxton was not happy til he got food in his belly!)  They loved coloring and goofing off on the bench while waiting for out food.  It was a perfect lunch with our crazy group.

After lunch we walked down to the Seattle Aquarium located right on the water front.  It's no surprise that Daxton and I love aquariums, so he was very excited when he saw the wall to ceiling two story tank in the entrance of the aquarium, complete with a diver feeding the fish right as we walked in.

The diver was so sweet and would wave to the kids and also posed for a few pictures.

Next we stopped at the tide pools for the kids to explore all sorts of animals.  They got to touch starfish, sea cucumbers, anemones, and other animals.

We also loved the jelly fish ring.  It was pretty cool to get a close up view of my favorite, the jellies.

Katrina, Natalie, and Sadie making fish faces

Love those lips!

There were so many great picture opportunities!  The girls were great sports and didn't mind their crazy aunt telling them to pose for the camera.

After the tide pools we wandered through the different salt water and fresh water tank exhibits...

We loved the seal and otter exhibits.

We walked to the top of the aquarium right as they were doing a lecture on seals.  It was fun to see them so close and the viewing tank was located on the roof with gorgeous views of Seattle.

Playful and loving otters.

Emma and Katrina

My amazing sisters, Leisha and Heather.

I love them both so very much!

As we finished the aquarium and started walking back to our cars, we found the coolest squid that the kids wanted to climb on.  It was the perfect last shot of our super quick trip to Seattle.
It was so fun to be with family and watch all the cousins interact and get along.  I wished we could have stayed in the area longer and met up with friends, but we will be back, I'm sure!
Thanks for the fun trip girls!  
Daxton and I had a blast and love you all very much.