Some family came in from out of town and, of course, we just HAD to do something touristy.  Why not ride the ducks in Seattle?  Well, if you don't know what I am referring to, take a look at the pictures.  I believe their tagline is, "It's a party on wheels and in the water!"  How true...There is quite a bit of history behind the vehicle/boat that is known as the Duck (check out http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/history.htm).  But, you don't need to know any of that to have a good time.  It was pretty much the most mortifying experience of my life--yet I laughed so hard I cried.  Come to think of it, I think was crying because I was so mortified.  Our Captain/Driver (Capt. Hal O'lujah, yes it is a joke) was pretty much crazy.  While driving the streets of Seattle, he had music blaring.  The people on the sidewalks couldn't help but notice us going by.  Plus, he would frequently make comments about the people we passed--which they could obviously hear.  One lady was walking her two enormous dogs, so he played "Who let the dogs out".  Amusing, but kind of embarrassing too.  He was also a fountain of knowledge--which was pretty interesting if you could get past the fact that he was wearing a crab hat.  I would probably recommend doing this at least once in your life--but with people who don't mind being embarrassed.  Alice loved it--feel free to take her with you when you go.  Jake will definitely be staying home next time--what a wimp.

Saturday was the annual Woodinville All Fools Day Parade.  We have been going nearly every year since we moved to Woodinville.  This year we did something new.  We went to the pancake breakfast that was held at the firestation before the parade.  The food was decent for the price.  Each table had tiny paper cups full of peanut butter and also pats of butter.  Alice was sure the butter slices were cheese.  I told her over and over that it was butter--but, she wouldn't believe me.  So, like any good parent, I let her see for herself.  She at one whole slice--still sure it was cheese.  After half of the second one, she had to spit it out.  It made us sick just watching her eat it.  After eating, we went off to the parade.  Since it was sprinkling, we backed up to the main street and sat in the back of the car--staying dry.  Alice enjoyed watching the gymnastics girls dance and tumble down the street.  Ronald McDonald was in the parade too--which Alice loved.  She kept yelling to him, "Come over here, Ronald Old McDonald!  I want to give you 5!  Mom, he's not hearing me!"  She was sad as he paraded away.  But, she was happy again when all the basset hounds started coming.  There were tons of them--dressed up in crazy costumes (poor dogs).  The Seafair pirates made an appearance with their ship and LOUD cannon.  Alice was a little startled, but I plugged her ears and she felt better.  There was also a Mini Cars Club that showed up.  One of the Minis was decked out in Gumby gear--not sure why--but Alice loves her Gumby movies so she recognized him.  The driver wore a huge green Gumby suit and popped in and out of his sunroof.  Alice yelled at Gumby to come see her.  "Mom, he's driving away!  Gumby!  Come back here!"  Luckily, after the parade was over, we saw Gumby rollerskating around the street (strange, strange man).  So, she yelled to him over and over again.  He skated by us, but we decided after seeing him up close that it would be best to keep our distance (strange, strange man).  We walked down to City Hall where they had more stuff going on.  She ended up coming home with a pile of stickers and coloring books on safety, a fire hat, an ID card, candy, and some other small toys.  When we got home, she said "After our nap we can go to the parade again!"  Thank goodness it comes but once a year...