Score One For The Bucket List

Seeing the tulip fields in bloom has been on my unofficial bucket list forever but it has jumped up on the list since having kids.  Every year I think about heading to Skagit Valley to see the tulip fields, unfortunately I usually think about it in May when the tulips have already finished blooming.  This year I was determined and did my research early to ensure I wouldn't miss out.  After rescheduling several times and losing the majority of our tulip party we lucked out and picked a beautiful day to visit the fields.  It ended up being just the kids, our friend Kim and me joining literally hundreds of other people seeking a view of the tulips.

When we were planning the trip, Kim asked me what time I thought we'd be home since she had another event that evening.  She imagined spending the entire day visiting the fields.  I don't even like to imagine what that would have been like with the kids.  I assured her I planned to be home after lunch in time for naps.  She also thought we'd perhaps visit more than one field.  Again I assured her one would be more than enough and by the end of the visit she was more than happy to agree. Children can only be entertained by looking but not touching flowers for so long.

The pictures can't do justice to how massive the tulip fields are.   

We had two different locations scoped out based on their recommendations of being child friendly. We ended up seeing the signs to Roozengaarde first and headed there.  They had every imaginable type and color of tulip and had a beautiful walking path that took you through all their different varieties.  The kids loved picking out their favorite... and then their new favorite... and ... .

The kids wondered what this weird building was.  I guess they had never seen a windmill before

I guess tulips don't smell as good as they look!

I asked the kids on the way up to the fields what colors of tulips they wanted to see and Kenzie named all sorts of appropriate tulip colors but Ben only named blue.  He wanted to see blue tulips and kept asking where the blue ones were.  Luckily someone at Roozengaarde must have met a little boy like Ben before and planted some rouge flowers that were blue.

Ben's favorite blue 'tulips'

I asked Ben to stand by the tulips for a picture and he instantly did this... perhaps I take too many pictures!

The kids got a little wild when we got out into the fields where you aren't allowed to walk among the flowers.  You have to stay on the main paths and all the fresh air seemed to go to their heads all at once.  They were a bit wild in the fields and caused some trouble.  Ben was jumping over the puddles in the path and jumped too far and slipped into another puddle but he got up and kept walking because he knew better than to complain about wet clothes after I had just asked him to slow down.  This picture sums up the wildness that took over in the tulip field.

Love her wild shadow, it looks like it is trying to get away from her.  

We had the kids run down this long path between two daffodil fields to burn off some of their energy.  It was an amazingly beautiful day for being outside.

And with every item that moves off the bucket list another one seems to appear.  Taking the place of visiting the tulip fields is getting a good picture with the kids in front of the tulip field.  There's always next year!

Smile!  Please?