Tulip Festival

Anyone who knows me and my mom well can tell you that we have many things in common. One of those things is our love for tulips. When I found out that my parents were planning on making a quick visit to see us I knew that we just had to make it up to the Tulip Festival. After visiting Deception Pass and enjoying a good birthday dinner we stayed at a hotel so we could get up early and see the tulips. We got there right when it opened which was nice because we were able to capture some interesting shots of this cool barn without anyone around.

(my dad took the above picture - WOW)

(another great picture from my dad)

Occasionally we would find a random colored tulip in the midst of some other brightly colored tulips. We thought it was fascinating how beautiful this yellow tulip looked in the middle of all the red tulips. The funny thing about this yellow tulip is that there were no yellow tulips in the field we were in. Oh how we are all like this yellow tulip. We want to fit in but also want so badly to be different and unique. This yellow tulip is a reminder to stand a little taller, a little brighter, and a little stronger.

The kids had a much different experience this year with the tulips. Last year I was by myself with the kids, very pregnant, and the bees seemed to be everywhere. This year the sun was out, it was a little cooler, and there were no bees in sight. Needless to say Andrew actually enjoyed the tulips this year. He made me take his picture at every field and with every color tulip while telling me how cool all the tulips were. Peter enjoyed sneaking into the rows of tulips and running back and forth. We weren't actually supposed to be in the rows but I had a hard time saying no to a little freedom. They were all just so curious. Emma loved the pink tulips the best though. She would have stayed near the light pink tulips all morning if I had let her. Thankfully there were other tulips that caught her eye. Abby was fascinated by the colors and actually got her hands on a few petals. Oops! I was so glad my parents were able to enjoy the tulips with us---especially my mom who loves tulips just as much as I do.

My favorite view from these fields had to be the cool looking barn. Since we got to the fields right when they opened, we were lucky to get a few shots of the barn before the crowds arrived. While we were looking at the tulips we also got to see the pickers out there picking tulips to sell. It was neat to watch them choose which ones were ready to be picked. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful tulips are. I am so glad that our kids had a blast seeing the tulips and got to share this experience with their grandparents.