All Aboard!

On our last weekend in Seattle, we still had a day left on our City Pass and plenty to do, so the fun must continue! We went down to the waterfront and hit Pikes Market again for flowers then boarded a harbor cruise on Argosy Cruise Line. It was so pretty!! Sadly, I only got a few pictures before my camera battery died...

Not sure what he's pointing at, but I love him.

The Seattle Skyline. Ooh! Ahh!

If you look at the center of this picture back behind the loaders, you can kind of see Mount Rainier. It was a lot prettier and clearer than this picture portrays... but, you can see the back of my tour guide's head! You. Are. Welcome.

After the cruise, we ate a Red Robin, right on the pier! Good food, and an amazing view!! Thanks Mom!

My Wild Things

So after our adventures on the peninsula, and all around Seattle, we still had tickets left in our City Pass that were good for a few more days. One of these was to the Woodland Park Zoo, which we could just not pass up... even though I had to take all three boys there alone. As apprehensive as I was, it was so much fun!! We spent most of the day there. We took it kind of leisurely as we made sure to see all of the exhibits and took time out for lunch in the food court.

Our day in pictures:

Finally seeing the penguins! They talked about them for days leading up to this.

They were, by far, the smelliest exhibit.

It was raining on the drive over there and for the beginning of the park. (Hence, the gross hair and hoods.) But right after this awesome dinosaur exhibit, it cleared up and didn't rain again until we were about to head home.

What a perfect day!

My boys in the gift shop, riding the dinosaur. Mason still talks about this...

After lunch, we spied a face-painting tent and I decided to have my wild things made over for the occasion!

My finished Wild Things!!

Ethan: Leopard, Sloan: Lion,

Mason: Supposed to be a puppy but since he wouldn't let the lady finish, he looks more like a baby seal...

Look! A baby seal riding a pony!

This wasn't Zoo Day, but I decided to throw it in just the same. Mom took us all to see Cars 2.

Pretty cute movie. Thanks Grandma!

As you can tell, we had oodles of fun in Seattle this summer. Thank you again, Grandma for the tickets and making our summer so memorable! The boys can't wait to come see you again!

Beautiful Day in the Morning!

After the rainforest, we stayed at an adorable little resort in La Push, and got up early the next day to make it for a little beach hike to the tide pools. It was SO cold, but oh, SO pretty!

Need I say more?

Mom thought of everything!! She brought kites for each of the kids and we flew them on the beach after climbing the rocks of the tide pools. You can just make out the kites...

Starfish in a natural occurring tide pool! So cool, even though I didn't want to touch them!

I must say that Andi and Ethan had the most fun with the waves! They played a little "Catch me if you can" game with the waves until Ethan got caught, big time! He spent the rest of the morning in VERY wet clothes...

Beautiful view with random family...

Even though I didn't post this while Josh was away from us at BOLC like I planned, it's still true!

We LOVE Daddy!!

City Pass: Day 2

Day 2 on our City Passes took us first to the Science Museum. The kids loved playing at all of the exhibits, and the butterfly habitat was a favorite of mine (sadly I didn't get any pictures...). Here's what we did get:

Honey, I shrunk the kids! Mason loved this oversized table. Notice how Andi was the only one who followed my creative instruction to, "Act like you're eating something!". We got to watch the movie from the poster in the background, and it was really cute! I think that if I didn't have three little monkeys of my own, I'd get an orangutan!

Seriously, I think that all of my toys at home must be too normal-sized for my kids to play with...

After the museum, we headed over to the famous, Pike's Market for fresh fish and flowers. A great place to buy both!!

Home of the flying fish!

City Pass: Day 1

My sister, Sami and her oldest daughter, Andi came up to Seattle from Texas to spend some time with Mom and us Gailey's! We did so many things with the City Pass tickets that Mom got us, I can't even remember all of it! Here's what I do remember, thanks to photographic evidence:

Our first morning was spent at the Seattle Aquarium. They got to touch things in the touch tanks, learn about tides, and were mesmerized by the sea otters and seals. It was so fun, even if Mason is scared of bath toys now...

After the aquarium, mom got us tickets to "Ride the Ducks"! It was actually our second time on the ducks, but it's always a treat! These are World War II vehicles that ride on both land and water. They start by giving you a tour os Seattle and end the tour in Union Lake, home of the "Sleepless in Seattle" house!

Next was a quick stop at the Space Needle!

(Mason's not asleep, just too grouchy to look at Grandma while she takes his picture...)

Nothing sweeter than a mother and daughter on vacation!

Our Duck tour guide told us that from the top of the Space Needle, the Music and Science Fiction Museum was designed to look like a broken guitar. Must be really abstract, 'cause I don't see it... do you?

What a fabulous way to and a day!

Just the Two of Us

So, I've gotten to do a lot of fun things lately. I blame my awesome husband for enabling me to do things that very well may turn into addictions. Let's be honest, though. They already were addictions. Card-Making and now (thanks to Maggie and Monica...) Spa Weekends. My sister, Sami, saw my post about my spa weekend in April and was green with envy. She decided that we ought to have one in the fall. Through much twisting of my arm, she was able to get me to agree and when she flew in on Thursday, we were ready to get our relaxation on!

Since I was a good blogger and took an insane amount of pictures, I will share my weekend with you in pictures.

We began our weekend on Friday morning at the Outlets. We got some really cute clothes, but this photo showcases one of my favorite moments in the day: shopping for sunglasses. I am borderline retarded when it comes to choosing eyewear so Sami was able to help my decision along. Isn't she fashionable?? I really like the shop-lifting safety advocate in the background.

We then headed to the hotel to check in and get gussied up for dinner/Girls Night Out. Too bad no one but us showed up. Ah, well. At least I had a hot date! Sami was a good sport and let me do her makeup... ain't she pritty??

Not sure why my teeth look orange in this picture. Please ignore that...

All dressed up and ready to go in our new outfits from White House Black Market. You don't have to say it, we know we're dead-sexy.

And no better place to eat than Lucille's Bar-B-Que! Yummy!

I can still smell the warm biscuits and apple butter.

My new hat from Charlotte Russe. It was too cute to pass up. Now if only I could figure out when and where it is appropriate to wear ridiculously adorable hats...?

Our hotel was pretty nice. Forget for a moment that it's basically like the Labyrinth on the inside, and it was awesome. We did meet a lot of nice guys willing to help us find our way. Either we looked pretty cute, or they were really drunk. At least we found our way. And the guy that touched Sami's neck was at least a 6. Not too shabby... Oh, yeah, the picture. Our room actually had a doorbell! Talk about fancy! Here is Sami, demonstrating exactly how cool we thought that it was.

I'm a sucker for a nice bathroom. This one ranks in the top 5 I've ever been in 'cause it had a chandelier. I know... I'm tough to impress.

Our room also had a balcony! It might not be much to you, but I've never stayed in a room that had one, so it must be elite. It didn't matter that recent precipitation left a good 2 inches of water on it and since we don't smoke, it was practically useless. It was still there.

The view from the balcony. It might mostly just be tree-top view, but it was MY tree-top view! Oh, and you see the little sliver of pool?? Pool-side, baby! Like I said, elite.

And on to the main event! We got to the spa around noon and enjoyed a 50-minute couples massage. Obviously, I don't have any pictures of that, but here's the before shot of our feet. Pretty snazzy footwear, eh? Spa regulation sandals. Beats the disposable flip-flops we were wearing after our pedicures. I nearly killed myself on them. Turns out, they're really slick!

Us in our paraffin-boot glory. Flattering, I know. Each thing that they put on our feet smelled better than the last. By the time they were brushing the bottom of my feet with a pumpkin pie scented mask, I wanted to eat my own feet.

During our pedicures, there was a wedding being set up. It began while we were waiting for our polish to dry and since the procession was being serenaded by a famous singer from a Christian rock band called Stryper, the ladies at the spa couldn't resist flinging open the doors and inviting us to watch the strangers wed from the main entrance in our bathrobes. This is the only picture I got (which isn't great) before security shut me down. Strange considering that the attending security guard and I go way back...

While we were getting ready to exit the spa, we noticed several people using a strange machine on which they would stand while the machine would shake them. Since I've decided to try to be more flexible and try things I otherwise wouldn't, I decided "What the hay?". It's called TurboSonic and apparently it detoxifies one's body by taking it through various degrees of shaking. According to the digital reader on the machine, in the ten minutes I was on it, I burned 150 calories. I'm pretty sure that would have to be from the laughing and not from the shaking though I'll reserve judgement until I see some scientific data from an independent researcher. Mostly, all it did for me is shake me to the point of nearly peeing.

Sami, trying to figure out the miracle machine.

The result. I miss you already , Green Valley Ranch Resort. Miss you already.

Oh, and you too, Sami.

Camping

Very few actually know what a rockin' mom I really am and since I don't ordinarily like to toot my own "Rockin' Mom" horn, not many ever will. But occasions of extra rockin'-ness such as this warrant vigorous horn-tooting. And so I commence...

Josh recently finished his LAST SUMMER SEMESTER as a Dental Student! Meaning, that we have a whopping 8 months left until I get to see my stud muffin in a cap and gown. We decided to make our last break between summer and fall semesters one that the boys (at least the two older ones...) would remember. (When I say "We" you know I mean "I" as I am the rockin' one here...). The boys had been begging to go camping, probably because Caillou loves to camp. He is the coolest bald kid on PBS, after all.

Being something of an allergy-stricken indoor girl, Josh assumed that I would want no part of that. Or rather, perhaps he hoped... hmm... but rather than let the boys have all the fun, I opted to introduce my boys to the "Sloan" way of camping.

The plan: To drive to Mt. Charleston and find a camp ground for over night. We found one wonderful campsite at "Hill Top" campground (The view was A-mazing!) and set up our tent, "kitchen area" and "explored" in the woods. We took hikes, ate ridiculously unhealthy foods in large amounts, and played Uno until one sore loser put an end to that. By the time the sun was setting, our boys were obviously tired and it was quite plain that they would sleep like champions, even in a tent. Explore the rest of the night with me:

8:31: All three boys, sound asleep in their respective beds. Parents quietly chatting under a beautiful full moon.

8:45: Dad concedes that buying the lantern that Mom suggested would have been nice to play games by. (We didn't build a fire on purpose. I didn't think that it was the safest thing to have a blazing fire and a curious 15-month-old.)

9:00: Equally tired parents decide the wise thing to do would be to brush teeth and turn in.

9:15: Mom discovers that toilets have a curfew as the door to the closest "Vault" toilet is locked.

9:21: Mom explores options of open-range peeing.

9:36: Parents in bed and children still asleep.

9:42: Frantic giggling under the covers as parents learn that at least one of their boys is a "sleep tooter".

10:02: The first squeaks erupt from Child 1's air mattress as he rolls over.

10:03: Child 3, screaming.

10:45: Child 3, asleep, being put back in crib.

10:46: Child 3, screaming.

11:27: Child 3, asleep, being put back in crib.

11:28: Child 3, screaming.

11:45: Child 3, asleep, yet thrashing in Parent's bed.

11:47: Child 3, evicted from parent's bed.

12:01: Soft rustling sounds as Dad takes Child 3 to the van for a drive.

3:00: Dad awakened by Child 3, screaming in car seat.

3:01: Dad learns that he should have moved the lumbar support while sleeping in the car.

3:10: Dad refills Child 3's milk and rocks him to sleep.

3:17: Child 1, jealous and awake in Parent's bed, asking why Dad got to take a hike in the dark.

4:23: Child 3 in parent's bed, cuddling with Mom; Dad sleeping sideways on bottom of air mattress, cuddling Mom's feet.

5:15: Child 1, awake, announcing that "The sun is up! It's day!"

5:16: Child 1, 2, & 3, awake for the day.

5:30: Family walk around the campground.

5:45: Mom discovers that toilets don't so much have curfews as broken doorknobs and with a little ingenuity uses the most disgusting "Flush Toilet" in history.

6:00: Breakfast of Pop Tarts and Apple Juice in the tent. Note to self: Bad idea.

8:00: Family hike up Robber's Roost which would be slept through by Child 3.

11:00: Breaking down camp and heading home for grilled cheese and showers.

Perhaps Mason's just not ready for camping... but I am still pretty rockin'. Basically, the "Sloan" way of anything, rocks. Even when it turns out that bad. You wouldn't believe it, but the boys had a blast and can't wait to do it all over again. Even I'd do it over again... but only with a healthy dose of Dimetapp around 8:29.

Mason after some "exploring". Boys may as well be made of dirt...

*Sadly, this is really the only picture we took. We realized halfway to Mt. Charleston that we forgot the camera to document our rockin'-ness but the boys were too excited to turn around. We decided to rely on our camera phones (picture taken above), not realizing that searching for signal because you're on top of a mountain would result in two dead phones after 1 hour. Live n' learn, I guess...

Mall Rats

Last year I was able to make it to northern Idaho to see my mom. I love to see my mom but since she frequently has to work, I was lucky to also see my mom's roommate: Jana.

Jana was once, coincidently enough, my roommate. Jana is one of the best friends a girl could ask for. We met our freshman year of college and she has since become just like a sister/daughter in my family. She's attended weddings and baby blessings. Basically, she rocks.

So, while I was able to see her in Idaho, we had a few "Girls Day Out"s. We went with my mom to dinner and a movie and were able to spend the greater part of a day getting pedicures and shopping at the mall. Our adventures at the mall still make me giggle. It's probably all very much "you had to be there", and yet, I share.

First, we had set up appointments with a reputable nail salon for manicures and pedicures but were running late (as Jana and Brooks do...) that morning and in our haste to make it to our appointment, we rushed to the first nail salon within sight and walking distance. We noticed that the name was not the same as the one we had called, but in our defense, there was a temporary plastic banner over a real store sign and so we figured, in our laziness, that they must be in the middle of a remodel. It sure did look like it... The shady nature of the interior should have told us something, or perhaps the confused nod from the pedicurist when we asked if this was, "Q-Nails". I guess my pessimism was on a rare vacation that day... I should have figured that something called "Hi-Tek" would definitely be up to no good. I have subsequently developed a fungus under my left thumbnail. I'm sure it's unrelated...

Later that afternoon, we had lunch, shopped, and were able to find matching toe rings (yea, you wish you were cool like us...). The toe rings, both of us would later admit, were less than adequate. We vowed before ever putting them on, that we would wear them forever while we were apart. Mine lasted until I got on the plane to come home. I don't know if hers lasted that long. Now, this is not because I lack love for my Jana... it is simply because they were the most uncomfortable toe rings ever devised. I am pretty sure that had I not taken it off when I did, it would have grown into my toe and given me tetanus. I am quite attached to my toes, and wanted to keep them. All of them. It was a simple matter of survival. Nothing personal.

While shopping, we saw one of those photo booths that costs a fortune and draws your picture before your very eyes. What a great idea to preserve this wonderful memory! It took several pictures before we found one that flattered us both and then "Rembrandt" began to draw. It was beautiful and began to take shape, much to our excitement. Our excitement soon turned to confusion, however, when Rembrandt held our completed drawing up on the screen, sans noses. Hmm... I'd like to say that I didn't laugh until I nearly peed. For your peace of mind, I didn't. But it was close. A real touch-n-go.

Us in all of our "Lord Voldemort" glory:

The rest of the afternoon included:

- A good hour in the Sprint store in which "Sexy Salesclerk Dude" did everything he could, short of proposing to Jana, to get her to buy a phone.

- One or two Italian Cream Sodas each... I simply can't recall.

- A business card from the glass-blower man.

- A really awkward silence between us and the lady from Q-Nails as we confessed the truth about our missed appointment.

- One more photo booth; After what Rembrandt did, we had to renew our faith in over-priced superfluous Mall economy:

It was a fabulous day and one I am still giggling about as I sit here typing. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

*I told you I'd get around to posting about it... I hope it was worth the wait. Notice that is 1 year to the day?! Yeah, I'm just that thoughtful...

Retreat

I recently enjoyed a wonderful weekend with some of my girlfriends at Red Rock Spa. It was fabulous! I indulged in a Swedish massage, pampered my piggies with a pedicure, and discovered the fabulousness that is a hand massage during a manicure. We enjoyed dinner at the buffet, entertainment at the Cinema, and a night away from crying babies in the hotel. It was amazing, relaxing, and so good to catch up with friends I don't get to see often enough. (Sadly, I'm a terrible oaf and didn't remember my camera to get any pictures of this amazing weekend... Oh, wait... what's this that I stole from Maggie's blog?)

The four Musketeers who braved the hotel, spa, and luncheon. Yeah. We're real troopers.

And what did My Boys find to do while I was away? I guess Josh figured that I would wonder just that and so he made me this wonderful video while I was away:

What a sweet bunch of men I have!

Thank you, Josh, for taking such good care of my babies while I was away pampering myself and thank you to all the lovely ladies who put up with me on a (nearly) daily basis. I had a blast. You really are the best! Here's to our Caribbean vacation, 2025!

It Lived Up To It's Reputation:

Miles Traveled: 548.3

Smiles Smiled: 1,387

Characters Visited: 11

Laughs Laughed: About 7. Turns out, Bart's not that funny...

Sugar Consumed: Less than expected...

Rides Ridden: 36, at least once.

Hours Slept: Far too few.

Sleep Lost: Far too much.

Proximity to Park: A stone's throw.

Souvenirs Purchased: 13

Birthdays Had: An Awesome One.

Dances Danced: Roughly, four.

Cups Peed In: Surprisingly, only one.

Pictures Taken: 359

People wishing we could do it all over again: 7 or 8,

give or take a Mason.