Life with Poot-n-Toots

Maui top 10, part 3

Finally....the last part of our Maui trip. (if you have add...you might want to do a quick picture-scan, this is an epic post)

Here's a recap of our top 10

1. Old Lahaina Luau

2. Snorkeling (with the sea turtles)

3. The Road to Hana (cliff jumping, 7 sacred pools, Haleakala state park, swimming under waterfalls, etc)

4. Days spent poolside

5. Couples massage at the Black Rock Spa

6. Rest n' Reading

7. Our Hotel (the Sheraton Resosrt and Spa)

8. Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona Memorial- We flew to Oahu for the day and spent the better part of the afternoon at Pearl Harbor. We were able to tour the grounds, see a movie (they have a theatre that shows a quick documentary that includes footage from that day...truly moving), took a boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial, toured the USS Bowfin , and toured the Battleship Missouri Memorial. I have VERY LITTLE history knowledge. This year I had read a few books related to WWII and Pearl Harbor, so it was quite an educational experience for me. I can't quite put into words how I felt standing over the USS Arizona. It made me feel sad and proud. It was a really neat day...it was nice to see it as adults. I didn't feel rushed by having kids with me. I felt like we were able to take our time and really read each little plaque and explore at our own Pace.

After visiting Pearl Harbor we had a late lunch at Duke's in Waikiki (great view of Waikiki beach), did a little shopping, saw The Punch Bowl National Cemetery, visited Honolulu, etc. It was a really fun day and I'm so glad we did it. But I was happy to return to Maui. Oahu definitely has a different vibe/crowd. The parts that we saw felt very LA to me. Lots of concrete, big building, crazy traffic, etc. Clearly, it's a gigantic island and I know that there are a TON of nicer places on the north shore, but I wouldn't say I loved the Honolulu/Waikiki area.

(side-note- since Pearl Harbor is still an active military base they had SUPER strict rules about what you could bring. NO purses, NO bags, No camera bags, NO fanny packs, etc. I didn't want to lug around my nicer canon, so all these pictures were taken with the tiny point n' shoot)

 

 

 
 
 

 

 (this photo is able to show where the memorial  was built in relation to the USS Arizona)

source

    
  

(no I'm not pregnant...yes, I realize this top is unflattering)
 
 
 
 
 

9. Food

Yep, food gets it's own mention. It was TASTY. I can't really say I had a bad meal in Maui. I will say that it is EXPENSIVE. My favorite places to eat were:Leilani's in Whaler's Village (a 5 minute walk for us). The crab cakes were delicious and the Hula Pie was even better. They have killer views at sunset and a fun atmosphere. We ate at the Hula Grill(also in Whaler's Village) on our first night. They made the best Mai Tai's on the trip and had excellent food. (Tiana- you're totally right, the chili water sauce was amazing!)

 

Cheeseburger in Paradisein Lahaina was..um...YUM!!!! Jason loves a good bacon cheeseburger and he gave it two big thumbs up.

 

I think one of our favorite places and the cheapest places to eat was Aloha Mixed Plate (it's famous for being reviewed by the New York Times as 'Paper plate meets million dollar views') We ate here once for dinner and twice for breakfast.
 
 

10. Shopping

Ok...really this shouldn't qualify. I'm totally NOT a souvenir type person. I don't have a bunch of magnets, coffee table books, shot glasses or 'stuff' from any of the trips we do. But when I saw these hand-made dresses especially for american girl dolls, I couldn't resist. I stopped by one of those silly little ABC stores and bought two tiny hair flower pins for their hair and two rings to be used at bracelets. The girls LOVED them.
 

What I DO like to get from each trip, is a special little Christmas ornament. I got a hand-painted sand dollar of two little sea turtles for Jason and me and these handmade beaded mermaids for the girls. Simple. Inexpensive and mildly practical.  

oh...wait...there was one more thing that we bought. Before leaving, Ally had requested 'a REAL coconut bra and a grass skirt'. Her wish was my command. It's totally cheesy from one of the million vendors but she was BEYOND excited  (though I think she needs bigger coconuts, ha!)
 

So there you have it. My top ten favorite things about Maui. But I'd be remiss if I didn't add some extra bonus material.

This category is for the FUNNIEST Maui moments.

**Hello? Hello? USS Missouri? The 1980's called and they want their cell phones back!**

Can you tell that Jason is totally irritated in this picture? I was having a genuine 7th grade moment and could not stop giggling about these 'phones' (as in..I had to stop walking, cross my legs tightly, so as not to pee myself). Most of the exhibits at the memorial are really hi-tech and have little i-pods with headphones that you can walk around with. You punch in the # of the exhibit you're standing in front of and a little audio clip tells you about that area and sometimes has a quick little clip to watch. Really cool, right? Except they ran out by the time we got there so we got these super cool phones. I felt like such an idiot holding it and really couldn't  stop laughing. Jason on the other hand was totally mature about it. Whatever it WAS funny.

ps. The battleship is HUGE. GIGANTIC. Imagine a small town, but all INSIDE. I think I barely escaped having a full blown claustrophobic-attack.
 
 

**getting jason to 'pose' for a long-arm shot**

Honestly getting Jason to cooperate for pictures is difficult as is. He's really no better than Ally. Add a beer or two and he's even less cooperative. Suffice it to say, I had not idea that he was doing this.

 

 

*scrapbook tour a-la maui**

I wasn't about to leave Maui without a quick stop to Island Paperie (on our way to the airport). It was a small little shop with mostly island themed paper. I bought a few things and then headed outside to meet Jason (he rarely comes IN  a scrapbook store). He pointed across the street and said it looked as if there was another shop across the street...
  

do you see that people????????????????????????????????????????? It's a COMBO scrap shack and guns n' ammo store in ONE STORE. Seriously, the place was divided in half, on the left you could have your pick of pistols, rifles, ammunition and on the left you have your choice of patterned paper and embellishments. It was owned by a husband and wife team and honestly made my whole day. Jason and I have joked about having this EXACT store when we retire for years. Who knew someone beat us to it.

Jason had a few funny airport antics moments...this was really LATE at night in Oahu. We'd been up since 5am and our flight back to Maui was delayed. He didn't get any exercise on this day and decided that he needed to jog to the plane. What a nerd. He also did some stretches, jumps, and lunges in the airport. I happily sat on my a$$.
 

**I'm too sexy for my shorts**

While sitting in Leilanis, we saw this dude walk up to the hostess....this picture was taken super sleuth style with the camera phone. It does not do his ensemble justice. The shirt was NEON green and his shorts were NEON pink. His hair was beach blond and all spiky and his spray tan was ORANGE. ....and he had a beeper. Enough said.
 

**Roweisms**

You all know about my love of Mike Rowe on Dirtiest Jobs (need a refresher about his stint as a dog groomer when he needed to express the dogs' anal glands...see this post ). Apparently he did an episode about working at the Red Dirt shirt place. The Red Dirt shop in Waikiki's International Marketplace totally had me cracking up. (click the photo to enlarge...my favorite is #9)

 

**Rental Cars that Multiply**

We got the smallest, cheapest car we could (totally a GOOD thing when negotiating the teeny tiny road to Hana)... We had a choice of red or white. I, like an idiot, thought 'let's get red, that way we'll spot it easily'. Um, lets just say the nearly EVERY CAR IN MAUI is a teeny tiny RED chevy aveo rental car. AT LEAST 10 times, we put the key in the door and it wouldn't turn...why??? Because we had the wrong damn car. On this morning in particular there were FOUR red chevy aveo's in one tiny parking lot (of about 20 cars).

 
   

**close encounters with a shark*

Jason is afraid of sharks.  I forced him to pose for this picture.

 

At one point I was snorkeling alone out near black rock and saw a reef shark bout 20 feet from me. It scared the beejeezus out of me, but I noticed the a group of scuba divers were even closer and they didn't look panicked so I hung around to watch. It's a good thing Jason wasn't with me, because I honestly think he would have REALLY freaked out.

Later in the afternoon I was talking with the scuba instructor and he said they are totally harmless but rarely seen in the area. I found this clip on youtube that shows the exact same spot at black rock in 2009 when another reef shark was seen...

would that have scared you?????

(if you're in google reader, jump over to the blog to see the youtube clip)

 

 

 

 

Maui top 10.... part 1

Jason and I had the best time in Maui!!!! We stayed on the west-side of the island in Kaanapali. Our hotel, The Sheraton Resort and Spa, was right at Black Rock. We stayed for 8 nights/9 days and really had the most incredible time.

We've been looking forward to this trip for months. We got GREAT advice from Marcia, Tiana, and Patty and also bought a great book called Maui Revealed. We had very loose 'plans'for our trip and had only three days scheduled. It was SO different traveling without the kids. It was just easy, and low stress. Of course we thought about them a bit (I thinkI missed them less than anticipated, and J missed them more then anticipated). Thankfully the girls were seriously having there very own vacation (more on that later).

I think this was the first vacation in my entire life where I didn't automatically start the inevitable count-down (you know after day one when you start thinking to yourself 'man this is so fun, but we only have __________ days left') Both Jason and I felt totally relaxed and unrushed. We fit A TON in to our 9 days, but it never felt rushed. We were able to balance the fun/adventure/tourist-y stuff with the equally fun relaxing/reading/drinking etc.

Anyhoo, here it is out Maui top ten, in no particular order (today it's #1-3, this post is gigantic with just the first three...)

1. Old Lahaina Luau (and one of my favorite photos of the trip). The food and drinks were excellent, the views were to die for, and we met the nicest people. This luau in particular was the most recommended and the most traditional. I hadn't actually wanted to go to a luau, but I'm so glad we did. It was great!

 

this photo of jason is totally funny to me....it's SO not him. The lei, the fruity drink, but so handsome, no? :)

ally's only request was that we bring her back a 'real coconut bra', so I thought I for sure had to get a 'real Hawaiian dancer in a real coconut bra'... Jason claims he was embarrassed, but he looks happy, right?

 
 

2. Snorkeling(we rented our equipment from Snorkel Bob's for the week. A great company, really very inexspensive). I snorkeled on 7/9 days right in front of our hotel. I typically spent about an hour to an hour and a half in the water and a few days I went in multiple times. The best part???? I saw sea turtles EVERY DAY. I even saw a black-tip reef shark (freaked me out momentarily). Black Rock is really spectacular. The reef and coral houses a bazillion types of fish. I told the girls that I saw nearly every fish from finding Nemo, ha! I really could have spent all day every day out there.

Honestly, snorkeling was my favorite part of the trip. I love the quiet, calm, feeling. Seeing those turtles up close and swimming with them is honestly at the top of my life bucket list.

can you believe this picture??? look at the water! I swear the water in Maui is as clear as a pool. It's totally crazy. The first two photos were taken from the SHORE. These two turtles came up practically to the sand nearly every afternoon. I snapped these while standing in about 3 feet of water.

   
 
  
3. The Road to Hana (this should really account for more than one item) we spent the whole day doing this and I'm so glad we did. It's a very LOOOOOOOOONG drive. With VERY narrow roads, and NOT for anyone that get's car sick or is a nervous driver. The book Maui Revealed was totally helpful on this day, and we were able to see/do things that aren't clearly marked.

We saw a ton of amazing waterfalls.....

 

And swam beneath them, too!....

 
The Seven Sacred Pools (in the Haleakala National Park)...

Hiking to waterfalls...

  
 

The black sand beaches (also at Haleakala National Park)...
 
 
  

Swimming in the Venus Pools (another highlight for me)...
 

and jumping off of the cliffs ( I did the middle one...about 20-25 feet????)....

 
 
and feeling super proud...

 

the ONE lane bridges were incredible!! They are over 100 years old, 59 of them to be exact. I LOVED the stonework.......

 

the waterfalls were neverending...just beautiful and different thatn any I've ever seen...

 

and the beautiful sunset on the way home....It was a long day, but totally worth it.
 

i ♥ shaver lake....

Last weekend we took an impromptu weekend trip to Shaver Lake with some friends. Jason, Shannon, and Joe had planned on chaperoning a group of high school students on a trip to Sierra Summit, but with serious storms being predicted and not enough in their budget to pay for rental vans and chains, the trip was cancelled.

Since the cabin was already rented, Shannon and Joe (parents to Paige's best little buddy Natalie) invited us to come up for the weekend. There was supposed to be some crazy storm that was going to dump a foot and a half of snow, but instead it was BEAUTIFUL. Seriously, awesome. We had to put chains on, on the way up, but even that went easily.

The weather was perfect on Saturday. It snowed on and off throughout the morning. We spent about 3 hours in the snow after a yummy breakfast. It was probably the most enjoyable snow trip ever (I'm pretty certain this has to do with me finally breaking down and buying actual snow boots. Who'd have though, having WARM and DRY feet would have made all the difference).

We had such a great weekend. Super casual (ie. no getting dressed, no make-up, etc). Lots of snow play (in the dark even, at 17 degrees), lots of reading, game-playing, eating, napping, and just enjoying each others company.

I'm still working on shooting in manual and had a little bit of trouble with the snow, because, well, it's BRIGHT. But I'm learning. Slowly. This shot of Natalie is my favorite from the trip. I'm using it for my Project 52, week 5. (I added the black outline so you can actually see where the frame is)

 
 ISO: 200, aperture F/2.5, Shutter speed 1/1000

...and here are some fun pictures of our weekend adventure....

 


 
   
     

 
   
  
 
 
  
  
 

Tahoe top 10 (one month later).....

1. parasialing (and the boat ride)

  
 

2. days at the lake

 
  
3. ice cream (and s'mores, and the daily vacation treats).....

 

4. family bike rides

   

5. miniature golf

 
 
6. afternoons at the pool

 

7. movies, movies, movies

 
8. books, books, books

 

9. river rafting

 

10. just being together

  

"do people actually buy this stuff?"

 

This weekend rounded out the 'Grandparent marathon'. During the past 4 weekends we've had the pleasure of getting to host and spend some good quality time with each of the girls' grandparents. Bev came for a visit and we went down to the SB zoo, we got to go to Disneyland with my Mom, my Dad and Nancy came up last weekend, and Tim and Janice came over this weekend.

I'm always amazed and so thankful that both Jason and my parents (+spouses) have always been so supportive of the girls. The girls have special bonds and traditions with each of them. They are constantly connected by the phone, by little surprises in the mail, and by visits. I think it makes me feel extra-lucky because we don't live in the same town as any of them....So to you- Mom, Dad, Nancy, Bev, Tim and Janice...THANK YOU!!!

This weekend Papa and Janice came for a visit. We spent Saturday exploring Cambria and checking out the elephant seals in San Simeon. While in Cambria we poked-around a few antique stores. Before going in, I gave the girls the rules: keep your hands to  yourself and stay near me. After about 2 minutes Paige looked at me (in only the way an exasperated 5 year old can) and exclaimed rather loudly "do people actually buy this stuff?". She seemed shocked that anyone would be interested in the odd assortment of stuff......that was until she and Ally found a little nook with a variety of vintage hats, gloves, and purses. She literally tried on at least 10 hats and had Papa in stitches.

We ate a yummy lunch at Linn's and then headed out to San Simeon, briefly stopping for a king-ka-meah-mea sized tantrum as performed by Ally (for those of you that remember, it wasn't nearly as good as her Seattle melt-down, or her famous last words)....but it did result in my man-handling her out from the back of the car and setting her on a bench outside of some fancy-shmancy shop in Cambria for a 3 minute time out.

Right about the time my blood pressure returned to normal we made it to the vista point outlook to see the Elephant Seals (I know they look dead in this photo, but I assure you they were just soaking up the sun)...we saw some cute 'pups' nursing and even ran into some really friendly squirrels (some idiots were actually petting the squirrels....they must never have heard of rabies)..

   

Saturday night was Jason's belt promotion. This time around he promoted to 'orange'. As part of the ceremony, you kneel and the instructors tie on the new belt...then you line up and the instructors get the honor of punching you in the gut....I guess now Jason can say he's been punched by Chuck Liddell..

     

Today the girls, J, Tim, and Janice spent the day in Pismo...they played on the pier, ate some clam chowder and then spent some time at the local park (I've been sick since Wednesday- so I spent the afternoon on the couch)

        

Bike Camping, an adventure with Grandpa & Grandma Nancy.....

This weekend my Dad and Nancy took the oldest grand-kids (Paige and Marley) on their first ever 'bike camping' trip. They took the kids for a one night trip to the state beach campground in Carpinteria, which is about a 13 mile ride from their house.

 

The kids took turns riding the trail-a-bike (behind my Dad) and riding in the trailer (behind Nancy). The kids each brought one bag filled with: a sleeping bag, swimsuit, towel, change of clothes, toothbrush, and a pair of long pants. My Dad and Nancy had the chore of packing everything else. Somehow they managed to pack 2 tents, a small stove, cooking utensils, food, sleeping pads, their own sleeping bags AND the kids' stuff between the two bikes. Once the bikes were loaded with the gear and the kids, it's likely that both my Dad and Nancy had at least an extra 100 pounds per bike.

The trip to the beach took a little under 3 hours, and included lots of stops. One for lunch, and a few to switch riders (both Paige and Marley preferred to ride, rather than sit in the trailer).

After setting up camp, the kids went on a hunt for some perfect sticks for roasting marshmallows. The kids spent some time at the beach, and goofing around in their very own tent (the highlight for Paige was sleeping with Marley 'all by ourselves'!). They also attended a little fire-side talk by one of the park rangers, they watched a short movie about bats and sang by the fire. This morning they dined on pancakes made by Grandpa, cleaned up, and started heading back (of course, they stopped for some coffee and doughnuts).

I'd say the trip was clearly a success. Both the kids had an absolute blast and are eager to go again next year (or maybe sooner?)

This is what Paige has to say about the trip:

I could see lots of bikes when we were riding. We called Grandpa- Grandpa Pumpkin- 'cuz he had a big orange shirt. We had s'mores, mine tasted nice, but messy. S'mores are like chocolate and graham crackers and you smush it down, it tastes yummy! We saw a bat movie and it was about bats. Bats eat pollen from flowers. The flowers open up and they get pollinated by the bats. We had glow sticks for bracelets. Me and Marley were crazy and funny in the tent. I set-ted up my sleeping bag. Riding the bikes was fun. I helped peddle up the great-big-giant hills. We stopped for a doughnut on the way back. I had a doughnut and Marley had a croissant. We even had vitamin water, I never had that before, I like it. Maybe next time I can ride myself.

Thanks Dad and Nancy for taking the kids on this adventure, I'm sure it's the first of many!

 

Finally, our travels to the Bay Area.........

I'm finally getting around to posting about our totally fun trip to the bay area to visit Auntie Sharon's and Uncle Greg's. We were meeting up with the whole crew: Bev/Nonnie/Pam/Brianne/Pat were heading over from the valley and met us there. Eric took some time off, and Justin came down (and even brought his new girlfriend- risky, with this crew) We left on Thursday the 23rd and came home on Sunday the 26th. We had a blast and did so many fun things.

Thursday we just had some family time and  hung out. As usual Greg came up with a special 'list' (it's too funny to try and post, next time you see me, ask. Greg is REALLY funny) On Friday we headed out to spend a day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. This park is part amusement, part zoo, and part sea world. Really they have all sorts of roller coasters for the adults, a whole little kid area with smaller coasters and kiddie rides, exhibits with animals (lions, sharks, walruses, camels, cougars, penguins, flamingos, a bunch of birds, and even elephants), a bunch of marine shows (orca's, sea lions and dolphins), and even a whole play-ground/water play area for the kids.

It was the perfect day, every one got to do exactly what they wanted; and that's a tall order to fill considering we had ages ranging from 2-81, thrill-seekers and the timid, and even a pregnant lady thrown in the mix.

 

We saw the the dolphin show, the sea lion show, and the killer whale show. We even saw the feedings for the lions (um, hello people......these guys were HAND FEEDING the lions...have they never heard of Sigfried and Roy?????), and the walrus.

 

Paige and Ally spent some time in the kiddie area with Nonnie and Nonna for ride partners. Let me tell you, nothing is funnier than seeing an 81 year old on Six Flag's version of the tea cups with Paige spinning to her hearts content. I LOVE you Nonnie, I only hope to have half you energy when I'm your age.

   

The highlight of the day for me was watching Jason and the girls go for an elephant ride. It was SO NEAT! They really couldn't stop talking about it.

  

Hands down the best part of Jason's day was going on the roller coasters with Paige. Earlier in the day Jason and I took Paige on a few of the bigger rides, and then before leaving- Jason, Eric, and Pat took Paige to ride Tony Hawk's Big Spin. This ride is like the tea cups on crack. It's even on a MOVING roller coaster track. You sit four to a car (two seats side by side, facing the other two). The best part is that they actually take a video of your car the whole time, which is available to purchase. The boys met back up with us all rolling with laughter telling us how funny Paige was. Apparently she was screaming with glee the whole time. Not to mention, Paige's neck muscles aren't really strong enough to lift her head with the force of the ride, so her head was rolling around willy-nilly which made the boys laugh even harder. Eric though it was so funny that he even bought the video. ALL DAY we heard about how funny it was. When us girls got around to watching it that night, I completely died. It was HILARIOUS! I watched it 6 times. In the video the boys are laughing/screaming so hard that they never even close their mouthes. Eric, if you can figure out a way to copy this I would LOVE to have a copy.

Really, Paige has NO fear. She actually cried because she couldn't go on this ride. Hello!!!!!! I LOVE roller coasters and even I thought this one was a wee bit scary. Before leaving the park I managed to get every one to pose for one group shot.

  

On Saturday we ventured up to San Fransisco via BART. Of course the girls have had lots of practice with public transportation this summer, but I think their favorite part of the BART station was having their ticket scanned and riding the escalator.

Once in San Fransisco, our plan was to ride the trolley to pier 39. As luck would have it, it was VERY crowded and about a thousand other people had that same plan. We got a tip to wait a block up and catch a trolley that hadn't been filled to capacity (yea, right. I'm convinced those things don't have a capacity, and if they do- it's the capacity of a sardine tin...note to self- I like trolleys as much as I like cabs). Long story short- no trolley was to be found. A very nice gentleman approached us and said he had a limo and he'd take us to the pier for the same amount. Note to self- if a deal sounds to good to be true, IT IS! Lets just say I think in our 20 minute lives-flash-before-your-eyes-break-all-the-friggin-laws-ride-to-pier-39 many expletives were said, and an equal number of prayers were said. Literally, I'm not sure how we made it out alive.

Once at the pier we window-shopped our way to lunch. Most of us (excluding me) ate clam chowder bread bowls while the kids ate macaroni bread bowls (who knew??????).

After lunch we walked around a bit more and let the girls ride on the two-story carousel.

We then walked up to Ghiradelli square to catch the trolley back to the Union Square BART station.

I wasn't feeling well this day, so I didn't get nearly as many pictures.....

Overall, our trip was a blast! I love hanging out with Jason's family. Thank you Greg and Sharon for being such great hosts, we can't wait to come back!

Steps to a Seattle Meltdown....

1. Refuse to get in the 'strolluh' (stroller)
2. Refuse to 'wok' (walk)
3. Refuse to 'wun' (run).
4. Insist on 'pussing' (pushing) the stroller
5. Repeat steps 1-4
6. Cross arms and pout
7. Repeat steps 1-4
8. Put your hands on your hips wile glaring at your family
9. Repeat steps 1-4
10. Turn your back on your family while tapping your foot
11. Repeat steps 1-4
12. Sit in the nearest planter to emphasize your point
13. Repeat steps 1-4
14. Admit defeat and get in the stroller

 

1. The Moons and stars must have been aligned or something, because we had only a few meltdowns during our Seattle trip. This one was classic Ally. For you signers out there, she actually got out her 'classifier-listing-hand' and proceeded to list "I not wok, I not dunna wun, I not dunna sit in da strolluh, I dunna puss the strolluh!"

   We're heading out of town today to go to my cousin Lark's wedding. Check back Sunday night for pictures. I still need to post photos from last week's trip to Uncle Greg's and Auntie Sharon's (and the trip to San Fransisco)....I'm waiting for pictures...(hint, hint- B, can you send them to me :)

   
   

       

Seattle, Day 5...

Saturday the 19th was our last full day in Seattle. We slept in a bit, stopped by Top Pot for one last doughnut and caught the Metro to the Zoo. I was really impressed with the Zoo. The Zoo sits on nearly 100 acres, and has been around for over 100 years, WOW! I've only been to about 5 zoos (San Diego, Santa Barbara, LA, Fresno, Atascadero), but I think the Seattle Zoo was my favorite. The zoo was part of the city passes that we'd purchased; but while I was there I realized that the Seattle Zoo has reciprocity with the Santa Barbara zoo (we're annual members at the SB Zoo), so we actually could have gotten in free (April- Fresno is on the list too, in case you're ever in Seattle). I think that the coolest part was all the landscaping. Every thing was so lush and green. The different plants were just amazing. Many of the exhibits are set up in regions: the northern trail, Trail of Vines, Tropical rain forest, African Savannah, etc.

The Zoo has an incredible kids area called the Zoomazium. Zoomazium is a 'green building' that sports a green roof. It was all indoors (I'm guessing because of the frequent rains?).  The building sports 3 separate areas: forest, grassland, and mountian play areas. They had a 4 and under area, with climbing rocks, a little African Village, a bunch of life size puzzles,and fish tanks. The 4 and older area was enormous. They had a huge play area with a prehistoric/dinosaur theme; gigantic rocks to climb on with tunnels and a windy slide. In the corner was a massive 3 story tree. The tree had various ladders, nets, and levels to climb through. The canopy of the tree had a hidden slide to get to the bottom. In addition to the play structures, they had a whole resource center available for kids to research various animals. In this area they had computer stations, artifacts, fossils, microscopes, etc. It was really amazing. Paige's favorite part was the climbing tree, while Ally liked the kid-sized entrance doors.

In this area they also had 'nursing zones' set up with really comfy chairs and stools and they even had 'family bathrooms'. I must say this is the coolest, parent-friendly thing I've ever seen. Each FB had a locking door with a regular toilet, a smaller kid sized toilet, two sinks (one high and one low) and a really nice changing station. Awesome! Those of you with kids (especially more than one) know how cumbersome it can be to try and fit three bodies in a tiny stall.......

The Zoo also had a butterfly and blooms garden. This time I was able to get one good shot of a butterfly. The actual garden was smaller than the one that we'd seen earlier in the week at the science center but they had these really nice displays about the butterflies.

 

My absolute favorite zoo animal has always been the gorillas. I could sit there for hours and watch them. They're just so fascinating (and kinda creepy since they're only a few chromosomes removed from us), This zoo was an extra special treat because they had about 15 gorillas (the SB zoo only has 3). They even had a teeny tiny baby. It was so precious, when we got there the mama was nursing the baby and patting her on the back, sweet!

The tiger and the bears were a hit with Ally, and Paige liked the bats and hippos. Paige even go to feed this bird.

 

After leaving the zoo we caught the bus back to the hotel, called a cab (have I mentioned yet, that I'm so not a fan of cabs or their drivers????) and met up for a BBQ at a friend of Terry's and Brad's. He hosted a fun get together at his home with many of the wedding guests that were from out of town. We ate yummy food and got a chance to just relax and hang out. It was a nice way to spend our last night in Seattle.

 

So that's it, that completes our Seattle adventure. These last three photos were taken in front of Jason's house (the night of the BBQ) Do we look tired? We had an AMAZING trip that was full of many adventures and lots of firsts. I've learned lots of things from this trip:

• the girls are fantastic travelers, and way more flexible than I give them credit for being
• umbrella strollers are my friends
• the locals give the best food recommendations
• public transportation is totally possible
• doing your research before you travel is way worth the time and effort
• doughnuts really do taste better in Seattle
• 3D movies are a wee bit scary for toddlers
• Souvenirs are silly. Memories and photos are way cooler. (We spent a mere $1.00 on postcards (the girls used 'Nonnie Money' to buy the backpack and dinosaur).
• Teeny tiny hamburgers are delicious
• It's totally possible for Jason to drink 5+ cups of coffee from 5 different coffee shops in one day
• I HATE cabs

*side note.....a few of you have sent me e-mails and commented about this post, specifically about the 'bush scarer' from San Fransisco. Michelle was able to find a funny you-tube video about him. Once you click the link, you can view all kinds of little clips with him scaring people with his little fake bush, there are some really funny ones. I was surprised to hear him say he'd been doing it for 28 years. Who knew? Thanks Michelle for finding the clip*

Seattle, Day Four

Friday was the big day for Terry (Nancy's daughter's) and Brad's wedding, and the whole reason we were in Seattle. The wedding didn't start until 6:00, so we had the whole day to play. We decided that we'd hit the Aquarium first thing in the morning. We stopped by Top Pot doughnuts on our way to the bus stop and enjoyed yet another healthy breakfast.

The aquarium is really, really cool. It's set up similarly to the Monterey Bay one, but it actually seemed a little more 'hands-on'. It was also really well staffed, there was at least 1-2 people near the larger exhibits that would answer questions. Paige was bummed that the Seattle site didn't have the bat rays that you could touch, but really enjoyed watching an eel and octopus feeding. We spent a good 3+ hours wandering around.

   

In the picture below, Ally is looking at a diving bird...we actually saw these in the 3D movie the day prior. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the bird but it was totally amazing. It kinda looked like a penguin. Ally was fascinated and stood there for quite some time.

    

In the children's area, the kids took a *trip* to Hawaii (thus the shades and the shirts)....the staff member gave them a little lesson about keeping the beaches and oceans clean. The girls were totally into it. It cracked me up that Ally was participating. She wants to be a big kid, SO bad.

 

After leaving the aquarium we headed to the market, and then to the bus stop. Little did we know that although the aquarium is only a two streets below the market, there are over 100 steps UP to the street. Knowing how competitive my kid is (and that it would be impossible to carry her, or listen to the whining) I dared Paige to see if she could walk them by herself (knowing full well that she would never give up on a dare). Low and behold, she walked up EVERY STAIR, Jason held Ally and I carried both strollers.

We caught the bus back to the hotel, took a quick nap and got ready for the wedding. We took a cab to the wedding. Let's just say I'm not a fan of cabs. So, not a fan. Nuff, said.

Terry and Brad's wedding was at this house. The house was beautiful and perfect for a wedding. The wedding was really fun. They had a simple ceremony (perfect for Terry and Brad) and were married by a friend. This is the 3rd wedding that I've been to when the bride/groom are married by friends. I have to say, I like how much more personal the ceremonies are. I mean really, who knows you better? My Dad sang (he's 3/5 as far as singing in our weddings....just two more to go) a fun Johnny Cash song. After the ceremony we had munchies (I'm too tired to try and attempt the spelling of hor'duerves...is that right?). They served these little mini cheese burgers with caramelized onions and blue cheese....... holy crap, I ate 3.  D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S I tell ya. I would have gotten a picture, but really, I'd already eaten 3. I didn't need to announce my fat girl fetish with the delicious little buggers but photo documenting the moment.

 Dinner was served family style on long tables. It was SO fun, and unlike any other wedding I've been to. It was just nice to chat with family (Jared, Melissa, and Jon flew in for the wedding too) and hang out together. Of course dinner was followed by dancing (mostly done by the girls). Really, I think Paige danced for 2 hours. We left the wedding at about 11:00, exhausted...but looking forward to one more day in Seattle.

      

Terry and Brad- If you read this....I probably should have asked permission to post the photos, I hope it's okay....but....THANK YOU SO MUCH for inviting us to the wedding. We had so much fun at the wedding and the BBQ on Saturday. It was such a beautiful and personal wedding (does that make sense?). Thanks too, for sharing your city with us, we had an amazing trip!