Spring Break

Spring Break!!

Well, you wouldn't be able to tell it was Spring Break this week with the SNOW falling on April 1st...but I digress!

Last Friday our entire family...me, my sister and all her brood headed over the pass and into Seattle for a few days of fun. We bought Seattle City Passes and spent a busy weekend going from place to place to place. We even stayed in a hotel (which is totally my idea of camping out!)

Saturday morning, our first day of fun, we started out by heading to Pike's Place Market!

**NOTE** There are multiple blog posts and pictures for our weekend!!!

Which way is it to the Market?

Brandon and Ernie are no fun....I tell them to point and they just look at me funny and don't do it!!!

Here I am....I didn't get in a lot of the pictures this weekend! But I always take at least one of myself!

These two look like they might be planning something bad to get themselves in trouble...hmmm

Oh look, I told you they looked like they were getting into trouble!

I think they were trying to escape the parking garage...how they thought they were going to do that I'm not sure!

Wow! Rare Seattle sighting of Brandon and Brittany together (voluntarily!)

Please Aunt Rachel..the weekend hasn't even started and you are taking way too many pictures!

Again..the rare Brittany! Do you find it odd that you can only see one eyeball? I do!!

She got a haircut later this weekend from Aunt Camille and you can now see both eyeballs!

Do I measure up?

The famous pig by the flying fish people!! Woot-Woot!

Argosy Tour

The first activity we did with our Seattle City Passes was a one hour Argosy Harbor Tour aboard the Spirit of Seattle Here is the boat we went on....had to walk down this tremendously long, steep gangplank! The ship could hold almost 500 people; however, there were maybe 50-75 of us on this trip around the sound.

Here we have Brandon, Ernie, Dajia and Shannon looking totally excited to be headed out to open seas!

This is Maddy's, "I'm going to DIE" look!

She was so insistent that the boat was going to tip over and that we were all going to die. Being the good Auntie that I am I told her that at least we would all be in Heaven together if we did die!!

Isn't she a cutie patootie!

I think this may be one of the rare moments that she actually stood still the entire weekend and let me take her picture properly. The rest of the weekend was spent trying to get her to stay still!

Here is my other cutie...he always has a great big smile for me!

That big blob out on that buoy is a sea lion lounging in the sun!

Experience Music Project

With the City Passes we had the choice of EMP (Experience Music Project) or the Flight Museum...we chose EMP!! Did you know that EMP now has a Science Fiction Museum as well?

Susana...we need to go back...I think you would like the Science Fiction part of the museum...and it wasn't there when we went!

This is the view of the guitar monument from the 2nd level...hundreds of guitars along with other instruments (keyboards, bass guitar, etc)...very cool!


These two crack me up!

They have no idea what they are listening to, they just thought they needed to put all the headphones on that they saw. They actually sat and listened for quite some time!

EMP was fun; although it isn't the greatest place for the younger guys...they don't understand everything...but oh well!
Here is Rock Star #1

We were in one of those jam session rooms that you get for 10 minutes at a time...all three of the kids...Maddy, Mason and Dajia were playing the keyboards...quite LOUDLY!!


Rock Star #2

Mason was really getting into it

Seattle Aquarium

Sunday morning we started our day off by going to the Seattle Aquarium...have you been since they remodeled? They have this fabulously cool huge tank when you first walk in (really, in my opinion it is the coolest...I could have left after that...the Seattle Aquarium really hasn't changed much!)

Miss Elliana looks like she is having fun

Look...Dori was there!

And where you find Dori, you'll find Nemo!

Of course, there are the pools with all the star fish that you can touch (with only your pointer finger mind you!)

Here are Mason, Shannon and Maddy trying to figure out what is in the pool.

Ernie seems to be lecturing from the back...with coffee in his hand of course!

I am awed by the amount of fish in this school (are they smart since they are in school?...I know, I know...I hear the groans from all of you!)

My Little Snow Leopard...

My treat to the kiddos while at the zoo was something from the giftshop. Of all the things in the store Mason chose this Snow Leopard face mask!

We went to the zoo on Sunday and he wore it the rest of the day, Monday in the car and at the hotel, and all day Tuesday! He was so cute in it!

He wasn't so sure of my idea for him to "hide" in the bushes and pretend to jump out at me! We had to wait for everyone, and I mean everyone, to leave the area so that I could take his picture!

Oh, so super scary!!!

Please don't eat me.....
Once he got used to the idea he had me take his picture throughout the park...this is my little snow leopard over by the Elephants!Yes, even Dajia had to get in on the action...here is a baby snow leopard that I brought home from the zoo!

Do you think they've noticed she is missing? And of course...ME!!

How could I resist such a photo opportunity?

The Zoo

On Sunday, after the Aquarium we headed over to Woodland Park Zoo (which by the way took us almost an hour to get to because: A...we had to stop for lunch...B...people didn't know how to get there and C...people had to keep turning around to get on the right street!!!)Dajia and Mason visiting some long lost relatives in the Gorilla exhibit!

The tiger came out for a few seconds!

Big huge crocodile, who I'm sure was thinking..."How can I jump out of here and bite Rachel?"

The whole way to the zoo all I heard from Mason was how much he wanted to see the LIONS!!! We got a long view of them, then were able to get a little bit closer...he was totally excited!

Do I or Don't I?

Should I feed them to the Elephant?

Nope..the elephant would probably spit them out!!

We only saw one elephant this day! Why is it that Elephants are so dang fascinating?

Hungry, Hungry Hippos!

Sorry Mom, I have to rat you out!!!

When we were observing the Hippos...my Mom asked if the hippo in the back was fake or not!!

Sorry...it was too funny!

The giraffes were out, but not in a very good spot for picture taking!

These two flamingos were duking it out.

Do you find it as fascinating as I do that flamingos stand on one foot? I wonder how they keep their balance?

Science Center

Our last day in Seattle we spent playing at the Pacific Science Center! We got to play and visit all the exhibits as well as watch a 3-D movie...Under the Sea...um, I kinda took a wee little nap during the movie! :)Entering the Science Center!

Here are my little rats running around in circles...do you think they know they aren't getting anywhere?

This Elly (Elliana...my niece) is trying to prove that she can touch her chin with her tongue (no worries baby...you'll be able to do it someday!)

This Elly (Ellyson...my "niece") is thinking, "Are we done yet?"

I thought I'd hang out with the super skinny folks from the 1950's.

So do you think if you lived in the 50's that you were this color? Just wondering....

My little bugs...Mason, Carter, Dajia and Maddy

Butterflies eating lunch in the Butterfly walk-through. There were TONS of butterflies all over...especially on the ground. We really had to pay attention to where we were walking.

Another picture of the Butterfly Lunch Cafe

Watch out behind you!!! There is a praying mantis about to eat you!!!

Dajia inside a Duckbill (I think?) footprint in the Walk with Dinosaur exhibit!

Mason was super excited to walk through the Dinosaurs...and he kept asking me over and over....were these alive and then they died?

New Contest

I know, I know...I've been MIA for over a week!!! Sheesh...where does the time go?

I finished student teaching last Friday and then headed to Seattle for a few days of Spring Break...I promise I will sit down tonight and upload some pictures for you all...we had a lot of fun and did a lot of stuff!

However, there is another fun contest going in in the blogging world. This time The Benner Daily is giving not just one prize but three!! And one lucky winner is taking them all home! There are cute cards and your choice of jewelry from two different Etsy stores! So wait are you waiting for? Get your butt over there right now and enter!

Still procrastinating? Do I need to remind you of all the goodies I have won by entering contests? It can be done!

So scoot!