The Dirty 30 for Miss Nicki

We helped Nicki ring in her 30th bday with a very fun evening on Saturday. Brian planned such a fun day for his gal. Nicki hit a few of her former haunts, picking up friends at each stop and we ended with a fabulous dinner in Eastlake. In true diva style Sloane rocked not one but four outfits that evening...she arrived in her Husky gear, quickly changed into her pink party dress, donned the jammies later in the evening, and then had to resort to the emergency outfit after a blowout on Nicole's lap. Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited Sloane. Sorry auntie Cole!

The birthday girl


Sloane got some QT with Nicole


Andrea rolled a mean pizza


Brian and Sloane


Sisters


After a very fun and very late night, we were all excited to sleep in on Sunday

Husky Fever

John took Sloane to her first Husky tailgate and football game on Saturday. We decked the girl out in purple and gold (plus the pink bow dad insisted on so everyone would know she's a girl) and the duo made it through a full half of Husky dominance. Get 'em started young!

Daddy/daughter day


The twins and their kiddos


Mimi and Bobba stopped by the tailgate

Goodbye Kitchen

Adios gross yellow and brown tile countertops that are impossible to keep clean. So long nasty, old faucet coming out of the wall. Bye-bye cupboards that won't close. Our kitchen remodel has begun! I am thrilled that we are starting this project much earlier than we originally planned and I know the next few weeks of washing bottles in the bathroom sink and eating out most meals (fun at first, but not after a couple of weeks) will be so worth it!
The kitchen before:



I was a little more than excited to rip those countertops out


Strong like bull


The kitchen after our day of demo on Friday:

Road trip to the mother country

Last week we packed our bags, gassed up the car and headed out on the open road to spend a few days in Montana with the Morell family. People kept telling us how easy it was to travel with an infant and, luckily, they were right! Sloane slept pretty much the whole ride there and back. We had an awesome few days with Mimi, Bobba, uncle Matt, auntie Nikka, Mayson, Max, and Uncle JJ. It was my favorite type of lake vacation...a combo of sunny days on the dock and rainy days snuggled inside. We swam, played in the lake, rode sea-doos, fished, golfed, played games, cooked, read, and took lots of pictures! Thanks for a wonderful trip guys...can't wait for next summer.

We classed up the drive over by breastfeeding in not 1, but 2 McDonald's parking lots. John was kind enough to park directly in front of the door at the first stop. Hello Spokane!


Mayson couldn't wait to put on her 'kini'


and head right to the water


Poor Coop! She loved running back and forth in the water but this city dog's paws didn't fare so well. John socked her up to keep her from licking her wounds and bleeding on the carpet. She hated it and did a weird sort of prancing walk.


But luckily Mayson was there for moral support.


We danced


And hung out on the couch


The boys cleared some huge logs from the beach




Uncle JJ sported Sloane in the Moby for a walk through town.


We each took a night to make dinner for the group and had some delicious meals.




Max surprised John (aka Captain Awesome) with some cool new pajamas.


Bobba and Mayson spent hours working on a sticker book and playing memory. No one was quite sure why he thought it was a good idea to teach her slap jack though.


He also spent lots of time talking with Sloane.


The cheeks keep getting bigger and bigger.


Uncle JJ and Max


Mr. Max and Sloane


John snuggled with his girls


Nice muscle tee Max Montana Morell! This guy was prepared for his Montana trip and sported some type of camo every day.


Uncle JJ taught Mayson how to walk the runway. She may be moving to LaLa land soon to live with him and pursue a modeling career.






Mimi and Sloane. Miss S sported a different pretty dress for dinner each night. I'm pretty sure she went through more clothes than the rest of us combined, but we have so many cute outfits to get through and the girl is growing like a weed.


Mimi & Max


Daddy & his girl


Mayson and Coop anxiously awaited the return of the fishermen.


I love this girl!






We took lots of naps.


We took advantage of some amazing sunsets for some family pics.








Some of us liked it more than others.


Luckily Mayson recovers quickly.


Crazy lady, we love you!


One of the highlights of the trip for me was a visit with my wonderful Godparents, Kirke and Helen. It was such a treat to see these two and we were all thrilled that Helen brought over a big batch of her famous chocolate cookies.


Beautiful sky. There's a reason they call it God's country.