Midwest in July

SUCH a great trip to the Midwest in July, if a bit hot (106 when we landed in St. Louis). As usual, the Alton relatives made us feel so loved and at home. And the Iowans drove down! Great to see everyone.

Afternoons at the pool. A trip to the water park.  Lightening bugs in the backyard. Fireworks at the levy. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Not pictured: Kerch, Sophie, and Phillip -- we spent some really cherished time with them.

Dena and Elana hanging at the pool.

Bo.

Tillie and Chris.

Elaina and Chris. Fun to be with family.

Waiting on the fireworks.

More waiting on fireworks. Everyone has their method.

Tillie and Aunt Lori.

Tillie and Cousin Ashten.

Will and Tristen at the City Museum.

Some favorites from Hawaii

Hawaii in alphabetical order: beaches, blowhole, dophins, Grandma!, hot tub, Lahaina, luau, new friends Katie and Erica, pancakes, perfect weather, pools, sea turtles, snorkeling, whales.

Sandy Eggo

Tristen, on seeing the beach: "This must be why they call it Sandy Eggo!"

What a fabulous weekend. We didn't even rent a car -- just got a hotel on the boardwalk and went back and forth between the beach and pool. We also rented bikes a couple of days and rode the two miles of ocean front trail to Belmont Park for the arcade and rides. Total heaven.

Slideshow below. I am 20 weeks pregnant. Some of the pix are of Tristen and others on tsunami watch due to the earthquake in Japan.

July trip to Manzanita

We took a short vacation in the middle of July, and it rocked.

After spending a fabulous evening and lazy morning in Portland with Eric, Fred, and Miles, we hit the coast. We stopped at Waves of Grain Bakery in Cannon Beach, and I had the BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EVER. Very cakey. I also had the BEST ROSEMARY ROLL EVER. Yummy salt.

We arrived in Manzanita to find that the vacation home we rented was BETTER than the pix. When does THAT happen? We spent a day playing around as a family, and then Eric, Fred, and Miles joined us. Yay!

Morning runs, mid-morning hikes or beach trips, afternoon naps, late afternoon skimboarding and castle-building at the beach, relaxed evening meals, and late-night hot tubs with gin...It really was idyllic. A Play Station in the basement kept Miles and Tristen entertained in between activities.

Eric, Miles, and I attempted to watch Tour de France on the make-or-break day. We had to sit on a bench in a slight drizzle outside the library -- the only place in town we could find with wi-fi (what's up with the coffee shops in Manzanita? No wi-fi.). It was ungodly early, so the library wasn't open. When we lost power during the last 10 minutes of the very close stage, mayhem ensued. We scoured the neighborhood, laptop open, trying to suck power out of random outdoor outlets. Unable to find one that worked, we desperately dived into a coffee shop long enough to get a few minutes of battery power, then ran back toward the library -- again, laptop open -- in time to see Contador cross the finish line. (And of course, weeks later, Contador's sample came back positive for doping, making us feel like the chumps we are.)

I had a few moments on this vacation that were truly perfect. One was watching Chris and Tristen play on the beach while I laid down and nap-daydreamed in the sun and warm surface sand. I felt so happy and hopeful and grateful for my wonderful little family.

Another perfect moment was playing frisbee with Eric while Chris, Miles, and Tristen learned to skimboard nearby. Felt good to be active. I don't think adults jump enough. Jumping really is fun!

The drippy castle idea came from our cousins in the south. I hope we did you proud, Christine, David, Alex, and Julia!