This Past Month...

Here is the low-down...

The boys and I flew out to Iowa in July to visit my family. It had been 14 months since we last saw them which was difficult because we were used to seeing them every 3-4 months when we lived in TN. We had a great trip (except for the extreme turbulence we encountered while flying) and spent a lot of time hanging out and doing some fun things.

The boys loved playing with my brother's dog, Wrigley. The previous visits, Thane was very unsure of Wrigley and maintained a safe distance. Not this time. It was good to see.


We went miniature golfing...

That's Poppy (my Dad), Nana (my Mom), Uncle Corey (yep, my little brother), and soon-to-be Aunt Erin (yep...I like her!). They are getting married in June 2010 and we are all in the wedding party! How cool is that?!?

The water behind them is pretty scary, huh?!?

I got a huge laugh at this. Fake palm trees. (Tee Hee!) Alright, I have to admit...the first time I saw a palm tree in CA, I thought it was pretty cool. You just don't have those in IA. Unless of course you are at the miniature golf course!

We went to Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines...

And no trip to IA is complete without spending the day at Adventureland!!!!!

I know what you are thinking..."An amusement park? In Iowa?" Seriously, this is the BEST park too! Lots of great rides, not overly crowded, and very clean. It's fabulous!

What was really cool about this trip is a couple of my cousins and their kids joined us. It was great getting to share it with all of our kids since we all used to go together when we were younger.

The Kids

The Frog Hopper...favorite ride of all the kids. Well, I guess one of them didn't care for it too much. But she hung on until the end of the ride! And it's not the cute lil' girl in this pic.

My cousin, her husband and their kids, plus Nana and Magnus.

Thane and Nana

When we got home to CA, Magnus spent a week organizing a bicycle race for the neighborhood kids. He gathered participants, made medals, and created flags. Collin was the photographer for the day. Despite 6 kids signing up, only 3 actually raced...






Last Sunday, Collin woke me up by saying, "Wanna go to the beach?" Yep. I did.

First we stopped at a picnic area in Pt. Reyes Recreational Area. It's just north of San Fransisco. Then we stumbled upon this...

...it's the Earthquake Trail. The 1906 earthquake that destroyed San Fransisco moved this fence 16 feet. It spanned the San Andreas Fault.

Check out this way cool tree! It was just screaming, "Climb me!" So, we did.

Then we hit the beach...

This is Drake's Beach

Then we went to North Beach...

So, now that summer is over, guess that means it is back to the books for us...starting next week.