Wyoming: Rafting

Michael with his hat on. (Also notice Joe and Kathy's expressions- Awesome!)

Michael without is hat on. (I actually think it is right behind his paddle and right in front of mine in this pic.)

R.I.P. Michael's hat.

This past week we spent our vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We did a bunch of fun stuff. Unfortunately, our computer is in the shop so we have no pics from our end. However, we did just get some pics from family.

Here are some of our Snake River rafting trip pics. Cameron, Kathy, Michael, Joe and I were all in one raft. It was so much fun. The guide in the raft behind us thought we were drunk. Joe and Michael did some funny stuff that kept all the other rafts entertained. One thing that they did was they took turns standing on the front of the boat while the rest paddled the raft in circles. It was a test of balance. The other thing they did was stand on opposite sides of the raft together and interlocked paddles. They were to lean back as far as they could as a test of trust. Lizzie, our guide, got them to lean back quite far and then took her paddle and broke the interlocking paddles. Both boys fell overboard into 57 degree water. But it didn't matter all that much. They were swimming in it long before the game. They made the trip so entertaining for all of us.

Cutie Pie

This is the most recent pic of Maia at 14 months captured by Auntie Laura. It turned out so cute. Way to go Laura! Maia isn't the easiest to capture on film. I love that we finally have a pic of her and her pig tails.

Oh Wow!

Does anyone find it funny when kids fake cry and pout and then suddenly stop?

I do! You only need to watch the first 5 seconds of this video to see what I mean.

Living for the Weekend

Saturday, July 18th, was a fun day. We went to the beach for cousin Sadie's 4th birthday and enjoyed food, folks, and sun.

Maia loved the feeling of wet sand between her toes.

Cousins

Uncle Dave came out from L.A. and we went to Tutor and Spunky's for lunch and consumed some awesome sandwiches. We also checked out Dana Point Harbor and soaked in the great scenery and companionship.

We had a great Saturday!

Peek-a-boo! Look who turned 30!

Yep, Joe turned 30! Happy Birthday, Joe! On Sunday we went to my mom's for a family party. We had a good time and played a game where we all designed a shoe just for Joe. Joe was the CEO of Shoeless Joe Enterprises and he had to hear our design pitch and see our fabulous sketches. We had some pretty awesome shoes.

On Tuesday, his actual b-day, I took Joe up to View Park (view point) in Laguna Niguel that overlooks several beaches from Dana Point up to Newport. We have done the same thing for the past 3 years. I packed a picnic dinner and we hiked this time to the perfect spot. I pulled out my journal and read to him entries that I had written when we were dating. After laughing over the entries and watching the sun set into the marine layer, we decided to go see a movie. We ended up seeing "Up." It was a cute movie and we had a great time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE! I still love you more and more every day!

NO LONGER CURIOUS

Maia's curious case is no longer curious. We've been in
contact with the infectious disease doctor and his
uber-smart friend. This is what they said
about Maia and the sunscreen:

"The sunblock may actually have helped by wiping off or
diluting out the lime juice on other parts of the body.
Most people do not put sunblock closely around the mouth or on
the hands, so maybe that explains the fact that the eruption
only occurred in certain areas. Also, the clothes she was
wearing may have had some effect on the distribution of the
rash, since any covered areas would not react. The timing is
a little off for phytophotodermatitis, however, because
usually the sun exposure occurs about a day before the rash
appears.

"In any case, it looks like a reaction to something that
came in contact with the skin, as opposed to an infection.
If it is secondary to limes, it can recur in the future and
you should be careful that she doesn't get lime juice on her
skin before sun exposure. She can continue to eat foods with
limes, however, because it is not an allergic reaction. It
is a chemical reaction that occurs when certain compounds in
the lime juice interact with ultraviolet light."

We are grateful for great doctors
(and my dermatologist cousin who said the same thing).

HELLO my name is...

MAIA!




Today Maia said her name and twirled in a circle. Little accomplishments and victories.