Summer Travels 2013

The trips we made this summer to Utah, California, and Texas were wonderful! I was able to see all seven of my siblings, who live scattered across four states, and enjoy an extended and immediate reunion with all of Steve's family.
Highlight reel:
Utah, Steve's mom's side family reunion
- Stayed at Timber Moose Lodge, which is Heber's answer to Citizen Kane's Xanadu.
- Lots of helpers with kids on my solo journey (Steve was working)
- Stewart Falls hike
- Bounce house, video games, swimming pool, and hot tub
- Luchador mask wearing
- Visiting my sisters and my niece and nephews, seeing them all play together

California
- A horrible mix-up where someone on our airport shuttle exited with one of our bags, leaving their bag (which they had clearly marked with a gaudy fob of 50 bright pipe cleaners and a neon paper smiley face the size of a grapefruit) instead. After a stressful 90 minutes of frantic phone calling everybody at the DFW airport we found ourselves hustling to board our flight with their bag (it is not that easy to abandon a bag at an airport). As luck would have it, we were all going to the same place! We met them at baggage in San Diego and swapped. Meanwhile, we had the worst flight with the kids. C had scarlet fever (I know, right) and was angry and itchy the whole flight. Viv is mover, and planes don't play nice with movers.
- Relief. Beach. Good food and even better people.
- Working with C in the pool, watching him get comfortable in the water.
- Farewell to Aunt Ally!
- Tide pools
- Cruisin' Grand, El Salvadorian food, hula hoop contest
- In-N-Out
- Dark World board game. Epic.
- Wild Animal Park, lorikeets, elephants!

Texas
- Children's Museum in New Braunfels had a batcave. C's paradise, and turf. He tried to scare off other kids.
- Family! Our visit coincided with other siblings being able to be in town, so we were thrilled to see them.
- Riverwalk and Alamo walkabout, but it felt more like swimming it was so humid.
- Ice cream
- Cool DIY projects
-Tubing on the river. C was only a fan of the chutes, but Viv loved the water and her arm floaties so much that she preferred to be dragged along in the river while we floated in the tubes.