Beach Baby

We just got back from our beautiful vacation to Seattle and the Oregon coast last week , just in time for 100+ degree weather here in Nampa. It's so hot! Yesterday I found a ladybug in my house so I, thinking I would be all nice and save it, let it loose outside. It landed on the sunny patio and died within 5 seconds from the heat. Sorry, little ladybug. So much for my gallant efforts. Oregon, I miss you already! I bet ladybugs live long, happy lives there. Too bad we couldn't stay in that cool, misty, green paradise for the rest of the summer! Sigh!

Rose loved the beach, especially the sand and the birds. Although it did take a while to convince her that the waves weren't about to swallow us all up and wash us out to sea.

At seven months pregnant, I didn't exactly cut the most striking figure on the beach . . .

. . . but oh well.

The house we stayed in was close enough to the beach to walk there barefoot, although those of us who didn't have Ryan's shoulders to ride on generally opted for flip flops. I could get used to that!

So serene!

Rose had a wonderful time getting re-acquainted with Grandma and Grandpa McLean. She bossed them around shamelessly, but they seemed to like it.

No end of fun things to do at Grandma's!

This shot is at a lighthouse at Cape Miers, but we were so busy taking pictures of our kid being cute we forgot to take one of the actual lighthouse.

This is our little attempt at a Fourth of July celebration. Rose didn't mind a sparkler or two, held by dad, at a safe distance.

But once we lit the ground blooms and fountains, the rest of the evening was spent like this. Again. I don't think there were quite as many tears as last year (see last July's blog post) but it was pretty close. I think now we've accepted the fact that our kid doesn't like things that go boom.