Lauren's trip to the beach

I've been MIA lately because we took a lovely family vacation to Seaside, Oregon, and we left all laptops behind. It was wonderful!

Lauren, of course, had a brilliant time in Seaside. Besides the fact that it's on the beach, it's just made for kids with a long promenade to run on and lots of fun shops to look in. They have amazing ice cream and candy shops and a beautiful carousel. Lauren had never been on one, and she ended up getting to ride three times over the course of our trip. The first time, she chose a regular brown horse. The second time, she chose a black cat with a gold fish in its mouth, and the final time she chose a "reindeer" that I think was just a regular deer. She loved every second!

She also had a great time on the beach. The water was frigid, though you'd never know it watching Lauren. She loved running in and out of the surf and flopping down in the little pools that were created as the time went out. Digging in the sand was another favorite, and on our last full day, we made a sandcastle. Jeremy and I were in charge of the major engineering, of course, but she really helped.

Another highlight is that two of college couple friends joined us down there and brought their children, so Lauren had year-old Joel and six-month-old Addie to play with. She had the best time helping the moms and entertaining the babies. I know I've said it before, but she's really great with kids. She's an enthusiastic, loving little helper.

A couple of Lauren funnies from the week:

-In the bath tub, when Jeremy said he was getting the shampoo: "No, Daddy! It's shamTIGGER!" Get it?

-As I put her plate down in front of her: "Eating is my favorite game!"

-I was getting her into her bathing suit and told her she was cute. "No, Mommy," she said, "I'm GREAT!"