It was one of those vacations...

...that you need another vacation afterward to recover from.  Don't get me wrong - it was great!  Nothing beats getting those cousins together in Portland, OR with Daniel's family, and also going down to see my family in Phoenix!

But the trip had its other moments.  Allergies, pinkeye, fever, and runny eyes/nose all made an appearance.

But still, overall we were lucky.  The weather was cooperative, even at home while we were gone.  We'd had a dry winter so far in Wichita (unusual), so we were pretty sure that after nine days away, we would get back and have to dig our car out of a snowdrift in the airport parking lot (at 9:30pm).  But amazingly, it was actually raining the night we got back..that's right, warm enough at 9:30pm to be raining!  And yeah, we've been home six days now and still no snow.  I'm convinced we're going to get the whole winter's worth at once, in like, April.

I had my last week of my first trimester while we were gone, and wow, this is the best part of pregnancy!  Energy!
Appetite!
I almost forget I'm pregnant sometimes, except for this little growing belly.  Yes, I'll start taking pictures soon.

Speaking of pictures, I took quite a few, so I think I'll split them up, with stories from the trip, over several posts.

Starting from even before we left...

Lights on the house!  Didn't get put up until the night before our departure, but that's okay.

 For the sake of time, mess, and a queasy stomach, I decided to just cover things in chocolate in lieu of making cookies.  Pretzels are as far as I got.  I tried one Oreo but it didn't really work out.  These were pretty good though.  And also just pretty.  :)

I opened one gift before we left on our trip.  My new sling - a mei-tai!  It's may-tie.  I was looking for something more versatile (front/back/hip), and this is it!  Here's a link: www.meitaibaby.com.  I didn't order from this site (muy expensivo), but it gives you a good idea of what it's like.  

I opened it early because I intended to use it during our trip, especially getting through the airports, but that didn't happen.  The day before we left, Hollie squished a banana all over it.  I washed it, hung it up to dry...and there it stayed.

We have used it a few times, using the back carry in my photo, and I think Hollie likes it!

The whole Leger clan came to meet us at the airport!  Hollie insists that everyone hold hands.

     

The same day, we took the girls up to ride the tram, and got a great view of the city.  There are two trams, which people ride to get to Oregon Health Science University, which is up on a big hill.  You can also drive, but why would you when you can ride one of these? ...  

This is the other tram passing us, going the other direction.

 

Looking back up at OHSU.

 

Hello Portland!

Later the girls chilled out...

...and had a snack.

------------------------

More pictures on the way!