Lincoln and our vacation to Cayuga Med

Lincoln is home now and doing great, he is a fun baby to have around!

 Lauren is recovering great! They took out her staples before we left the hospital, and she is able to take care of Lincoln like nothing ever happened.

When he is awake, he loves to look around and stare at the faces around him. 

 We don't know what color his eyes will be yet, but they are definitely big!

  Lauren's parents are here helping out, it has been really nice having the extra hands around, especially as I get back into school. Thanks Karen and Ron!

 His car seat is a little big for him, even with the extra infant padding.

He is figuring out how to suck his thumb and loves to move his arms all over. 

Nicaragua for their famous Turkey

Thanksgiving came and we just couldn't let a chance to go on a quick trip be wasted so we flew down to Nicaragua for what could possibly be our last trip before Lauren has the baby!

 We rented a little house from some dude on airbnb, it had two little rooms and a ktichen patio area that overlooked the beach. We came down with Lauren's parents and it was perfect for us. The town we stayed in is called San Juan Del Sur, it has quite a few expats but it still felt pretty authentic. We bought fresh fish from the fish market that had been caught that day and made fish tacos that were amazing. It got us excited for Seattle and the fresh fish up there.

 There was a pretty cool surf beach near by that had some nice breaks. Last time I went surfing was in New York and a wave clobbered me and popped my shoulder out. I came up out of the water with a stomach full of new york ocean water, which isn't good for anyone. I was still scared from that and so I wasn't able to surf at all but it was fun to watch.

 On Thanksgiving I was a little bummed that I only had rice and beans for dinner so I was moping around and we came into this pizza shop and I asked if they could make us a Nutella pizza. Amazingly they pulled out a big jar and slathered it on one for us. For those Nutella fans out there, it was as good as it sounds.

 This is a picture of one of the Volcanoes we went to see, we took a ferry over there.

 When we got there I spotted some dirtbikes for rent. Driving a motorcycle around a country that I have never been to before is one of my favorite things, Lauren was a sport and let me have my way.

 This is what a Pregnant girl looks like when she is not happy that she just rode a motorcycle around a volcano.

 One of our stops on the ride was to agua de ojo. It is this natural spring in the middle of the jungle. You can actually camp there, which I think would be great. It is cool and refreshing and there is even this awesome rope swing, just like Hobbs Pond.

 Ron and Karen (Laurens parents) made the trek with us. Half way through the pavement ended and the road turned a little dicey. There was loads of cows all over the road, we got stuck behind some for a little while before finally weaving through them.

The island with the Volcanoes is called Isla de Imotepe, it was my favorite part of the trip. If you ever go down to Nica, you need to go there and if I went again I would stay there for a night or two. Nicaragua is a really cool country, everything is still really cheap, there are lots of outdoor activities, and it is not very touristy at all.

Rental house $25 night + 2.5 hour cab ride from airport $60 + motorcycle rental $20 + fresh fish $3 = about $180 for the trip

A Babymoon in the Holy Land

We finally did it.  We have been talking about if for the past year but we finally made it to Israel.  It was a short trip.  We left on Saturday, got there Sunday and then left at midnight on Tuesday.  The flights were great, we slept for most of the 11 hour plane ride, of course it helps when you are flying first class (don't be too jealous i had to deal with a lot of angry travelers to get those seats!).
We landed mid afternoon on sunday and then took a shared taxi straight to our hotel.   I found a nice bed and breakfast place that was $60 a night right by the bus station.  After getting settled in we went straight to the old city to do some sight seeing.

The Old City

Inside the walls of Jerusalem - King Davids Tower

The Western Wall of the Temple (very sacred place for jews)

On our second day we went to Masada and the Dead Sea. Masada is this ancient city built up on a hill that is the site of where a bunch of Jews held off the Romans and ended up committing suicide rather than being taken captive. Really cool area, pretty dang hot, well worth the trip, especially if you can borrow some hats from your guesthouse to shield the sun.

Masada overlooking the dead sea

Coolest hat ever

Cave dwelling of Masada residents

Ancient bird houses in Masada

Later that day we caught a bus to the dead sea, it was really cool, the lowest point on earth. Swimming in it was awesome, you seriously can't sink if you wanted too. The water was less refreshing than we had hoped because it was warm and the salt burns but to be able to get one of those pictures while reading, I would take just about anything.

Why doesn't he slick his hair back all the time?

Our last day we went back to the Garden of Gethsemane and that area of Jerusalem. It was a little tricky to get into a few of the areas because of some religious holidays but we were still able to see a lot. It was amazing to see how the city is viewed as such an important area for three major religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It never felt unsafe even with the clash of cultures and the history of the region.

Olive tree at Garden of Gethsemane

Orson Hyde park at the Mount of Olives

View of the Dome of the Rock

This is a great country to visit and we could have spent much more time if we were to explore other areas like Galilee and that region. The bus system is great, except for some reason the concept of a line hasn't made it's way to Israel yet, everyone is pushy and cuts in front of you. We loved the trip and it was a great way to celebrate out last 5 months without kids tagging along!

Hotel for 2 nights $120  +  Masada entrance fee $12 + Bus from airport $20 each + having a falafel everyday $5 each + buying stuff at the market $who knows = about $400