Mommy's Trip to Costa Rica

Cameron,
Mommy is finally getting around to sharing all about my trip to Costa Rica over Thanksgiving. I wish that you and Daddy could have gone with me, but now that you are a big two-year old girl, we couldn't afford to buy three tickets! I was very happy to spend some time with Grammy and get to meet your new baby cousin, Naomi. Since she was born the day right before your birthday, Mommy got to see her celebrate turning four weeks old. Isn't she just precious?

But knowing that this was a pretty laid back trip, I think that you and Daddy had a great time here staying busy and visiting everyone. I was a little unsure of what we would be eating for Thanksgiving, but Amy and Mina worked hard to do lots of shopping and find tons of good stuff. We even had a Butterball turkey! Granted, I had no idea how to cook it and I was a little grossed out by the process. You should just ask your Grammy about my spectacular skills in making deviled eggs! Uncle Mina did a great job carving up the turkey that evening after a long day of cooking.

We even had the pleasure of meeting two of Amy's friends from work. They are both Americans that didn't have family to spend the day with, so we all had a great time eating and sharing stories. It was nice to know that Amy has some wonderful ladies to be around at work even though their jobs can be frustrating at times.

It was admittedly a nice change to not be on any sort of schedule, so at least a few hours a day, we would all just be lazy and read a book or watch a movie. I think Miriam has developed a pretty serious addiction to popcorn, so she had to get a fix at least once a day too. You will have to ask her how she can stand to eat it with all that lime salt all over it. I tasted some and it was pretty awful! But we love her anyway...

One of my favorite parts of the trip is visit we made to a botanical garden in San Jose. They have several sections of the really enormous gardens, each with a sort of theme and separate sections. There was a whole greenhouse for orchids with some really unusual ones. I guess I always appreciate things that I know I could never keep alive myself!

We had a great time just walking and talking, and don't forget taking tons of pictures!

(Okay, I just discovered how to create collages online for free and download them, so don't judge me if I get a little carried away...)

We also had an interesting time at the downtown market. Amy said it was definitely not a touristy area and that I was seeing the "real San Jose." It sure smelled real. :) Mom decided to relax at home with Naomi that afternoon, so it was just Mina, Miriam, Amy and I. I bought some beautiful woodwork that had all the exotic woods from Costa Rica, including one called purple heart that is my favorite. I came home with a small cutting board and a small round serving tray with a mosaic pattern and a hummingbird in the middle. I also bought you a traditional Costa Rican dress with tons of beautiful embroidery and a cute purple soccer jersey from the Costa Rican team. You can grow into them for next summer!

It was such a wonderful trip, even though it seemed short. I was jealous that mom got to stay with them a whole extra week! But I hope that someday, I will be able to take you and Daddy to whatever exotic place Amy and Mina are living at! No trip is too far for family.