"Doesn't it feel it little bit more like home with our Brita?" Jake

• we went home...and it was wonderful
• most schools here had a winter break from July 13th-29th, so that's when we planned our ~10 day trip back to the States...a little too short in my opinion, but that's life
• we had a quick stop in Chicago for a couple days...when we got into the city Wednesday morning, I was bursting with excitement and happiness!!! (so cheesy, but true)

• look how excited I am to have a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and donut...(I don't even really like Dunkin that much...)

• we dropped our bags then headed to lunch...been craving Thai food for weeks now
• yes, I post a lot of pictures of food...but check out Joy's Noodles chicken pad thai! oh yum...

• then we did a lot of shopping before meeting up with friends at Schoolyard, a favorite bar and grill on Southport
• SO grateful for all of our friends who stopped by to catch up with us...really means a lot - thank you!
• below is a few of us enjoying the skillet cookie...dangerously delicious

• the next morning, Jake and I ran through our old neighborhood, past my old school and along Lake Michigan (felt a big groggy from so many American beers the night before..was just so excited!)
• later, I met up with my favorite former Greeley colleagues for coffee at Intelligentsia, then had lunch with Lauren @ Southport Grocery :)

• after visiting Aon we met up for a drink with the Argentinean couple who is doing the exchange with us (super nice, and fun to exchange stories)
• Thursday night we were at Midway for our short (but unfortunately delayed) flight to Omaha, we arrived after midnight and were greeted by my parents and (somehow still awake) little Ricky
• so great to see the kids...Alex became potty-trained while we were gone (GO ALEX!)
• here is a picture of them hanging out in the bathroom (funny, funny kids who grow WAY too fast!)

• Ricky opening his belated 7th birthday gift: a Spanish workbook (shush, he liked it), Cars pencil case, colored pencils, a deck of Boca Junior's playing cards (popular Argentinean soccer team), and lots of treats

• Irelynn enjoying her pepito alfajor (chocolate chip cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche, bathed in chocolate)

• lots of swimming took place with 100+ degree weather back in Iowa

• SEE?!?!  they're just so darn  cute!

• Jake's parents, along with Noah and Tiffany joined us for the weekend = 13 people and 3 dogs in 1 house...wouldn't have wanted it any other way! was so much fun to have everyone all together
• check out the strawberry rhubarb pies that Jake's grandma helped Mary bake...between these and mom's apple pies, I was so sweetly spoiled!

• Irelynn enjoying her garbage Jerry's pizza while listening to the live music

• Mary spending some QT with little Evelyn

• (most of) the group at "Fridays on the Promenade", Sioux City

• couldn't get over little Jack and Alex's cute dancing

• traded shades

• lucky enough to be home for Sioux City's RockN Rods! I really thought it was going to be pretty lame, but I actually kind of enjoyed live car racing...

• ...and looking at the cool old cars was fun too...
• and seeing how some of the downtown areas have changed for the better (I even found the block where Jake and I are going to open a Trader Joe's, Fleet Feet running store, coffee shop and bakery (will also sell kimbap), and CorePower yoga studio :) ...can't wait to move back to Sioux City

• Saturday was pool party day at the Feauto house
• thank you to all who stopped by to swim, eat, and chat, and thanks to mom and dad for all the wonderful food, drinks, and hospitality...we are so lucky

• Ricky celebrating his successes in pool beer pong (minus the beer of course)

• a better view of this great game from the deck

• peaceful escape from city life

• the kids were absolutely in love with Caesar (Mary and Paul's weimaraner brought all the way from Wisconsin)
• here is Mary showing the kids his tricks (and them joining in)

(Ricky didn't get a treat for rolling over)

• mom let me pick the meals while we were home, so I chose: Jerry's pizza, cookout food (brats, cheeseburgers, salads, etc.), roast with potatoes, carrots, etc (Jake's fave...Mary brought venison roast), spaghetti and meatballs, tacos, omelets, Ricky's hibachi grill (see pictures later in the post), and desserts included apple pie, monster cookies, sugar cookies from the cookie lady, and smores
• can you guess what we had for dinner on Monday night?

• spaghetti and meatballs! (this is Ricky's very large bowl of pasta at the END of dinner...oftentimes his eyes are too big for his stomach!)

• while Mary and Paul were in town, we drove up to LeMars (Ice Cream Capital of the World) for ice cream at the Blue Bunny parlor
• then we drove home and rounded out "dinner" with popcorn and a movie

• the girls helping grandpa make omelets for breakfast one morning

• now THIS is a breakfast!

• matchers

• Grandma, Grandpa, Jake, and I took the kids mini-golfing
• thanks Megan, Jack, and Eve for joining us on this super hot, sunny day!

• ahhh...cooling off in the pool after a rough day of golf

• this is the life...poolside beer and book...falling asleep in the hammock 

• my brother, Ricky (CPA...congrats!) is an excellent chef...by request he made his famous hibachi grill styled fried rice, shrimp, steak, grilled vegetables, complete with homemade yum yum sauce!  Thanks Ricky!

• family around the dinner table

• our last night...Jake got some great sky shots around the Sioux City countryside

• so great to be home! we are back in BA safely, fully equipped with new running shoes, peanut butter, and an array of tortilla chips (and our Brita;)
• until next time...chau chau todos! besos y abrazos!!!

*special thanks to those who travelled to see us (Mary, Paul, Caesar, Noah, Tiffany, Matt, Jackie, and Matt....you guys are awesome! we love you!!!)