costa rica

We went to Costa Rica.

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I think Tabacon Hot Springs is my new version of Eden.

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Hot rivers and massage-style waterfalls.

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Black-bottomed pools of varying sizes and temperatures set into the jungle.

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At the base of a volcano.

There was a water slide, which meant that Elan was in heaven.

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He was in a stunningly good mood for the first part of our trip, which we made sure to enjoy in case it changed suddenly. Which it did, but that's a story for later.

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Emry had a fever for the first four days of our trip, topping off at 103.9 degrees. I had to buy a thermometer at the grocery store in San Jose (Costa Rica, not California) since it was the one thing I forgot to pack. Of course, it was in Celsius, but lucky us, we had the Internet, so we didn't have to actually do math while comforting a toddler who'd just had a rectal temperature taken.

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He might have been glassy-eyed, but he could still live it up at the swim-up bar.

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Kid's a rock star.

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Our hotel room here was a splurge. But it was big enough for an indoor soccer game, so we definitely didn't go wrong.

And perfect for room service breakfast.

Which, when you're traveling with two small children, is anything but romantic.

But then you get this, too, which is pretty fun.

We were traveling with our Irish travelin' friends, Mike & Maud, who we first met 10 years ago in South America. 

Bless their souls for traveling with us and our pesky kids. They gave us a date night. They packed the car (our suitcase & duffle on the roof so we could fit all 6 of us in one SUV). They entertained our children. They entertained us.

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And they took many of these awesome pictures.

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I think this is my new happy place.

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*Starred photos - credit Michael Moclair, Maud O'Connor

Thanks for everything, guys!