Photos from America

After two and a half weeks of visiting friends and family, eating big meals and kissing babies, we're back home again. Below are just a few shots from our trip, and a slideshow at the bottom with plenty more if you're interested.

Our first stop was in Mooresville, Mo., to visit my side of the family. We enjoyed a little fishing, bike-riding and goofing around with the boys.

Then off to Kansas City to see friends and so Jake could check in with his colleagues in the KC office. Don't worry -- I don't think he had to work too hard.

Hanging out with the guys: from left is Jeromy, Uncle Kent, Jim and Jake. They spent some good quality time watching football and playing dominoes.

A lot of things seem more expensive in NZ, so Jake and I were interested in picking up a few things on the trip. Of course I'm not sure what's more American than Wal-Mart.

Just to pick up the essentials of course: stick deodorant (I've only found spray and roll-on in NZ so far -- maybe I'm not looking in the right place), Tums Ultra 1000s (four big containers), sliced turkey, $5 bikini bottom, Visine, makeup, toothbrushes, and a couple of dove decoys for Jake's dad.

And you don't go to the Chillicothe Wal-Mart without seeing someone you know. I almost didn't recognize Tonya without her munchkins.

In addition to Wal-Mart, I did some stocking up on clothes and bought a nice jacket from REI that will be perfect for hiking.

And then on to the world's biggest barbecue competition, the American Royal, with our Chicago friends Jamie and Amy.

Hey Amy, what part of "barbecue festival" do you not understand? We're not sure exactly why you're eating cheese puffs, and aren't you allergic to dairy anyway?

The food was amazing! So amazing that Jake wasn't going to be distracted to smile for this shot. He's been looking forward to this for a long time.

Now allow me to introduce the newest member of our family, Lyla, who is Asher and Randy's little girl. Jake and I managed to work in a lot of baby-holding into our schedule since we won't have the opportunity again for a while.

Over in Wichita, her cousins Ella (left) and Emily spent a lot of time holding her too.

Here's Asher (right) at the baby shower with Shelly and Adena.

Jake and I even had the chance to meet up with Matt. This was our last night in KC before flying out to LA, and it made our 5:30 a.m. wake-up call seem much too early.

And a quick stopover in Orange County to visit Grandma Dolores and the family. Even though we showed up at Bill and Vickie's at 4 p.m. on a Monday, they fired up the grill and fed us some delicious barbecue. Then we topped it off with some ice cream cake -- Jake's favorite. With full bellies, we headed back to the airport, and I was asleep before the plane even took off. An excellent way to start off a 12-hour flight.

What a wonderful time we had seeing everyone! We can't possibly fit all the photos of our friends and family here, but want to thank everyone for going so far out of your way to feed us, house us and help us feel so special.

A few more photos in our slideshow: