Jen and Micah in the hotel in Quito

We went with family friends, the Kazaglas family from Chicago. From left to right, here are Peter, Micah, Sadie, Chloe, and Alexandra.

We also got to reconnect with Gretchen and Gus -- here are Micah and Gretchen in Quito

Chloe and Sadie, instant friends

The whole gang on a city adventure before flying off to the Islands

One of the city highlights was a park loaded with Iguanas roaming freely around

Another handsome guy

They are friendly and peaceful (unless, of course, you are an insect)

Brian and Jen posing for a moment

A beautiful succulent plant reminds us we are near the Equator

A red-footed booby ... the red feet are because of the kind of algae they eat

The word "booby" comes from Spanish "bobo," which means "clown." They walk in a clownish way.

A sea lion just hanging out on the beach. They were everywhere.

Micah gets to drive the boat

And now it's Sadie's turn

Sadie checks out a Sea Lion

Seriously, you have to be careful not to step on them!

These are called Christmas Iguanas because of their coloring

They also have this awesome little smile

They love relaxing in the sun and the sand, so I guess they're not so different from us

Sea lions with this lighter tan coloring are juveniles

A Christmas Iguana strikes a nice pose

A lava lizard with its remarkable orange coloring. Some species live primarily on lava.

This is a Nazca booby. They lay two eggs in the hope that at least one survives; if both survives, the older kills the younger.

Sea turtles!!

Proof that sea turtles and humans can live in harmony

A famous giant tortoise

A gorgeous mural-mosaic we found on one of the islands

Beautiful plantlife

A great reminder to all of us to stay flexible

We even snorkeled with Galapagos penguins!

Volcanic rock was all over

Our awesome boy stopping at a vista

And here's one of the whole family

The kids enjoying a sunset

As we were leaving the Islands, here was a nice reminder of who they REALLY belong to