Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Summer Idaho Trip Part 3

Out of order, but this is me napping in Annie's backyard because Penny's deafening cough kept us up all night long for several nights in a row. On our drive up, kid you not, every time she felt a fit coming on she'd stand up and point forward, positioning her head directly in line with our ears, and "BAH!!! BAH!!!! BAH!!!! BAH!!!!! BAH!!!!! BAH!!!! BAH!!!!! BAH!!!! *hack*" 

Corinne's kids were excited to see her. I had warned them beforehand that she had a cough, but the moment I opened the bathroom door and she started up, they both hastily retreated with disturbed looks on their faces.



Mesa Falls


Yikesy salt and pepper holders at the Frostop on our way back from the falls.


Good root beer floats though.


On our last evening at my parents' place, this double rainbow appeared over their horse pasture. Gorgeous.


Ma 'n Charlie, apres bath.


We made a detour to The Farm on our way back to Heber (where we spent a night to shorten the next day's drive). Scenery overload:





Jon, testing the wheat for quality (?)


Yes, we all three wore bright orange, somehow. We walked into the kitchen that morning, gazed around at each other, and collectively shrugged.


Hummingbirds! Annie heaven.


Meeting Kelsey's latest, Charlie! They made a boy!!



Picking raspberries. NOMG.


Hazel meeting Penny.

Jon's other sister, Caylee, had given Kelsey the surprise of her life by flying in from freaking CANADA and just strolling through the front door of the farmhouse a couple of days before we got there, so it was awesome to see not one but TWO sisters-in-law that day!


Leaving the farm. I know this picture is huge, I did it on purpose because I love it.


More naps


"Lucky you; that's as demonstrative as Dash ever gets!" --Annie


Cuz I did her hair


Penny crawled into my lap as we drove through a little thunderstorm. Little did she know what was to come....


It was as scary as it looks. Close-range lightning, torrential downpour, and we barely avoided a rock slide on the road.


Other things that happened, unpictured:

  • Tony's Tacos in Heber (x2)
  • Scones at the Hub in Heber (x2)
  • NOT eating at the Hickory in Rexburg, even though I've been looking forward to it for a year (literally. I think of it at least once a week. That was the ONE WEEK A YEAR they're closed for cleaning!!!!) This was how we ended up eating gas station barbecue instead (see Part 1)
  • Ada pretending like she couldn't tell me and Corinne apart cuz she thinks we look alike. "I don't even know which one of you is my mommy!"
  • My mom asking us to clean up after dinner, then her coming back a half hour later and saying "You guys are off to a good start!" .....We thought we were done :(

Runner up for best moment of the trip: We went to see Planet of the Apes with Annie and Steve in Heber (their first viewing, our second) and stocked up on contraband at Walgreens beforehand. SIX boxes of candy plus drinks; a veritable feast. But after we bought our tickets, the lady goes, "Okay, now I need to check the ladies' purses."



We recovered slightly, both began muttering words, and drifted out the door to return our contraband to the car.

And the winner of best moment of the trip: Christa told us the most spectacular story. Her aunt and uncle were watching her parents' dog Taffy (Kathy??) while they were out of town. After about a day, Judy texted to see how they were getting along. The response: "Great! Taffy's sitting on Bob's lap as we speak" then, a minute later, "He keeps chewing his penis, is that okay?" Judy, horrified!!!, wrote back "NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and immediately showed Christa's sister Brittany the exchange.

Brittany assured her that Val meant Taffy kept chewing his own penis, not Bob's.



It's over!

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Summer Idaho Trip Part 2

Charlie! Five minutes after he hopped down off of me, Jon texted me this next picture:


^I spy a sneaky, long puppy^


Annie, Joseph, Jon


Selfie gone wrong.




Weenies 'n s'mores roast


Ada had a cell phone in-hand and was posing and snapping pictures of Corinne. "Now do this..."


At the zoo. Please zoom in and note Ada in the background.






Shooting with Jon and my dad. I don't want to talk about my shotgun skill level, but I showed no mercy on those clay pigeons with the .22. Somehow I shot the middle out of this while the rest remained perfectly intact?




Weird circumstances led to my dad and Jon bathing Joseph with hand soap in the mud sink (?).


Annie and ma!


Jon and The General out doing some sort of repair in the pasture


Gorgeous countryside


Per tradition, we drove to Driggs for lunch. Corinne spotted a good view on the way back and asked my mom to pull over so she could hike up this hill and snap a picture.


It was a cloudy day and the peak of Grand Teton was obscured, but still made for amazing scenery.


Headed from the water park to get snow cones. Totally unprompted. My little heart melted.


Hot tubbin'


My favorite picture of the trip? Ada waiting to go boating with Jon and The General. Corinne thought they were more ready than they were to leave and sent Ada outside to wait. So she did, and very patiently. She stood like this, holding her banana, staring into space, for four straight minutes while Corinne and I looked on from inside, laughing, before my mom sprinted out to keep her company.


While Ada was boating, we rode horses.






Corinne texted Jon to see how Ada was. Jon replied with this photo, captioned "Cool as hell."



One more post and done.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Summer Idaho Trip Part 1


Two weeks ago was our annual summer trip to Idaho! We drove all the way to Annie's house in Heber City, Utah from Chandler (12 hours) after I'd worked half a day on Thursday, so we got in pretty late. That didn't stop me from a morning visit with Owen, Christa's brand new baby (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), the next day in American Fork, though.

This first picture was what it looked like when she told me she was pregnant, when she told me she was in labor, when her sister told me he'd been born, when I saw the first picture of him, when she announced his name, when I met him (pictured), and a week later when I saw this photo. I'm typically not an emotional person (I think this might have been the only time Christa has ever seen me cry?), but this baby has done me in. Love him. Love her.




Lunch at SLAB pizza in Provo





Strolling with Annie to feed her friend's chickens and collect (multi-colored!!!) eggs.


View on the way.


Jon was there. Funny story: Annie had warned us that one of the black chickens is evil. She went in and aggressively rid the hutch of all chickens before inviting me in to hunt for eggs. I kept hearing a chickeny sound but it took a good 20 seconds to realize it was coming from inside the hutch and another 10 to locate it -- the mean black chicken was perched up high in the shadows, 3 feet directly over my head, watching us. I screamed.


Owen was blessed that Sunday so we swung by Christa's chapel on our way up to Idaho. Jon was sweet and stayed in the parking lot with Penny (who was suffering a horrific, window-pane-rattling cough that was RUINING OUR LIVES) so that Annie and I could attend Sacrament meeting. Partway through, Christa passed Owen down the row to me and I got to hold him for most of the meeting. Highlight of the trip.


HIS LITTLE HAND ON MY ARM!!!! I forced Annie to capture the moment.


The drive to Idaho. I sat in the back seat with the little invalid. This was her position for most of the trip: Clinging fiercely to my body, head wrapped around my shoulder. She likely had kennel cough which is really contagious between dogs, so she lived the trip quarantined in Annie's laundry room and my parents' bathroom.


Jon playing with Ada and Joseph right after we arrived in Idaho



Frolicking. Please note their nearly identical outfits.


Inventing games. Ada "reviving" Jon by honking his nose.





Sandbar!! Love this picture of all the kids (plus Jon) waiting dutifully in line for the slide.


Me and Manny


So proud of this shot. One more, for fun:



Joseph, the Slowest Slider



With PopPop


Compare to two years ago


Flock of pelicans


Ada was ready for round 2 after she warmed up a bit






The sisters Sweet


Headed to the cheap theater to see Edge of Tomorrow (2nd viewing for all parties. Fun flick.)


Classy gas station lunch. Corinne even hired a sitter!


I honestly did not think I'd taken so many pictures. At least one more post to come...