Jonathan was able to get an entire week off of work at the last minute- making our plans do-able! I spent all day Wednesday cleaning the house and packing our van with a plethora of snacks, movies, suitcases, etc. Jonathan came home and washed the outside of the van with the kids- it was super hot that day! 97 degrees- yikes!
Early in the a.m. on Thursday (the 3rd) we began our drive to Idaho- about a 7 hour stretch. It really wasn't so bad, though. All I can say is life is SO much easier with a minivan :) I mean, just look at how well everyone sleeps! (I took quite a few naps, too, but thankfully no one took pictures. lol)...Charlotte especially loves van naps.
Despite our AC going out a few times (an issue we're taking care of right away!), we had a very enjoyable and scenic drive.
(sorry, I just really love car seat pictures...obviously...)
Also, thank heavens for frequent rest areas. I can hardly contain my bladder- this babe's getting kinda big!
We arrived in Parma, Idaho around 3 pm. We were to stay there for the night with Jonathan's parents before continuing on to Utah the next day. It works out perfectly that their house is halfway between Salem and Sandy.
Of course, we had to say hello to Grandpa's animals. The kids love going to the farm!
They explored all over, and saw pheasants...
chickens, baby chicks, goats...
Charlotte is scared of goats (which I learned at the petting zoo a few weeks ago), but if she gets to brush them the fear disappears and the desire to nurture takes over. Well, these goats don't get brushed often... sooo when she came towards Lulu with a bristly comb, Lulu panicked and head butted poor Charlotte's rump. She was pretty traumatized :( Hopefully she forgets about it before the next time we visit!
The photo is blurry- but this is right before the head-butting...
We distracted her sorrows with cows. It worked.
The little redhead is Ethan, our nephew. He and Talmage are the same age and have always loved being together. He lives in Texas now but his family came up to visit, too.
After getting all our wiggles out and resting for a bit, we all drove a few towns over to watch fireworks over the river. It was super busy in that tiny town, but we managed to find a spot right by the river and let the kids sit on top of the van (with Jonathan supervising of course...no way was I hoisting this belly up there).
Our kids usually love fireworks, but because we were so close they were *really* loud. Ethan kinda freaked out about the loudness, which made Talmage freak out. Once I assured Ethan that the noises were really cool, Talmage eased up, too. haha. We played the game "guess which color this one will be" and it kept them entertained enough to pull their hands off their ears. Charlotte, on the other hand, only wanted to wrap her arms around daddy while he covered her tiny ears with his palms. She didn't cry- just watched with big eyes and a trembling lower lip.
After it was done, she said slowly but confidently, "I like fireworks."
To which Talmage replied, "Charlotte thinks they're pretty and I think they're cool-mazing!" (his new word). These kids crack me up.
It was late when we got to bed, but I had a suspicion that every single night of our vacation would be that way. Plus- its just easier to get kids to sleep in an unfamiliar place when they're completely exhausted!
One not so fun part about our trip...a day or two before we left Oregon I got sick. Just a stress cold, but enough to make me miserable. It got worse with each day and by the time we left for Utah on July 4th, I was pretty sure I would roll over and die. haha. I couldn't stop coughing and blowing my nose- and the sinus pressure was excruciating. Why is it that sickness comes at such inconvenient times? Anyways... to be continued!
Early in the a.m. on Thursday (the 3rd) we began our drive to Idaho- about a 7 hour stretch. It really wasn't so bad, though. All I can say is life is SO much easier with a minivan :) I mean, just look at how well everyone sleeps! (I took quite a few naps, too, but thankfully no one took pictures. lol)...Charlotte especially loves van naps.
Despite our AC going out a few times (an issue we're taking care of right away!), we had a very enjoyable and scenic drive.
(sorry, I just really love car seat pictures...obviously...)
Also, thank heavens for frequent rest areas. I can hardly contain my bladder- this babe's getting kinda big!
We arrived in Parma, Idaho around 3 pm. We were to stay there for the night with Jonathan's parents before continuing on to Utah the next day. It works out perfectly that their house is halfway between Salem and Sandy.
Of course, we had to say hello to Grandpa's animals. The kids love going to the farm!
They explored all over, and saw pheasants...
chickens, baby chicks, goats...
 |
| Lulu |
 |
| Wilson |
daddy turkey, momma turkey...
and lots of wee little baby turkeys!
Charlotte is scared of goats (which I learned at the petting zoo a few weeks ago), but if she gets to brush them the fear disappears and the desire to nurture takes over. Well, these goats don't get brushed often... sooo when she came towards Lulu with a bristly comb, Lulu panicked and head butted poor Charlotte's rump. She was pretty traumatized :( Hopefully she forgets about it before the next time we visit!
The photo is blurry- but this is right before the head-butting...
We distracted her sorrows with cows. It worked.
The little redhead is Ethan, our nephew. He and Talmage are the same age and have always loved being together. He lives in Texas now but his family came up to visit, too.
 |
| Sitting by Grandpa's koi pond. |
Our kids usually love fireworks, but because we were so close they were *really* loud. Ethan kinda freaked out about the loudness, which made Talmage freak out. Once I assured Ethan that the noises were really cool, Talmage eased up, too. haha. We played the game "guess which color this one will be" and it kept them entertained enough to pull their hands off their ears. Charlotte, on the other hand, only wanted to wrap her arms around daddy while he covered her tiny ears with his palms. She didn't cry- just watched with big eyes and a trembling lower lip.
After it was done, she said slowly but confidently, "I like fireworks."
To which Talmage replied, "Charlotte thinks they're pretty and I think they're cool-mazing!" (his new word). These kids crack me up.
It was late when we got to bed, but I had a suspicion that every single night of our vacation would be that way. Plus- its just easier to get kids to sleep in an unfamiliar place when they're completely exhausted!
One not so fun part about our trip...a day or two before we left Oregon I got sick. Just a stress cold, but enough to make me miserable. It got worse with each day and by the time we left for Utah on July 4th, I was pretty sure I would roll over and die. haha. I couldn't stop coughing and blowing my nose- and the sinus pressure was excruciating. Why is it that sickness comes at such inconvenient times? Anyways... to be continued!
1 comment:
I love the pictures. I feel like I'm there with you. Glad you had the chance for a road trip to see all of us. We were sure happy to see you.
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