Out West - Idaho

We started our vacation out west by waking up at 4am to get to the airport in time for our morning flight. We got to the airport in plenty of time, got seated on the plane (as well as every other passenger on the full flight), and then the pilot gets on the intercom to tell us that the flight is cancelled due to some problems with the aircraft. We ended up having to split up on different flights - Aubree and I together, and Aaron with Carly and Ellie - and hang out at the airport for several more hours before heading out. Kind of a pain, but luckily we weren't in any big hurry and we were all safe.

Aubree and I landed in SLC first and rode the trax to Temple Square to meet Kathy. I just love that place!

 Seeing Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Leon - love!

 Aaron was invited to be a guest teacher for one of his old landscaping teachers at BYU-I, so I wandered around campus, amazed at all the changes. Here is the sky walk from the library to the MC and this little terraced area - all new to me. And the Manwaring Center is totally changed around! The  Nordic Landing is no longer there. It's where Aaron and I would meet for lunch every day when we were first dating (before I started cooking lunch for him everyday). Part of me feels a little homesick for the places where so many memories were made, but mostly they are awesome improvements.

 Some things haven't changed, like this cute little boy enjoying his books right outside the library. I LOVE this statue - (just need it with a little girl).


 Holly planned and decorated for a super cute Mad Hatter tea party. Such yummy food and so fun!

 Holly made these little candy mushrooms from scratch. They looked totally real!

 Meeting baby Ryder for the first time. Aubree especially couldn't get enough of him.

 We got to be IN the Menan, ID parade with the South family. The Souths are so awesome and always willing to have others join them - the more the merrier.

Also on the 4th we made a trip to Kelly Canyon and "the Tree" with the Wakefield's (who have their initials carved on the tree as well).

The Wakefield Family - so glad to have these guys as friends. 

 The Parson Family

 After we hiked to the clearing and sat down on some logs we had the kids tell their versions of the coffin date. That was pretty fun. It is so wonderful to go to this beautiful spot where our story began. And especially to be there with such great life-long friends (Curt and Aaron were high school buddies and Shawna and I have been friends since elementary years.)

 Leon and Kathy's grandkids - all together for the first time in like 5 years!

With the Souths in Jackson Hole

We ended our time in Idaho with a trip to the South Reunion Center in Island Park. It is a huge dome cabin with 10 bedrooms and a circular loft with single beds all around. The kids have a blast just running around and around the loft upstairs and being with lots of little cousins. Justin and Nissa-Lynn planned the reunion this year and it was a party every day - Nissa is such a great planner!

And again, we enjoyed canoeing down the beautiful Snake River. 

The sights and sounds and smells of this place could never get old!

Sometimes when we're here, we're just so inspired by the beauty and the love that we have for this great state that we break into the Idaho state song - the tune is beautiful (and we're awesome singers, so it sounds way good). ;)

And here we have Idaho,
Winning her way to fame.
Silver and Gold in the sunlight blaze,
And romance lies in her name.
Singing, we're singing of you;
Ah! proudly too, all our lives through,
We'll go singing, singing of you,
Singing of Idaho!

Sledding in Arlington, Mass. This is the park we play at when we go to the Temple. There is a beautiful view of Boston from this hill. 

 Carly got glasses in January. She was so amazed at the details she can now see.

 Aubree and I take playing house pretty seriously. I had a baby this day. I've never had such an easy (and short) pregnancy and delivery. Aubree is such a proud big sister.

Aubree is famous now. She was in the newspaper a few weeks ago. (Story time at the library)

Ellie was baptized by Aaron on March 1st. It was a beautiful service. There were several people from our little branch there and several friends and neighbors who aren't LDS. We were especially grateful that Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Leon, and Nanny Nette and Grandpa could be there.

This is the only picture I have of Leon and Kathy here with us. So sad! Aaron and Kathy are doing family history and Leon is reading scriptures (pretty typical).

 Also while the grandparents were here we went to Newport, RI to the National Museum of American Illustrators. We love Newport! My parents stayed in a hotel while Aaron's parents were here, so the girls got to spend a couple nights at the hotel and go swimming. After Aaron's parents left my parents moved in with us for the next week and a half. They cooked, cleaned, fixed up, did laundry, entertained and spent quality time with the girls.

We also went to Haverhill, Mass to see the statue of Hannah Dustin (my 11th great grandma on my Dad's side). I wrote a post about her here. We also got a little pamphlet that told us her story and also included a letter she wrote to her church when she was much older. It was so cool because she included some of her favorite scriptures in it, and specifically which scripture she had in her mind during her captivity - Psalm 43 and Psalm 118:7. She said, "… I am Thankful for my Captivity, twas the Comfortablest time that ever I had; In my Affliction God made his Word Comfortable to me…" We had a family home evening lesson a couple days after visiting her statue about how trials can bring us closer to Heavenly Father and he can comfort us during hard times.

One morning Grandpa saw Aubree sitting on this bench and she explained to him that she was in timeout. So Grandpa held her on his lap and told her about a time when he was a little boy and tried to carve something and ended up cutting his hand. He also told her about how life was sometimes hard for him too when he was a little boy and how he liked to have his Mom hold him close and she would bounce him on her leg. (Now I know why my Dad likes to bounce his grandkids on his lap.) It was so sweet to see my Dad hold her close and show her such love and sympathy.

The picture hanging above my Dad is a puzzle that Ellie sent to Nanny Nette and Grandpa for Christmas. After they put it all together, my Dad "engineered" it into about 8 pieces, plus edges, and sent it back to us to put together and keep. (They have no where to put it now that they're homeless.) So, we put it together and then I glued it and framed it for Ellie's birthday.


We LOVED having family here - we are so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents for our kids!

Idaho with the Parson Family

Being in Idaho is a little different now that my parents aren't there - I almost feel like I should claim Utah as home now that my parents and all but one sibling live there. (And the fact that we lived there for 4 years before coming back east.) But when we finally got to Idaho it did feel like home. I just LOVE Idaho!

 We stayed the night with Franci and girls (three nights actually). This is Aubree and baby Lucy.

 Ellie and Suzie

 BYU-I

 BYU-I greenhouse that Aaron helped build when he was a student

 Aaron with a former classmate, Mary, who now works on campus

 Mill Hollow Frozen yogurt. A pretty regular place to visit while I was in college. Aaron and I went on our second date here (I think).

 Ponyback riding with the cousins. Thanks to Aunt Anna! (Don't you love Sarah's riding boots and helmet?)

Saying goodbye to my home. It was a little weird to be there and not be able to go inside. 

While in Idaho we went up to Kelly's Canyon to the location of our first date. It was SOOOO beautiful! It smelled like camping (minus the campfire) - tree sap, wild flowers, dirt, rain. This was our first time being back since we got engaged.

 This is "the tree". Aaron's initials were already carved in the tree and I added mine when we were engaged. (Our initials are the 3rd ones down.) I think I'll share the story of "the tree" in another post.

 It had already started to rain when I took this picture so you can't see the view behind the girls. But you just have to see it in person to really see the full beauty of it. GORGEOUS!!!

We had a family dinner the Sunday we were in Idaho.

 Heidi (friend), Carly, Kaylie (cousin)

Curt and Shawna and their family came to the dinner as well (they're like family). It was so good to see them.

We surprised Aaron with an Avenger's ice cream cake since he would be home alone on his actual birthday.

We went to West Yellowstone on Monday. West Yellowstone reminds me of going to Burlinton, WY as a kid. We went to the candy shop and Christmas shop. 

Daddies and Girlies

 We spent the night in Island Park at the South Sawmill Lodge and Reunion Center. Built and owned by our brother-in-law, Josh, and his family. This place is so awesome and HUGE! (You can look at more pictures of it and see more info about it here: http://www.southsawmill.com)

 We went canoeing the next day. As we floated there on the beautifully calm water all of my senses were stimulated! The mountains were muted but majestic in the distance, the tall grass along with the colorful wildflowers clung to the banks, and at one point a baby moose stood grazing by the side of the river. The evergreens stood tall, giving off their sappy fragrance against a backdrop of fresh mountain air. All the while birds serenaded with the sound of rippling water as accompaniment. My heart was overflowing – this must be what Heaven is like! Being there was chicken soup for my soul.  I just love Idaho and being in its beautiful wilderness.

 We took turns jumping into the paralyzingly freezing cold water.

 And we saw Wolverine while we were there too ... oh wait, that's Aaron's little brother, Troy. ;)

We headed back to Utah right after this canoeing trip to get Aaron to the airport. Once he got back to CT he was pretty homesick without us and we missed him the last week we were in Utah. But, I guess it's a good sign when you miss someone so much!