Road Trip

Ready to hit the road

Wanderlust seems to hit me quite often. I'm not sure why, but I recently realized that I always seem to want change...I want to change houses, jobs (and I don't even HAVE a job!), or cities all the time. I get bored being in one place for too long. I think I'm like my brother Spencer that way (yes, Spence, I think YOU have wanderlust as well :)). I guess it was good, then, that we have just returned from a fun trip to Boise to visit the family. It is so fun to go and then so fun to feel like we're "home again" when we get back. We attended my cousin Lisa's wedding last Saturday and then hit the road. The wedding was nice. I had this weird sensation of superimposing all of my daughters faces over Lisa's as I was watching. I could just see how quickly it will happen and how much I will cry (with happiness, mostly), when they also get married. I must be getting old.

Here I am, driving the big old beast on our journey

This is how we like kids in the car! Lizzie (6)

Hannah (8) doesn't travel without a stuffed animal

Emma (4) can hardly wait to get to Nana's house

It was so great to see the family! We stayed with my sister and brother-in-law, Emily and Randon. They are just the most fantastic hosts. If anyone ever wants to visit Boise, I'm sure they will put you up. :) It was great staying in their new house. It is such a wonderful place, brand new and very beautiful. However, the thing that I enjoyed most about staying there (besides water that didn't leak all over the place) was the great feeling they have in their home. They are such examples to Joe and myself of good parenting and love and kindness to others (like when the next door neighbor yelled at Hannah and made her cry and Randon just went over to apologize and smooth things over, rather than get mad and let it fester). It was also AMAZING that their home is large enough that we never felt overrun with kids. There really didn't seem to be any more noise than we have with just our six at home. Usually when we have been together and one of us goes home, it suddenly seems extremely quiet. This time I didn't even notice a difference. Astounding!

Ammon (10) entertains Bekah (5.5 months) at Aunt Emily's house

Crazy Emma (4)

Emily agreed to watch our kids while Joe and I went to a temple session together. We always go seperately. Always. We want to go frequently, but getting a babysitter every week, or even every other week, just costs too much. We just each watch the kids while the other goes. I realized that it had been almost a year since we have been together! Crazy. So, we took advantage of family and enjoyed our time at the temple.

Joe and I at the temple

Every Sunday, my saintly mother makes Sunday dinner for all of the family. It is one of the things we miss most about living in Boise. All of the family comes over and we eat and chat. It was so nice to visit with Joe and Donnetta and Jake. I hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving and it was fun to be with them. I love them so much! We had a long visit, laughing and talking. They all seem to be doing well.

Ammon (10), Joe (husband), Jake, Joe (brother), and James (11) have "man talks" outside

Nana and Donnetta with Caleb (2)

Randon, the goofball, enjoys Sunday dinner Grandpa and Emily try to sweeten up Brielle (almost 5)

Everyone gathers to sing Donnetta Happy Birthday!
James (11) and Ammon(10) enjoy the nice weather out by Nana's pool Lizzie (6), Addie (8), Karl (6), Hannah (8), Josh (almost 2), and Emma (4) watch Veggie Tales, their only approved Sunday movie besides church videos (don't know what happened to the picture!)

Emily and I took the kids to the park on Monday. We wanted to visit this sort of wildlife park, but the geese were nesting and quite aggresive and scaring the kids so we just went to a different park. We had a picnic and the kids played for a long time by the river. We were again scared off by mean geese, so we just went and played on the playground instead. We finished the evening with dinner and Family Home Evening. I forgot my camera, of course, so I have no pictures of these blessed events.:)

My kids have been dying to go in the "hot pool" at Nana and Grandpa's house. They really wanted to go in the real swimming pool, but it wasn't open for the season yet. Of course, it got really cold on Tuesday so we wouldn't have been able to use it anyway. The kids had plenty of fun just playing in the hot tub. Joe was a model parent and supervised the kids while Emily and I worked on some cookbooks we are making for a family thing.

Joe with his four eldest children

Brielle (almost 5), Hannah (8), Karl (6), and Lizzie (6) kick back and relax (you notice that Bri's face is all red...that would be because she like to spend most of the time UNDER the water)

Isn't Ammon (10) adorable? How did my baby get so big???
Emma (4) with her Papa. She wasn't too sure she liked the hot tub. It's a good thing her dad was there to hold her.

A little Nintendo after swimming is always a good idea!

All in all, it was a great time. The kids did really well in the car. We only had to do one potty break total, which is amazing. Bekah didn't fuss at being stuck in her carseat for hours and hours, and, with the exception of one major incident by Ammon of all people, the kids didn't fight or freak out with all the driving. We are excited to go back sometime next summer!