The one bad thing about returning from a summertime vacation is the realization that it is crazy hot here. The 90's and 95's of Idaho and Utah were practically pleasant. I'm not even going to talk about the cool evenings & mornings. And get this, I slept with the covers on top of me. And there was cuddling. It's usually much too hot for any of that.
Anyway, that is neither here nor there. We had a great time in Idaho, staying with Scott's parents for a week before going to Utah for the graduation. We had so many great ideas of things to do while in town that on day 2 we sat down to make a "possibilities list" (apparently this is a reference from the movie Last Holiday, which we have not seen.)
Here we go:
This is why we bring 3 sets of golf clubs with us on road trips. I didn't get any photos, but later in the week Scott & Dennis also took the boys to a par 3 course so they could play a real game.
Take note: babies are free.
The kids have been dreaming and planning for a lemonade stand for the longest time. Forever. Ever since we moved they have been trying to devise a way to set up a stand -- at our apartment, at the park, etc. We told them be patient, just wait until we get to Grammer & Papa's house.
The stand is made with a Pipeworks set (circa 1987) that they recently re-discovered in storage. The kids served regular and pink lemonade and about 10 dozen snickerdoodle cookies that Conner & I made the night before.
There was no shortage of the entrepreneurial spirit with this crew. Standing on corners yelling, "cool lemonade and cookies you'll crave!" whether or not anyone was within earshot.
We sat on the back porch all afternoon -- our lazy entertainment. When all was said and done they made a pretty nice haul. Minus the seed money (quarters) from Grammer, they raked in 65 bucks!
This one really wasn't on the possibilities list, but when a great dane shows up to visit, you just pet it. Payton's comment, "he's big enough for a baby to ride on."
Back on that day on the golf course when Anna was in bunny heaven, a fantastic idea struck me. "Scott, for Anna's birthday we need to get her a horse-riding lesson or find a pony ride. She will go nuts." He replied, "How about we see if we can ride Ray's horses when we go to Idaho." Jackpot.
We didn't tell Anna about this outing until dinner time, the day of. She gasped and then "fainted."
She was in horsie heaven.
Scott and I were able to attend the temple one afternoon. Yay! Later that evening we posed with the kids after leaving a baptism service at the stake center next door. Doesn't it look pretty?
The boys officially entered into the Brown family tradition of "Build Your Pants." While we're on this topic I should remind you of the Build Your Brother's Pants Extravaganza of 2010. That post does not disappoint.
Valerie found some awesome Star Wars fabric which the boys chose to make into pajama shorts. (Getting these kids to wear pants is tough.) They love their shorts.
Anna also did a sewing project (but I didn't take pictures). She took a trip with Grammer Valerie to the store where they picked out fabric to make a simple blanket with a cold side and a warm side (cotton & minky).
I could have sworn that I took a picture of this, but my iphoto gallery is telling me otherwise. Oh well. The boys were rock stars and completed this thing in a 24 hour period. 2127 pieces. They were in LEGO heaven. It's been quite a while since they have played with LEGOs because everything (except for one small) set is packed up in storage.
This is just a teaser. I realized that I have way too many photos of this event (plus a video) that I want to share . . . so I'm going to give The Drops it's own post.
Conclusion: Idaho was a great trip.
