We Love Idaho Falls!

Well our next and final stop on this two week trek was in Idaho Falls. We stayed out at Brett and Sherri’s house which is great because they have a full basement with 3 bedrooms and a bathroom, and we pretty well have it all to ourselves. You never feel like you are on top of other people or taking someone else’s space. One of the main attractions at Brett & Sherri’s house is the toy room in the basement. Actually they have a toy room and then there is the family room that is like a mini indoor park. There are slides, play tents, little riding cars, video games, a big screen TV and a mini roller coaster. Yes a mini roller coaster. It was one of the newest toys and definitely a main attraction! Sherri always has the coolest toys and a lot of them!! As if that’s not enough they also have a couple of four wheelers that they broke out while we were there. The day after we got there Brett got out the riding lawn mower to mow the lawn and Brian took out the 4-wheeler and gave some of the kids rides. Once Colby got a ride on the 4-wheeler he did not want to get off! Brian made him get off to let the other kids have a turn and he cried almost the whole time he was waiting! ! Then to completely seal the deal, later that day Brian helped Brett build an 11x11 foot sandbox. In case you’re not good with measurements, that’s a HUGE sandbox! It became an instant hit. While all that was going on Sherri was inside teaching Jade and I how to crochet. She really is so amazing and talented! I swear she can do anything! Later that evening we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house where the food is always great, the treats are sweet and there is always room for more.

The next night we had dinner out at Brett and Sherri’s house. The request had been made insistently for Grandma’s famous fried chicken. It was one of Brett and Brian’s favorites growing up and the one meal Brian requested when he got home off his mission. Brett and Brian ended up helping out in the kitchen and it was fun watching them interact with their mother. She adores having them around and they lovingly do what she asks. It all turned out really yummy and the kids even enjoyed it.

While we were all eating and talking at the table, we turned around to see Colby falling asleep on the bar. Even with his eyes shut he was still trying to take bites. So cute! It was a great night for eating and just being together. Eating seems to go hand in hand with families getting together!

It always amazes me how many people Frank and Themla house and feed. One thing is for sure, you never walk away from there table hungry, especially at breakfast. Grandma and Grandpa Stacey are known for their amazing breakfast spread! When we all get together, they pull out all the stops! Breakfast usually includes: Thelma’s perfect pancakes, bacon, sausages and Frank’s famous fried eggs. Boy, do they know how to feed a crowd. Throughout the week there was lots of eating, snacking, playing, crocheting and even a little shopping. Grandma had made over 100 cookies for everyone to snack on, and Grandpa had the fridge stocked with candy and pop as always. He is a firm believer in spoiling the grandkids rotten. I’m sure my kids will have the teeth to prove it too! (Although I hope not!) This trip Grandpa happened to have one of Colby’s absolute favorites… suckers! Much to my dismay Grandpa made sure they never went without. Sherri crocheted hats for Jade and Cambrie and I made one for Hailey. We hung out with Doug and Liz and their girls one night and the boys went out and got some yummy pies!

When Shanna came into town, she Sherri and I went out shopping. They helped me find a brown shirt for our family pictures. It’s so much easier shopping with people who will give you an honest opinio3 n, rather than by yourself. Then we went to Seagull Books and got some layers shirts – Yep, buying shirts at a bookstore, only in Idaho right, well maybe in Utah too. Anyway, I was way excited because they don’t sell those types of shirts out were we are. When Nancy and family came into town, all the girls hopped in the car and went to Freeman Park to check out some good spots to take family pictures on Saturday. That night the three girls got to sleep over at the Pinder’s house. Almost every time we come to Idaho our girls do a sleep over with the Pinder girls. It’s something they look forward to every time we come. Then came P-day. We had a traditional breakfast at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and then after Brett got off work we started getting everybody ready to go take pictures. I think it was a process we were all kind of dreading. Trying to get a decent picture with 24 people all looking and smiling at the same time… was it even possible? YES! We did it. With the help of Sherri’s Mom and the Canon’s self timer with 10 x’s rapid fire, we got a picture where everyone’s eyes were open, no one was crying and you could see their faces… for the most part. All in all the process wasn’t too bad and we got some pretty good pictures! After we took pictures with all the family, James and Shanna wanted to try some less traditional pictures over on some of the old train tracks in Idaho Falls. After seeing the final product, we all wished we had gone and taken pictures on the train tracks. They turned out really cool! We spent the rest of the night playing with the pictures, trying to find our favorites and adding a few Photoshop touches. We were actually pretty happy with most of the results. Besides, after taking over 460 pictures, we should be able to find one or two we like right. (that’s no exaggeration) The next morning, the day we were leaving, I got up, grabbed the kids and took them into Grandma and Grandpa’s for our last big breakfast. I left Brian to sleep in since he would be the one driving through the night. After breakfast everyone headed out to Brett and Sherri’s to play. We rode the 4-wheelers again and played in the sandbox with all the cousins, Doug and Liz and their kids. They had come by to play and say goodbye.

It was fun as always, which made it even harder to say goodbye. It always seems like we run out of time before we run out of fun! Oh well, I guess it just leaves us wanting more so that we really look forward to coming again!

Clint and Jayleen's Wedding!

They’re married! Yes it’s true – Jayleen and Clint tied the knot today in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a beautiful ceremony with lots of great counsel from their sealer. We then had some fun family pictures taken at the temple by our amazing photographer cousin, John Tehero. Then we headed back to Janell’s house to grab a quick bite to eat and freshen up for the reception.

The reception was at The Rose Shop “Le Jardin” it was in a green house type place with plants and flowers everywhere. It was absolutely beautiful. It was fun having the girls in their beautiful bright colored dresses (made by Sue Winter, my friend Kara’s Mom) They really stood out against all the black, white and greenery. Jayleen looked so amazing of course! Clint didn’t look to bad either. (ha/ha) I think the reception was a lot of fun for everyone. It was great food, great location, and the music and the people… well it was practically perfect.

My kids had a blast on the dance floor. Jade was jamming with her new friend Hayden Williams (Dan and Sandi’s kid). Daxton was getting his groove on and Kaydin was bouncing with the bass! She hung real close to the speakers and lighting ball! She was completely enthralled. Colby tried to get her to dance with him a few times, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Cambrie was cruzing around dancing with everyone. She even had a dance or two with Dax. It was precious. Hailey was happiest when she was dancing with Clint. He would twirl her and whirl her and give her a dip and she was in heaven. Colby and I even got a spin or two in, but most of the day Colby wouldn’t leave Brian’s arms, so I was lucky to get that. It was crazy fun to see all the people that came to their reception. It was like old home week. There were lots of Danville transplants that we hadn’t seen in a long time, like the Brent & Alli Campbell, The McMahons’, Kirk Leiniger and his sister Kim and their spouses. These were all people I grew up with. I even got to see Melodee (Lowe) Christensen, my friend from high school and college! There were a lot of people there! It was neat to see such a great turn out to support Jayleen and Clint. That or maybe they just had to see it to believe it. Anyway it was a wonderful day for a wedding! Congratulations Clint and Jayleeen! We Love You!

Getting Creative with Crayola

So one afternoon we let the kids out to play in Janell’s backyard They are getting ready to remodel it to make it more kid friendly, but since it wasn’t totally there yet, Janell brought out some Crayola washable markers, a coloring mat and a water spouting crayon for them to play with. They started out coloring on the mat, but somehow it quickly turned into them coloring on themselves and each other. I think Aunt Bean started it, so I blame her. Anyway they took the idea and ran with it. After a little while they were all covered in their own designs, and they had a blast doing it. My favorite had to be the message on Dax’s back, although I don’t think he even knew it was there. Hey I’ll take what I can get.