Idaho!

Dave was invited to do a Best of EFY this weekend in Boise, Idaho. So we decided to make a weekend out of it, and pack up the kids in a rental car! We got our rental car, gas, hotel, and a pretty good per diem for food, so you can't beat the price!

Henry- performed very poorly in the car. He cried a lot, and had a hard time sleeping through our stop and go schedule. He did great in the hotel room though, and taught us that it isn't out of the question for an infant to poop 7 times in 24 hours when you're on a road trip. Yikes! Henry loved swimming in the pool, which gives us hope for this summer with Mexico and our boating adventures.

Dawson- Did really well for him! I learned this week that he broke a molar through, and has 3 more to go, so you can't expect too much from him right now. He did great in the car, and he ate well. He enjoyed the time out of the car, and the lack of snow in Idaho, he loved running around. When we took him swimming, he screamed his guts out (Granted it was 10:45 at night when we got to the hotel). He wouldn't let us take his clothes off, or put a swimsuit on, so in the end he walked down to the pool with a swim diaper and socks. I wish I had a picture of that. As we walked into the pool room he was yelling NO, NO, NO, NO! Dave convinced him that he could just watch us swim. Within a few minutes, he dipped his toes in, realized it was warm and fun, and had a blast. He jumped in about a hundred times, swinging his arms back and forth like he was going to jump really high (He basically just fell in:). When we left the pool.... he screamed. *Sigh*

Isaac- Usually travels really well, but struggled a little bit this time. Maybe it was the fact that he was sitting next to Dawson who tried to steal anything Isaac tried to play with. Or maybe it was the fact that he learned the age old phrase, "Are we almost there?" Uggh. But he loved the adventures we had swimming, eating, and even stopping to see some sites.

Dave- Did great at giving his talk on Joseph Smith. The only problem was he ended up teaching in his suit and..... crocs. Dave is known for forgetting at least one element of his church clothing when he travels. He usually ends up borrowing a tie, white shirt, belt, or something. Or he goes to church in something really embarrassing, like jeans, and then says, "Hey, it's Hawaii!" This time he forgot his shoes. So he taught in naavy blue crocs, which was good because his suit was navy blue! Like always though, Dave was superman, changing diapers, holding binkies, pouring bottles of milk, refereeing fights, wiping tears, teaching, and even being patient with his wife. Thanks for making it fun, Dave!

Erica- Ended up driving almost the whole way.... like always. I don't get tired at the wheel, and if I drive it means that Dave has to tend the kids, so I almost always drive. I had a great time, I love being with my family.

Idaho- Is nearly desolate. Here in town we fight over lots being 1/3 and acre or 1/2 an acre, and we pay 70,000 for that 1/3 an acre! If you ever feel like we're running out of space in the United States, just drive up to Idaho. Miles and miles of absolutely nothing. There are many cities in Idaho with the word "falls" in them. I realized that I have never really SEEN these falls, so we decided to stop and see some in Twin. We visited the Shoshone Falls which were absolutely incredible. I thought they would be 20 ft high, maybe! They're HUGE, 212 ft high! We learned that they actually put out as many cubic feet of water as Niagara Falls every year. Isaac loved them, and really, so did Dave and I. We also enjoyed looking over the big canyon in Twin Falls and seeing the snake river and the bridge. Isaac was a little bit nervous about driving over that bridge, but luckily he didn't notice it while we were driving.

We also got to see the brand new Twin Falls temple that is not yet finished. It's gorgeous.

We went to Carl's Jr. in Boise while Dave taught. The kids played on the 3-story playground, and loved it. As I sat there I saw a Dad herding up lots of little orange and blue boys. They were all dressed with Boise State t-shirts and coats, including the Dad. I asked the dad if there was a game tonight. He answered, "No, there isn't a game, my wife had a baby, and we're going to the hospital to pick her up. I thought it would be fun if we were all dressed alike." I started laughing. That is such a Dave thing to do! I can just see him dressing up the whole family in Aggie attire to come get me at the hospital. Then I looked at his 3 boys and asked what they had...... another boy! I told him that was probably my future.

I was reminded of two things this weekend
1. It doesn't matter where you go on a road trip, as long as you're together.
2. You better stay awhile once you get there, because the drive is so dang hard!