Weekend with the Boys

So the long awaited weekend finally rolled around and I had to make good on the train trip that I had promised to Jonas and Gabe. Actually I was as excited as they were, just for different reasons. I decided to book a room at the Homestead in Midway. This was so fun to stay at this country resort. I had never been there and it was so much fun. We checked in and then they gave us a little fudge. We were even given a ride to our cottage on a golf cart. The boys loved that. Our cottage was very close so the ride was about 10 seconds.

The boys were all to eager to do the posing. This is the garden area outside of the main building. They were very excited to get in the pool.

They loved the window seat and decided that they would both sleep in it until I ruined their plans and told them they would be much more comfortable in their bed.

This was on the outside pool deck. Jonas was a good sport about being the girl. When we got back home, Jonas was trying to explain this to Stacy. He explained that he was a girl in a swimming suit and that Gabe was a boy who was very muscley like Andrew. It was very cute.

Taking a dip in the inside pool.

They wanted to try the outdoors hot tub. There was also a mineral bath there with the hot springs from the crater.

The outside pool. It was not heated and the boys did not want to get in it. However Gabe volunteered to push a little girl in. I think she let him do it too. Jonas and Gabe were very friendly with everyone around them. Particularly waitresses and train ticket ladies. Jonas kept on announcing to everyone that this was his break from his sisters. Everyone just laughed.

The boys wanted to play find Jonas and Gabe with this picture.

This is the door to our cottage.

At the Milk Cottage

We ate outside by the creek and the boys loved looking at the ducks and feeding them and looking at the big fish in the water.

At breakfast on the patio at The Homestead.

Then later on that morning we had to drive over to Heber to get our tickets and take the big train trip. The boys could hardly contain themselves.

The Engine. This is actually at the halfway point. We rode down Provo Canyon and then the engine had to go down the tracks a bit and then come back up and around some how and then hook on the front for the trip back. The boys were very interested in that process.

This was at the station in Heber. This steam engine was quite large.

On Friday before we picked up Gabe, I was talking to Jonas abot the trip. He was telling me that this was a great day. He was so excited to go on this little trip and he said"I am so excited that I get to go with my best friend. "

On the way down the canyon we rode in an outside car and then the way back they wanted to try the inside car.

Gabers

Jonas taking in the scenic view from the outside car.

So much to see.

The Fall foilage was perfect on the weekend. The colors were so vibrant and beatiful. That is what I was looking forward to the most. It did not disappoint

Passing Deer Creek Reservoir on the way down the canyon.

Beautiful!

This is the back of Timpanogoos. I am pretty sure this patch of snow never melts.

It was such a fun weekend. I am glad that I decided to do it. The boys were so well behaved and it was fun to do something with just them. I loved just watching their reactions to things and they had the cutest conversations between themselves that half of the time I was quietly laughing and did not want them to hear for fear they would get self conscious.

Today I had to speak in church and then sing in Relief Society. Needless to say I am a bit worn out and looking forward to a quiet week.

Time in Idaho

I got back on Saturday from Idaho. I just wanted a little time before Fall and Winter to get away and have a little mini vacation. I found the perfect place to go, Idaho. I was looking forward to relaxing and no responsibilities. There was not much relaxing but I was able to do a lot of fun things with Shelley, Morgan and the little girlies.

I had wanted to go to the Rexburg Temple for a while and so on Tuesday, Morgan, Shelley and myself went and did a session. It is very similar to the Oquirrh Temple in look and layout other than the outside color is white. It was very nice and we had a nice time there. The girls got to stay with Andrew's sister Julie.

Just a few pics of little Lil. She is looking a bit like her Grandpa here. She is such a good baby. Everytime I would smile at her she would smile back. She is so well behaved and so fun to nibble on.

She loves her blanket that Lizzy made her.

I am not sure what was bothering her here.

On Wednesday we went to West Yellowstone for a little adventuring. This was one of the streets we walked down.

All over West Yellowstone they have these painted bison. Leah was tired and needed to take a break with one.

We went to this bear and wolf reserve. They let the bears out to forage for food. There was one there that was about 950 pounds. They were very interesting to watch. The wolves were very lazy and never wanted to get too close to us so I couldn't get a good picture.

Big Grizzly!

Leah took a shower with her Grandma and then found a little something to put on afterwards. This is Shelley's sports bra. It looks like Leah has a bit of a cellulite problem. Really her legs are quite skinny these days. This must have been a bad angle.

Sharing some food with her kitties.

On Thursday they were doing some major harvesting and so we decided to go out and watch. They were up at the Highland Place in Squirrel. My view of the Tetons with some uncut Barley.

This is Leah in the combine. Alan took me and Leah and Morgan for a spin. Obviously she had some boogers that were bothering her. We got up in the combine and were waiting for Alan to come and drive us around. Morgan was wanting to monkey with some of the controls and I said "Don't do it Deiter" She didn't understand the comment so I had to explain about the Pres. Monson and Pres. Uchtdorf story on Air Force One.

Leah at the controls.

Doesn't she look like a little farm girl.

Shelley shared a story about this view of the 3 trees up at Highland. She had a calendar that they had been given by a business or vendor a few years back. She was looking at the pictures on it and saw this view of these 3 trees in the barley field with the Tetons behind it and she knew that it was the view from their own property. I must say that it is a stunning view.

So this is Andrew driving the grain cart. He drives the tractor around and the combines transfer the barley into his red cart and then he transfers it to the trucks that take the grain to the elevators. It is quite the process to see. Andrew seems to have really taken to the farming and looks like he has been doing it for much longer than 3 months.

On Thursday they did not have enough truck drivers and so Shelley had to go out and drive truck and that left me and Morgan to cook dinner for the crew. We made cabbage rolls because they would be easy for them to eat and drive. One of the drivers asked when he saw them " Is them cabbage biscuits" He said it with a southern accent. I thought that was pretty funny.

We also made oatmeal raisin cookies since they are Alan's favorite

On Friday we decided to go to the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot. We had to take 2 strollers and it was a good thing we did although Leah much preferred to push her own stroller around. Everywhere we went Lily got lots of attention. I had a group of teenagers say she was the cutest baby they had ever seen. She was an attention getter for sure.

Morgan by some really big horses. There were lots of horses there and they were all really massive. It was fun to see the animals. We also saw goats, pigs, cows, sheep, turkeys, chickens and of course some really cute bunnies which Leah really liked.

We kept really busy for the whole time I was up there which was probably a good thing. I really enjoyed the visit. It is beautiful up there right now and I am so glad that I was able to go and be with family up there for a few days. I miss the little girls though and wish I could seem them more often. Shelley and Morgan, thanks for making it a great visit.

On the evening of Whitney's birthday the kids wanted to play musical chairs. We set it up in the backyard.

They had the chairs spread out through the whole backyard. I ran the music and the neighbors were looking at their windows wondering what crazy things we were doing back there. It was very fun to watch. Tenny and Kelsie haggling over a chair.

Crazy Weekend

I am not really sure why I have not been blogging much this summer. I have just gotten out of the habit but I am glad that all of you are keeping up with it. It has been a pretty crazy weekend so I wanted to share a bit. A few months ago our bishop, who has since moved away, challenged the youth of the ward to read the Book of Mormon this summer and if they accomplished it they would be invited to go on a tubing trip of the Provo River on Aug. 29th. I have been so busy and every weekend has been very hectic for many different reasons and I just was not looking forward to the trip as much as I should have been. I even thought about getting out of it but I was talking to Whitney about it and then realized that we could probably use another chaperone and so I invited her to come with me. There were 13 youth and 8 leaders who floated the river. I was a little nervous at first. It seemed much more intense than the Warm River float we did a few weeks back. I got in the water ( very cold at first) got started. I was trying to keep my eye on the girls and I should have kept my eyes on where I was going. I was trying to also stay near Whitney and then I ran into the side and into these branches and then capsized my craft. It took me forever to get back on my tube. I had swallowed a bunch of the river water and got dragged along while holding onto Whits tube and then I finally had to let go and off she went and I had to fend for myself. I was actually pretty scared and thinking here I am supposedly here to watch others and make sure they were safe and I was feeling very unsafe. I finally got back on my tube and was separated from everyone in the group. I came upon 2 fly fisherman and a girl was tangled up with them and they were trying to free her from their line and then I came right into the mix and then they had to help me. One of the fisherman was trying to push me back out into the faster current and he was in about shoulder deep and his waders got filled up with water and he started going down and I could see this panic on his face and I started panicing and trying paddle closer to him so he could hold onto my tube. Needless to say I made it to him. I think he was embarrased that it had happened but I was glad that us 4 strangers had been there to at least help one another. The river was pretty merciless at times. The latter half was more enjoyable. Whitney and my bishop were wondering what had happened to me. I finally got back with Whitney and did not let go of her tube until we were ready to get out. There was also another rescue at the end. It took about 3 men to get some of the Beehives out of the water. You were supposed to get out at a certain part of the river but the current was so strong that it kept sweeping them further down the river. Some of the priesthood leaders were trying with all their might to get them out. They did succeed I am happy to say. Then we went to the park nearby and had a BBQ and testimony meeting. It was very sweet to hear the kids feelings about reading the Book of Mormon. I was very proud of them.

I was so looking forward to going to church today because it had been a few weeks. I was on call for work and so I was hoping it would be quiet enough that I could make it to part of the meetings. It was so busy that I spent practically the whole day on the phone and pager and did not make it to anything. I had even set up Visiting Teaching and my partner had to go alone. I had heard that weekend call on Sundays was better. It is not. I will never do it again. What a waste of a Sabbath day.

I went over to Josh and Stacy's to have dinner with their family and Whitney. We watched Tenny's soon to be world famous work out on You Tube. That girls is hilarious. I recommend watching it. I however do not recommend doing the work-out itself or wearing that scary thong thing from the 80's.

I am hoping for a great upcoming week. Especially want to wish Zack well on his departure for South America. I am really looking forward to having a missionary out again. He will be a wonderful missionary as I am sure you will all agree.