Day 20/21 - Starting our journey home

Yep... Daddy is with us again. We picked up in SLC and immediately headed east. As we were driving west toward the airport these massive black clouds crept over the mountains. They were as black as I had ever seen for the west. I told C that we needed to hurry and get dad and get ahead of that storm. Of course, he was a little bit late and the buckets had started to fall before he even got in the car. We had a VERY short reunion and started driving. It was a pretty scary drive through the canyon. The water from the other side of the highway were flowing over the barriers into our lanes and causing visibility to be zero some of the time. Then idiot truck drivers would speed past us and of course, Utah drivers aren't known to be great even on good weather days. Let's just say I was a nervous wreck. We live in bad rain country where we drive in it somewhat on a regular basis and this even gave Cheeto's nerves a scary at times. It rained until almost the Wyoming border, which seemed like forever! After talking to my mom, she said that SLC had broken records for rainfall. They received 1.5" in less that 30 minutes. CRAZY! I prayed for safety of course, but also prayed and thanked my Heavenly Father that Cheeto was with us. He is an incredible driver. I had gotten really sick the day before we left and still didn't feel great so I felt very blessed to have him with us. I know how he drives and don't have to stress much because most times I know what he's going to do before he does it. Ya know how it is after being married to someone for almost 12 years.


I loved watching the windmills. I would love to have one that I could watch from my house. It's a calm wonder to watch. These are all over the west and mid-west to generate power. When we drove out the kids were amazed that the wind alone was what made them move.

When we stopped at a rest stop for lunch we saw these semi's leaving loaded with combines. I have never seen one being transported. What a massive thing to haul on a trailer!

The kids couldn't get enough of their daddy. He had been up at 3am EST to get to his flight in Raleigh. Then with having to drive through stressful rain he was pretty tired. He knew I didn't feel well so he drove the entire way home.

Silliness along the way!

Funny Kid Quote of the Day

Day 19 - Riding with Papa

Being silly girls waiting for Papa to come pick us up.

My dad thinks its really odd that it's moments like these that I miss the most. I suppose it's because I loved sitting in the combine with him. It didn't matter what age I was. I remember sitting with him for hours as a little girl, sometimes even napping on that little seat lying on his shoulder. In high school I would take my homework and sit with him until dark and mom would call me in. And now as a mom, he allows me to haul all my kids to ride with him. I say it's them that really want to ride, but I'm pretty sure he knows that it's me that really wants the ride. My dad has the best job in the world. It is considered to be the 4th most dangerous job in America. And next to truck drivers, more farmers/ranchers are killed every year. But in my eyes, it's still the best. If I wanted to be with my dad, I simply had to jump in the truck with him. How many kids get to spend that amount of time with their father?

I was a lucky girl and still am! (Love you Daddy!)

As soon as that combine started to get close they seriously hung on to each other! They were both pretty scared. It was adorable to see them cling to each other rather than running to me.

A2 loved hanging out with Papa. She would ask all day, "Wa Papa? Wa Papa?" She was excited to see the man driving the scary big yellow machine had her Papa in it.
A2 wearing Papa's hat!

Sassy said we needed to take a picture of how the combine worked so she could show her brothers. Of course, they already knew from previous combine riding experiences but I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that still have no idea. So here is the ogger picking up the wheat.

A1 was amazed watching the combine unload "all that wheat" into the truck.

Being silly talking on the radio. I think she was trying to get G'ma to answer at the house
but she wasn't home.

After about 20 minutes, A2 was out! Such a good way to give your kid a nap!

Boys turn. However, dad was at the end of the field so they got Max to pick them up in the tracker pulling the grain cart. They were cool with that because they got to ride in more cool big farm machinery.

At the end of the day, our final good bye to the cousins. It was sad. We had such a great time!

One last ride in the rhino!

Day 19 - C's Idaho Birthday Party

Yay for a cousin birthday party. C has had lots of birthday's in Idaho. August is a popular month to visit. We enjoy going to the fair, cooler weather, and of course combines and four wheelers! And all the cousins have an easier time getting together.

I love this picture! These two were almost inseparable from the day we got there. I rarely saw C when we were on the farm. He and "T" were always together. They usually even took turns sleeping at G'ma's or Becky's. As you can see, C is even wearing "T's" clothes. Oh, I wish they could see more of each other. Skype is a beautiful thing!

Look at K pout even though he knows that he will be the one C chooses to play the game with.

NO PEEKING!

Seriously! NO PEEKING!

Check out "T's" face at the beginning! He wouldn't be just as excited would he?

Thank you G'ma and Papa! I have been told by young and old that the clubs have made a big difference. I suppose having the right size does help! :)

Day 18 - Bear Lake take 2

Oh... I live for these moments, when C is still allowing me to hug him! He was such a little man for me on this trip. I had lots of help from family to help with the kids but I still missed Cheeto. Cheeto just knows what help I need without having to ask. C was a pretty darn good substitute! He sure is growing up fast!

Ok... this is so "can" style! LOL! We had taken the canopy on our first trip to Bear Lake. Dad had asked that I fold up the actual canopy part (I have had LOTS of experience getting it just right so it will fit nicely back in the bag). So I folded it up and left it in the office. Mom thought it was a tent and put it in the basement, I didn't know that. Well, neither did she until we got to the lake and only had a frame for shade. :) So we used towels and blankets from the van to make-shift a little shade for the little girls. Embarrassing? YES! Oh well! Who cares?
Cheeto got a good laugh out of the story.

We miss Daddy in all these family pictures!

K just chillin... literally! It was cold water!

Bear Lake sand is NOTHING like North Carolina's outter banks! UGH... this stuff was black and stuck to everything! We will have Bear Lake sand in our bathing suits forever. :) But they had so much fun playing in it.

Sweet "J"!

"T"

Can you tell she is quite content with the day's activities!?!?!?!

Boys LOVE to dig! Dig what? Who knows... but they literally did it the entire day.
No! That's not what you think it is! Because of her playing in the sand, it had worked it's way inside her diaper. We couldn't get it off without using the water. It is honestly just sand! We had to do it to all the girls... under the age of 5 anyway. :)

Day 16 - Ice Sliding

View of the Valley where I grew up.

This screams HOME to me! I remember coming home from college, which was pretty often. at this point in the drive, I felt like I was home! Now, 12 years later and having lived away this long, I still get that same feeling. I had to stop and take a picture to take back to Carolina with me. I know some may look at these and think what is so special about it? Well, beauty is all in the eyes of the beholder! My valley is beautiful and fills my heart with the love of my family and reminds me I will always be a country farm girl from the fabulous state of Idaho!

I so wished A2 had been in this picture! LOVE IT!

My mom is the YW President. She wanted us to test "ice sliding" before she had the yw and ym activity Tuesday. Let's just say she had some very willing volunteers.

How many golf courses can you let your 18 month old wander shoeless? A2 loved walking barefoot in the grass. The west has some awesome Kentucky Bluegrass which is so soft and cool to the touch. Nothing like the crusty weed-like stuff we call grass in Carolina. It's so hard and expensive to have a nice lawn in Carolina.

A2 got stuck in a pivot track. :)

Ah.... they are such little divas! "J" is such a little "model" poser. I love these little girls!

Yep, the boys were driving golf carts and thought they were hot shots. Look at how careful C is driving and that Sassy is "talking" on her play phone because that's what you do in a car, or so she says. :)

Kyle prepping "K".

He definitely got a workout walking that brick of ice up the hill.

It wasn't easy for those little kids.

Of course, the heavy you are the faster you go, so needless to say the kids didn't go too fast on their own. We started doubling up with them. "J" took a dive off my lap. And check out "K". After my "K" took his shirt off, so did she. Kyle said she would be naked all of the time if they would allow it. :)
Yes... that is A2 taking a turn. Let's just say because she barely weighs 20 lbs that she didn't go very far. :)

She ended up just pushing the ice down the hill. :)

Kyle wouldn't try it for a long time. We kept trying to get him to. Finally his little girls wore him down. "J" had to give him a little push.

He looks real enthused doesn't he?

Now... look at him. It was much more fun that he thought it would be!

Yep... even grandma and grandpa took their turn. Grandma couldn't get enough. My kids thought she was the coolest grandma ever for playing with them all evening like this!

"T" showing off his skills. He just got his football uniform and was trying out how well the padding worked.

Sisters!CRASH!

K really started getting the hang of it as the evening worn on. It really was a fun memorable evening on the golf course! It was a gorgeous fall evening in Idaho!