McCall, ID

At the beginning of summer we decided we needed a last little hurrah vacation before school started. We have never been to McCall, ID but have heard wonderful things about it. So we booked our condo and looked forward to it all summer long. We decided to take some stops on our way up. We first stopped in Twin Falls and saw the falls. We also stopped at the temple and walked around it. 

Next, we stopped at the fossil beds sometime after Twin Falls. RB loved it and took a ton of pictures to go with his 4th grade curriculum. The kids were a little weary at first but then found a hands on learning corner and loved it. They didn't want to leave. 

In this one small town they had these cool trains. They do scenic tours and dinner rides on the weekends. Buddy was happy to see the trains of course. 

Finally we made it to McCall. As we were unloading this is the sight we had. Beautiful! We decided all of our vacations this summer have been rainy. We still had a good time though even though our outings were planned around the weather. 

We started with a nature hike and some good parkour. The hike was only a mile long and we could have gone much farther. That is good that our kids are getting used to hikes. 

Another thing we did was tour the smoke jumpers base. This was full of cool facts and interesting things to see. We got to sit inside the plane they jump out of. Ms M was being her typical 2 year old self, but besides that the tour was great. 

Our next adventure was finding a good mountain bike trail for RB. Lil tried to follow and didn't get very far. Then MJ took a turn. Luckily we found a really cool dirt bike trail that was a loop. The kids LOVED running and riding on the trail. So while RB rode his own trails the kids got to run and play. 

After our biking fun, we headed to the beach. The kids like playing in the water even though it was a little cold. Then we created a two headed mermaid, and built a sand castle. All were good times. 

 We had so much fun in McCall. We are planning another trip up there some time. Next time we will bring everyone bikes though, try to find more beach areas, find more hikes we can go on, and go to the hot springs. 

WY Again

After the aquarium we said goodbye to daddy and headed to WY. Daddy couldn't come because of a meeting he had. We headed to WY to see my sister and her kids. The cousins had so much fun playing together! Chel came earlier than expected too so we got some good sister time in. 

We like to play 5 Crowns. Whenever somebody is gone we add them to the game. We also have a running joke about being the first to get all the way to 300. Well RB did it. :) 

The fire was a must and of course we had a blast. 

We did have two boo-boos though. Lil touched her roasted starburst too soon and really burned the tip of her finger. It hurt for a good long time. 

Then MJ was having too much fun on the tramp. Her knee came up and hit her right under the chin. You can see the bump a little in the picture. In MJ's defense her chin AND her knee both bruised from the impact. 

Poor girls! Good thing cousins take away the pain. Short trip but worth every minute. Too bad daddy couldn't come! 

Ogden Temple Open House/The Aquarium

One of our free Sat. was spent at the open house for the Ogden Temple. It was a great experience to take MJ and Lil through now they are older and understand better what they are seeing and where they are at. Buddy was being a pill, but we still had a great time seeing the changes and being in the house of the Lord. 

After we had lunch at Chuck-A-Rama.

Then we went to the Aquarium and had a great time looking at all the animals and things there. Ms M was a pill here. She did not want to wait for anyone and wanted to run everywhere. 

Ms M liked watching the fish up close. 

Buddy loved the penguins.

MJ and Lil both liked watching the otters eat. 

When you are in the car for as many hours as we have been for the month of Aug. you get creative with how to stay entertained. 

Next stop, back to WY to see my sister and some cousins. 

Stuff

Every now and again I just have some random pictures that I like to post that don't really fit into anything specific that has happened. So here are some of those random things. 

RB and Buddy. I love these two!

Neighbor fun. 

Went to work one day and this is what we saw coming up over the mountain. I love it! It reminds me of The Hunger Games and the mist that comes in. 

Avoiding bedtime successfully by having mommy take funny pics. 

Going to the park fun. Thanks Aunt Chel!

Aunt Chel is very comfy!