Many people would question why we left the beautiful 75 degree weather in Savannah to visit the cold and unpredictable  spring of Idaho, but two years is a long time between visits home, and so when the opportunity came along to go for Lily's spring break, we jumped at the chance.  And be warned, this is very long, so feel free to just scroll through the pictures if you don't want to read it all :).

DAY 1 – Friday, April 3

We left bright and early (2 am Idaho time) and were on our flight by 5:45am.  The kids were fantastic on the flights, although I think Derek had everyone nervous with his antics in the terminal before boarding :).  The first flight he just stared at his book while Lily looked out the window. 

The next flight both kids slept, played play-doh, and colored.  And when we landed in Salt Lake, Lily got her wish to see SNOW!  She informed everyone in the airport that it was her first time in snow since she was a baby :).  The snow did cause us to stay in the plane on the tarmac getting de-iced for longer than the time it actually took to fly to Twin, but the kids were happy.  And they really loved the propeller on our plane.

When we arrived in Twin, it was to 10 degree temperatures and 30-40mph winds.  The wind blew Derek off the stairs!  (We are so not accustomed to that kind of weather.)  It was worth it once we got inside and saw my parents though :).

When I got to my sister Holly's house, we were met with both my brothers and their families, along with my sister Cheryl and her family.  It was so great to see them, I had a hard time dragging myself away to take a nap, until I almost passed out from exhaustion and my dad sent me to bed. 

Later that night we all went to their ward auction, and my niece McKayla was wonderful enough to watch Derek for me so I had a chance to visit with people.  My sister Holly and I even sang a pretty fun rendition of  "Copacabana" on the karaoke machine.  I have to admit though, I was still pretty delirious from lack of sleep.  The kids and I left early to get to bed, and even though I had adventures with Holly's home alarm system, it was a good choice :), as the kids woke up at 4am on  . . .

DAY 2 – Saturday, April 4

I did make the kids lay in their beds until 6am, but by then I was wide awake and had to get up.  It was a great day.  We all watched conference together, most of us moms working in the kitchen together, and I even made Holly some strawberry freezer jam as her hostess gift. 

After the first session, my sister Heather showed up with her kids, and so it was even more of a reunion.  (All we were missing was my sister Wendy, who Kevin just happened to be spending the weekend with in Texas.)  After Conference was over, we all headed out into the "warm weather" (40 degrees), to play outside.  My kids were  in heaven!!!!  Can I just say how much I dream of the day we have a yard? 

After a dinner of pizza, we sent the guys off to the Priesthood session, and the older girls watched the kids while all of us moms went to my parents house next door and had a question/answer session with my oldest niece, Madeline.  She is doing Junior Miss and wanted practice for her interview.  We had so much fun talking, sharing opinions, and giving advice. 

I wish I had a picture of us all, but this one will have to do – It is me with Cheryl's girls (she also has 3 boys).  (And Derek is being held by McKayla – after playing with her at the party, she soon became his favorite.)

That night we all stayed up way too late, watching movies and talking together.  It really didn't help much with my jet-lag, but it was very worth the lack of sleep.  It did make it hard to get up for . . .

Day 3 – Sunday, April 5

Today was our day to spend with Kevin's parents – particularly, Grandpa Dennis.  You see, our trip couldn't have come at a worse time for him, being the week before the end of tax season and him being an accountant, and so Sunday was all about Grandpa.

We had a fantastic time with them watching conference, playing with their amazing supply of Legos, chillin' on the Lovesac, playing piano, playing games, etc.  And when Derek woke up super grumpy from his nap, Grandpa saved the day by finding "Star Wars the Clone Wars" on his laptop – talk about amazing!!  After a wonderful dinner, we said good bye, but with plans to play with grandma again soon.

(I did take a quick trip back to Holly's in between sessions so I could go to part of a family testimony meeting.  I made it just in time.)

When we returned to my sister Holly's house that evening, I had to capture the chaos it is when you have that many people you need to feed :).  There were 32 of us.  I love how the parents all just found a spot on the floor – he he!  It is good thing she has a big house.

Cheryl and her family headed back to Idaho Falls that night, and it was sad to see them go!  After the kids were all in bed, once again us adults were up until way too late talking.  I sure love my brothers and sisters!!  Somehow, even with the lack of sleep, I convinced Heather to get up and exercise with me early on  . . .

DAY 4 – Monday, April 6

It was so cold when we got up on Monday, that instead of going with the rest of the family on a hike to the Hidden Lakes, I went with Heather and Susan to Target, Barnes and Noble, and 9 Beans and a Burrito :).  We had so much fun, and since we only had Heather's baby, Daniel, with us, and so we got to linger in the bookstore.

The rest of the crew, including my two kids, went hiking in the cold.  They loved it and had a great time.  I guess Lily was her entertaining self, as usual, and made everyone laugh because she kept drawing arrows on the path so they could find their way home :).  Seeing the pictures of the hike, it almost makes me wish I had braved the cold to go with them.

That afternoon, it warmed up nicely, and so the kids got even more outdoor time.  It was so fun to watch them enjoy a backyard.  I spent the afternoon sitting on my mom's porch swing reading while they had a blast jumping on the trampoline and climbing trees.  (Lily wasn't sure what to do once she got that high – he he!) 

And a little side note – my kids slept so well while we were there, and I know it was because of all the exercise they got playing outside.

 

After dinner, I went down in the Snake River Canyon with my brothers and their families to do family portraits.  They turned out great, and the weather couldn't have been better.   Here's a few of my brother Preston's family:

And here are some of Matthew's family (I still can't get over how much his son looks like him!):

While we were gone, they had family home evening with everyone else, and ended it all with a dance party.  My kids loved it and told me all about it the next day (since my mom had them all tucked into bed for me when I got back – so nice). 

I spent the evening feverishly editing pictures so that my sisters-in-law could have them ready to take home.  They kept me company while I did it, and so, once again I stayed up way too late (I am not a night owl).  I was so tired I decided to sleep in on . . .

DAY 5 – Tuesday, April 7

Both of my brothers headed back to Nevada on Tuesday morning, and so it was down to Heather and I as the only guests.  We missed everyone, but it was nice to have things a little calmer and to have the grandparents more to ourselves. 

And speaking of grandparents, we went back to see grandma Valerie, because Great Grandma Mona was going to stop by.  It was great to see her, and as always, the kids loved their time with Grandma Valerie.  We had a nice lunch and even got to see one of Kevin's cousins who stopped by.

That afternoon, it had warmed up enough that we all took a walk through my parents' neighborhood.  The kids loved it, as you go by pastures with horses, cows, and even sheep.  There is even a large farmers field at the end of the street.  Lily especially loved doing tricks with Grandpa Roy's walking stick :).

That night we watched a movie, but tried to get to bed earlier, since we were all suffering from our late nights.  It was nice to make it to bed by 10:30, so I could wake up for . . .

DAY 6 – Wednesday, April 8

This was the day I finally got to go to the temple.  One of the sad things for Kevin and I has been that the Twin Falls Temple had been dedicated last year, but we had still not been.  Holly, Heather, my mom, and I went to do a session, and it was wonderful.  (While I was there, Lily and Derek were having a blast at Grandma Valerie's house across the street.) 

When we went in, the weather was gorgeous, but just like it always seems to do in Idaho, the weather changed drastically by the time we came out.  It was raining buckets, almost as if I had brought it with me from Savannah, and it even had a little hail mixed in.  Crazy!

After we got home and dried off, we set to coloring eggs with the kids.  I had brought a Star Wars egg coloring kit with me, which was quite a hit with all the boys.  They loved it, and we ended up with some pretty cute eggs :).

Then it was bath time for Derek – all that outside time does have its drawbacks :).  But my sister has the coolest sink in her laundry room that is just the right size for him, and so he loved it.  And I have to say, it was really nice not having to lean over a tub.

Soon it was . . .

DAY 7 – Thursday, April 9

After a morning spent running errands and shopping, Heather and I loaded up the kids and went out to Sligers Thousand Oak Hot Springs.  It is an indoor pool with heated water from a hot spring, with all sorts of fun toys, slides, diving boards, etc.  The kids had a blast, although I was wishing I had Derek's life jacket so I didn't have to keep him from drowning himself every second – he has no fear!  Derek even managed to go down the water-slide, before the lady realized he was a few inches too short, and yes, I was at the bottom to catch him :).

After a yummy dinner and getting all cleaned up, it was Heather's turn for a portrait session.  It was only too bad her husband had to work and had stayed home in California, otherwise they could have had family pictures too.  The kids were great, and we just barely made it home before the sky unleashed another crazy rainstorm.  Talk about timing!

It was Heather's last night, and so us sisters, along with Sierra, Heather's daughter, had one last night of late night talks.  All too soon it was . . .

DAY 8 – Friday, April 10

The Easter Bunny was hard at work Thursday morning, as we had quite a few egg hunts going on.  Just like last year, I had Lily hide Derek's eggs, and Derek hide Lily's eggs.  (The only side effect from this, is that they show each other where every egg was hidden – oh well.)  They had a great time, and then watched all their cousins find their egg.

Then it was time for Lily to have her special date with Grandma Valerie.  They spent the day shopping, playing, with lunch in the middle somewhere.  Lily came home with lots of fun stories and a bag of books and sticker books for the plane ride home.  I am so glad she got that special time with her grandma!  (Valerie told me she could tell that Lily had never been to a bookstore without Derek, because it was the first time she got to relax and just read book after book.  They stayed 1 1/2 hours so she could truly enjoy it.)

While Lily was gone, Derek went with his cousin Luke to their special playgroup field-trip.  They went to the Idaho Pizza Kitchen and each got to make their own pizza.  It was such a great idea, and the kids loved it.  The moms even got to make ourselves a pizza :).

After the pizza, we took all the kids to D&B Supply, a farm store in the area, where they got to see baby bunnies and little chicks.  They were so cute!!  And then it was to one of the mom's house for an Easter egg hunt.  Derek loved it!

When we got home, we saw Heather off, and I was now the only guest left.  Although my kids missed their cousins, it was nice to have it a little calmer for our last day . . .

DAY 9 – Saturday, April 11

Saturday we took it easy and stuck around the house.  I helped Holly clean while my dad took Derek for an adventure.  When he returned home, he told about how Derek had run away at the store :).  It was such a funny story hearing about how my dad had the whole store trying to catch him.  Maybe now he understands what I go through a little more – he he!

My mom took Lily out on a special date to the toy store to pick out her early birthday present.   She came home with a rainbow umbrella and a blue harmonica – ahh Lily, you just never know.  Oh, and they got silly glasses for her and Derek at the craft store.

That afternoon we went over to Kevin's parent's house to say good-bye.  Dennis was able to sneak away from the office for a few minutes, and the kids were so happy to see him again.  It is always sad to say good bye though, since we never know how long it will be until the next visit.

When we got back, Lily and my mom picked up right where they left off, by having a tea party, complete with Scottish biscuits (cookies) and grape Kool-aid served on my grandmother's china.  My parents also gave a Lily a gorgeous Scottish dress they found when they were over there.  It fit her perfectly and makes her look like a little Southern Belle :).

That night it was really hard to get the kids to sleep, having them know it was their last night in Idaho.  It was especially hard for Lily to say good bye to Austin, who is not only her cousin, but her best friend.  They have been close since they were babies.

And of course, I had the difficulty of saying good bye to my sister Holly, since she would be sleeping when we left in the wee hours of the morning.  She is one of my very best friends, and I am lucky enough to have her for a sister.  Before I knew it, my alarm was going off on . . .

DAY 10 – Sunday, April 12 – Easter

I managed to make it until the plane took off in Twin Falls before I started to cry.  It is hard to leave, but even harder knowing that Kevin was even going to be home to greet us when we returned to Savannah.  I love Twin Falls, and I love my family, and it was hard to go.

We were amazingly blessed though – all our flights were on time, the weather was perfect (a far cry from the tornado warnings in Savannah the next day), and the kids were fantastic.  And yes, we did have to RUN through the Atlanta airport to board our Savannah flight on time, but we did it.  And waiting for us at the gate was Marilyn, my wonderful friend here.  She loaded us up, took us home, and fed us a wonderful Easter dinner with her family.  It definitely made it easier to come back to that empty apartment to have them right downstairs. 

It was a wonderful trip, but it is good to be home.  (And hey, a week later, I think I have finally adjusted back from the time change – he he!  That is why it took me so long to post this.)