Arthur and I arrived in Idaho a little after dinner time, and we were so happy to be there with my mama!

When we arrived, my sister Heather just happened to be there with some of her baby goats, and she may have teased him a bit with them.  It was pretty funny.  Then he went and said hi to the full grown goats – but from a distance.  Goats are pretty unpredictable.

We finished off our first night in Arthur’s and Grandma’s favorite pastime – reading together :).

The next morning, I was up with the sun and taking a walk for my workout.  I love getting to the end of my mom’s road just as the sun is coming up.  Last year the field was full of wheat; this year it is corn.

When I come to visit, my mom always has a list of things she needs help with, and we hit the ground running, since we had limited time with her. Friday morning was full of shopping and other errands, while Arthur played next door with Savannah and Lizzie.  While we were out and about, I got a text from my dear friend Terrie that she just happened to be in Twin Falls for a doctor’s appointment for her son, Viggo.  It was a miracle! They were able to come by and visit before they had to head back to Boise, which was such a huge blessing!!

Throughout our time in Idaho, Arthur made himself quite at home, whether he was playing with cousins, or playing pretend with all the cool stuff of Grandma’s, he was content.  That made it so much easier for me to work on all the things I needed to do.  (We also got to stop by Kevin’s parent’s and spend some time there catching up, which is also wonderful.)

One of his very favorite activities, however, was playing games with my mom.  He loved it!  And sometimes I would even get to join in on the fun as well.

On Saturday, my mom and I went to the movies while Arthur had a date with his Grandpa Dennis.  We went to see the amazing movie, “The Sound of Freedom,” which was heartbreaking, but a very important subject, as it dealt with the horror of human trafficking. Even though the movie was very heavy, my mom and I loved getting to go together.

Like I mentioned before, while my mom and I were at the movie, Dennis took Arthur on an adventure.  First, they went out to feed apples to the horses, and then it was lunch at McDonalds, and then they went to three different toy stores in search of Legos.  Arthur was in heaven and loved every minute of it!

On Sunday, I was able to attend my mom’s ward with her.  Arthur was happily snatched up by one of his cousins to go to their primary class, and I went with my mom to Relief Society. (It has been a VERY long time since I was in a RS lesson, so it was strange.  It was a great lesson though.) Afterward, we came home and had family study with everyone, which is always wonderful.

Sunday, after dinner, we drove down to Shoshone Falls so that Arthur could see them.  Usually they are dry this time of year, but because of all the snow they had had this winter, there was still a lot of water, and Arthur thought it was awesome.  If it wasn’t Sunday and my mom hadn’t been waiting in the car, I would have had Arthur hike up one of the trails with me.

Sunday night, Heather and some of her older kids came over to hang out, and we played Telestrations.  We laughed so hard and had such a fun time, that Heather immediately ordered the game for her family.  Nice :).

Monday morning I worked.  I had four houses that I needed to get pictures of for Premier, and then I had a work lunch at the Twin Falls Sandwich Company with Holly and Danette, which was awesome.  The homes were lovely, but I had to snap a picture of this music room for Kevin – so pretty!

After my work lunch, I went on a little adventure hunting for the Juvenile Court building.  You see, someone from there had ordered some of my pictures to hang in the office, and they asked me to stop by and sign them if I was ever in town.  Well, after stopping at the main courthouse, and then driving around town, I finally found it.  And they were so excited to have me sign my pictures.  And I loved seeing them displayed in a public office.  So cool!!

Tuesday morning, I was up early so that my sister, Heather, and I could hike along the canyon.  We had the most wonderful time talking and taking in the gorgeous views.  I love my sisters, and I don’t get to spend nearly enough time with them, especially Heather.

Tuesday was a cousin day for Arthur.  He spent the morning riding horses with his Grandpa Dennis, Uncle Brian, Aunt Rachel, and cousins, Dana and Isaac.  He loved riding the horses, and one of them was so docile, that I was able to hang up the lead rope and he just followed me like a puppy.  Nice.  The only issue was that when it was finally mine, Rachel’s and Brian’s turn to ride, the horses were done for the day.  The one I was riding even started to buck when I tried to get him to walk out in the field.  What?!!

Arthur and Isaac were having such a fun time together, that we invited Isaac to come over and keep playing for a couple hours.  They had a blast, even if I did have to stop their wrestling match on the trampoline – ha ha!

While the two of them were playing, my sister Cheryl arrived!!  She came to visit for a couple days because I was in town, and I am so glad she did!!  Arthur especially loved that she brought her little dog, Duke, with her.  He played with him and cuddled him, and had a blast.

After lunch, my mom, Cheryl, Arthur and I, along with his cousins Grace, Lizzie and Savannah, all went over to Paula’s house to swim.  She is my mom’s best friend, and has the most amazing pool.  We had such a great time playing with the kids and swimming, and Cheryl destroyed us all in a game of HORSE.  And after I dove into the pool, all the girls wanted to learn how to dive as well, and so Cheryl taught them.  And in true Paula fashion, there were snacks and ice cream at the end.  So much fun!

Wednesday was our last day, and so Cheryl and I went on a four mile walk on the canyon rim with Duke in tow.  We were having the best time, but Duke was acting funny and wanting to be carried.  After a couple miles, we finally discovered a giant bur stuck in the hair on his foot – poor guy! It took a lot, but Duke was able to pull it out with his teeth, and then he happily walked the rest of the time.

Speaking of Duke, Arthur sure had a blast playing with that little fluff ball – ha ha!  Glad he could enjoy someone else’s dog, because we will not be getting one of our own.

Before we left on Wednesday afternoon, Holly was able to stop by and hang out for a bit.  I feel so blessed to have had the time with three of my sisters while in Idaho.  But truly, I am so grateful for the time that Arthur and I had with my mama.  Whether it was watching movies, playing games, running errands, talking, laughing, etc, it was wonderful.  We were so blessed to have this time together.