We drove up to Wyoming with just the girls to pick up my oldest, who had spent ten days absorbing all the attention his grandparents bestowed on him.  The girls did so well on the drive up,  so well that I began to envision all the trips we could take as a family since my kids were clearly such great travelers!

We arrived in Star Valley on Sunday evening,  where the temperature was in the mid sixties, a far cry from the triple digit heat we left behind.  It was beautiful, and so good to see my son again.  I secretly look forward to my kids growing up and going out into the world to have their own adventures….I hope they will call me up after every adventure and tell me all about it and what they learned. (I love the idea of seeing the world anew through my children’s eyes)   This solo trip to WY was his own adventure and I couldn’t wait to absorb all that he had done- through his eyes!

Monday Aaron and I went for a bike ride just outside of  Thayne, it was just the most beautiful scenery. It was so nice to spend some time alone with him too, no kids, no distractions…just the two of us on a rather deserted road.  I think we rode about an hour and a half and stopped for ice-cream on the way back.  Going to an ice-cream store without the kids felt almost like a sin!

Tuesday we left all the kids with my in laws and Aaron and I went on a date to Idaho Falls, were we visited the Temple, the old sugar shack (I’m told that area of town in now part of Ammon, not Idaho Falls), and lunch at Snake Bite Cafe.  It is always strange to me to go back and visit a city I lived in as a child….I fond memories of our time in IDF, I remember all sorts of adventures in the yard with my sister. To see the town again as an adult was kind of eye opening, in a lot of ways it is still a very rural town.

For all the times I had driven by the Idaho Falls Temple, this was the first time I had actually been inside and it was a nice experience to share with Aaron.  It is one of the older Temples, and really a beautiful structure- inside and out.

If you ever find yourself in the area, you should really eat at Snake Bite in downtown IDF, I had the most amazing fish tacos there (I know, fish tacos in Idaho…but they were SO good!).

Our last day in Wyoming we took the big kids and my father-in-law to Lave Hot Springs, a place I had really enjoyed as a kid.  The first thing that struck me was that water safety standards in Arizona are waaaaaayyyy different than Idaho standards.  We spent enough time at the big pool for the kids and Aaron to go down the 60ft vertical drop water slides, with terminal velocity of 38mph (my fil and  were happy to watch!)

We visited the Hot Pools, where I wimped out- it was too hot for me.  I don’t know how my kids managed to stay in the water longer than 30 seconds!  We decided to rent tubes and go tubing down the river, which was fun for everyone until Aaron and my daughter tipped- she decided it was no longer fun anymore.  The rest of us went again and no one came away unscathed.  We all emerged from the river with blood dripping from our legs, or arms, or both!  I thought it was a blast, but I am glad we had the kids on rafts with us, and I probably would do life vests on the kids if I did it again.

That night we had fish that Aaron had caught for dinner.  Long story short I swallowed a bone and sure enough, it got caught in my throat.  Just like my mother always said would happen if I wasn’t careful about eating fresh caught fish!  My father in law called the local urgent care and told me if I couldn’t get it unstuck with dry bread and water (4 slices and it was still stuck!) that I should go to the clinic and have it removed.  In my state of both fear and mortification I texted Jaylee who commiserated and told me if I went to the ER I would have to tell the tech that I was there about a fish bone, probably after he had just stitched up a gun shot wound.  I decided to sleep on it…in the morning mortification won and we drove away, fish bone and all.  I must have eventually swallowed it somewhere between Provo and Las Vegas because it wasn’t there when we woke up in Vegas!  See, my ego was right this time!

We stopped by the Hoover Dam on the way home….it was too hot to enjoy; the kids faces really were that red.

Remember how I said my two girls did great on the way up?  Well, apparently three is a crowd because they all fed off each other and the drive home was such an experience that I found myself yelling words to my kids that I try to avoid in normal life.

When we got home, my 2 year old was playing with her little people and I caught her saying “guys, stop it, now” over and over.  The drive home was just that much fun.

Last weekend my father-in-law was here to take my oldest daughter up to WY for some one-on-one time with her paternal grandparents.  Before he left with my daughter he asked me if I had any reservations.  I laughed and made a joke about him falling asleep at the wheel on the long drive.  Later that night I laid in bed and thought about what he’d asked and I realized that no, I did not have any reservations.

(they stopped along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon)

No, I thought how lucky we all were.  How lucky my in-laws are to have their health and the time / resources to spend with their grandchildren.  How lucky I am to have in-laws who truly find joy in their children and grandchildren.  How extremely lucky my children are to be able to have these special times with their grandparents.  My son will go up by himself for ten days later in July.

I know that they will form relationships with their Mimi & Papa independent of my husband and I,  and I want this for them.  I want them to make memories that are shared only between each other.  I hope this summer-and many more to come- are filled with special fishing spots, watercolors in the sun, lightening bugs on the back deck, grilled cheese with butter for lunch, splashing in the pool, and snowballs at the Maverick.

(her first fish of the summer)

Many (many, many) years from now when their grandparents are no longer here, I hope that my children can look back and take comfort in the countless memories of special summers and hotel sleepovers with their Grandparents.  I hope they will not only acknowledge their love for Mimi & Papa, but that through these memories they will know that they were deeply loved in return.

of seeing my vacation photos yet?!  I’m overwhelmed by the beauty here, I just can’t seem to stop taking pictures.

My MIL is an impeccable decorator, her homes are always so clean, beautiful and comfortable.  Here are some shots from the Star Valley house.

I procured these peony’s on the way home from church, but refuse to divulge where I got them.  They sure do smell good though.

One of the basement (why oh why don’t we have a basement in AZ?) guest rooms we stayed in.

**don’t forget, you can still enter the Tuxedo Ruffle Set giveaway!**