Idaho trip

My sister-in-law, Courtney, was on bed rest for a few weeks, so I went to Idaho for a few days to help her out. It's nice to be unemployed! I got to see a lot of Mackenzie, Alexis, and Eli. This is the three of them in their pajamas getting settled down for bed while Courtney just lounges lazily on the couch.




My parents just moved from Blackfoot to Idaho Falls (about five days before I got there) which is a nice change for them but a little weird for me. They've lived for so long in the home I grew up in, that it's hard to believe that house belongs to somebody else now. And now there's no more reason to go back to my hometown. We had a nice little housewarming party for them when I was there, and almost everyone in the family (I think everyone except Chad) was able to come. At one point, Byron and I went in search of something to do (my sisters-in-law had gone shopping, the kids were playing some incomprehensible game, and everyone else was watching basketball). We rejected the board games (not enough players), searched the internet fruitlessly for something we could play together, tried playing with the kids briefly but couldn't figure out what they were doing, and finally ended up sitting on the floor watching an episode of Modern Family from a computer that was set up on a box. We got some weird looks and Jared brought us a computer chair, but the kids immediately appropriated it for their game (not that it would have been much use to us anyway).

For Family Home Evening on Monday we decided to make Scripture Cookies, where you look up scripture verses that tell you what the ingredients are supposed to be. We had just gotten started when we realized there were no eggs, so Jared & Courtney left to get eggs and some other groceries. (When you live out in the country like they do, you don't go all the way to the store just for eggs!) I helped the kids make the rest of the cookie dough, and I'm amazed it turned out so well. Asking a 5-year-old to measure out four cups of flour is just asking for trouble. When the ingredients were all added (except for the eggs) I divided the dough into three bowls so everyone could stir their own without fighting. It worked! They ate more than they stirred, but that's okay. When Jared & Courtney got back, we put it all together, added the eggs, and finished making the cookies.

My sisters-in-law (except Jemalya, who had to go back to work) and my mom and I got together one afternoon for lunch. A few days earlier, Courtney and I had been watching a cooking show about hamburgers, so we decided to have a hamburger lunch with all the fixings. Jared even gave up his lunch hour to grill burgers for us. I gave my camera to Alexis, who had been begging for days to take some pictures. Now I have about a hundred pictures of this event from a five-year-old's point of view. (Note to family: I posted the pics on Picasa if anyone wants them.) It was fun to have all the kids together again and let them run around. Too bad it was miserable weather, otherwise we could have played outside.

Before leaving, I went with Chad & Des and their family to see my parents in Hello Dolly at the community theater. My dad played Horace Vandergelder and my mom played the piano. The production was terrific! My nephews (7, 5, and 3) laughed uproariously, and even my 5-month-old niece was mesmerized.

This will probably be the last play my parents do for a while; they just got their mission call yesterday to the Uruguay Montevideo mission, working in the Welfare Employment Resource Center. Congratulations, Mom & Dad!