Road Trip!

Last month we were (finally!) able to squeeze in a last-minute trip to the cabin.  It was so much fun to be there with our littles- especially Nora now that she is old enough to enjoy herself.
We left (much later than planned, of course) Friday morning, more than a little nervous. We weren't quite sure how the six-hour car ride would work with two kids under two, but we discovered something profound.  Ready?

"Are we there yet?" is easier to handle when there are more "There's."

Is your mind blown?  It's really true.  As soon as we accepted the fact that rest stops can't be quick and decided to take our time, the car ride became infinitely more bearable.  Having destinations (such as The Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe in Rexburg!  Yum!) along the way and enjoying the journey made all the difference, and we arrived at our destination in much better moods than if we had tried to just push though.  Dave's parents were already at the cabin.  They had dinner ready for us- lovely!- and watched the kids while Dave and I took a walk down by the river.  There was something so healing about having some time alone in a place that has always been so special to us.  It was as if all the stress, illnesses, and everything else that has made life crazy lately just melted away.  Wonderful.

Saturday morning Dave made a yummy breakfast of whole wheat pancakes for everyone (remind me to post the recipe- it's heaven) and then we hit the river.  Dave and I fished (well, I stood there with a pole and waved it around a lot.  I've yet to catch a fish at the cabin.  Ever.) and we took Nora out in the canoe.  She loved it!  She wanted to help "sweep."  Apparently, the paddles look like brooms.  At one point, Grandpa Bob caught a Nora-sized fish . . .

She absolutely LOVED the river and cried every time we had to leave.  Throwing rocks into the water was probably her favorite part of the trip!

Next we headed into West and Dave and I were able to see Beauty and the Beast at the Playmill while Grandma Dixie took the kids to the Grizzly Wolf Discovery Center.  Again, it was so nice to have some time to ourselves. After the show we met up with Dave's folks and his cousin Mark for dinner at our favorite place in town- Canyon Street Grill.  YUM!  Our final stop of the day was to our very own PineCone Playhouse to see all our friends and watch Calamity Jane.  We hadn't told anyone we were coming, and we received quite a welcome!  It was so fun to see everyone, and it really made us miss the people, the theater, and the area in general.  Sigh.  We like having a full time job with benefits.  I just keep reminding myself of that!

Sunday morning we said goodbye to Dave's parents (thanks again for all your help!!) and headed back to West for church.  Our Playmill friends hadn't gotten to see the kids, and we knew that church was the best opportunity to see all the people we needed to see.  We had lunch with our dear friends the Carters after church, then headed back to the cabin.  Some of our PineCone friends came down to join us for dinner that night, and we laughed and talked the night away.  SO nice to see everyone.

Monday was our Big Day in the Park.  First stop? Old Faithful.  We could see the geyser going off as we pulled into the parking lot, so we took time to take a very important picture.  Remember this one from last year?

Nora- Old Faithful Inn 2009

Well, this is the same kid in the same spot almost exactly one year later:

Nora- Old Faithful Inn 2010

She's grown up so much!  Of course, we had to get Joey in on the fun:

Clearly not amused. 

It was finally time to see the geyser, so we headed outside.  Nora's reaction to Old Faithful was priceless.  Luckily, we caught it all on tape!

We also had to hit West Thumb, which is Dave's favorite geyser basin.  It's especially cool because it's right on the edge of Yellowstone Lake.  Nora scared me to death by leaning over all the railings trying to see the water, and she made us laugh by blowing on all the thermal features to cool them off.  "Hot!  Hot!"

Still not amused.  Hmmmmm.

By this point, the weather was kind of crazy (3 microbursts and temperature dropping)  so we stopped at Grant Village for some hot cocoa and french fries before heading for home.  We did have to stop at the park entrance again, though, to get this picture of  "Ranger Joe."

Dave's parents bought us this cute little outfit, and we saved it for this trip.  We found the hat in one of the bookstores in the Park, and I think he makes a perfectly handsome park ranger!

On Tuesday it was time to head home, and we were more than a little sad.  That whole area is such a special place to our family, and it was hard to leave.  We did have one more stop to make, though- Lava Hot Springs.  We pass billboards for it every time we make the trip, and we've always wanted to stop.  Well, this time we did, and it was great!  It's definitely a place we want to visit again- maybe just the two of us.  Nora wasn't sure about the water at first ("Too hot!"), but then we couldn't get her to leave. 

We had such a wonderful trip!  It was a chance to focus on just being a family and having fun together.  Thank goodness for these breaks from "real life" that remind us what is really important!