We enjoyed our week in Yellowstone with family but the fun wasn't done. We still had about 2 weeks at my parents house enjoying more time with family and doing all of our favorite things.
We got back from Island Park on Friday late in the afternoon and when we pulled into Firth, I saw that the Little Buckaroo Rodeo was that evening. We have never gone, but I have always wanted to so it was the spur of the moment decision and I'm so glad we went. It was pure entertainment and so much fun!
I read the flyer wrong, so we were an hour early so we just had some fun on the track to kill some time before the big show.
This rodeo is only for kids but it is so fun to watch. We got to see sheep riding, roping a goat and getting a ribbon off a goat while the kids rode stick horses, barrel races with stick horses, and calf riding.
The girls got some cotton candy about half way through. The first thing that Nate and I were excited to watch was catching the pig. The kid's arms were covered in grease and they were sure quick. It happened so fast, I don't think that little pig knew what was coming at him.
Then everyone's favorite part by far was catching chickens. This is for 6 and under and is complete chaos and so entertaining. They let go so many chickens and if you catch one then you get to take it home with you. There was so much running around and even watching adults trying to help was so funny. A couple of chickens tried to get out of the arena and we loved watching everyone walk out with their chickens.
The next morning, we were up bright and early to make our way to St. Anthony for their annual 24th of July parade. There was some amazing floats and the kids got SO much candy. We picked up Juliette on our way and we sat and enjoyed the parade with Erika and her family.
We had lunch at Erika's and then we were back at my parent's house for the rest of the day. Paige got to mow the lawn for the first time with the riding lawn mower and loved it. I got to sneak away for a couple of hours and catch up with my friend Steph from high school. It was amazing to see her and her kids. I went to her parent's house to see her and it brought back all sorts of memories. I loved being able to catch up with her. Derek and Amy and the rest of their family came over for dinner amd it was a nice evening just enjoying the backyard and visiting.
Sunday, we went to church with Derek and Amy. It was weird going to Relief Society since I haven't gone in years. Paige enjoyed going with her cousins to Young Women's and Nate and Baylor wandered the halls since Baylor didn't want to go to a new primary. McCall went right to nursery and didn't even hesitate. We went back to my parent's for the afternoon so McCall could take a good nap and we could all rest. We had been on the go for about a week and we were all tired. We went to Derek and Amy's and helped with dinner and enjoyed the evening. Paige did end up slipping and falling on the treadmill and made the mistake of holding on so both her knees got skinned up pretty bad. She was gimpy for a few days and it was a bit of a hinderance for some things but she was a trooper. (This picture was towards the end of our trip so they had healed quite a bit at this point.)
Monday, we went up to Rexburg for the day. We picked up Emily and Juliette and our first stop was Porter Park. We got there at lunch time and had a picnic and then the girls had fun at the splash pad. It was pretty windy this day so they didn't last long in the water since the wind made them cold. Emily had the most fun and the weather didn't seem to bother her.
In this picture you can see how McCall would lift the reins to cover her face. It was the funniest thing because she would be smiling and happy and as soon as she saw me with the camera, she would lift up the reins and cover her face. I'm not sure why, if it was embarassment or not sure how to act because she truly loved it. It was pretty cute and eventually she kept the reins down for some cute pictures.
Then we met up with Amy, Charlotte, Erika, Grace, and Parker for some thrift shopping. We ended up going to 3 thrift stores. I didn't go to the first one and took Baylor to get some Tylenol. She was pretty miserable at this point and I knew some medicine would help her out. McCall ended up falling asleep in the car so my mom stayed in the car with her and Baylor for 2 of the stores so they could rest and let the medicine kick in. We all enjoyed the last thrift store. Nate got a few things to sell and we all found some cute shirts.
Then Amy and her girls left and we went to the Nature Park with Erika and her kids to check out the new playground. It is an amazing playground and we all had lots of fun.
We all walked around the pond to see the ducks and of course when McCall saw this puddle she knew exactly what to do. :)
My dad is a member of a stake presidency in a BYU-Idaho married ward and this evening they had an appreciation dinner at the church by the temple. Nate and I were afraid it would be a little odd, but it ended up being fine and they had some delicious homemade fries and some amazing ribs. It was a really nice dinner and a fun way to end our busy day.
We started Tuesday off with a relaxing morning. The girls love gathering eggs in the mornings and feeding the cats. Paige and Baylor killed some time by taking some pictures of each other.
Derek and Amy stopped by after lunch to drop their girls off. (They went to a concert in Utah.) So we had a fun evening and sleepover with cousins. Erika and Grace came down for dinner to enjoy more time with us and so Grace could be part of the fun. We enjoyed our nightly walk with Erika that evening and it was nice to visit with her. The girls had fun in the backyard playing games, chalk art, painting rocks, doing face masks, and star gazing.
This series of photos is so funny but so cute. McCall and the cats had a love/hate relationship. She loved the kitties but wasn't the most gentle and they would run away from her. The top two pictures is McCall glaring at the cat and saying"Kitty!" in her stern voice. She wasn't happy with the cat being by the chalk. She went over to it to give it a talking to and it gave her a good swat (no claws were out) and she ended up in tears but then moments later they were friends again... :) Most of the time if the cats saw McCall coming for them, they would run away.
Face Mask fun!
It is fun watching the stars at my parent's house because you can see them so well. We could see the Milky Way and we all ended up seeing a few shooting stars which is always cool.
Wednesday we were at my parents for the day. The girl cousins were there most of the day which was fun. The excitement for the day was watching them cut the grain in the field across the street. It was fascinating to watch but it did make the air quality outside not fun. Little grain particles would get in your eyes and my eyes were super itchy and watery if I was outside for too long. We did watch one semi truck filled with grain accidently dump some on the road so we quickly scooped it up and so now we have some fresh grain that we can use.
Thursday our highlight for the day was doing baptisms for the dead in the Idaho Falls Temple. My parents watched the little kids and kept them entertained in the visitor's center. So those that went inside were Derek, Amy, Charlotte, Juliette, Nate, Paige, and I, and Erika. Josh was supposed to meet us there but he went to the Rexburg Temple on accident and participated with a group there. It was really cool to go inside because the Idaho Falls Temple was the one I went to as a youth but they remolded it so it looked completely different. The dressing rooms were so much nicer and it was a really sweet experience. Derek baptized and confirmed his girls and Nate did Paige and I. There were some challenging names which made it entertaining and it was really fun to do it with family.
We then took a few pictures of Parker for his baptism. They turned out super cute!
Then we all went to a nearby park and had some pizza for dinner.
Then when we got back home Sharolyn and her kids had arrived. They spent the night at my parents so the girls had more cousin time and just enjoyed the farm life.
When I woke up Friday morning (Nate and I slept in since it was a rough night with McCall), Paige was out mowing the lawn and was loving it. When she was done, she asked for a riding lawn mower for her birthday. :)
Then we got a picnic together and we met everyone in Idaho Falls at Gem Lake. It was such a fun afternoon. It truly was the perfect setting for all the ages of kids we had. Everyone had fun jumping off the dock, my parents brought the canoe so they took kids out, Erika brought inner tubes for the kids and adults to enjoy, and Amy brought a few kid toys and Barbies for the little ones to enjoy. It was such a nice afternoon, visiting and cooling off in the water.
I went out on the canoe with my mom and when I got back, I could see Paige and Juliette chilling on their tubes really close to the dock and I saw the perfect opportunity to jump in by them and splash them. :)
The girls feeding a friendly squirrel some of our lunch.
Paige and Juliette having some fun with McCall on the way back from the lake.
We had a BBQ back at Derek and Amy's house and the kids had more swimming fun in their pool.
Sharolyn's kids stayed the night at my parents but Maggie ended up getting sick and was not feeling well so I sent Baylor and Paige to Derek and Amy's house because they really wanted to do a sleepover over there. They had so much fun and it helped them not catch what Maggie had and also let Sharolyn's kids go to bed early and not have my kids distracting them. Nate and I got McCall to bed and enjoyed our evening walk.
I got this picture from Amy- Baylor and Emily enjoyed their own movie night with popcorn and brownies before they went to bed. It was a fun evening for them!
We had a wonderful Saturday filled with love and family. Tannin and Parker had a combined baptism and it was the sweetest day. The entire Peterson side was there (besides Michael on his mission) and so we got some family pictures. We haven't seen Karlton and Michelle for a couple of years and this was the first time Nate, Paige, and Baylor met Callum. They had been living in Texas and moved back to Idaho a few days before. We were happy to see them and we were happy that we could be in Idaho for this special day.
When we were with Erika earlier in the week, we found this picture and we decided we had to recreate it at the baptism.
It was entertaining and I had a hard time trying not to laugh at Amy directing all of us and her laughing at us. :)
I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon with Amy. I helped her set up some of the walls in her classroom and it was fun to see her school, classroom, and talk about her classes. Setting up a classroom would be something that I would love. I don't know how well I would do with teaching though especially middle schoolers. Amy is a saint to do that!
Sunday we went with Derek and Amy to church again. Baylor again didn't want to go to class so we went to Derek's youth Sunday school class. Baylor stayed at Derek and Amy's for the afternoon to play with Emily and Juliette came with us to be with Paige. We then went to Gary and Dana's for dinner which was super nice to catch up with them and they even invited Nate's cousin Michelle and her family. We always love seeing them all whenever we go to Idaho.
Monday we were all awaken by a helicopter crop duster. It was super loud but also super cool to watch. Paige was excited when she got the pilot to wave to her.
We then went with my parents to Rigby. It was pretty hot so we weren't up for much but we did stop and play at a playground, saw the Veteran's Memorial and found my grandpas and other relatives, then we had lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Walker (near their gravesite). I wasn't feeling the greatest so when we got home I took a much needed nap.
Then Paige, Baylor, and I went with my parents to a play. We went and saw the Wizard of Oz. It was very well done and the girls really enjoyed it. Baylor got a little tired at the end but overall it was a really fun experience and something I would do again. The actors were amazing and we all particularly loved the Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Man.
Tuesday we met up with Derek and Amy's family, Karlton and Michell's family, and Erika and her two kids and went to Mr. Pizza for lunch. Then we went to Derek and Amy's house for an afternoon of playing in the pool and visiting.
Then we all made our way to my parent's house for dinner. It was fun to go on our evening walk with Karlton, Michelle, and Erika. The kids had so much fun playing in the back yard. Then we had a big sleepover! Paige and Juliette in one room, we were with McCall in our room, Karlton and Michelle were on an air mattress in the family room with Callum, Bria, Emily, Grace, and Baylor, and then Erika slept on the deck with Tannin and Parker. We had fun staying up late playing light up boccee ball, doing more face masks and Paige and Juliette doing everyone's nails, and doing a little star gazing. We even saw Star Link which was the coolest thing ever!
It was a wonderful lazy morning and afternoon with more cousin fun, playing games, doing nails, and visiting for our last full day.
We all went to Rupes for dinner.
We said our goodbyes to Erika and her kids.
Then back to my parents and we went to their neighbor's house and saw the cutest little baby goat and got to pet their other animals.
McCall was super excited to try and hold the goat but then it gave her a little kiss and she wanted to keep her distance after that.
Then it was just a little more time with cousins before saying goodbye. It is always hard to say goodbye especially for Paige. She gets along with Juliette so well and always misses her when they are apart. I so wish we lived closer to them.
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Thursday morning was packing and cleaning everything up, one last egg gathering, and saying goodbye to Grandma and Poppy. It was a great visit and we are always sad to leave but also love our home in Washington.
It was a little weird being back home but so nice to be back in our own beds. On Friday, I had a little bit of hard time with all of our fun summer adventures coming to an end. We had so many things planned this summer and now they are all over and it's hard not having something to look forward to. It all went by too fast but we had such a wonderful summer, went to so many places, and did so many things. It was so good and we miss our Idaho family so much already!
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