Idaho Trip Day 6 - The Tetons

After waking up to deer outside our cabin we decided to drive up to see the Tetons. Ricky grew up coming to the Tetons and has memories forms climbing the Grand Teton when he was a young teenager. I on the other hand, had never been there so it was all new to me. It was a fairly cold day but the sun was out. It was such a beautiful and peaceful drive. I'm glad we had an opportunity to create such fun memories.  There was plenty to talk and laugh about.  It was such an amazing day.

Here are a few highlights from the day.

The Tetons

 We try to find old or interesting churches on every trip we go on.  We were in luck because we found this little one. The Episcopal Chapel of the Transfiguration. 

We saw a moose.

Seeing a bison.

Making a snow angel. I don't think I had ever done that before and there was so much snow i just had to do it.

Eating lunch at Signal Mountain Resort.

Jenny Lake

Jackson Lake Dam

 Jackson Lake

Going on a bear hunt. We were really hoping to see one but no such luck. We did find this beautiful view though. I think we determined that this was the snake river.  

Did I mention the Tetons!?! They were quite the sight to see.

We spent the late afternoon at the cabin taking a nap, watching a movie (The King's Speech) and reading. We also snuck in a little American Idol. We ended up with Wendy's (Ricky hates that place) but it was the only thing open at 9:30 pm which is when we were ready for dinner. 

All in all, a fabulous day!

Idaho Trip Day 5 - Jackson, WY

Happy 8th Anniversary! Eight years ago Ricky and I were married for time and all eternity. We took a few days to celebrate by going to Jackson, Wyoming. I had never been before and I wanted a nice place that we could relax, take in some scenery, read, eat and enjoy each others company. Luckily we did just that.

Here are some highlights of our anniversary day.

Lunch at Five Guys. It's Ricky's favorite hamburger place and there happens to be one in Pocatello, which was on our way to Jackson.

I surprised Ricky with a massage and I enjoyed a relaxing facial.

 We had beautiful views out each window on our drive up.  Because of all the rain the rivers were full to the max. 

We saw things that you only see in hunting territory.  Barns with antlers. 

Every mountain had snow. 

We checked into our adorable little cabin.

The view was beautiful and our cabin was tucked in the back so it was a nice quiet area. 

 Cozy little studio cabin. 

We woke up every morning with deer in front of our cabin.

Ricky was surprised with a box of his favorite sugar cookies from Cheryl's that ordered and had sent to our room.

We enjoyed a delicious and adventurous dinner at Million Dollar Steakhouse. I say adventurous because I tried buffalo ravioli. If you know me well, you know I'm a pretty picky eater. I was determine to be brave though and I wanted to try something new. I have to admit they were pretty good but I don't know that I would order them again. Ricky really liked it.

History of the restaurant: Located in one of the oldest buildings in Jackson Hole (circa 1890), the Cowboy Steakhouse originally opened in the basement of the historic Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in 1995.

 This was some sort of bread with very different spices in it along with a salmon cream cheese.  I tried this too. Not a fan of the cream cheese and the bread was...interesting but edible.  

 Crispy Buffalo Stuffed Ravioli with Light Basil Pesto Cream Sauce and Tomato and Arugula Salad

Buttermilk Chicken Fried Chicken with Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Asparagus and Country Gravy. It was the only chicken item on the menu. 

We walked around town a bit but everything was pretty much closed. After all, it was 6:00 pm. We headed back to the cabin to enjoy a movie (The Fighter) and good reading.

I'm so blessed to be married to my best friend.  We have a lot in common and yet we also have a lot of differences.  I think it's the perfect balance.  He is sweet, caring, loyal, forgiving, a great father, funny, intelligent, honest, and exactly who I was supposed to marry. I love you, Ricky!

Idaho Trip - Day 4

Monday was a work day for me. Of course with my luck I had computer issues and had to go to the banking center to log into the network. Ricky took Lincoln into Urgent Care and dropped me off at the bank. Luckily for us Tutu stayed home with Logan. Within a couple hours we were on our way back home. Lincoln had either a stomach virus or intestinal cramping but the doctor ruled out an appendicitis which is what we were most worried about. He had some medicine and thankfully he was doing better by later that afternoon. 

 Lincoln loves olives...Mom and Dad don't.  Thank goodness for Tutu. 

 He thought he was pretty clever with olive fingers. 

 Logan LOVES music. He was pretty serious about playing the piano.  They love to turn on the demo button and dance to the music. 

We don't know who likes vacuums more, Logan or Uncle Don.  

Idaho Trip Day 3 - Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! My mothers day ended up being quite a day...for multiple reasons. The day started out nicely. Ricky made a delicious french toast breakfast for us and he let me sleep in. 
Later that morning we determined that Logan was sick with a fever, runny nose and watery eyes. We decided that Ricky would stay home with Logan while Sandi and I took Lincoln with us to church. It was a nice meeting. A husband and wife speaking about the recent adoption of their new little baby boy. Lincoln loved primary and for me it was nice to sit through Sunday School and Relief Society since I'm always in the nursery at home and never get to go to adult meetings.
Later that afternoon I realized something was wrong with my eye. It started to itch at church but now I was noticing that it was red and swollen. What the heck!? I had been totally fine earlier and I couldn't think of anything that happened that would cause this. It hurt pretty bad. My upper eye lid on the inside was somehow clogged and if it didn't drain on it's own according to Dr. Barratt it could require surgery to drain it.  Nice. It finally went away after about five days and lots of hot compress. 

Ricky and Natalee prepared a wonderful Mother's day dinner. He worked so hard all day long to take care of the boys and all the cooking, cleaning so Sandi and I wouldn't have to. He was super sweet! He also happened to give me this little gadget for a Mother's day/anniversary present and I l-o-v-e it!

Anyway, on to later that evening. Lincoln complains that his tummy hurts. We go through all of the usual questions. He continued to play off and on but we knew something wasn't right. He had a low grade fever and wouldn't eat much. Next thing we know he is having some pretty severe stomach pain and is screaming. I don't recall seeing him like that ever before. It seems to come and go and he finally fell asleep. We later find ourselves driving to the ER at about 10:30 that night. After we make the 20 minute drive into town he appears to be fine. He's tells us the pain only hurts a little and he doesn't appear to have too much discomfort. We hung out in town for a little bit but then decide to head home, hoping to get him into urgent care first thing in the morning to be checked out by a gastroenterologist.  We return home and got a few hours of sleep. 
It was a long action packed day but it was so nice to be with my family.  I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband and two adorable sons.  I know times can be tough, and I get frustrated and run out of patience more often than I like to, but I never forget the blessing that they are and the love that I have for them.  They bring so much joy, love, laughter, and learning to my life. I'm a lucky girl. 

30 degree weather brought us snow on Mother's Day. 

 Logan hadn't really been in the snow before so we played in the snow on the balcony at Tutu's house. 

 Logan wanted to be outside but not so interested in playing with the snow at first. 

 Lincoln loved splashing in the puddles. 

 Oh, the simple things in life that bring such joy. 

 I'm not a fan of the cold but I have to admit when you can watch snow fall, it's quite beautiful. 

 Logan being brave enough to feel it.

 He tried to catch the snow as it was falling like he would do with bubbles. It was adorable. 

 I love the look on his face.  He is trying to understand this big world he lives in. 

 So innocent and precious. 

Such a little handsome guy. 

Logan loves to be outside.  He doesn't care if it's hot or cold. Outdoors is where he's happiest. 

It only took a few minutes before he learned to love the snow.