Now that we've been home for a good two weeks, let me finish posting our travel pics. (Sorry it only takes me like a million years to never get caught up...but it's busy over here yo!)
Shae wanted to help Darin paint Ibu's house so I went searching in Darin's old stuff for a shirt that Shae could paint in and found this beauty. So funny to imagine Darin wearing a shirt like this.
I forgot to post these on my Utah trip, but I got to go down to the new Provo City Center temple while down in Utah. It was so beautiful. I really enjoyed driving around Provo looking at everything that has changed, like these massive buildings they are building as MTC housing! I remember them talking so much about these while I worked there, so it was cool to actually see them. As much as I talk about how I would never want to live in Provo except for school, it sure does have a special place in my heart.
The last week we were in Pocatello they did another firefighter water spraying day. Shae was less in to this one than the first, but Belén went out and got wet, then demanded that she walk around the playground in her towel. Whenever I tried to take it from her because she was tripping she would melt down until I put it back on her.
1st grade teachers are celebrities in his book. Especially when they do one on one reading time with you in their classroom full of books.
Checking out the map and play equipment at the school.
She always sticks her special kitty stuffed animal up to her face like this, nose to nose. So funny to see her do it with this bison too.
After I took the above picture of Belén: "Mom, take a picture of me doing something cool too. I'll eat this rock."
Building the rocket ship.
Not great picture quality, but this little scene below melted my heart when I walked past Ibu's bedroom the morning we were leaving to see her and Shae cuddling in bed together.
Shae sleeping in the middle of no where on our way home, with ALL the stuffed animals. Not sure how he got Tabby away from his sister.
Our last day of traveling we stopped in Kirtland for a few rainy hours. We tried to do a tour of the Kirtland temple...miraculously we made it through about 75% of the tour before we had to sneak out. I guess after being in the car for hours, being on a tour where they couldn't run around or touch anything wasn't the break the kids were looking for.
Despite being in the car for four days straight, I loved doing it with this special one by my side (and let's be honest, we wouldn't have gotten very far if it weren't for him since he basically drove the whole thing while I manned the kids and the radio. P.S. We listened to Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan--hilarious and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand--total heart-wrenching story but so so so good, check em' out).
We then went over the LDS church sites and jumped on the back of a tour so that we could see the Newell K. Whitney store.
Darin discovered one of his relatives in a book they had there (Amasa Lyman).
Shae really wanted to play postman with the mail behind us like he had done at the Family Museum we stopped at in Iowa the day before. Sorry kid.
The best part of this tour was that there was a picture on the wall with the alphabet, but some letters were missing. Someone on the tour asked the missionary why letters were missing. She said, "I really don't know, I guess someone just didn't know there ABC's." As soon as she said that I knew what was coming...Shae popped up and said, "I know my ABCs!" He then immediately started belting out the ABC song to our tour group.
We were all SO excited to make it home after four days in the car. Belén still didn't sleep great in the car, but better than the way out, about 30 minutes of nap time per day opposed to 5. We were so grateful that our apartment was left in such good condition after subletting. They even left us some little toys for the kids and fixed a hole on our arm chair! What a pleasant surprise. We loved watching the kids act like they had never seen their room full of toys before.
We had such a fun summer traveling as a family together! It was a blast being in Ann Arbor and we felt so blessed to be able to spend so much time with family and friends out west. Is the summer really almost over? Tomorrow is September! Whhhhahaaaaaa????
