Fun Times in Idaho

Sam and Ava love hanging out with their cousins in Idaho!

Fun times in the hot tub.

Anna, Ezra, and Sam play chill in the little pool!

Hanging out at the Cookes house

Anna has taken a special liking to Sam and loves to read to him and play with him - they are buddies already!

On Saturday, we drove up to the mountains (Horsethief Reservoir) where Robert, Brooke and Ezra were camping and hung out for a couple hours.

All in all, a busy, fun, and good first week as Idahoans.

Go West!

So much has been happening the last few weeks with our move to Boise...so, here are some pictures from all the excitement!  First, just some cute ones from MN before we left of Sam and Ava.....

 

   

Saying good-bye to GMA!

Ava...getting cuter and more grown up by the day!

 

Mom and Sam

 

We took 4 days to drive from Minneapolis to Boise and it was a great mini family trip!  We saw Mt Rushmore, Wall Drug, The Wild West, Yellowstone and the Tetons....plus lots and lots of nothing....for miles and miles... and miles and miles!  

Sam and dad stretching their legs in South Dakota - the Ipad and Iphone are the only way to travel with Sam! (now to wean him...)

  

Well deserved Mac-n-cheesey in Oacoma (Put-me-in-a-coma), SD!

 Mt. Rushmore - Rapid City, South Dakota

 

Dad and Sam enjoying some good BBQ!

 Hanging out at WallDrug - Sam was not a fan once the horse and buggy was going!

  

One exciting Milestone that happened on our trip was that Ava finally made if fully over rolling from her back to stomach - this girl wants to MOVE!  GO AVA!

Sam's favorite part of the trip in Wyoming was swimming with dad!  He was timid at first and then had the time of his life!

 

 

 

One of Sam's (and dad's) favorite stops was on the way to Buffalo, WY - we stopped at a roadside hotel that was half converted to a swap meet of Western mementos... hard to explain....  Sam and dad searched for treasures!

 Sam's favorite treasure found was Charlie Brown the Cat!  The owner told us Charlie Brown loved people and was very social, yet Sam managed to drive him to hide below a car!  Sam loved him, though, and couldn't get enough!

 We had lunch at the Yellowstone Lodge and drove through the park en route - very beautiful!  

 

We also saw lots of deer and buffalo and unending beautiful scenery!

The Tetons were BREATHTAKING - Dad had a hard time keeping his eyes on the road.  

 We spent our last night in Jackson Hole and loved it!  We walked around the Town Square with the kids, went to a great Mexican restaurant and then relaxed at our hotel before the final push to Boise!

 Almost to Idaho!

We were so happy to finally make it to Kuna, Idaho on Saturday at 3pm - it was a long 4 days in the car, but we enjoyed the time as a family (mostly!)

Here's to lots of new adventures out West!

I can roll from my tummy to my back!

Randoms

I've been lucky the last week or two to have some days off and have more time with Sam and Ava.

Sam loves to hang out with his sister - in the morning when I bring him into the bedroom, he gets so excited to see her!

Ava loves her brother too!  She loves to hear him talk and read and play his loud games and toys next to her - she is mesmerized!  Sam now will come and sit by her and try to make her laugh - if she smiles or laughs back at him he gets so excited.

With Sam, it's all about the books.  He always pulls out a stack of books and situates himself on the couch or his little chair.  He often doesn't want mom to read to him as HE can read them now!

 

 Lately, I've peeked into the living room and found Sam parked next to Ava reading to her - it's very cute!  She loves it and just smiles and watches him.

Ava is all about chewing on things and holding toys in her hand - she is getting good at grabbing things and putting them in her mouth - even her paci!

 

A proud BSU fan - thanks Aunt Sara for my super cool shirt!

Bradley might not like me posting these, but one of my favorite things is how Ava LOVES to sleep on her dad - they are definitely nap buddies!  Dad has a special touch for babies and putting them to sleep on his chest.  In the first picture, Ava was so happy to have her daddy home from the Indy road trip - she immediately went to sleep on dad - she looked so sweet I had to take a picture.  The second one - well, I think dad needed a nap as badly as Ava - ha!