THE TRIP--part one

I know this will take a couple of posts to get in all of the pictures and activities.

Day1 Friday--Drive to Boise. Nothing too exciting about the drive thankfully. This was also the last day of school for Ethan and Zach. It was a whopping one and a half hour day. But, it was the perfect amount of time to pack of the van and let Mallory take a nap. We got to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Jake's house and went to the end of the year carnival at the elementary school. The boys had a great time playing games and winning prizes with their cousins. Zach wants me to add that he won every game he played and got 4 prizes. Ethan played 7 games and got 9 prizes--counting the pieces of candy he won. Wyatt got 4 prizes.

Day 2 Saturday--Drive to Oregon. We made pretty good time and went to Brian and Sheila's for a late dinner and visiting. It was great to finally get to see and hold Megan. She is a cutie! The boys enjoyed running around the backyard with Hayden, Kennedy and Olivia.

Day 3 Sunday--Church and Megan's BBQ. Wow--going to church was like coming home after a long trip. It was wonderful to see everyone. In some ways it felt like we hadn't ever left. We loved being in this ward--it truly was our extended family in Oregon. Megan's blessing was really nice. Tim felt privileged to be invited to stand in the circle. I loved the looks of excitement as the boys saw their buddies. They were actually a little too excited and we had to separate our boys from Caleb and Calvin. Two of my favorite moments were when Calvin leaned over to me and said "Is Zach coming over for a sleepover now?" and getting a hug from Grandma Waite--she has always made me feel so loved. Even now, the memory of looking around the chapel at everyone fills my heart with love and appreciation for the friendships that we have there. I loved going to Relief Society and hearing Jenn's lesson about the Holy Ghost. It was great to ponder about the influence of the spirit and how I can better listen to its promptings.
Megan's BBQ was a lot of fun. I love this family! The boys had a grand time playing with Brian's Star Wars guys with Kennedy. It was so great to visit with the extended Brame family and share in the celebration of Megan's blessing and Maeli's first birthday.