Feels like Heaven

Pulling into my Grandparents' house in Idaho is what I imagine arriving in Heaven will feel like. There is so much peace and love in that little corner of Idaho. My Grandparents have both passed away, but my Aunt Kristine and Uncle Dave have done the most amazing job making it feel just like the place I visited every summer of my childhood.

Some things that are constants in Idaho:

The hot tub
Unfortunately, one night we were out there with Kyle and Kathleen when we noticed the water level was freakishly low. There was a break in one of the pipes, so our claim to fame is that we broke the hot tub.

Paper dolls
Kyle worked and worked on a doll house for them, including a shingled roof over the bay window, which Luke destroyed. So there's no pictures.

The Trampoline
The tramp we grew up with is long gone, so we were begging my mom to get a new one. My parents refused, but my Aunt and Uncle had a surprise for all of us.

Amazing fireworksWe do fireworks almost every night, including tank wars.

Lots of old family friends
Ellie got to take tennis lessons from the State Tennis Champ (and someone I've known since she was a baby), Meg Matsura. Cutest ball boy ever:

Cousins
Zach, Matt, Allie, Livy, Sara. . .we love you!

Painting rocks
As always Kathleen comemerated the summer with a Nate rock. Last time it was Cheesey Worms, this summer was Nate's bum crack. Nate was a little over tired so he didn't think it was as funny as the rest of us. This will hopefully explain why there are no pictures.

Family pictures
Zebra and hot pink -- we weren't going for classic -- but AHHH! Those kids are so cute.
Lots of good food
Every morning Dave would make a feast for breakfast and the most amazing dinners. Square steak (family tradition), Thanksgiving dinner, burgers. . . and Luke's favorite: ribs. f you've ever done a large family vacation, you know how nice it is to have some one who WANTS to cook dinner every night.

Baking
Sadie and Kyle eating some of the 240 cookies I made (on top of all the other sweets: s'mores, brownies, gooey butter cake, ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, rice krispie treats, root beer floats. . . ) My Grandma always had the cookie jar stocked and I didn't want to disappoint. Next time I'll have to squeeze in cinnamon rolls and Bonnie Butter cake.

Mudding
Sadie was not a fan. She preferred driving the 4 wheeler.
Food from the garden
Sadie was in heaven! Radishes, onions, lettuce, carrots. . . Nate loved salad straight from the garden for dinner.

Plus all the extra stuff: Taco Wagon, El Mirador, croquet, the park, sidewalk chalk, sleep overs at my parents cabin across the street (thanks for having all the big kids at your house), walks to the cemetery, runs by the lake. . . Does this not sound like heaven?

And this year we added some extra fun activities: Yellowstone and White Water Rafting (which will get their own blogs)

I'm so grateful to Dave and Kristine for all the effort they went to to make this trip magical and for hosting us all. And I feel so lucky that everyone in my family makes it a priority to get together every year and make these fun family memories. We love you guys (and can't wait for the beach next year)!