Grandma Chickens House

 We made it to Idaho after an 11 hour drive through the middle of nowhere Nevada. It wasn't a bad drive, and only one mishap of Gordon peeing on his car seat toward the end. Thunderstorms helped break up the endless expanse of desert. 

 A favorite story book Grandma keeps at her house. 

 It was around 100 degrees most of the time we were here, with Ben venturing out in the heat of the day. On this particular ride, he didn't make it far. It was just way too hot. 

 Trying out Grandpa's guitar. 

 Thank goodness Grandpa and Grandma bought this pool for everyone to play in. The kids were in it almost everyday. It was as good as swimming lessons, considering how comfortable all the kids got in the water. The girls were going underwater, and Evelyn is doing a pretty good doggie-paddle. 

 Grandma found some flashy fabric scraps and the girls created their own dresses with them. 

 Grandma bought tickets for us all to attend the Starlight Mountain Theater, where we saw a production of Roger and Hammertstein's "Cinderella." Here's the Fairy Godmother. 

 Here is Cinderella. During the intermission, you could pay a small fee and have a ride in Cinderella's pumpkin carriage. The girls were in awe when meeting the actors. Jilly's favorite actress was one of the stepsisters. We all had a good time, and didn't get eaten alive by mosquitoes. One memorable moment of the outdoor play was a bald eagle flying over the stage with a small sparrow or other fierce little bird chasing the eagle off. Gordon's favorite parts were the musical portions with lots of actors moving across the stage. Otherwise, we had to keep re-directing his attention. 

 Evelyn's birthday occurred during our stay, and she requested a Brazilian dinner of feijoada (black beans and rice) and pao de queijo (cheesebread). 

 She also wanted eclair torte for her cake. 

Evelyn asked for science/chemistry kits for her birthday, and was excited to see this one. 

 While I was putting Gordon to bed, the girls thought they'd take care of the last piece of eclair torte. I guess it's more fun sucking the pudding off the base and eating with your fingers. 

 Grandpa Chickens likes making homemade soap, so that's what we did the last few days of our stay. It was a cool process. I chose a citrus blend for my soap, and it turned out really well. 

 Smoothing out the soap mold. 

 We visited some old friends who live in the mountains north of Grandma and Grandpa, around Lake Cascade. It was hot enough to do some swimming. 

 There were little minnows swimming in schools near the shore, and Gordon and Jilly had fun chasing them. The bigger kids headed out to the edge of the marked swim area. 

Jilly's my sunbather. 

Gordon was in heaven with all the dress-up stuff 'Tank' had. 

Thanks for letting us crash your afternoon! 

Other memories: The kids gathering the eggs out of the chicken house every day and feeding the chickens food scraps, eating dinner with the Gurneys (why did I not take a picture?), and hanging out with Uncle Nate, Aunt Chelle, and their chihuahuas. We also spent time helping get the garage cleared out.