Vacation Fun Part 2

We finally arrived at my parent's house and stopped a  few days for some spoiling, relaxation, and playtime. We got all gussied-up for church in the ward (congregation) I grew up in. It's always nice to see many of the good people who helped and guided me in my growing up years.

We then dived into 2 weeks of planned fun crammed into 4 days.  The kiddos and BumPa, my dad, (he really is included in the kiddo group) slept over-night in the camper, ate candy, popcorn, Cheetos (with no mom to restrain or limit them), and had belching contests (makes a mama proud!). They painted a wooden train, wooden toys, fed the birds, made monkey bread, held Yofee (the cat), played outside, played Sardines, played Mexican dominoes, had a backwards dinner, played badminton, read, watched dinosaur movies, rode the 4 wheeler, watched mama deer and their fawns, took pictures, wrote, and lots more.  Whew!

A monkey B. waiting for monkey bread. 

Two monkeys wrestling.

My mom (Bumma) cooking up some delicious food. 

We had dessert every night! Can you say "SPOILED!"  

My dad (BumPa) and L. played a tame?! game of throw the ball. 

It evolved into indoor soccer.  

L. ready to paint his alligator toy. 

B. painting her train.

X-man and Bumma putting the wooden train together. 

A. playing a mean game of badminton.  

X. loving being outdoors, wandering around without a worry in the world.

I want s'more!

See that little baby fawn! 

 I was so flustered at how close it was that the picture isn't as picturesque as I wanted it to be. We were that close!  Amazing!

Oh, and the kiddos played with chalk one night while T and I went on a date! L. proudly showed me his drawing. On the date T and I got pizza from the local pizza joint and took it to the local park where T was attacked by mosquitos and a puppy. On the outside of the pizza place we noticed two ziplock baggies half full of water with 5-6 pennies in the water. The bags were tacked to each corner of the door post. The pizza lady told us they were suppose to keep the flies away. Happily, we didn't see any flies, so maybe it works!   

What a backwards group of crazies!  One night my mom had a backwards dinner. Everyone was suppose to come with their clothes on backwards. Some were more backwards than others (what does that say about them?!) with shirts AND pants AND glasses on backwards.  We started with dessert (triple chocolate s'more pie!) and ended with the main course. After dinner my mom read a book to use backwards. Lots of crazy backwards fun! 

Someone has to work!  T was put to work to earn his keep.  

Wait a second...looks like my dad is DOING the work and T is just talking about doing the work!  No, just teasing.  He pitched right in. He's always so helpful and kind. 

This is the scene we would see every night at dusk and in the morning: the deer coming up to feed with their babies. I wish I could bottle up the beauty and peace I feel at my parent's home and then open it whenever life gets hectic and stressful. I love sitting on the deck there, watching the trees blow or the clouds billow up to the mountains, hearing the birds tweet and whistle at each other while the breeze rustles the trees. It's a wonderful haven.

Thanks Mom and Dad for such a wonderful time! 

Of course, I'd share that bottled up peace and beauty with you, my friends and family! 

Vacation Time Part 1

We just got back from a terrific, fantastic, fun, whirl-a-minute vacation. Since there are so many pictures and I'm not very good at narrowing down the fun, I'll make our vacation a trilogy or series. We left bright and early to start the Big Drive. The next day we got to see our beloved Aunt D and her hubby, S. We met them at Dinoridge where dinosaur tracks were uncovered on the side of the mountain. Booths were set up at the small museum for a day of fun, AND it was FREE!

First stegosaurus fossils were discovered here.

Do NOT mess with A!  She's got some sharp claws.  

She's holding a T-rex claw or something. It's big and sharp and thankfully, extinct!

OOOOOOOhhhhhh. T. gets to pet an alligator. 

X-man cleans a turtle (plastic) that has gotten covered in oil from oil spills.

  

L. using a metal detector to uncover treasure. I think he found a nickel.

B. compares handprints with an Iguanodon.

 He might win on size, but she wins on having the cutest hand!

L. painted a "fossil" footprint. 

X is on the lookout for any run-away dinos!

We hiked up the hillside to see where dinos had once walked. 

The footprints are over T's shoulder. 

It was nice, hot, dry, and perfect weather!

We had a delicious lunch provided by our own Aunt D. We ate it picnic-style and caught up on news, 

and smiles, 

and hugs.

We MISS you Aunt D!!

Then we hopped back in the car to continue the Big Drive. We stopped off in a cute mountain town to eat pizza and visit with our Aunt C and Uncle B. Yummy pizza, tasty ice cream, and fun company!

My treasures.

A great start to our vacation. 

I sure do LOVE the mountains, and family, and non-humid weather.