Visitors

It's been so fun having family come to visit over the past few weeks to meet Scout.

Mary came in November and again in December for the sealing & blessing. As is the case with all of her grandkids, Scout loved her immediately.

Mary got Scout all snuggly warm for a walk in the stroller.

Warming Scout up after her baths.

Hanging out at the pool/hot tub at the Best Western where "Maven" & the McDonalds stayed.

Savannah is so awesome with the little ones.

Claire, biting her lower lip and looking adorable as always.

Ava & Claire

Steven & Autumn getting some R & R

Scout getting her "Itty Bitty Imprints". I don't think she liked how cold the clay was. :) 

Ava is going to be such a good mama. She loved Scout, and always wanted to help me hold, sooth, and feed her. She kept saying "She's so cute." and "She just keeps getting prettier."

Idaho Aquarium

Admittedly, there's not a lot to do here in the winter when you have small children, but the recently opened Idaho Aquarium is surprisingly decent. :) So, we've now been there twice - Once with Mary, Tiffler & Ella, and then again with Patalie, Ava & Claire.

Ava was a little hesitant to go near this guy...

Patrick didn't want to get too close either...

Ava found Nemo!

Claire and her beautiful blue eyes.

Cue Jaws music...

I'm sure Scout gets a lot out of these outings. :)

Creepy yet cool at the same time

Tiffany & Ella had no fear.

Ella loved playing in the tide pools.

Our first house guests!

Thanks Patrick, Natalie & Ava for making the long drive to visit us! They arrived late Wed., and left us this morning (Sun.). We enjoyed every minute of it. My cheeks still hurt from our late-night laughing sessions.
Click to enlarge.	"Ava, smile."
Day 1: We hit Zoo Boise which I admit is nothing to brag about. It certainly doesn't compare to the Henry Doorly in Omaha, but we had fun nonetheless. Small zoos have their own charm about them. We got to see all of the good stuff up close and in a short amount of time. I think Ava's favorite part was feeding the goats. You may not be able to tell by the pictures, but she was fearless.
After the zoo, we did a little tour of Eric's office and then ate out at Cafe Ole downtown...
Day 2: Morning work-out. Picnic. Frisbee golf. Smoothies. Paintball.
They were out for blood. Literally. If Eric would let me, I would post photo proof of all of his battle wounds. His body is covered in paintball welts.
Day 3: Another morning workout. Rock climbing/bouldering gym.
None of the boys are very experienced at climbing so by the end it turned into a competition to see who could push/pull/kick/pinch/slap their opponent enough to make them fall. (see video above)
And finally, we ended the week with a Thai feast. Our awesome builder treated us to a catered dinner for EIGHT at our new home. I was proud of my meat and potato brothers for being brave and experimenting with some new dishes (sushi, sashimi, etc.). We spent the rest of the evening sharing embarrasing stories and laughing until we were all in tears. Ie. Jason's MC Hammer pants days, first kiss stories, honeymoon stories, pre-wedding night talks, brutal break-up stories (and near break-up stories), interspersed with a little adolescent bathroom humor. Thanks again for coming Pat, Nat & Ava. We miss you already. More photos here.