Boise

A trip to Idaho wouldn't be complete without a stop in Boise. All of both mine and Jon's living grandparents just happen to live there, as do most of our aunts and uncles. It's always a very full few days trying to see as many people as we can!

We stayed with Jon's grandparents and somehow never got a single picture with them. Have I mentioned that I'm terrible at picture taking? Because I really am. We really enjoyed being able to visit with them though. Their house is grand central station for all of their family there, so we were also able to see several of Jon's cousins and their families while we were there.

 We spent Monday (New Year's Eve) with my Grandma Hiatt (Grandma Lorraine). She treated us to lunch at the Westside Drive-in, and then we played games and visited. Grandma was recently given several things that were her dads....ledgers, journals, and various other documents. What a neat experience that was to look through those (very old!) papers and books and get a glimpse into my great-grandfather's every day life. 

The day went by way too quickly and soon it was time to go so we could get kids in bed.

At least we had every intention of getting kids in bed...we ate some pizza and visited with Jon's aunt and uncle and then got Ellie in bed. We started a movie for the other two kids and before we knew it, it was pretty late. They really wanted to stay up till midnight to see the New Year's ball drop, so we pulled out some games to pass the time. Jon and I were struggling to stay awake, but we all made it. This was probably the first time in our 7 years of marriage that we've stayed up till midnight for the New Year. And it might be the last for awhile.  :)

Watching the ball drop! We counted down to midnight, cheered, and then told the kids it was time for bed. It was pretty underwhelming for them. I think they were expecting something more, something much cooler. The ball dropped and they said "wait, was that it? That's all they do?" Haha....next time we'll need to pick up some noise makers or something.

The next day we went out to Kuna to visit Grandma Danes. We went to lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Gallo Giro and then went to visit Grandpa's grave. The last time we were here was for his funeral and the headstone wasn't done yet. I'm so glad we got to go see it. It is beautiful and is perfect for Grandpa and Grandma. We spent the rest of the day visiting and playing games. Even though I know I will NEVER win Boggle, I always love playing with Grandma. 

 

This picture makes me laugh

 Poor Ellie was pretty tired. By the time we headed home she had caught the cold/cough that I had and she was pretty miserable. It made for a very long drive back to California.

 Bumper to bumper traffic as far as the eye can see...yep, we're HOME!

 I'm really grateful for the few days we had to spend with our grandparents. Once a year isn't nearly enough, but we enjoy the time we are able to visit with them.