Eagle So Far...

We have had a great time in Eagle so far.  (The Hornes come tomorrow and I can hardly wait.) Here is what we have done so far in iPhone pictures...

We went and played at the Boise River by the Hilton. We had a great time splashing and playing. It was a perfect little spot to play. 

We went to Parma- swam, rode the 4 wheelers, paddled around the paddle boat, and putted along in the electric boat. 

Sunday we had a great evening playing in the yard. Iva loved walking around and being free- she explored the slide, little car, driveway, and fed the chickens. We topped off the night by having a fire with marshmallows. 

Yet Another Road Trip

We got home from Delaware on Sunday night. Then we spent Monday cleaning, unpacking, organizing and resting. I didn't get as much done as I would have liked to, but being pregnant slows me down. And there is always time to clean later. 

Tuesday, Iva and I had doctor's appointments. She was a trooper and had five shots and then blood drawn. I didn't do quite as well at my doctor's appointment and failed the glucose test. Boo! Which meant I had to go back Wed morning to take the three hour test. 

Wednesday at 7:20 am, I headed to the doctor and did the three hour glucose test. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. They pricked my finger instead of drawing blood and I just curled up in the waiting room and read a book in between each prick. I passed all of the draws and they said my first test must have been off. Phew! 

After the glucose test, I got home just in time to meet Meg and mom. They drove up from Eagle to drop off Meg's car for next semester. (I am so glad Meg will be around. She has no idea what she is in for.) We hung out, ran errands, went to dinner, and then swam in the hotel pool. 

Today, we woke up and packed for a week and a half at Grammie and Grampie's. Shawn, Iva, Dug and I headed to Rexburg to pick up mom and Meg. We crammed them in the back with Iva and headed to Eagle. 

Fun in the car... 

Day Three of Three!

Woot wo! Today is our final day of driving. 

We made it to Mt Rushmore last night and stayed at President's View. We woke up this morning and headed to Mt Rushmore. We were too early to go inside, but saw the Presidents from the road. Good enough for us :) 

The little town of Keystone looked a lot like Jackson. 

Little Iva has been a trooper. (We are seriously so lucky that she is so good.) 

She was watching Finding Nemo on the iPad and it got too scary. She was smiling, but wouldn't watch. After the scene was over, she went right back to watching. She is a silly one. She slept pretty much the whole day today. She must be catching up on lost sleep from the first day. 

We made better time today than the other days. I think it was because we were so anxious to get home and it could be because things started to look familiar. We drove through Jackson Hole, but didn't stop because we had a sleeper. 

I still can't believe we did it or that Iva was such an angel baby. She seemed pretty happy to be home yesterday and exploring her new home. We were pretty excited to see the Catmull's truck and our shiny window. 

Day Two of Three

We decided to sleep in a bit till 7 this morning. (Which I am thankful for now after the night we had.) 

Our hotel (AmericInn in Madison, Wisconsin) last night was awesome and got even better this morning. They had the best continental breakfast I have ever had- eggs, sausage, corned beef hash, to name a few. 

After breakfast, we loaded up the car and were on the road by 8 and Iva was asleep by 8:15. (A pleasant surprise since she didn't sleep yesterday.) 

The map of day 2 was pretty straightforward. 

We stopped for lunch in a little town in Minnesota at Subway. Iva loves her chance to get out of the car and stretch. She is never very hungry though- it is probably because of the 100s of goldfish she eats in the car. 

She plays pretty good in the car. And the car is so packed that anything she drops stays within reach. That is the best. 

She found a pacifier in the diaper bag and decided to use it- that lasted about 5 minutes. She never took to a binkie. 

The drive was long and straight, but it was pretty in spots. 

We made it to Mt Rushmore and tucked in for the night. Here is to Iva sleeping through the night! 

Day One of Three

Today we began our 3 day road trip home. We decided to leave early in the morning so Iva would sleep- yeah, that didn't happen.

We were loaded and in the car around 5:00 am. Iva somehow was wide awake and happy. 

We drove through Amish country in the early morning hours. We saw a few buggies and lots of fires lighting houses. 

Shawn was starting to feel a little tired around nine. So I told him I would drive for him. (I should mention I still hadn't driven the Civic since we got it a few months back.) It was an eventful first drive. 

We stopped for lunch just outside of Cleveland. Iva had a good time walking around the rest stop and making friends. And of course, loved her McDs lunch. 

Iva decided to stay awake for the whole trip- except for half an hour right before dinner. She did great in the car and kept herself entertained- peek a boo, opening and closing her sippy cup, and trying to undo her top strap were her favorites.

We made it to the hotel around 9 and were so ready for bed. Well, everyone except for Iva. We finally got her to fall asleep around 10, but she was up crying around 12. Iva and I spent the next two hours in the bathroom and lobby. She would fall asleep and then as soon as I laid her down she would wake up crying. Finally at 2, she fell asleep and stayed asleep! 

Mental Math...

I have witnessed a lot of people doing mental math lately. And it usually goes a little something like this. 

I get looked up and down- focusing on the belly (which is huge.) Iva gets looked up and down. Then the questions start. 

"How old is your baby? She is so cute."

"She is a year and two weeks."

"Oh, that is fun. When are you due?"

"End of October."

At this point, I see the wheels start turning in their head. Usually I wait a minute and then chime in with a "15 months apart." 

They then give a polite laugh and act like that is not what they were thinking. And maybe it wasn't :) 

Everyday we get closer to baby #2 joining our family I get more excited and scared all at the same time. Yesterday in church, I mentioned in my talk how I can't imagine what Sunday will be like for a little bit with two kids too young for nursery. Afterwards, the stake president told me it isn't going to be as hard as you think. I will take his word for it :) And both Laura and Kate did it so I better be able to too, right? 

And completely unrelated, but for your viewing pleasure... Iva working the leg warmers from Auntie Laura. And her birthday shoes from Grammie Cindy. 

Our Last Weekend

Our summer of adventure is coming to an end. This is our last weekend before we head back to IF. We decided to take one more trip to the boardwalk/outlets in Rehoboth. 

Iva kept herself entertained during the 1 1/2 hour car ride by using my makeup brushes. And having one meltdown that included some cute hyperventilating :) 

She really liked rubbing it on her leg?!? Who knows?

All the shopping wore her out. She is not a big shopper, but doesn't complain (like her dada.) After a quick nap, we headed to the boardwalk for rides. 

Iva and Shawn went on this little ride. (We tried to get Iva to go on the boats with Leah, but she was too scared.) She didn't seem to care one way or the other about this ride. But this picture sure makes it seem like she was miserable. 

Talk about perfect timing :) 

On the way home from the boardwalk, we stopped at one more outlet. Shawn and Iva decided to try on sunglasses. She is all girl and knows when she is cute. She is going to be trouble! 

New York City

Shawn, Steve and I headed to New York Saturday morning. Shawn had never been before so he wanted to go and cross it off his bucket list. I swore I would never go back after my last trip there.

We ended up having a great time and I would go back- although probably not when I am 7 months pregnant again. I thought my feet were broken by the time we got home :) 

We walked and walked, rode the subway and took a taxi to say we had taken a taxi in NYC. We were super lucky to have Steve as a tour guide. It made the trip go so smooth and we didn't waste anytime being lost. And we were really lucky to have Kate watch Iva so we could just go go and not have to worry about the stroller, diapers, bottles, etc.

Madison Square Garden.

The New World Trade Center

Photobombed

We photo bombed pictures :) and walked around looking at all the famous sights. 

We walked by the temple. I had never seen it before. It is really cool and amazing to think of how it is in busy downtown New York yet how peaceful it would be inside. 

The Temple





After we saw the sights, we took the subway out to see the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty (way zoomed in.)

It was one of Shawn's favorite parts. Then we hopped in a taxi and headed to Chinatown. We shopped a little and ate at a little Chinese restaurant. I felt like I was back in China/Taiwan. I even got to eat my favorite, bok choy. 

After Chinatown, we headed back to the train station. While waiting for the train, we saw an idiot get arrested. He was staggering around with an open, full beer bottle in hand. Meanwhile his friend went over to the police stand to ask a question- how dumb are you? Why would you draw attention to yourself and approach the police? 

After the train ride, we decided to make a pitstop in Philadelphia to get a cheesesteak from Geno's. I love cheesesteaks and it definitely did not disappoint- cheese whiz and all. 

Shawn is a good good sport.