Twin Falls Adventure

The other day, I saw a picture of Balanced Rock online.  I thought it was really cool and I found out it was near Twin Falls.  Yesterday around noon, I got the crazy idea that we should go see it and other sights near Twin Falls.  We hurried with our Saturday chores and got ready to go.  Grace was at a Youth Conference/service project but as soon as she came home and took a quick shower, we were off (around 2:30).

 It is a very cool sight.  Grace, Joy and Mark hiked up to the rocky part.  It was slow going coming back down (it's steeper than it looks), but they did well with Mark's help.

 My sweet boys were patient as we waited for the intrepid climbers

About three years ago, I ended up in the E.R. in Twin Falls on the way home from a Utah trip (during the great migraine/spinal tap/spinal headache adventure of 2016).  While I was in the E.R., Mark found this great park (First Federal Bank Park) and he played with the kids while I was treated at the E.R..  It's a lot bigger than the picture and probably the coolest park we've ever been to.  We went there again yesterday and played for just a little while.  Then we went and had a fun dinner at Chili's.

 Finally, we ended up at Shoshone Falls right before sunset.  I'm not sure if I've ever been there, but it is magnificent.

Our family! Daniel didn't look at the camera for any of the pictures a fellow tourist took of us.  He was captivated by the falls. (Also, I think Grace may be taller than me now).

 Daniel in the sunset looking at the falls.

 Beautiful BethAnne.  So glad she's on her feet again, but she's still quite sore, and one foot is kind of perpetually numb...the doctor says that should get better...

 It's hard to take a picture of 5 kids at once 😂

 Me and my sweetheart.  I'm so lucky to have this wonderful man, who doesn't blink at my adventurous whims and who kindly and patiently helps his girls climb back down a hill when they get stuck at the top.

 It was a beautiful day with my favorite people.  Feeling blessed.

July- Birthdays, Surgery and Cousins, Oh My!

July was busy with Andy's birthday, then BethAnne had surgery on both her feet, then Suzie and her family came to town, and then it was Grace's birthday (then I needed a nap).

 We kept with our rocket cake theme for Andy's birthday this year (he had rocket cakes the last two years) but this year we went 3D.  Next year he may get a cake from Costco.

 We sure love Andy!  He's such a sweet, tenderhearted, bright boy!  He'll be attending Legacy Academy (with Joy) for 1st grade and I think he'll do great there.

 BethAnne had surgery on July 9th on both of her feet.  Everything went okay, but it was pretty painful at times for her. We stayed busy helping her as she needed to stay off of her feet for two weeks. She's still healing, but we're hoping that as she heals, her feet will become pain free.

Random picture of Daniel riding his stuffed Dinosaur.

We've had a lot of fun with the Bousquets this month.  Here's a great picture of Leeya, Andy and Daniel all riding on the same Alligator pool toy.  

 On Grace's 13th birthday, we went to Aladdin (the movie) with the cousins and then we came back to our house for pizza and cake.

Grace has been my right-hand-man the last couple years, she so helpful and good with children.  She's an amazing singer and she does really well in school.  Next year she'll be in 8th grade, but she'll be taking 3 high school classes.  She is a beautiful, talented young woman and we're so lucky to have her in our family.

June!

 Andy finished Kindergarten in June (yay!) and he got a cute hat at his Kindergarten program.  

 Daniel and Andy are both very cute in the hat.

 In June, my sister Lisa and some of her kids came to visit.  We had a lot of fun one evening swimming with them at Carl and Stephanie's pool.

Daniel had a great time.

 At the end of June, Grace went on Trek.  She had a great time and felt miracles sustaining her as she walked up and down mountains.  (We're hoping her knees recover...)

She came home pretty dirty, but all smiles.  We love our strong, faithful Grace!

Disney World, the Rest of the Story

We went to Hollywood Studios the 4th day, but I didn't get any pictures, probably because I wasn't there for most of it.  BethAnne, Lisa and I slept in on Thursday.  I started to get sick Thursday morning, I took some Pepto Bismol and hoped it would pass.  As we drove to Hollywood Studios in the afternoon, I got a call from BethAnne's doctor's office saying that she would probably need surgery on her feet.  It was upsetting, not because she would need surgery, but because it had taken so long to get someone to take us seriously and order x-rays for her feet.  

After one ride at Hollywood Studios, we tried to find a place to eat and get out of the sun but that proved difficult.  After awhile I decided that it would be best if Daniel and I left the park.  He and I went back to the hotel and as the day went on I realized I was quite ill. Mark eventually came back and got Daniel from the hotel so I could rest, but most of that day was a blur for me.  I'm grateful we felt impressed to rent two minivans instead of one big van. It was a big blessing to be able to have more flexibility in our transportation.

The next day was Epcot.  Mark and Lisa took the kids while I stayed at the hotel.  Joy had been sick during the night (she had had a tiny bit of tartar sauce), but luckily she felt better enough to go to Epcot the next day.

Lisa Rogers and the girls

  It was the Flower and Garden festival, so there were some cool plants and topiaries.  Joy took these pictures.

😂

There was an actual bunny there and Joy loved it and all the other wildlife, like lizards. 

As for my food poisoning, a doctor ordered me in some prescriptions on Friday night, but by Saturday morning I knew I needed to go to the hospital and get an IV.  I went to a nearby E.R. with all of my luggage hoping I'd be released in time to meet the rest of the family at the airport.  Things went well at the E.R. and I got my I.V. and was released after other testing came back okay.  One of the biggest blessings of the trip was that our flight on Saturday was delayed and then cancelled and we were able to get onto the same flight the next day. We spent the day at the hotel watching movies which was really good because I don't think I would have been up to flying home that day.  The next day I was still quite weak, but we were able to make it home without too much trouble.  The food poisoning seemed to get better, but we think it probably triggered the acute pancreatitis and GI tract inflammation which plagued me for about 6 weeks after we got home.  With that illness, the rental house problems, and other issues throughout the trip, it was a difficult trip for me, but there were also blessings throughout.  In the end, the kids said they had a great time and that's what matters most.

Harry Potter Land

Wednesday was Harry Potter Day.  It was a very cool place to see.  We were surprised at how crowded it was (it wasn't supposed to be crowded that day) and we struggled with wheelchair accessibility in various buildings.

 Daniel took a nap and transferred on and off the Hogwarts train still sleeping.  I wish I could sleep like he does, and I'm so glad we have such a chill toddler.  He was amazing on the trip.

 We're so glad Lisa Rogers came with us on the trip.  She was a lifesaver, especially after I went down with food poisoning (probably from the tartar sauce at the Three Broomsticks).

 Daniel was still sleeping as we took a picture in front of Honeyduke's candy shop.  It was tiny inside, but sold yummy treats.

 This castle is pretty awesome.

 And the Hogwarts train is pretty awesome too (despite the one elevator in the whole building for all strollers and wheelchairs).

Kids in front of the Muggle entrance to Hogwarts.

Animal Kingdom

On our 2nd Day at Disney World, we went to Animal Kingdom.  There was more torrential rain early in the day, but we missed it as we had planned a late start.  

 We started the day at lunch at Sanaa restaurant.  It had really good food and was a neat experience.

 One of the best rides and best parts of the day was the Safari ride at Animal Kingdom.  So many cool animals to see. 

 I'm glad we got to see a few elephants on the safari, because when we did our special elephant encounter later (an hour-long extra experience) we only saw one elephant in the distance briefly.  It was one of many things that didn't quite go as planned on our trip, but we tried to make the best of it.  

 Pictures of Pandora I found online

Later that evening we did a special after-hours event at the Animal Kingdom.  We had some issues getting our wristbands (which caused me too much stress), but in the end the kids loved having the park mostly to themselves and the free treats.  We spent most of the after-hours event in Pandora which we somehow forgot to take pictures of.  I found some pictures online, but even they don't do it justice.  It's an amazing bioluminescent experience.

Disney World Day 1, Magic Kingdom

Our Disney World trip got off to a rocky start because our rental house was not as advertised.  It was a mess (dirty and broken) and after the A/C went out and the Cockroaches came out on our first evening (Sunday), we decided we'd better leave.  We checked into a hotel at midnight after being at the rental house less than a day.  We loved our hotel though, and the beds were great (which was really good for me. We even bought a bed like it when we got home which ended my years long search for a better new bed).

Our first day at Disney World, Monday, started with torrential rain.  I have never been so wet while dressed.  Luckily, that meant it was also cooler than usual, so that was a blessing.

 Daniel and I wait while people go on the Space Mountain ride.

 I kept my map in a plastic bag most of the time, but it still got wet.  We spent a lot of time planning for the trip, which plans kind of went out the window most days, but I was glad to have an outline anyway.

Pretty Joy!

Pretty Grace

Waiting in line

Pretty BethAnne

Scott and Tena.  It was so fun to have them and Lisa Rogers along too!

One of the best parts of Disney is the magical atmosphere.  And one of the best parts of the first day is when we came out of the Mickey's Philharmagic show and the sun had come out.  It was beautiful (and still cool) the rest of the day.

Grace and Joy in the stocks 

Still drying off

 Small World was one of our favorite rides.  I loved that we could all go together.  Daniel's eyes were wide with wonder. 

 At the end of the night, I took the little kids on the carousel one more time will Mark and the other older people went on a scary ride.  This was my favorite day.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip.