July 15th: My best friend Karen visited with her husband Matt from Hawaii. They were here for Matt's brother's wedding so I was excited to steal Karen for a day. We mostly just talked and I got to show off my new chunky baby (not to mention my new chunky body :) Then when Ben got home we went shopping for a little bit and afterwards we all met up to have some yummy Chinese food. Even though we talk on the phone pretty much every day, it was so fun to get to spend some time together. Now I'm just trying to talk her into coming to Boise for Thanksgiving.
July 17-21: Ben's sister Ruth came to meet a "gentleman friend" aka Jeff, she met on an LDS website. She humored all our questions and let us grill her every night after their dates. Ben felt like a protective father waiting up for her at night, it was so funny. It definitely made him nervous for Ella to start dating. We all really liked Jeff and anyone who can survive time with Hyrum is a keeper. It was fun having Ruth around and the kids are already asking when Ruth is going to be back. Well, Jeff's in Ohio to meet the rest of the family this weekend, so my guess is she'll be back pretty soon :)
During Ruth's stay I also decided to make some strawberry jam. My Dad was able to get us an awesome deal of $4 a flat, so we snatched up two flats. Ben and I are a great team and were able to get the job done in no time.
July 21: My friend Rachel and her kids came to Utah to visit. I met Rachel years ago in a married student ward when we each had only one kid, so we've been friends for quite a while. We were so sad when they moved, but fortunately they moved just a few miles from my parents. The kids were so excited to see their "cousins" again (that's what Hyrum kept calling them). We let the kids play for a while and then had a BBQ. After dinner we went swimming up at Saragtoga Springs where they used to live. The kids were really brave and Ella tried out a life jacket for the first time. I really need to get them in swim lessons next summer when things aren't quite so crazy.
July 25-27: We drove up to Boise on the 23rd and then drove up to Cascade with the rest of my family to stay in my aunt and uncle's cabin.
My Dad, Ben, and Hyrum, went up earlier that morning to take Hyrum on his first fishing trip. Grandpa got Hyrum a Rocket Fishing Rod for Christmas with a promise to take him, so Hyrum has been counting down since Christmas. Ben got him his own little tackle box and he was so excited to go!
This is Hyrum's "excited dance" the morning they left. Pretty impressive considering it was like 6:30 in the morning.
Alas, they didn't catch any fish with Hyrum, and I was so sad for him. I really wanted him or at least Ben or my Dad to catch something on his first fishing trip, but they said he still did really good being on a boat that long. I think he just thought you sit down and then immediately catch a fish. The experience must have been positive though, because he's already asking when Grandpa is going to take him again.On Saturday, my parents watched Logan so Andrea, Kellie, Craig (Kellie's boyfriend), Ben, the kids, and I could go to McCall and go swimming.
The water was absolutely freezing, but that didn't keep them from swimming in it. The only one who woosed out was me (it was straight run off from the mountain snow for heaven's sake!) Afterwards we got some ice cream from this cute place called Ice Cream Ally.
We had a good time and everyone was pooped on the way back.
July 27-30: We came back from McCall and then Ben had to drive back to Utah :( I stayed a few more days since my Mom and Dad would be heading this direction for a business meeting.
On Monday, my Dad took Hyrum and Ella to McDonalds for lunch so my Mom, sisters and I (and Logan) could go out to lunch. We went to this place called White Water Pizza & Pasta and it was so good. That night we played in the hot tub (cooled down for the kids) and stayed up way too late.
I was able to get together with Rachel and her kids again on Tuesday. We went swimming with my mom and my sister Andrea, at the pool where Kellie lives. They had a cute kid pool that the kids had fun playing in and I realized once again, just how out of shape I am :) Then we had a little picnic in my parents backyard and let the kids burn off some energy. Later that night we went to my favorite place to eat Mongolian BBQ. They have some in Utah, but they aren't nearly as good. They use cheap noodles and have weird sauces. Mongolian BBQ is one of the few place my kids will actually eat.
On Wednesday my parents drove me home to an empty house. Yep, Ben wasn't here because he found out the day after he got back that his work was going to send him to the office in Beverly Hills for a few days to work on some project. My parents stayed Wednesday night, but then had to leave on Thursday. So while Ben was staying in a four star hotel and driving down Rodeo Drive, I was trying not to lose my mind being alone with 3 kids.
Can you believe the hotel he's staying in? Fortunately, it hasn't been too bad for me. One of my friend's had a BBQ Thursday night so I didn't have to cook and I let the kids run wild. I was really nervous to stay home over night though, considering I've never been home alone and have the most over active imagination. Do any of you remember that scene in Anne of Green Gables and Anne's stuck in the woods after twisting her ankle and she just passes out from fright. Yep, that's me amped up ten times. I was proud of how well I did. I had several friends, including Ben and my Mom, on alert with their phones in case I freaked, but fortunately the kids wore me out so much that I slept clear through the night (so did Logan!)Now, I'm just waiting for Ben's plane to land! I'm so excited to see him again. We've never been apart this long. In fact we've only been away from each other one other time since we've been married so we're kind of glued at the hip. I really hate to be away from Ben, but I guess it gives me the chance to miss and appreciate him.
