idaho

january 26-30th, 

the girls & i had the opportunity to fly to idaho 

to visit my dad, my stepmom, and my nana.

with charlotte's 2nd birthday just weeks away,

it made sense to take her on one last free flight.

the girls were SO excited to fly on an airplane.

i was excited for the trip, but less excited about flying with 2 kids.

(excuse the numerous iphone pics throughout.. sometimes you gotta use what you already have in your hand!)

overall, the girls did so good on the plane.

thank goodness for iPads & v-readers!

the layovers were a bit trickier as i tried to keep two girls busy

while lugging around 2 carry-on suitcases, 2 backpacks, a diaper bag, and a stroller

(you can see my super-mommy solution in the photo on the top right- bella in the stroller, 2 suitcases attached to the handles with backpacks on top of them, and charlotte riding the suitcases!)

there were definitely some crazy moments, but we made it safe and sound.

the girls got to see their grandparents (my dad & his wife, patty)

last summer.

but it has been awhile since they saw my nana.

charlotte & i flew out to see her in september of 2010 when she was 6 months old.

bella's last trip to idaho was in july of 2009- she was just 19 months old!

(and i had just found out i was pregnant with charlotte ;)

they had both changed quite a bit since nana last saw them.

it was definitely time for them to see grandma, grandad, and nana 'idaho' :)

the girls were SO excited to find out that both my dad & patty, 

and my nana have little dogs at their house!

those little dachshunds got a LOT of love.  and plenty of exercise.

bella would have played with them all day long.

the girls loved playing fetch with the dogs & giving them treats.

charlotte would say 'drop it!' and be so proud of herself.

we stayed at my nana's house.

she had made a special little table for the girls to eat at.

i love this picture of my nana.

it is the picture i have of her in my head- drinking her coffee & doing her puzzles 

with maggie on her lap (buried by the newspaper).

i miss her so much- only seeing her every few years breaks my heart.

she has always been so special to me.

i was so very grateful to be with her.

my grandad passed away almost nine years ago.

how i wish he was still here to meet & love my children.

i know they would have loved him. and he would have been delighted by them.

i miss him so much.

as far back as i can remember,

my nana has drank her coffee out of the same cup.

i love these mustard coffee mugs and the hands that hold them.

walking around my nana's house is a step back to my childhood.

my nana is a collector, and there are so many memories of growing up in every nook of her home.

these teacups were one of my favorite things to play with when i was a little girl.

it was always such a special treat to drink out of them.

i look forward to the day when my girls are old enough to do the same.

idaho is cold.

especially for these orange county wimps.

the day we flew out it was 75 degrees in irvine.

we arrived to 30 degree weather.

it was too chilly to spend much time outside,

so we found this awesome indoor playground for kids.

we ended up spending two afternoons there.

the photo on the top right shows the entrance- it was 3 layers high,

full of tunnels, bridges, slides, and crazy fun.

there was even a giant ball pit!

the girls were in heaven.

we also just had fun hanging out as a family.

grandad & charlotte.

heart.

this little lady got to show off some of her spicy side.

she is full of ideas & opinions, and starts most phrases with 'i!'

(i do it!  i phone! i eat!)

patty has a fun kitchen full of different chickens.

there is a large rooster next to the fridge that charlotte was determined to ride.

"i chicken!  i ride!"

we finally convinced her to just share her binky with the rooster instead.

bella & patty spent some time putting together a special princess puzzle.

so sweet.

(the only bummer was it was one of those puzzles that change depending on how you look at it.

so confusing for bella...no more lenticular puzzles!)

 

my dad is a big hunter/fisher/atv-er/outdoorsman.

his favorite store is called cabella's.

it is pretty fun- there is a giant fish tank

and the center of the store has a huge display of all different animals

(kinda creepy since you know they were once alive)

from chipmunks to a moose to a polar bear.

the girls were fascinated.

before we knew it, 

our time in idaho was over.

we had so much fun reconnecting with family that we miss so much.

good food, lots of laughs, and doggy kisses galore.

it was sad to say goodbye, not knowing when we'll get to see them again.

 but we are so grateful for the time we had in idaho.

we love you dad, patty & nana.

hope to see you soon!

xoxo