Hayride and pumpkin picking at Linder Farms

Last week while we were in Boise, we took the boys to Linder Farms. It's an adorable farmstead with a hayride, fields and fields of pumpkins of all different colors and sizes, a petting zoo, horse rides, barrel rides, and a food area with handdipped corndogs, fresh grilled hamburgers and hot chocolate. We had such a good time! We'll be going back year after year, I just know it! I thoroughly recommend going if you're in the Boise area. It's such a fun autumn tradition to begin! 

 

Home again, Home again...

........jiggity jig.

At long last, we're settling back into life as a family of four, and I have to say it feels good. After the kids were in bed last night, Jared and I sat on the back porch until it got dark, and we talked and talked. When you share your life with someone it's easy to just get used to having them around. Being away helped me realize once again, as it always does, how thankful I am that my husband is also my best friend.

Over the last two weeks, we've been so busy with family visiting, danny's birthday and a trip to Boise. But we're home now and we're so glad! We missed our daddy terribly! This morning when Jared went in to get him out of his crib he said, "Hi dad". He's such a little talker -- way more than Morg was at his age. In the last week, he's said quite a few new words. Here's a list: wow, poop (thank you Morgan), bye, hi, thank you, brabra (brother), papa and maa-ma (grandma). He's such a little ham boy, always making us laugh. We love him!

In Boise, we stayed at grandma and papa's new house and helped them pick out furniture and colors for new decor. I went to a yard sale in Meridian on Saturday and loaded up on some awesome vintage stuff for great deals (vintage suitcase $10, teal canning jars $1 each....and so much more!). And of course, a trip to the Treasure Valley wouldn't be complete without going to the TJ Maxx/Home Goods superstore and Vintage Home in Meridian. I come home and realize how lame shopping is in our town.

We also got to spend a lot of time with cousins Faith and Landen. Trains are Morg's new favorite and we were able to get uncle dude's old toy tracks out. He had so much fun playing with them and grandma even let us bring a few home with us.   

Blessings came in the form of both boys sleeping more than halfway home (thank heaven). The drive took just a little over three hours and we didn't even have to stop once. When we got out of the car, Morg sighed and said, "Oh, we made it!"

Yes, we did.

Hopefully later today, I'll have time to upload Danny's birthday and some 'lately' pictures. For now, I have about a million bags to unpack (why, oh why do three people need so much stuff to travel?), laundry to do and groceries to buy. Plus it's hot as blazes already, and it's not even 10am. I see an afternoon in the pool in the near future.

Xoxo,
A tired (but happy) mother.



Here are some pictures from our trip:

{forward facing now, wooohooo!}

{Morg, Landen and Faith}

{trains!}

{my little fart boy}

{tip toes}

{papa and his look-alike}

{zoom}

Thirty-two.

{Hayden Lake, early 1990s}

Happy anniversary to my sweet parents, who have been married for thirty-two years today! According to my mom, who is here spending the entire week with us (yay!), the secret to a happy marriage is "caring more about the other's happiness more than your own."  

The sweetest part about this is when I called my dad on the phone to ask him the same question, he essentially said the exact same thing. He said the marriage secret is "to be able to put their spouse on a pedestal and  look out for their needs and their wants more than their own." 

He loves her most for "her ability to mother" and thinks it's cute how she always cuddles up to him when she's cold. She loves him most for his kindness, and loves his smoothe face and nice skin. (Sweet and cute to hear her say that, because she always touches his face when they smooch!)

I love you both! Xoxo! 

A trip home.

Mr. Landen turned one this weekend.

One year old!

He got balloons, a giant stuffed dog, and some sunglasses.

...both boys were amused.

(For a few moments, at least.)

Then it was time for cake!

Landen got his own cake, which he shoveled in his mouth by the fistful. 

Morgan helped himself

to a few tastes, too.

We visited with Grandma Glenna. And slept in the room next to hers. We listened to her snore all night long! She gave us candy and scrubbie pads in a ziplock bag.

We love her! 

We went on spring walks with grandpa.

And visited with

Grandma Dixon,

who is very old with puffy white hair and a voice that shakes. But don't let it all fool you! She's got a mind of her own, still.

And when I asked who her first kiss was, she told me she wouldn't say because it was "personal information" which was the funniest and most amusing part of the whole trip, and I'm still giggling about it. 

And when it came time for pictures, Morg would have none of it. The old and the young have minds of their own, you know.

Then we escaped in grandma's wheelchair and raced down the halls,(to entertain Morgan, of course), and mom took pictures until dad came out and told us to stop.

We also made a couple of visits at grandma and grandpa keller's, and saw aunt megan,too! Grandma and Morgan played outside in the beautiful sunny weather.  

Did I tell you it's spring there?

Well, it is. These flowers are blooming in my mom's front berm!

PS - I hear it's our turn soon (for spring)!

PSS - I'm so glad to be home!! I missed my husband! And Bella, even.

PSSS- The day before we left, my mom said Morgan took the framed picture of him and his daddy off of the table and carried it around the house, then crawled up on her rocking chair saying 'dada' while he held the frame and looked at it. (Melted my heart.)

PSSSS- Anyone wanna guess how many times I sang "Do You Know The Muffin Man?" on the way home, or how many versions of lyrics I made up? Oh, the things a traveling mother comes up with when she's flying solo!