coming home in 4 days!

Whew, this has been a very long trip! We've had so much fun visiting with family and enjoying being at Grandma & Grandpa's house... but soon we'll be home enjoying the 70-ish degree weather (vs. 90-100 here), our own beds (!), and MARK! We both have missed him terribly and can't wait to see him! (Although, Mark just got called to go on the Youth Pioneer Trek and will be leaving that next Wednesday for a few days...his own version of Girl's Camp! But I'm sad he's leaving so soon after we get home)

As you can see from the picture above, life in Idaho has been everything I've (meaning Rowan) ever wanted and more... first, Grandpa fed me my first cookie (a gingersnap, Grandpa's favorite) and the spoiling hasn't stopped there!

Grandpa took me out of a church meeting (I was being loud...) and we both got to take a nap out in the hall!! And, I left a nice drool puddle for him when he woke up!Grandma hosted a huge BBQ with lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins for me to meet and play with & Uncle Kory showed me all the big tools at his work!

Great-Grandma Jody even babysat me one day!
I took this of a badger that was in the yard one day (scary... apparently they are extremely mean)!! We also saw some male deer with big antlers, and lots of hawks that came out to feed on the mice that scatter about the hay field while it's being cut. My dad's small little hay farm was cut while we've been here and it was an interesting process to watch. They cut it and leave it in long piles along the field, let it dry out, then turn it over a few days later, let that side dry out, then bale it. All the while, hawks and eagles are swooping down all around to eat the mice... I had no idea that this area in Southeastern Idaho is home to so many bald eagles. What beautiful and majestic creatures they are. Yesterday, we went to the zoo with our wonderful friends, Nicole & Aubrey and saw some really great animals for such a small zoo... Like these beautiful yellow macaws This was a sad petting zoo, it was very hot outside (around 95 degrees) and the goats were barely moving, they were so hot and tired. But these little river otters were so active and social! I've never seen anything like it before, they would jump off these rocks and swim over to the windows and pop up right on the ledge! They would follow us around all the windows playing and showing off their jumping skills. These and the monkeys were the best. The zoo had 2 baby monkeys born in March and they were so incredibly rambunctious! Literally jumping from tree to tree to tree and back and forth, so fast and agile! I felt sorry for their mom... although at the rate we're going with Rowan, he's becoming a crazy little monkey already. We had lunch at one of my favorite places here called Babe's Bakery (a quiet, lovely place filled with lots of elderly ladies out for a nice afternoon) and not only did Rowan scream so loud (for fun, not mad - just talking and trying to get their attention) he dumped my broccoli soup all down my legs and all over his stroller... yeah, not even the waitress offered to help it was such a mess, she just brought us a bar towel and said good luck as she walked away... I'm starting to fear the toddler stages with him. I'm not sure if I'll be able to be anywhere in public for the next 10 years.
I saved this for last because it's the best! My favorite part of the whole zoo, the giant tortoises! These gentle dinosaurs (they were HUGE, 500 pounds!) were so sweet. One of the zoo workers came in and stroked his neck and the turtle enjoyed it so much he stood right up on all 4 legs (seriously, he's a dinosaur) and was so sweet. He's 85 years old! And can live up to 150!! Ian & Liz, is this Max??? The zoo worker was saying that these pets are heirlooms because they outlive their families! Amazing.Well, it's Rowan again and I'm so tired. I'm ready to see my Daddy, sleep in my own bed, and enjoy the rest of the summer in the most beautiful place in the world... home.