Easter Eggs

Spring is springing here in Idaho, and we finally had an Easter where no jacket was required!  It was still a little breezy, but the sun was shining, and it was glorious!  The kids were excited about their baskets, which we managed to hold off until after breakfast.

Once all of the eggs had been opened and emptied, it was on to egg hunting!  Pre-church hunts were indoors, since it was still a little chilly.  Hadley needed just a little assistance, but liked it well enough.

Can you spot the egg Owen is missing?  Owen loved finding the eggs and could probably  have done that all day, though he was probably a little too competitive with his little sister.

I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of the kids in their Easter finest together. This is the best I have from the church egg hunt. :)

While I was helping out at church, my lovely husband got the kids re-dressed (penguins on Easter?), fed, and conducted lots more hunts in our yard.

We hope you had a happy Easter too!

Craters of the Moon

Last weekend was sunny with fairly calm winds, so we decided to take advantage of National Parks Week and get into Craters of the Moon for free.  (Flash back to our 2011 visit.)  Owen was so excited about going hiking, but the 80-min car ride was longer than they thought.

For the last 20 minutes, the kids were placated by gas station hot dogs.  Ew!  Not my idea, but it seemed to work.

Once we got there, we went to the visitor center to get our cave pass and ate lunch at the easy Devil's Orchard trailhead.

The kids enjoyed the level, paved loop, but Owen was disappointed that the trail didn't go off into the woods through the dirt.  (There are no woods here, but that's what he recalls from previous hikes.)

Then we got back in the car to the Caves Trail.  Can you imagine coming across this scenery in your wagon train?  Pretty amazing geology.

First stop, Dewdrop Cave.  Can you tell that Owen was excited to go down in a cave? Hadley was relegated to the backpack since this trail has a lot more loose rocks and climbing involved.

Next stop was Indian Tunnel, a big lava tube with some skylights (collapses) and a tight exit. Here are the stairs to get down into the tunnel.

The sunlight here is coming through the exit hole (the black spot in the second picture, seen from above). Kudos to the backpack-wearer for eking out of there unscathed.

The walk back from the end of the tunnel is interesting: un-paved, following post markers.  But it has quite a view!  And Owen enjoyed the freedom to jump from rock to rock instead of having to keep to the path.

Finally, Beauty Cave was so dark that we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces.  We had to follow along behind another family with good flashlights because ours wasn't cutting it.  The floor was also extremely icy and uneven.  Here's Owen starting the ascent back to the surface.  Pretty steep!

Hadley got a 40-minute nap in the backpack, but refused to go back to sleep once she was transferred to her carseat for the hour+ ride home.  Needless to say, I did not bring enough in-car entertainment!  

P.S. I was impressed with Owen's stamina though, since he hiked everything except about 1/4 mile near the end.  Maybe we have more hikes in our future this summer!

April Visitors Bring...?

We spent the first part of April with Oma and Grandpa visiting!  We love visitors!!  This was the best shot we could get, since Owen was in a weird mood.  :)

We had our share of windy, colder days, where we stayed close to home.

(Is this block-skateboard activity sanctioned by the parents?) 

But there were some days that the sun shone and we went to the park.  Hill racing was a hit with the kids.  Hadley even says, "Non, Two, Non. Go!"

Grandpa was pretty good at taking the kids for neighborhood walks.  Hadley apparently has been paying attention from the stroller and can lead her own walks on foot.  Very impressive!

Oma got to witness the kids' dentist appointment.  It was Hadley's first time, and she wasn't too sure about it.  She wouldn't let the hygienist clean her teeth, and I'm not sure the dentist even saw them, but she did get a swipe of fluoride in there and hopefully some level of comfort for next time.  Owen was an old pro!

One evening, Oma and I took Owen to see the African Children's Choir sing in Pocatello.  

He was so excited about the car trip, the concert, and the restaurant beforehand, that I think he wore himself out by their second song.  It was very cool to see them in person though!

And of course, the grandparents spent some coinage at the rides in the mall.  (Owen's current favorite place)  See Hadley's pony-tail?  Tee-hee!

They even watched the kids for 3 whole days for us, while we escaped to Las Vegas for some R&R.  Thanks Oma and Grandpa!  You are welcome back anytime!!