Oma and Grandpa's December in Idaho

Their travel may have been terrible coming and going, but Oma and Grandpa were in Idaho for two weeks, from Owen's birthday party through Christmas.  We really enjoyed their stay with us.  We even put lights up on the house, er, paid someone to do this! So worth it!

On to the highlights!  The same night of his birthday party, Owen got to sit with Oma (and his buddy, Carson) and get the inside scoop on the local production of The Nutcracker.  I think it was his first time watching performers on stage. His first question was "are they real?"  :)  I was impressed that he stayed awake for the whole thing, since it started close to bed time.

Then the next morning, we got lots of new snow to shovel and play in.  (Strange to think that our Yellowstone snowcoach adventure was cancelled for lack of snow!)  I've mentioned before that Owen loves to snow shovel!  His handiwork on the front walk made me laugh though.  I guess a straight shot is too boring!

Hadley had to have her turn at shoveling too, of course.

After she did her own exploring on foot and bike...

Then Owen and Daddy got into a bit of a snow fight.  I think the one with the shovel has an advantage here.  Good thing Owen likes snow in his face.  He actually loves to roll around in the snow, too.

We took in the Museum of Idaho's Christmas exhibit, complete with trees, gingerbread creations, nativity scenes, and holiday-themed items from the last 100 years.

But the kids' favorite part of the museum is the kid room (obviously) that has some pretend frontier/wilderness play opportunities.

Once everyone was off from school and work, we drove an hour and a half to Lava Hot Springs to check out the warm pools.  It seemed recently renovated, clean, and pretty uncrowded for a no-school day.  All of the pools were at least 92 degrees, along with a hot pool, so it didn't matter that it was only 20 degrees outside! They also have a fun area with slides and sprays, which the kids really enjoyed.  There's a whole outdoor section that we'll have to come back to investigate in the summer!

Then, of course, there was much quality play time at the house, including snuggling, reading, some wrestling, massive tea parties, lots of Lego assembly, arts and crafts, make believe, and lots of silliness.  Good times!  Side note: When Hadley said "Grandpa", it came out like "Papa", which might just stick.  :)

And Owen really enjoyed being Oma's helper in the kitchen.

They even got to make Christmas cut-out cookies together!  Owen was an enthusiastic helper in all parts of the process, especially in the eating part. The first to go may have been the cookie of Owen's hand.

On the last day of their visit, we drove to see the Tetons and eat some Korean food in Driggs.  There was plenty of snow over there, and we got a great view of the mountains in the morning, but no children under 21 were allowed at the Grand Teton Brewery, for future reference.

Thanks for coming to see us, Oma and Grandpa!  We really loved having you here.  You are welcome back anytime.  :)