Second Half of the Trip/ Finally Home!!!

We got up this morning get dressed, hit McDonald's for breakfast and hit the road. We stopped about every 2-3 hours again today. The kids just needed to get out and run around a bit. They were really good for us again today.

And now were are finally HOME!!!

Packing Up and the First Half of the Trip

This morning Brad I packed up all of our stuff and loaded up the van. Then we took a nap so we would be ready to leave and drive to Ontario, OR tonight. We hit the road early this afternoon. And I think we stopped every 2 hours for at least 30 minutes. And the kids were really good for us in the car and we had fun stopping and getting souvenirs. It seemed to take forever to get to the hotel, but we finally made it!

Bonham Family Party

Dad's 65th Birthday Party!!!

We had my dad's 65th birthday party today. It was so much fun!! We had a huge dessert buffet for everyone. We were able to see so many of our friends and meet so many of my dad's colleagues and friends. It was a great night!

Alex's First Pedicure

Alex has been asking to go and get a pedicure with me for a few months now. So my mom, sister and I took him for the very first time! He loved it!!!

New Pictures of the Kids!!!! (thank you Jenilyn)

Going to the Cabin and Getting the Kids Pictures Taken

This morning we drove up to the cabin, with Barry, to see Grandma Gus and Grandpa Bud. It was a beautiful drive and the kids were so good for us.

Visiting with Grandma and Grandpa. The kids were so excited to see them!

Sierra was so happy to see them!

The ATVs were a HUGE hit with the kids! Here is Sierra and Alex on with Grandpa Bud.

They also went out with Papa.

Taking a break from the ATVs and visiting with Papa, Aunt Darlene and Grandma Gus.

Ted helping Grandpa fix one of the ATVs.

Ted and Grandpa Bud going out AGAIN! LOL!

Brad and Ted out on the ATV

We had a wonderful lunch with everyone before heading back home. Got home and put Sierra down for a short nap. Got all three of the kids cleaned up and ready to go. We headed down to Gateway to meet Jenilyn, Kyle, Hailea and Kadin for dinner at Applebee's. It was really good and the kids were all really good for dinner. After dinner we got the kids changed and Jenilyn took some amazing pictures of the kids. After the pictures were done we had some Ben and Jerry's ice cream and let the kids play in the water.

Play date with Mandi

We had so much fun today with Mandi, Paige and Eli. Brad, Alex, Sierra and I went over to Mandi's house for a play date. While Ted went with his mom to go and visit his Grandpa Willis. The kids had so much fun playing together. Alex "made" a TV for Eli's bedroom. They didn't want to leave, but Sierra needed her nap. Thanks again for having us over Mandi!

More Back to School Shopping

This morning my mom and I continued the back to school shopping. We took Sierra to Shopko and had her help us pick out a LOT of clothes to try on. We didn't know what size would fit her, so we had to get 3T and 4T from the toddler section and size 4 for the little girl section. We got a huge dressing room that all three of us could fit into. She was so good for us and tried on everything!! We were able to get everything that we needed for her; pants, jeans, sweaters, long sleeve shirts, dresses, skirts and a pair of sunglasses. We dropped Sierra off at home and picked up Alex for his turn. We also took him to Shopko, just a different one, so we could pick up an outfit for Sierra that they had in her size. Alex loves to shop and had so much fun picking out all of the clothes to try on. We got another big dressing room and Alex tried on all of it. He got new jeans, pants, long sleeve shirts and most importantly (to him) a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of sunglasses. We all had a great time today!

Back to School Shopping and Fun N Games

This morning my mom and I took Ted back to school shopping. We had such a good time picking out all of his new fall/winter clothes. He was able to get jeans, pants, long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, a zip-up hoodie and a pair of sunglasses. We come home and everyone had a quick lunch. We put Sierra down for her nap and Brad, Ted, Alex and I went to Claudia and Ken's house for an afternoon of games. Grandma and Grandpa Lindow drove up for the afternoon and played games with us also. I left at 5 and ran back to my mom's house and picked up Sierra. We went back to Claudia and Ken's house for dinner. We had spaghetti, salad, bread and a cucalope (a cucumber/cantaloupe); it was all so good. We cleaned up dinner and played some more games and had so dessert. It was so nice to see everyone!

Family Picture

We had family pictures taken today. Claudia, Ken, Shane and his family, Ryan and his family, Jenilyn and her family, Mandi and her family, Tiffany and her family and us!!!! That is 14 adults and 9 kids! We went to Wheeler Farm and we were racing the rain. We could see the rain coming and were trying to get a good whole family picture before everyone got wet. While waiting for everyone to get there, Jenilyn took individual family pictures. We were able to get almost everyone done and the family picture before the wind and rain got too bad. Instead of staying there for a picnic, we headed to Darcy and Shane's house for our potluck dinner. We had so much visiting with everyone and the kids loved playing with all of their cousins. After dinner was done we left and meet Ryan, Kelly and McKinley at Mandi and Jon's house for so more fun. The kids didn't want to leave we were all have a great time, but it was really late and Sierra was done.

The Drive to Utah

Thursday afternoon the kids went to Shari's house to play, have naps, and have dinner. (Thanks again Shari!!!!) Meanwhile Brad and I packed, loaded up the car, gased up and took naps (so we could drive straight through). Brad and I got dinner and then went and picked up the kids. We were on the road by 7:30pm!! Utah here we come. Brad and I decided to let the kids watch movie until 9pm, so at 9 we stopped to gas up, use the bathrooms and get everyone comfortable for "bed" and turn off all the dvd players. We were back on the road by 9:30pm and Ted and Alex were asleep by 10pm. Sierra, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. She did not want to go to sleep and was keeping Brad awake, which was a huge problem he need to sleep so he could take over driving in a few hours. She finally fell asleep at 12:45am and we were so excited. At 1:30am I could not drive any farther, so Brad and I switched. At 2am Sierra woke up!!! She was crying and asking to go to bed, she wanted out of the car!! At 3am we decided to find a hotel for the rest of the morning. We stopped at four different hotels and no one had a crib for Sierra, so we finally went back to the Holiday Inn. They were incredible, they gave us a huge discount on the room (with the time change it was 4:30am), free breakfast for all three kids at the restaurant in the morning, and they found a crib!!!! We were all sound asleep by 5am MST. Everyone woke up at 11am, so we got up and went downstairs for breakfast. It was so good! We hoped in the van, started the dvd players and hit the road at 12pm. We only had to stop for gas/bathroom breaks and we were able to get to my mom and dad's house by 6:30pm!!! We had dinner and then let the kids run wild outside.

Happy Birthday Ted!

I can't believe another year has gone by and you are now 11! We are getting smarter, taller and more amazing every year. This last year has been so much fun, I love watching you learn and grow as a person. You are reading high school level books, excelling in math and science and your teachers enjoy having you in their classes. You are taking on more responsibility at home; helping clean, cook and by being a wonderful big brother. You are an incredible "tween" and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. I am so proud of you and for you and love you so much.