calling me home

{Warning this is really long, and I probably didn't even remember everything, so don't feel bad if I forgot you. Don't forget to click on the collages to enlarge them for a better look.}

We've been back in Delaware for a week (and Ben too!), so it's about time I write about our trip to Idaho. I wasn't planning on going since my mom just came to visit, but I couldn't turn down the help on one leg of the trip, so off to Idaho we went. There's an Eric Church song about going to his home, Carolina, but I feel the same way about Idaho- it just calls me home. We had a great time. It always goes by so fast, and we always take TONS of pictures.

Rhone playing at the Philadelphia airport. This was a life saver!

The first big event was meeting Olin, my brother's little boy. They were nice enough to come to the airport with my dad to pick us up. Rhone loved him right from the beginning. Their carseats were next to each other on the 2 hour drive to Idaho. Rhone kept talking to Olin and tried to share his drink. Rhone got so excited when Olin showed up. He loved to hug, rock, feed, swing, and even burp Olin. Thank goodness Brock and Morgan (and Olin) put up with all of Rhone's antics.

It's pretty fun to be an aunt, especially Olin's aunt.

See how excited Rhone is in the bottom left picture. Olin didn't even make it outta the carseat before the lovin' began.

We got to see lots of family since we were home for Easter. My grandparents and aunts were nice enough to meet up with us for lunch at Maddox and drive to Idaho for a visit too.

Rhone and Olin with their great-aunties and great-granny.

My mom, my granny, and me after lunch.

Anthony, Kaleigh, and Rhone are cute 2nd cousins.

Rhone and his uncle Brock. Nana and her 2 boys.

We always spend lots time outside. It was time to start farming when we were home. Rhone absolutely LOVED the tractor. He would point to it for hours, just hoping someone would be nice enough to let him drive. Notice how small he is compared to the tractor and harrows. Rhone also loves riding the 4-wheelers. One morning we took a little drive up a nearby canyon. We couldn't get too far up because of snow, but it was still a beautiful trip and fun to do with the family. He helped catch birds (see picture of him throwing it down) and even had a chance to go sledding.

Rhone in pure delight from the front.

Rhone from the side. Pretty funny huh.

Flying a kite in the Idaho wind.

Sledding on our property in North Canyon. Rhone slid down the hill and then Papa pulled him back up. What a life.

No trip home would be complete without an outing with Ace. We sure do miss him. You can't tell but it was snowing on us!

My mom and I took Rhone to the Treehouse Children's museum in Ogden, UT. We had a great time and it was a great price. It was hard to keep him moving through the exhibit, because he loved playing with everything. He made music, sat in the Oval Office, dressed like a chef, had a Peter Rabit Tea Party, and explored houses from other countries. His absolute favorite was milking the cow. There was a life size cow that had rubber udders that sprayed water into the pail when milked. Rhone LOVED it and managed to find his way back to the exhibit multiple times.

I couldn't pass up this shot in the Oval Office. Too bad I'm not this friendly with his politics.

Thanks to my parents for having us! We miss all of our family and friends already!