Square One: Idaho ... part 1

I have decided to split up our vacay into at least two parts.
There was just so much fun had, I didn't think I could contain it to one exciting post.
So as was previously mentioned, we went to Idaho on our first family vacation.
It was a good destination because we have family and friends all up and down that barren state, so I didn't feel as if I was wrangling/entertaining my kids all by my lonesies.
We left the day after Father's Day on an eight hour drive to Boise.
Coincidentally, on our first day out Micah asked for the first time where Daddy was?
So that was nice.
We made it to Boise without incident, meaning we only had to stop a handful of times to use the bathroom, gas up the car, and eat (because I am ~~evil~~ particular and won't let my kids snack in the car).
I only had to threaten to pull the car over and leave the kids stranded on the side of the road to live amongst the wild goats once when all three became preoccupied with vindictively poking each other in the eyes.
I rented a hotel for the first night, thinking it would be a fun way to start our trip.
The kids have never stayed in a hotel before.
I was right.
It was very exciting and they had a lot of fun jumping on the beds until 12:30 a.m.
However, I had to drag them out of bed the next morning so that we wouldn't miss the continental breakfast, through which Micah cried at a very embarrassing volume because he didn't like any of the cereal choices.
Then we took off for another five hour drive to Rexburg.
Scott and I went to college at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg.
It is where we met, fell in love, rented our first ~~closet~~ apartment, and birthed Ryan.
Some of my very best friends still live there (or near there) and the one that doesn't flew in so we could have a little reunion.
Sadly, Britney (one of our roomies/my sister) wasn't able to come ...due to a scheduling conflict.
Dang it.
Anyway, the last time the four of us were together we had two babies between us.
Now there are ten kids total.
Which means that there was someone always crying/whining/tattling/hurt/hungry/left out/napping/
stinky/fighting.
At one point we looked around bewildered and wondered aloud how we created such chaos.
With our bodies.
Anyway, ambitiously we planned an activity and several elaborate meals for every day that we were there.
We took the kids to Bear World, a spray park, a Chukars game (Idaho Falls' 3A baseball team), had a hot dog roast, a BBQ, and even managed a night out sans kids for dinner and a movie (The Fault in Our Stars ... it is so so sad ... the girls sitting next to us were audibly sobbing).
We stayed up until at least 2 a.m. every night after getting the kids in bed talking and laughing and eating Italian gelato and laughing harder.
I was so happy there.
It felt the same.
It was like going home.
We watched Crazy Stupid Love (Ryan Gosling is delicious), Austenland (which was hilarious) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (which I really liked despite generally thinking Ben Stiller is a dufus).
We all got dressed in front of each other, as you do.
And we watched our kids become friends.
They raced around outside our friend and hostess Carrie's house on a four wheeler and dune buggie, tortured her kitties, played in the sprinklers, and got dirtier than any other children have.
They were in heaven.
And now prepare yourself for 18,637 pictures.

^^ The kids' favorite part of Bear World. Never mind that the "amusement park" had nothing to do with bears. They just enjoyed racing from one ride to the other. And then one of the park employees tossed their biscuits next to the most popular ride and we left. Classy. ^^

^^ My little family of bears. It was crazy to see all those huge animals lumbering around right next to the car. That and it was funny to watch my friend Jill hyperventilating as we drove right into their den. Ha. ^^

^^ You know, just riding the train. I am obviously enjoying the scenery. ^^

^^ I love going to baseball games. And my kids really liked it too. Our little group only lasted until the 5th inning but we stayed long enough to see "our team" get creamed and have hotdogs. ^^

^^ From left: Jace (2), Micah (2), Ryan (7), Javen (8), Ezra (5), Liam (4). We all got free hats, which we then fought over later, even though they were all the same. ^^

^^ Some asian baby I found hanging around. ^^

^^ Javen, Alisa, Piper, Liam, Ryan, Micah, and Lydia roasting their hot dogs. They kept coming over asking for more because they "dropped them in the dirt" or "burned them in the fire." Well, all except Alisa. ^^

^^ Some of the kids awkwardly posing at the spray park. ^^

^^ You know those friends that you have your whole life? The ones that you don't get to see all the time, but when you do it is as if you were never apart? These are those friends. ^^