School Shopping

We had a great time in Idaho Falls, for our second annual School Shopping mini-vacation.

We let the kids recover from the car trip by watching the geese at the park. It was way more entertaining than we expected. The geese were everywhere! They came right up to us, expecting us to throw bread crumbs. Everyone else had them. We'll be prepared next time.Nicole wanted to explore and Jonathan was concerned about her by the river, so they walked hand in hand. Awww.The geese decided to fly to the river all at once - hundreds flew over Zach's head. Then we watched them swim. At one point Zach said, "Look at the eagles!" We explained that they were seagulls, not eagles. Then a minute later we saw a real bald eagle! Maybe he knew all along.

After all the wiggles were gone, we ate at Olive Garden for lunch. On the way out, everyone we passed commented on Nicole hugging her drink and breadstick. "How sweet!"

(But I dare you to take it away from her.)

The big event of the trip: the hotel swimming pool! All summer the boys have been counting down to this. Ben is demonstrating how warm the water wasn't. (Click the picture to see clenched teeth.)We found out later that the heat pump wasn't working. Seventy degrees anyone?

Jonathan didn't mind the cold at all. It was REALLY cold. But he jumped in over and over again and swam around as if it were just fine.
Zach, however, preferred the hot tub. We had him and Nicole go between the two so they wouldn't freeze or cook. That made it even more exciting.
Greg and I were going to swim but I decided it was too cold AND hot for him. We enjoyed watching and taking pictures, with my feet in the hot tub. He stared at the bubbles and eventually fell asleep in the steam.

Back in the room, it didn't take long for the kids to get comfy. Ben picked up dinner for us - quesadillas and smoothies. We watched America's Funniest Home Videos marathon until we fell asleep. I think Nicole was the last one awake, giggling every now and then. It was a long night - Jonathan was talking in his sleep, Zachary kept falling off the bed, and Nicole kept kicking me. At least Gregory slept great! I enjoyed it, even with all the drama.

Next morning: hotel breakfast, school shopping, and McDonald's. We'll be back next year for sure!