Girl's Weekend and Ben Conquers Mount St. Helens

In April I flew to Boise to spent a weekend with all the women in my family. We wanted to get together, and a girl's weekend in Sun Valley seemed like a great idea. Initially I was going to drive, but 20 total hours in the car with my kids felt too overwhelming, so I ended up buying plane tickets. Two hours in the plane was sooooo much better than a long car ride.

We flew to Boise on Wednesday where Malinda picked us up from the airport, then I stayed up late to chat with her and Mark. I love visiting their home- they are so fun to talk to and their kids are so helpful with my kids. Plus they always have delicious food- Malinda keeps all sorts of goodies at their house.

The flight went well- I had a ton of toys and treats and games and... you name it. We boarded outside old-fashioned style so I had to get a picture.

Nayeli buckled in her own seat with her "doggie"

 The whole flight Teddy was trying to climb over Nayeli to look out the window. It goes without saying that she wasn't smiling this big every time he did it.

Like I mentioned, we stayed the first night at Mark's and then Thursday Malinda and I went to lunch together at Kneader's. Oh how I miss Kneader's in Oregon. Then Emily arrived (she drove from Hermiston) and we all piled into Malinda's suburban to drive to Sun Valley.

Out to dinner Thursday night

We all met at our condo late Thursday afternoon and then went to dinner. That night we stayed up late and sat talking and laughing on the couch. It was so much fun- I remember thinking, "All the effort to get here was worth it, even if just for this moment." 

Friday and Saturday were spent relaxing, shopping, visiting yard sales, and eating out. One morning I came down to find Nayeli and my mom like this:

 Another moment that I thought, "This makes all the effort of getting here worth it".

I was the only one who brought kids on the weekend, so my kids were spoiled with attention and loved it. My sister Julia even did Teddy's hair one day.

 Mohawk Teddy

 Eating out on Saturday

My kids needed naps in the afternoon so everyone went to a movie on Saturday while my kids and I rested. When they woke we went out on a walk. It is a beautiful area of Idaho.

 Nayeli insisted on holding Teddy's hand

Sorting all the stuff that was purchased at the yard sales. My sisters and mom LOVE to shop thrift, and they got a lot of great deals. As for myself, I love to shop but I only bought a few shirts and a stroller. I had to reign myself in since I had to take everything back with me on the airplane.

 The kids enjoying a yard sale find

We headed back to Boise Sunday morning and then I flew home that night, so it was a quick trip. While I was gone Ben had his own adventures. On Saturday he hiked Mount St. Helens (yes, THAT St. Helens) with his missionary trainer Jason Newman. Newman now lives with his family about an hour from us in Washington and it's been fun to get to know him and his wife Krista.

The summit! That's Mt. Adams in the background, the one that Ben hiked twice last summer.

The crater that the 1980 eruption left on the side of the mountain. That's Spirit Lake at the bottom.

It was a 10 mile hike that took about 10 hours total. Ben has loved living in an area with so many amazing mountains- it feeds a part of soul that nothing else quite can. I love that he's such an adventurer and am happy he has that outlet.