Farewell, America

Sprinkled between our day trips, the summer was filled with four-wheeler rides, pool games with LeRoy and the little boys, feeding the horses and cuddling with Charlie and Harrison, and naps in the sun. I didn't even run the air conditioning all summer and Vivien still couldn't get warm. 

There were also multiple trips to the hot spot of Rexburg, (Walmart, of course!) where they found all kinds of crap (pun intended) all of which seemed to be over sized. We call it family sized but to our out-of-country visitors it was just plain huge. . . cereal, chips, vegetables, and yes, even shorts. Shorts so large that they each fit in one leg! The cowboy hat wasn't over sized but it sure was handsome on Gabor, yeehaw!

Vivien took Gabor to see where she attended high school and on a subsequent trip was also able see one of her favorite teachers, Mr. Parker. The summer was not all play for Gabor who has an amazing dedication to his studies. Nearly every day he was found studying his English at the kitchen table or at the little bench that Hyrum built.

When it came time to take them to the airport, it became very real and sad that they would no longer be a daily presence in our home. One of the freeway signs in Utah gave us a good laugh but it isn't true. 

Kids give the best hugs and I will miss these two kids! It was great to be with Vivien and to have our long talks and random trips into town again. It was wonderful to meet Gabor and to add another member to our family. I adore them both! We are so lucky that they could tolerate our crazy family long enough for us to make some silly, meaningful, family memories and solidify our relationship even more for years to come.

The Sunday after they had flown back home I overheard LeRoy and the boys talking downstairs. They were reminiscing about the good times with Gabor. They all enjoyed having another person to play games with them. Pool, ping pong, and foosball will never be the same.

School Year 2016-2017

Where did my babies go?? Nathan is moving on to 5th grade at the Middle School and Hyrum is in 3rd grade at Hibbard Elementary.

A new year always brings enthusiasm and silliness on that first day.

My mom heart is so full of love for these two! I'm grateful for their excitement for life and the joy they bring to our family.

We went over to the Miller's front yard for the annual back to school neighborhood breakfast and to catch the bus with all their friends. Brock was happy to have the boys get on the bus with him for his first day of 1st grade.

Justin started his senior year with contemplation . . . not really, he was totally posing. He has already been attending cheer practices throughout June and August (6 a.m.!!) but today he got to sleep in before performing at the morning assembly.

I'm treating this as just another school year until the very last drop of denial is forced out of me at his graduation. This smart, handsome, witty, young man amazes me in so many ways. I will enjoy every ball game, every practice, every competition, every presentation, every lunch, every late night conversation, and store them in my forever memories.

Fourth Annual Hike to Darby Wind Caves

Hiking snacks, water bottles, and insulated back packs ready!

Our first stop is always in Driggs to update our Spud Drive-In family photo.

It make me happy to see the older kids get excited to stop somewhere that isn't really that interesting but the tradition brings up so many memories.

The beginning of the hike had us wondering once again WHY we do this hike every year! I swear that mountain gets more steep each year. We took frequent breaks to catch our breath and drink water and after about mile 2 our legs accepted the trek and we made good time.

Gabor, Vivien, Nathan, Brian, Kayla, Justin, LeRoy, Sabrina, Hyrum, Levi, Daymia, Derek


At the base of the falls we stopped for snacks and to put jackets on before heading into the cave.

Only the brave and adventurous crossed the falls and went into the cold darkness. That left Daymia and I resting in the sun against the warm rocks. Honestly, I've never had so much trouble on a hike before. My legs needed a serious break!

As they emerged from the cave in pairs we heard stories of crawling along their bellies, darkness so thick you could feel it and a bitter cold that eventually forced an end to their spelunking adventures. Once we were all together again we started our decent, which always goes much faster than the climb in part because our traditional burger joint is waiting for us upon our return.

Much to our dismay, Basin Burger was closed for a remodel. We backtracked a little to find TJ's Pizza and Pasta. The pizza was okay, the pasta needed a little more kick, the animals on the wall creeped Vivien out, but the flowering chips were creative.

Next year we'll go to the newly remodeled Basin Burger. (Did I just say next year? Have I forgotten already how torturous that hike is?)


The following picture caught me in a very tired mood as I lay in bed with sore, shaky legs looking through photos from the day.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then lets analyze this one.

Up in the left corner is Vivien and Gabor obviously sharing a secret. Or maybe a kiss? I know, they founds diamonds in the cave! Okay, they were just hiding from the camera.

At the right we have Justin looking a little caught off guard while Kayla appears about to gag. Hmmm . . . feeling gassy, Justin?  I have no idea what was really taking place.

Sabrina, Sabrina, Sabrina . . . if you don't want your picture taken you don't have to flip me off.
Fine, she's only brushing her hair out of her face.

Brian, Stop! Rolling down the hill is not the best way. Actually maybe the steady, careful 10 year old is just making his way away from the crazy people.

Gabor's Birthday

Gabor doesn't much care for sweets so I made a carrot cake, a little less sweet than most cakes, and banana muffins using my banana bread recipe which has become his favorite. Vivien and I decorated them with minimal frosting (and from her glare she was so happy that I took pictures of the event).

After a very out of tune round of "Happy Birthday" we gave him our gifts. Nathan gave him a silicone oven mitt to use for making his now famous "Gabor potatoes" and Hyrum shared his loved of cooking by giving him a chef hat. The boys picked out a card so appropriate for their relationship and inside jokes with Gabor.

"On your birthday remember - it's better to be a party animal . . . than a farty animal!"

Vivien's only request for his birthday was to have a pinata because he'd never had one before. With our lack of trees we struggle to find a place to hang a pinata. We tried the basketball stand but that wasn't working so we gave in and did it the Edwards way.  Justin pitched it to Gabor and he hit it with a baseball bat.

After sharing the pinata spoils and gathering up the mess, Hyrum and Gabor pulled out their aprons (Vivien gave him the apron for his birthday) and chef hats and geared up for some kitchen creativity.

Happy Birthday, Gabor!!! 
♥♥  The Edwards Family Loves You  ♥♥

Bear World and Cousin Time

Bear World in Rexburg was so much more than I had expected! I thought it would be zoo like, depressing to see wild animals caged up, but it was wonderful.

The hard part about Bear World is keeping the windows up and staying in the vehicle. I wanted to get out and roam with the bears! I was so jealous of the workers who were giving back rubs to bears and looking into their big brown eyes! I found my dream job . . . bear snuggler.

The bonus of Bear World is the small amusement park with rides. 

The boys were so happy to spend an hour or so there, bouncing from ride to ride while Kara and I sat in the center where we could see them the whole time. They paired themselves off into their usual buddy system and we could see their personalities in the rides they chose to go on the most. Though they initially went on all of the rides, Nathan and Max spent most of their time with the rhythmic calm of the train and the stationary spinning of the bears while Hyrum and Zane took the more thrilling rush of the roller coaster over and over again. 

It was a perfect combination of playground freedom and thrill-ride excitement with a spot in the shade for moms to visit.

While we were at the rides, Vivien and Gabor drove through the park to see the animals again and found the map to pin where they were visiting from.

After we met up again we went to the petting zoo. 

The boys laughed and laughed over the pot belly boar and were in awe over the deer. Though it was more zoo like, the animals roamed freely. Hyrum was chastised for chasing the wild turkey but was  still grinning after the keeper walked away because he had never run with a turkey before.

Vivien and Gabor joined us at the petting zoo as well, Vivien with hand sanitizer wielded and ready!

As we left we took a final glance at the baby bears, hugged the big fake bear goodbye and committed to making Bear World a yearly event.

The rest of the week with Max and Zane was filled with summer fun outside, a little light reading inside, and movie night in the park where Levi, Daymia, Justin, and Kayla joined us.