The Fourth of July and Zoo time!

Happy Birthday America!!!!

This past weekend we took a very long road trip to Rexburg, Idaho. We left at 5:30 AM arrived in Rexburg at 8 PM , which is 7 PM for us. LONG day! We were exhausted!

Thankfully, Amy and Brad graciously allowed us to stay with them in their apartment. They even sacrificed their bed for us. We appreciated it more than we can express. They were kind and generous in welcoming us to their home. Thank you Brad and Amy!

It is so much fun to see her pregnant! Most people wouldn't realize she is, but we sure do!

Here is her little tummy poking out:

On the 4th we did not do much during the day. Rylee and Sadie were sick and so we didn't want to make them worse. Sam and Linzi opted to stay in Rexburg that night. We had planned all along to go to Idaho Falls for the spectacular show there so off we went!

We did not realize that the fireworks were beginning at 10 PM, we thought it was going to begin at 9 so we got there at 5! It was fun just the same; we had a picnic while we waited and just enjoyed spending time with each other. We had brought games to play but instead we ended up visiting not only with each other but some of our old friends; the Hatch's and the Wessman's! How nice it was to catch up on their lives in a very brief period of time. We wish we could have spent more time with them.

The Wessman's, Nebeker's and us!

At one point in time the guys were a bit tired and bored so they both rested:

Amy and I had fun just chatting away with each other! Along with looking for a bathroom other than the porta-potties! (later we found out that the visitor's center was open until 9 - oh well!) We chose to use them early because it would be less offensive than later!

The fireworks were spectacular! Being in Idaho Falls again for them was really fun for us! We wish Sam's family could have joined us, but we understand why they didn't.

The view behind us, we were right in front of the IF temple! Here it is:

The following morning we went to Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls. It's a small zoo, but so fun for Rylee! She could not wait to get in to see the animals! Sadie needed to nurse but Rylee was not going to wait for that... oh no! So, off we went, hoping they would catch up to us soon. It was a great thing that we did too! Rylee and another little boy were chosen to help feed the pelicans not 2 minutes after we entered the zoo!

The Pelicans were pretty big and excited to get their fish!

Rylee was a bit overwhelmed with them at first!

Soon she warmed up and was happy to be feeding the pelicans!

Those things are amazing! Rylee was a bit scared at first but warmed up to them in no time, even throwing a fish or two to them! She was very excited! I am so happy she had that experience for us to one day tell her about.

Grandma enjoyed spending time with Rylee, as did everyone else!

Rylee fell in love with so many of the animals! She especially loves monkeys! She lit up whenever she saw them! It's great to go to the zoo with little ones who are experiencing things for the first time!

Rylee saw the spider monkeys with Aunt "Mamy"! She was just as excited as Rylee, if not more!

Sadie was still sick (ended up with a double ear infection) but she was a trooper! She is one resilient child! She remained happy much of the time even though she felt lousy. She is incredible!

Here are a few pics of what we saw:

On our trip we were also able to drive down to Provo and stay at my cousin Sandy's place. Craig, Angie and Rachel joined us there for dinner with other family members. It was so much fun to hear stories from when they were small about our family in Minnesota! I even learned new stories about my own dad! The best part, of course, was spending time with Craig and Rachel. I did not take pictures because I was just too tired to take any more! Next time! Though you are probably grateful that I didn't!! Otherwise they would've shown up on here!