A day in Pocatello

Yesterday I took the kids to Pocatello for the day. We started by going to the Zoo and seeing the new Grizzly Bear exhibit. Its pretty sweet. The bear came right up to us. Seriously, we were about a foot away from him! 

After the zoo we ran across the street and spent the hot afternoon staying cool at Ross Park. Anna was too cute with her little floppy hat and her new independence now that she is walking everywhere. She has NO fear that girl! I was a great day with my favorite little peeps. 

Grandpa's Funeral

Playing in Utah

In between planning the funeral and visiting with family I tried to get the boys out of the house and do a few fun things while we were in Utah last week. We went to the Dinosaur Museum, Thanksgiving Point Children's Garden and we went to Wheeler Farm. It was good to spend some time with our cousins and enjoy these last few weeks of summer.

Picture overload time:

Lava/Chesterfield

Last Monday feels like an eternity ago. What a week. My friends and I had been planning a trip over to Lava Hot Springs/Chesterfield Ghost town for at least a month. Last Monday morning I woke up to the sad news of my Grandpa's passing. I decided that I would still go with my friends on our planned day trip but I would leave from there and head down to Utah to be there for my Grandma.

We left bright and early and headed to Chesterfield where an adorable little tour guide was waiting for us. We had a great time learning about the little town and the pioneers who settled in this area all those years ago.

 We had 17.5 kids with us between the 4 of us Moms. (We had a few friends tag along too) LOTS of kiddos!

After walking in the sun and heat we backtracked over to Lava to swim for a few hours. It was so much fun. Anna LOVED playing in the water with me. She is a total water baby.

Didn't take hardly any pictures there. I was too busy making sure no children were drowning. ☺

After an already long day, we headed down to Utah for a difficult yet good week at the same time. More to come on that.

Grandpa Tom

"Dearly Loved" Our loving husband, father, brother and uncle, Tommy Richard Gilbert, passed away of natural causes August 4, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was born June 14, 1933 in Peoria, Illinois to William R. and Vera Zimmerman Gilbert, the oldest of 8 children. Colonel Gilbert earned his Masters Degree from the University of Utah in 1977. He was commander of the 130th and the 109th Squadrons of the Utah Air National Guard and retired from there in 1989. He also worked for the Federal Aviation Administration and retired in 1990. Survived by his wife Ingrid; their 3 children Karen (Bryan) Rock, Larry and Gary (Cyndie) Gilbert; siblings Warren, John and Gary; as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His smile and sense of humor will surely be missed. Funeral services will be held Friday, August 9, 2013, 11:00 a.m. at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 South Redwood Road where a viewing will be held Thursday, August 8, 2013, 6-8 p.m. and Friday, 10-10:45 a.m. Interment, Utah Veterans Memorial Park. A memorial service will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma with details to be determined. 

A few words that come to mind when I think about my Grandpa:

toe sandwiches, horse rides, tickle torture "crawl around, crawl some," money hunts, flashlights, socks, youngest to oldest, dollar store trips, galleria, Tom's 66, hot dog roasts, ironing handkerchiefs, two dollar bills, Leatherbys, jukebox, chocolate malts, rocky road, chocolate chip, pepsi, feeding ducks, Hill Air Force Museum, driving lessons, jimmy dean sausage (burned), pepper, spam, Golden Corral, spearmint gum, two dollar bills, cameras, film, recliner, newspapers, airport shuttle, black shiny shoes, burton up shirts, crazy morning hair, movies, Jazz, clutter, cash, drawers of toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Arby's sandwiches, Wendover, Lexus, Camry, "hello up there" "see ya later!" 

Grandpa was a good man. He was mysterious in many ways and was very very private. He was a phenomenal grandpa and great grandpa. He did a lot to help me and my family through the years. He taught me how to drive. He forgave me quickly when I racked up $65 in parking tickets while using his car at BYU one weekend. He let Nate and I borrow a car for a good 6 months so we would qualify to buy our first home. He let me live in his home for 3 months with my baby Dallin so I could finish my BYU education. He picked me up and dropped me off countless times at the airport. He loved to visit and get caught up on what was going on in my life. He loved my kids and spoiled them rotten just as he spoiled me years ago. He wasn't very touchy feely, or emotional. In June though, when I called to wish him a happy 80th birthday he said two things to me that I will never forget. He told me that I was a good mom. He also told me he loved me. Those words meant a lot coming from him because they were not things he would say often. He was funny, kind and always had a smile to share. I'll miss him terribly.

Cabin time!

This weekend was amazing. Our friends have a cabin over near Dillion, Montana and invited us to join them for a couple of days of fun and relaxation. Just what this girl needed.

This cabin was absolutely amazing. We had to drive a good long 45 min on a dirt road to get there..after already driving 2 hours on the highway. There is absolutely NO ONE around. They have so much land its hard to even comprehend. They have a huge pond. The kids fished and swam. We caught about 30 fish. (And kept 6) We rode the 4 wheelers to our hearts content. We played games, ate lots of food and laughed our heads off. We had 13.5 kids between us all. It was a great time. So grateful for good friends. ☺