Stauffer Family Vacation!

My family likes to go on a family vacation each year.  This year we stayed at a cabin in Green Valley Idaho about an hour North West of Boise. We left Thursday August 15 and came home Sunday August 17th.  We had a great time, but it was a long drive with Aleana who did not sleep more than an hour on the way up and about 3 hours on the way home of a 7 hour drive.   We and just bought her a new car seat and did not have much time to have Aleana get used to it, or completely figure it out before leaving on the trip.  So she could not get comfortable to sleep because her head kept flopping forward.  The last hour of our drive to the cabin she pretty much cried the whole time and there was not much I could do.  About an hour into our drive home we figured out the pads on the shoulder straps where pushing her shoulder forward and making her neck go weird.  Once we got the pads off her slept most of the way home.  Note to self, don’t buy a kids a new car seat right before leaving on a long car trip.  

On the way up we stopped in Twin falls for lunch and for Curt to have a

 phone interview, for a job at Logan regional (I hope they call him back for a second interview:).

Then we went over to Shoshone and saw the falls!  

 They are beautiful!

 My sister Debbie and my Mom.

 My Brother Brian and his girlfriend Cadence

  Then Curt, Debbie, my mom, Brian and his girlfriend Cadence all went swimming in the lake that leads into the falls, it was a lot of fun even though we were swimming with fish! I was the first one brave enough to jump into the lake with the fish.  We had fun jumping and diving off the docks.  I think this might have been my favorite part of the trip! 

Aleana loved playing in the shallow part water with grandma!  My dad was watching her while the rest of us went swimming but then Aleana started pointing at the water and saying kids.  So my dad came and grabbed my mom to come play with her.  She got completely wet and we had to change her, but it was worth it because she loved it! 

 All who went swimming, my dad stayed out and

my brother Allen headed on with his wife and daughter

Allen headed on with Kathy and Layla so they could get up to the cabin sooner.  Although they had to stop at the store and got lost trying to find the place to get the key and did not make it up there much before us even though we got lost in a tiny town trying to find the place to get the directions to the cabin. It was an eventful night.  We all ate spaghetti and meat balls at 10:00 at night and then spent a while figuring out rooms and getting everything set up.  We ended up sleeping in the room with the washer and dryer, which was really nice because I had a horrible period while I was up there and kept leaking through my pads.  It made it a little difficult with all the swimming we did but I just made it work.   Cadie, Debbie my mom and I sat in the hot tub, which was nice and relaxing after the long drive, but I did not get to bed until after 1 and Aleana decided she did not want to sleep in her bed so she slept in ours and none of us got much sleep. The rest of the nights were better luckily.

 So I did not take many pictures in the cabin, I thought a took a few more then I did. Here is Aleana and Cadence. Aleana loved crawling up the stairs (she is a master stair climber, but can't go down) and coming over to the balcony to say hi.  She did not care who was helping her up the stairs.  I think most of us took at least one turn.

We also played a lot of pool, watched movies, and roasted woofums (a roosted biscuit filled with pudding jam and cream) while at the cabin. Each of us kids each took one breakfast and one dinner and my parents did all the snacks and lunches.  It made it nice and easy and everyone shared the load. 

Friday We just hung around the cabin all morning. In the afternoon we went and played in the river that ran behind the cabin. Aleana enjoyed playing with grandpa, splashing, finding rocks and playing with water bugs.  

 Manly poses!

 Curt and I

 We floated down the river in blow up Kayaks, although I think we did more walking up and down the river then actual floating, but it was fun either way.  

  Me 

 My mom

 Curt

 On Saturday we drove to a lake, the road had lots of sharp turns and we all got a bit car sick, but it was worth it once we got to the lake. We played in the blow up raft, kayaks and the canoe.  My dad, Debbie, Brian, and Cadence also went fishing, sadly no fish for dinner.  

Aleana's got her first kayak ride. She liked it for about 5 minutes and then she was done. She loved sitting in the shallow water and splashing, and walking though the water until she could no longer touch the bottom.

 Brian and Cadence

 Aleana hiking  with Daddy while I Kayaked in a pack we borrowed from a friend.  Aleana loved it!! We are going to have to buy one of these!

 We had a great time with my family.  Having kids diffidently makes vacations a little more challenging, yet more fun at the same time.  It is good to spend time with family but it is always nice to get back home.  Three days is a good amount of time to have fun and not come away not liking each other :).