After two years of waiting, July meant that it was time for the Bi-annual Saville Family Shin-dig! This year, we went to a cabin in Island Park for a week. That meant super-packed coolers in a pretty packed car, airport pick-ups and drop offs, and a tons of freezer rolls. It was a blast. Here's the breakdown:
Day 1 (for us): Friday, July 18. Pack and load cars. Try to leave house in decent shape. Caravan to airport to pick up Ben and Jenny. Worry that they'll be waiting for us. Wonder why we didn't think to split up kids so that both cars could take advantage of carpool lane. Wait in Park & Wait for delayed flight to land while breathing a sigh of relief that they weren't waiting for us. Help Ben and Jenny load our car. Give hugs and goodbye-for-nows. Desperately search for place to eat. Find said place. Scarf food. Drive to my parents' house in Idaho. Get tired kids in bed--3 hours past their bed time. Hang out with folks. Go to bed.
Day 2: Saturday, July 19. Brian lets me sleep in.Kids bond with grandparents.
Mom makes FABULOUS huckleberry pancakes. Hang out with folks. Head into town (Idaho Falls) with Dad to get groceries and run his errands. Run late. Wonder who thought it was a good idea to send the two slowest people in the family to town on limited time. Panic that we won't get out of the house in time. Remind myself that it doesn't matter. Brian reminds me that it won't matter. Scarf lasagna (thanks, Mom!) Load in car and drive to Island Park. Get there late, but an hour or more ahead of any one else. Scope out rooms, but don't dare pick one. Unload car and coolers. Enjoy the outdoors.
Everyone gets there (except Ben & Jenny who came the next day). Greg and Shayne pretend to be twins.
Day 3: Sunday, July 20. Go to church in Island Park in the A-frame cabin overflow building next to the church house. Marvel at special feeling that exists since most of the people there are on vacation and are therefore at church because they really just want to be at church. Go back to cabin. Hang out. Read book. Head to Big Springs. See moose (just left of Julia's right pigtail).
Tried to keep kids from getting in the water. Took pictures of kids.
And everyone in our group.
Head back to cabin. Make dinner. Wonder where Ben and Jenny are. Hang out with the family.
Eat dinner. Send out search party for Ben and Jenny. Ben and Jenny arrive in swimming clothes with crazy story about going to the wrong cabin and hanging out in cabin's hot tub for an hour. Everyone has a good laugh. Michael wonders how our Elantra got there. Tell him that it missed us and came to find us. Get kids in bed. Stay up late talking.
Day 4: Monday, July 21. Decide to head to Yellowstone. Mack takes up new hobby:
Hang out some more while babies nap.
Finally get entire crew out the door and into Yellowstone Park. Meet at Old Faithful. Wait for Old Faithful to go off.
Old Faithful goes off.
Walk around Old Faithful. See lots of geysers and hot pools.
See our first Bison. Must have been facing the storm.
Rest for a snack.
Walk some more.
Break from group because kids are done (It stinks, Mom!) Wait for Old Faithful to go off again. Wait for 1/2 hour.
Old Faithful teases us.
Give up and go into Lodge for ice cream. Goes off while we're inside. Meet up with the rest of the group. Almost lose Skyler when he wanders off. Happily rescue Skyler. Get into cars and head home with rainbows at our back.
Day 5: Tuesday, July 22: Hang out some more.
Load up and head to Wade Lake, Montana. Rent two canoes. Play in canoes and water. Marvel at beauty of lake.
Head home. Back two rows are asleep in no time.
Eat Nana's famous spaghetti. And rolls.
Have a camp fire and make S'mores.
Day 6: Wednesday, July 23. Original 7 head to Rexburg for special temple sealing trip.
Kids and I head to Rexburg to meet Dad for lunch. Meet up with originals for a little bit. . Head back to cabin with just kids and I. Take the long way back and soak up Tetons and Idaho farmland (aka home!)
Wonder if Warm River is really warm. Take 12 mile detour to find out.
50 degrees not my definition of warm. Get back. Hang out. Take family pictures.
Realize why photographers charge so much for group photos. Have slight breakdown. Lea and Jenny cheer me up. Have a fun night with my awesome in-laws.
Day 7: July 24. Hang out with crew. Have dinner for lunch. Finally load entire crew and head to Yellowstone Park for animal sight-seeing. See elk.
See Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Someone offers to take a group shot of us.
See a bear and another waterfall.
See deer. See Rachel.
See herd of buffalo.
Marvel at buffalo for a while. Take too many pictures of buffalo, but can't help ourselves. Officially decide that landscape photography isn't my thing. Go to Mammoth Hot Springs.
Day 8. July 25. Deliberate about what to do for the day for an hour or more. Send Shayne and Jared to rent jet skis. Bid farewell to Ben and Jenny. Get crew out the door and down to Henry's Lake. Discover that lake is leech infested. Throw rocks instead of swim. Rachel steals someone's cookie. Wonder where she got a cookie. A minute later, Hunter inquires after his cookie.
Hang out while waiting for turn on Jet ski.
Watch with envy those already enjoying the jet ski ;)
Enjoy jetski.
A little too much (my screams were heard all around the lake. Oops.)
All too soon, head back to cabin. Have dinner and birthday party for Danny:
Go for walk with Lara. Stay up too late. Start getting ready to head home.
Day 9: July 26. Pack up stuff. Load car. Help wash towels and clean up things we used. Laugh at kids playing outside while adults are cleaning up. Wonder why I wanted to grow up. Take pictures of twins.
Take pictures of kids jumping in front of cabin. Laugh at Rachel's attempt to jump.
Take more pictures of twins.
Give lots of hugs. Get in car. Head home. Stop at airport to retrieve car. Get home. Bath kids. Unload. Get kids in bed. Unpack everything by 7 p.m. (2 hour record for me!). Crash on the couch. Miss everyone so much.
