Come on, Irene!

So many song titles work here...from REO Speedwagon's "Riding the Storm Out" (which is what we did last night) to the Doors' "Riders on the Storm" (which we were), but my favorite of the bunch lent it's name to the title of this post (Irene is close enough to Eileen, right? Thank you very much, Dexys Midnight Runners, circa 1982.). Hurricane Irene came and went last night, and we made it through relatively unscathed. The rain and wind were intense throughout night--it made it difficult for the adults in this house to sleep through the worst of the storm (the babies slept right through it, no problem). Unfortunately, our bedroom window sprung a bit of a leak during the storm. Besides that, we all are fine (*Jackson did take a tumble last night before bathtime, resulting in a minor cut above his left eye--but that was not hurricane related, and he was feeling much better this morning). Our neighborhood sustained some damage, from tree branches down (Spud found a good one) to huge trees falling and crushing cars (poor red Jetta). The wind actually turned a streetlight, making the intersection near our house very complicated (if you were approaching the intersection, the light on the right side of the street was red, the light on the left green--very tricky).


By this afternoon, the sun had come out and it was a hot, humid August day. With the storm past us, we were all eager to get outside for a while!



Anyway, a hurricane and an earthquake all in one week?! We've had our fill of natural disasters for a while...

Updating...

Hey guys--I'll be updating our blog througout this upcoming week, and not in chronological order--so keep checking back for more pics of Addison and Jackson and more stories from our traveling adventures!

Love to you all!!

We're back!

We miss everyone already...but it feels good to be back in our own high chairs!

So sad, it's our last day on the farm.

We had one last afternoon of playing on the farm before we fly back to DC tomorrow--we took full advantage of the big yard and the nice weather and played outside for much of the afternoon (and Aunt Rachel and Uncle Andrew came to the farm for the afternoon, so there were plenty of people to play with)!

My little angel babies

In the past week, we have been all over the great states of Idaho and Utah. We have been in the car, driving over 1,000 miles, after having flown thousands of miles--and we've been away from our house (and our cribs and our dog) for more than two weeks now--and still, you are great babies. Truth be told, we're not sleeping well--we're in new places, we are out of our routine--nor are we having normal mealtimes, since without a high chair to keep you guys in one place, it is definitely more tempting to play than eat--but even with all of this going on, we have two of the happiest, funnest babies ever.

Here they are, my little sleeping angel babies--as we pass by Burley and head to Snowville for one last day on the farm before we go home. It's been a great trip--and we're going to miss everyone so much--but we're ready to get home to our beds, our dog, and our dad!

Sun Valley

Our trip to Idaho included two days in Sun Valley to attend an event for Senator Crapo (the Senator for whom I originally traveled to Washington, DC to be an intern). The event was lovely (although I didn't get to do the fishing I'd hoped...)--my mom and the babies came out to the ranch for lunch, then I returned solo for a reception and dinner that evening. While we were there, my mom found some good spots for budding cowboys and girls...




Here's an up close of Addison at the picnic--she and Jackson were loving the wide open spaces and all of the playing in the grass!

And here is the sun setting on my way back to the condo from the ranch. It really made me miss my Idaho!

Mom, I want to DRIVE the car!

Baby, you can drive my car...

Cozy Coupe

We all had a great time staying at Aunt Susie's house (and touring a Darigold plant, thanks Uncle Alan! And spending time with Matt, Michael, Mary, Blake, Kim, Jake, asnd Brody! And the weather was great! And we love Boise!). We especially loved her backyard, which was equipped with a wading pool and a cozy coupe. The babies loved the car, especially Addison who couldn't get enough of the driver's seat!






Addison peeking around the front of the car and through the windows.

J-E-L-L-O!

Grandma Kaye thought you guys might like Jello--it took a few bites, but it turns out she was right!

On the farm: Horses!

While we were out and about on the farm, we decided to visit some horses. Some of the horses are rather wild, but with the help of some apple slices we found a pretty friendly guy.








I was a little bit nervous once the apple was gone, afraid that the horse might think Addison's toes would be good to nibble on...

On the farm: big tractors!

One morning while we were on the farm, we helped Grandpa Tom move some machinery and trucks around. Addison and Jackson got to ride in the swather with Grandpa (and Mom, who felt right at home having spent many, many hours in a swather), and even do some steering. I see some ag labor in the babies' future...