Papa Piggy's and Bob's House

We finally got to visit Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Bob and stay at their house!  I don't think we've done that at all this year, which is weird.  We've seen them a lot and we did go to Pocatello for Grandpa Curtis Lee's funeral in June, but we stayed in a hotel that time.  Anyway, it was long overdue.  We told the boys we were going to Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Bob's house at the beginning of last week, so every time (every single time) we got in the car for the next five days, Emil or Colin (or both of them) would ask, "Papa Piggy's house?"  When we finally got on the road Friday afternoon, both boys complained loudly when we got on the freeway.  I'm guessing they thought we were going to the other grandparents' house.  Woops.

First stop, Grandma Shirley's house!  My Dad suggested I show up unannounced and let the boys wander around the house.  That's a terrible idea!  Then the boys would have missed out on playing with Great Grandpa's old toy tanks.  I was amazed at how long the boys lasted sitting on the couch.  Grandma Shirley really knows what to do for nursery-age kids.  She told them they could see what was in the box (the tanks) if they sat quietly like good boys.  When the novelty of the tanks had worn off, she told them they could see her flashlight pen if they would sit like good boys.  Smart!  Yes, the photo is out of focus - we should have taken pictures before the visit instead of after.  It was too dark outside.  During this photo Emil is on the other side of the porch looking for a way to get injured, no doubt.

We had a lovely dinner with Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Bob and Uncle Aaron (his wife, Lori, was playing volleyball for ISU somewhere in Oregon).  After dinner, Grandma Peggy, Bridget, and I left the boys to do whatever they do and we went to the guest room to look at all the temple work that has been done and all that needs to be done.  Bridget colored in her new coloring book and probably listened very carefully to our conversations. :)  Bridget got to sleep like a princess in the upstairs guest room while Brian and Colin slept on a mattress and Emil and I "slept" in the other guest room.  We still need pack-n-plays (we forgot ours and didn't use Grandma's the first night).  

Grandma Shirley told us about a train museum we could go to on Saturday.  I'm so glad she did!  It was three rooms filled with operating model trains and replicas of towns.  The train hobbyists running the place meant business.  They had walkie-talkies and guys standing at every junction ready to slap our hands away if we tried to touch anything.  

The boys were in heaven!  Emil even came out of his "NO!" Phase to appreciate the tiny trains moving along tracks throughout the building.

While Colin was on Grandpa Bob's shoulders there was an exciting development on the track, so he grabbed Grandpa's hair tight and shouted, "BOB!  BOB!"  Hahaha!  

Cheeky train enthusiasts.

The train depot was right next door, so Bridget, Grandma Peggy and I stood in the same spot Grandma Peggy, Great Grandma Carol Furniss, and Uncle Mark stood many years ago.

Grandpa Bob told the story of arriving at the station, having been on a bus since North Carolina, to meet his fifth child, Melissa.  He didn't have a dime.  ("Didn't ask for a dime.")  He couldn't call anyone to come get him, so he had to carry his luggage all the way to his parents' house.  Sad.

After the trains we went to Brooklyn's Park, which is probably my favorite city park ever.  Then it was lunch and naps for the women and children and football for the men.  I think the BYU game wore out Grandpa Bob and Brian.  Grandma and Grandpa went to stake conference right after the game and Brian was dying to talk to someone about it.  (Since I curse BYU football regularly, I am not that person.)

We went to Uncle Aaron's ward on Sunday because Grandma and Grandpa had more stake conference.  We beat him there by a few minutes and I noticed no one was playing prelude even though the meeting was about to start.  Aaron came in and sat by us on the back row and one of the bishopric came over and asked if he could play the piano for them since the organist hadn't shown up.  "My sister can play the organ," he says.  :)  What can I say?  It's my super power.  So I played the organ for sacrament meeting.  I worried about leaving Brian with the boys, but our boys' noise couldn't even compete with the other noisy kids, so it was fine.  The microphone was busted and the speakers couldn't be heard by anyone beyond the second row.  Uncle Aaron's ward ended up being quite an adventure. :)

We had a lovely Sunday Dinner, Grandma Peggy's specialty, and it was time to go.  Bridget is always so sad to leave their house.  We offered her the movie choice and she picked "Barbie Island Princess."  The boys shouted, "NOOOOOOO!!!" but we watched it anyway.  :)  (Can you see all the bracelets Bridget is holding?  She is crafty at Grandma's house.)  It was a lovely weekend for us.