The Baranko Family: May 2013

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Idyllic Idaho - Part II

As promised, here is the pictorial recap from the rest of our trip to Idaho Falls. We can't wait for our next trip out there!

Started our day on with a trip to the Farmer's Market, and Luke got to see the namesake "Falls"in downtown Idaho Falls.

Can't go to IF without stopping at the Candy Cottage! YUM!

Crazy, amazing sighting of this majestic bald eagle. Then, as if that wasn't cool enough, it started fighting with an osprey that was angry that the eagle had stolen its food. It was an aerial battle that was not to be missed (unless you're Matt who drove right on by, unimpressed, and we had to all yell at him to turn around so we could watch).

Ben asked a bird expert after we left what kind of bird the eagle was fighting with, we couldn't tell right then and there, we thought it was a hawk of some kind.

I had asked Ben & Linda if we could go on a hike while we were there, and they suggested this awesome shortish hike up one of the buttes near their home. It was pretty steep for Lukers, but Ben was awesome helping him make his way up. He walked most of the way, but Ben did have some steep parts where he carried him. Not an easy task!

Luke enjoyed sitting down at inopportune times and playing in the dirt.

Up at the top! It was super windy!

Lovely views

We were slightly worried about Luke falling off the cliffs, so had to contain the beast during some moments up on the top.

Stinkers also liked to just let Ben and I do the work and would just slide his feet down the dirt instead of walking.

The walking sticks helped Matt (with Claire) keep his balance coming down the rocky path.

Resting and eating a snack after our hike, photo bomb from Uncle Ben! Matt was able to negotiate a 7 passenger Explorer for the same price as our midsize Priceline reservation, sweet deal! Easier for us all to travel together the whole time we were there. In the car a well-enjoyed activity was that Ben and I (we were in the third row the whole time together) would sing "Pop goes the weasel" to Claire and she would laugh so much when Ben pretended to be a crazy, rabid weasel.

Another must-do Idaho Falls activity - a stop at Reed's Dairy for the BEST ice cream in the whole world (and the best chocolate milk, incidentally, I may actually need to dry ice ship myself some for an arm and a leg- it is that good)

You can see all the cows at the dairy - and thank them personally for the yummy ice cream!

Pumpkin pie. Just try not to kiss those sweet cheeks, I dare you!

A tour of Ben & Linda's property after a midday nap. Feeding the horses carrots.

A pile of dirt is as fun as anything else you could have planned.

They have over 4 acres, so Ben worked up this little wagon ride of Lukers to ride around in.

They allow their neighbors to pasture their horses on their land. It really is so gorgeous, especially as the sun is setting.

An up close and personal tour of B&L's new gigantor sail boat. They have vacationed on their boat, sleeping overnight in it for more than a week! It was really cool.

Chalk and basketball time with Uncle Ben

Ready for our last full day of vacation!

We drove just a half hour away to Yellowstone Bear World! How awesome is this??

You drive your car through "Bear World" and can see tons of wildlife, more than just bears even! This friendly fellow came right up to our car.

Wolves, elk, moose, and lots of bears!

Comfortable?

Also at Bear World, complimentary kiddie rides with every entrance fee. Luke, once again, was in heaven! This little rollercoaster was pretty fast. Matt told Luke to put his arms up, it was so funny to see him screeching and laughing with his arms up.

Tilt a bear. Matt had to go on these whirly rides with him, puke city.

Shockingly, Claire was fabulous. She either smiled or slept through every activity we did. This umbrella stroller also converts to an infant seat carrier (when you're with Matt Baranko).

Uncle Ben's wisdom "Play dead for a Grizzly bear, fight back for a Black bear." Words to live by in Bear Country. What's the right course of action for this strange looking bear?

Luke loves to chase chickens, we learned. It was hilarious. He never quite caught one. This is at the petting zoo there.

Luke was psyched to ride in the engine car.

ADORABLE baby bears playing.

After naps we visited "Fun Zone" with these really old carnival rides. Luke and I went on his first ferris wheel ride together. The teenager working the ride had to store the engine, which Matt said was from a tractor.

Another train ride. This kid got a lot of rides in just one day!

More waterfalls!

Linda's photojournalism

First family vacation picture!

We went to this really nice playground that Ben and Linda helped build. This was the last thing on the Idaho Falls trip "wish list" that I had started. We did it!

An extra bonus was when Matt and Luke got to ride B&L's neighbor's ATV.

Helping Uncle Ben turn the irrigation system (read: tons of sprinklers) on. The next morning we left bright and early to drive back to Salt Lake City to catch our flight. Goodbye Ben and Linda. Goodbye Idaho. Goodbye vacation. Goodbye maternity leave. Hello WORK! Boo!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Idyllic Idaho - Part I

Who would have thought that we would hit the family vacation jackpot in Idaho Falls, Idaho?! Well, we did! We had such an amazing time in Idaho, it was the perfect grand finale to my maternity leave. I was saying to Ben that I may have to stretch our trip out into two blog posts, we have so much to share! So this is the first installment, then I'll finish up in the next post.

Ben and Linda truly went above and beyond to ensure that we had a wonderful trip. Their thoughtfulness knew no bounds. They prepared everything for our enjoyment and comfort, and everything was SO appreciated. Like they had goodies galore for Luke. They got a ton of used toys from the local resale shop, including a whole train set that they used to make him a train table! They took out like 50 library books for him, they made him up a special big boy room, and researched a bunch of activities that he would enjoy doing. He had a blast and so did we! They also had prepared our room with a little changing station for Claire and a baby bed for her. Linda had carefully planned all of the meals, and cooked them, too! Everything was delicious. Throughout the weekend we had just a perfect blend of activities (like celebrating Linda's BIG birthday!!) and down time where we got to enjoy their beautiful house and farmland. And since Ben and Linda are a doting aunt and uncle, Matt and I got some relaxing time too when they were playing/holding/taking care of the kids. It really is such a wonderful, peaceful place - I already want to go back!

Luke LOVED looking at all the airplanes at the airport. He was so, so excited to get to go to the airport and actually go on an airplane. Apparently he didn't remember his other plane rides to ID and FL!

Claire's first airplane trip! She did fabulous.

Luke is finally at an age that he watches movies! This made travelling a billion times easier. Despite our initial reservations on travelling with two kids, it was kind of a breeze!

I had the baby, the infant car seat, a backpack and the suitcase.

Matt had Luke, the toddler car seat, the umbrella stroller, a backpack and two carry on bags. No problem!

Snuggles with Auntie Linda

Feeding the neighbors' horses. The first of many loved activities for Luke.

Checking out the huge garage that Ben has all his toys in - his sailboats, his sports car, his tractor.

Luke's room at Auntie Linda and Uncle Ben's house.

Bird watching is fun to do from their kitchen table.

This became Claire's favorite hang out while we ate!

Carousel exhibit at the Idaho Falls Museum. It was so cool.

Luke was all smiles riding an actual carousel in the exhibit.

Next up, trip to the zoo! This zoo was a perfect size for a 2 year old. He could see all the animals sort of up close, and the distance between exhibits was small to hold his attention. And finally, the overall zoo doesn't take more than 2 hours to walk completely through.