The Baranko Family: Idyllic Idaho

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.