Whoa, the trip we weren't planning!

Grab bag prize (to stay occupied during the drive - we still don't have portable DVD players)

Roadtrip bingo - remember these?!

 We had planned on having staycations this summer, but my grandfather wasn't doing too well and I decided to go out and see him.  Mostly that decision was because when I was out there in January to watch my nieces and nephews, I made plans to visit him and my grandmother, but they had a pipe rupture and with the water in the basement and plumbers over, they had quite enough to deal with.  But when my grandmother asked me not to come, she forgot to tell my grandpa, so after I was home in KS again, he called and asked me where I was and why I didn't come visit.  So, given the opportunity and the reason (him not doing well), in the middle of July, I decided to go ahead and try to visit him. 

I also was in need of a vacation of some kind.  Sometimes being RS president is pretty weighty and I was feeling it at the time I found that Grandpa Gillis wasn't doing well - so it all worked.  It also helped that my good husband stayed home to work so I could take the kids and go.  Thanks Nate!

Playing with cousin McKenna

Holding an alpaca - so soft!

Pitt State fans - Cousin Livia and Max

Supper at Daniel's; on the skewer was scallops and squid (or octopus, maybe) either way, it was my first time trying the octo and it was "myeh"; the scallops on the other hand made my throat itchy and a little difficult to swallow - I indeed may have inherited the Gillis gene for allergy to shell fish YIKES

Elise, Grandpa Alan and I went waterfall hunt-hiking - beautiful!

My Grandma Eastman helping me to make thumb guards for my little/not-so-little thumb-sucker.  She is a true seamstress!

You can't see my Grandpa Eastman too well, but he took us to Chick-fil-a for supper but we had him dress up (he's wearing a Chick-fil-a cow on his hat.  He was super fun doing it with us and gave the cow a fist-bump! LOL!

Got to visit the temple with my sister-in-law, Sunny.  Very nice!

We met cousin Eli years ago (I think Max and Eli were both still toddling around), but they acted as if they had known each other and continually hung out for a decade.  (Eli is my step-mom, Vickie's grandson and those two boys were super glad to find out they were cousins.  Besides Hyriam and Sunny's boys, they are the only two boys with many, many girl cousins and sisters.)

Me and my kiddos loving the mountain (though Max is squinting at the bright sun).

Amiee (my step-sister-in-law), Lizzie, Eli, Max, Elise, Ivy, Amiya, Myself and in front, Oliver

With Grandma and Grandpa

Again, they both just wanted to sit and read; they also made a music video.

Niece Amiya with her glow sticks made into a ball.

Max trying out the bungee tramps.

Elise rock climbing

Max on some kind of bungee sling-shot thing (only they don't get shot out - though I'm sure that would have been an adventure).

On the drive home; we were all a little silly after the hours on the road.