Westward Bound

So, we have been here in Oregon for 1.5 months and are starting to adjust. Here are some highlights from our trip out here:

Grandma Debbie and Saba Art visited us just before we left and we had tearful goodbyes. We also got to say goodbye in the last hours to our good friends the Boyarskis. Justice is obviously happy (and hot). It was stressful on the kids, and broke our hearts to see how they each dealt with feelings of loss in their own ways. We were certainly sad to leave such a beautiful place so full of great moments.

Our first day took us to Cherokee, IA, where we had a great visit with Heidi's Uncle Mark and Aunt Jill. We rested a day there, but forgot to take any pictures. Our visits with them are always so refreshing; they are wonderful hosts.

Then we left for Gering, NE to visit Heidi's folks, Aunt Jane and her Grandma Peggy. These first fotos are from one of my morning runs near the park (Scott's Bluff).

Yes, sometimes each of the children were having as much fun as you see Justice is having below:

This must be feigned happiness on the part of the children, because I don't remember these moments quite the way the fotos appear.

We were able to go with the grandparents to the local zoo, which the kids enjoyed.

After a couple of days in NE, we headed out to cross WY on our way to Jackson Hole:

Stayed the night in Jackson Hole and set out early to see some of the Grand Tetons. It really is as spectacular as Ansel Adams tried to capture.

These are what our nights usually looked like as we put them to bed. Then for the next 2-4 hours they were awake with the discontent of an unsettled journey. They were extremely sleep deprived by the time the trip was over. I think this one is in Idaho Falls after our Teton seeing.

Crossing ID the next day we stopped briefly to view Craters of the Moon National Preserve. The fotos don't do it justice:

That night we stayed in Burns, OR, and then the next morning we left for Grants Pass, arriving in the afternoon. Our wonderful family from Medford came to great us, but that's part of the next bit of the story saved for tomorrow (or next month, at my rate).