Idaho in the Fall

I love Idaho in the Fall. The whole world turns golden. The kids and I got to come up on a business trip and so we have been in Idaho the last week.

We have spent a lot of time outside, that is until it got really cold. Sterling loves to swing and has been making everyone give him "underdoggies". Grandma has gone on strike because Sterling told her that she doesn't give very good "underdoggies". Sterling has also decided that Uncle Klint gives the best "underdoggies".

Avalon loves the cows that were in my parents' pasture. She has learned to say "Hi Tow" (tow is pronounced like cow with a T). She also loves to feed them apples off of the apple tree. That was all well and good until the momma cow managed to straddle the fence and eat half of the apple tree. Not just the apples, but the whole tree.

Then, when the owner of the cows came to get them (my parents loan out their pasture), it was of course sleeting. For those of you in Arizona who are unfamiliar with sleet, it is basically frozen rain. Avalon and I went out to say goodbye to the cows and the guy who owned the cows looks at us and says "did you come out to help me?" I looked back and said "actually, we came to say goodbye to the cows because she loves them." "Good", he says, "Stand over there". So there I am with a one and a half year old who is freezing. I'm wearing opened toed sandals and I'm herding cows. First, it was just standing in the road, but then the cow owner wanted me to come in the pasture to chase the cows. It was not pretty. I was trying really hard not to drop Avalon or step in cow pies. We finally got the cows headed in the right direction and I just had to laugh.

Sterling has been very busy besides swinging. He has been playing with my parents' dog. He told us the other day that he was a dog man or an animal man and that he liked to play dog games like dog hide and seek. He has been playing this game with the dog, where he runs and the dog tackles him. Then the he rolls up into a ball on the ground and the dog tries to lick him to death. It makes Sterling laugh really hard.

We have also gone on adventures down in the field. My kids had never seen alfalfa, cat tails, milkweed or even many real dandelions. We have made baking soda and vinegar volcanoes. We had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows and Grandpa and Sterling went on a long four wheeler ride with the dog.

Overall, it has been a great trip so far.