4-Wheelin'

After eating breakfast and loading up the van, we were onto our final adventure, before heading home.

Our family, along with Ira and Cheyenne, were the first wave of 4-wheelers.

When we arrived at "home base" we set up the bug/shade screen, put out camping chairs and table and unloaded the 4-wheelers. We passed around helmets, goggles and gloves, until everyone was outfitted. Ira gave us brief instructions on how to operate the 4-wheelers and then we were off.

There were 4 vehicles;
Ira/Cheyenne/Abree
Jason/Treyson
Me/Rylee
and Taylee on the little one.

There is a learning curve when driving a 4-wheeler. Taylee had a few "off-road" moments trying to get the hang of it, at first.

I too had an "off-road" moment when I over-corrected the steering and veered off into the meadow, instead of going up the hill. My learning was, keep the steering handles straight, even when the vehicle tips and bumps around. If you try to turn, it's way too much and you end up in tall grass and bushes, instead of going up the hill. Lesson learned.

Part way through, Taylee switched with Rylee to drive the little 4-wheeler. Rylee had been a big backseat driver on my 4-wheeler, commenting on Taylee's off-road experiences and telling me what to do. I was glad when she could experience it herself and show us how it was done.

The last stretch before getting back to "home base" was on a fairly hilly gravel road. Our speed increased and we started getting some distance between vehicles. Ira was in front, then speedy Rylee, then Jason and then Taylee and I. When I came to the top of a hill, I saw Jason stopped and Rylee off of her 4-wheeler. When asked what happened Jason said as he came up the hill, he saw Rylee's bike on it's side, with the wheels spinning in the air. Rylee couldn't quite explain the events leading up to the wheel spinning, but she was ok and was still having a blast.
I think she was probably going a little too fast for the slippery gravel road, but what do I know I'm just the slow-poke mom.

Taylee and Rylee switched once again and I got to hear "Go faster Mom!" all the way back to camp.... backseat drivers!
When we got back from our 2+ hour ride, everyone else had just arrived at camp. We gathered firewood and made a fire to roast hotdogs and s'mores for lunch.

After lunch, we said good-bye to the second wave of 4-wheelers, as they took off for their own adventure.

Jason/Becky's oldest daughter Whitney, wiped out, hitting a tree and scraping herself up good, to the tune of $800 worth of damage to the 4-wheeler. Yikes!

Jason-Jay-Ira

Awww, they love each other.

We stuck around for a little longer and played "Curses" (a VERY silly game) with those who were still at camp. Then we hit the road... homeward bound.

Thank you to the Crawfords for delicious meals, comfy bedding, good company, lots of laughs and many adventures. Love you guys!

Ira turns 40!

After our Father's Day fun, we headed to Smithfield, UT for some more partying...and surprises.

I made this lollipop bouquet for Ira's b-day.

Ira, Jason's very good friend from highschool, is turning 40 in August. His wife wanted to celebrate and surprise him, but didn't want to throw big party. She asked if our family could come visit for a few days, without telling Ira.

Ira's brother Jason Crawford (and family) were coming to visit that week too (from Alaska). Jason and Jason were also very good friends in highschool. Our family visit was kept a secret from Jason Crawford too... so lots of fun surprises.

For the remainder of this blog post, my Jason will be referred to as Jay and Ira's brother will be referred to as Jason. It can get sooo confusing. :)

When trying to figure out when we would make our surprise entrance, Nicky (Ira's wife)mentioned that they would be spending some time at her parent's house, for a Father's Day dinner on Sunday. My brain went into party, surprise mode and started thinking... what if we came while they were gone, decorated and brought a cake too? Wouldn't that be so fun? Nicky liked the idea. She offered to get the cake and decorations, if we would sneak in and decorate while they were gone.

Nicky and I kept in touch by texting.

When we arrived, we parked our van down the street, so Ira wouldn't notice an out-of-place Idaho vehicle, in front of his house. We snuck in the house, gathered all of the fun luau decorations and went to town decorating. My kids had so much fun being sneaking and decorating.

When the house was decorated, I texted Nicky. She said they would be on their way shortly. I started getting nervous, anticipating the surprise.

When we heard the garage door start opening, we got into "position". I knelt behind the couch, with my camera aimed at the garage door.

When Ira walked through the door we yelled, "SURPRISE!" and I snapped a picture. He jumped back and let out a yelp. We definitely got him good.

Later Ira told us that as he walked through the door, he thought, "Who is in my house? And why are they pointing a gun at me?" When he saw the flash of the camera, he was just sure he was dead. No wonder he yelled and jumped. Poor guy. We could have given him a heart attack with our little surprise. :)

We all hugged and reacquainted the kids, as they took off to go play.

It was so nice to see everyone again.

As we visited, we had yummy sandwiches and snacks and waited for Jason and his family to arrive.

Jason, Becky and family arrived later that evening. We were introduced to all of their kids (8 total with one on the way)... not promising to remember and keep all of their names straight for the next 2 days. :)

We ate cake and ice cream and hung out on the back patio for a lovely evening.

Happy (almost) 40th Birthday Ira!