Muir Farm in Idaho

Today it snowed. We are in Idaho visiting my parents for a week, and we woke this morning to fat wet snowflakes filling the air. That is pure magic for a bunch of Texas kids. They laughed in delight and danced with their arms outstretched, catching snowflakes in their hands, on their hair, and in their faces. Grandma and Grandpa Muir live on a farm in southeastern Idaho, and the view is just lovely. I look out the window to be greeted with scenes of rolling hills covered with green fields and dotted with livestock.

It's such a treat to be here. We haven't seen my parents in two years (video chatting is certainly a huge blessing, but it's just not the same as actually spending time with someone, right?).  It's so wonderful to just be in the Muir home and create memories with grandparents, and I'm so thankful we had the chance to come up here for a bit.

For one of the home school assignments today, Sarah and Matthew are acting as investigative journalists, interviewing Grandpa Muir about his childhood. It's so fun for them to sit at his feet and hear his memories. Matthew, in his true enthusiastic and creative fashion, created an old-fashioned reporter's hat and tucked a hastily-made Press Ticket into the hatband.

They are busily scribbling away in their notebooks, recording these special stories and laughing with him over the silly parts or exclaiming in surprise over the tough parts. They were fascinated hearing accounts of Grandpa's first job: moving irrigation pipes in agricultural fields. Grandpa described the pervasive wetness that soaked through everything form the waist down, the penetrating cold in bad weather, the bug bites and the sore muscles and the sunburns. Sarah and Matthew have a new appreciation for their own farm chores that they used to think were so tough. Now their life looks so much easier in comparison!

Yesterday we went to Reed's Dairy in Idaho Falls to treat everyone to hand-mixed ice cream. Nathan and I used to visit this place when we attended college at BYU-Idaho. It brings back lots of pleasant memories. We purchased waffle cones to split, and requested two flavors in each one. Matthew and I shared a huckleberry/strawberry cheesecake cone while Sarah and Daniel split a mint cookie/cookies and cream cone. Grandma Muir opted for mint cookie as well, while Joseph tried his best to stay awake long enough to enjoy his own ice cream. His eyes were very droopy and he almost nodded off at the table!

We had a special stop at Deseret Book, where Grandma Muir took Daniel to choose out his own set of scriptures. The Muirs have a wonderful tradition of purchasing grandchildren their own scriptures when the child turns 8 years old. Daniel has been looking forward to having his own really nice scriptures instead of using the cheaper, floppier version he grew up with. This was definitely a Big Deal for him. He was so excited to have his name inscribed on the cover, and is delighted with his grown-up scripture case made of brown leather. Last night we read family scriptures and we showed him how to use the tabs cut into the side, and he was very proud of his book.

One fun thing we've rediscovered: dandelions! I had forgotten how fun they are, since we don't really see them on our farm. We have different weeds, of the woodier or thornier variety. The boys really loved collecting dandelions for a bouquet, or blowing the seeds away in the ever-persistant Idaho wind.

While Grandma was at work and Grandpa was napping, the children and I played a fun trick on them. Matthew, Sarah, and Daniel all had a hard time holding in the giggles while we prepped the food items. Diego just took the googly eyes and put them on his fingertips to his great delight. Check it out:

Matthew thought it was hilarious to put eyes on the eggs inside the egg carton:

It has been giving us the giggles all week when we open the fridge.