To Look A lot

 Nevada

We were able to find a lot of fun things to do while we were in Reno and the surrounding area. We went to Virginia City on Monday and walk around the old town with wooden sidewalks while it was snowing outside. We went into a store with the owner and her dog that the girls connected with and played with as I looking for a souvenir. She told us about the museums and we went to This Is The Way Museum that was just opening when we got there. Then we went to get some fudge and decided we didn't want to get stranded so we headed back to the hotel and saw a rainbow on our way home that lasted until the last little bit so we were able to say hi and Claire had us roll the window down to sing to it. The snow followed us and we woke up on Tuesday to a few inches so the girls went out to play, Claire made tons of snow angels and when Grandma came outside, they made a snowman. We searched for an indoor pool and found a rec center that wasn't too expensive and went during their lap swim to teach the girls how to kick their feet with a noodle under their arms. Then we were able to come back for an hour of family swim and ended up being the only family!

Idaho

The drive to Idaho didn't seem so long since we had the first 3 hours done last week, but it was so long because the girls kept getting bored and wanting to stop. Once we got here they immediately went downstairs and dumped toys out on the ground to find their old favorites. Chris helped bring all our stuff in then had to go check on his guns that have been "so lonely" and I worked on organizing and settling in. We opened an early present from Chris' brother Mark and his wife Alyson, under their direction, so we could use them while we were here. We got matching PJs! First time wearing a one-piece PJ in my adult life and they are warm and comfy. We've visited some family, had some family come to visit us, went to Lava Hot Springs, and attended a Fireman's dinner party where the girls got to see Santa! I joined mom in the choir at church today and was lucky the director is so great at his cues because it was easy to follow along and it felt wonderful. We also have a stake concert tonight that has a few numbers from every ward that I will sing in too.

Claire

4 is the perfect age to go on trips because she isn't cranky from not taking a nap during the day, is excited about anything we tell her is happening, and sleeps really well at night even though we aren't home. She did amazing when we went swimming and was controlling her direction when we had toys to play with during our second time swimming. After we got out it was close to bedtime and she was saying she was so tired she kept laying down on the bench and made daddy carry her to the car. Shay was tired too but she liked screaming in protest instead of laying down. Claire worked on a sandcastle in a horseshoe pit and found leaves and feathers to decorate it with while Shay had a stick for hers. They got to wear their new pretty HANDMADE dresses from Nana Nila in our Sacramento ward, and they loved matching each other! At church, Claire was excited to meet new friends and got a candy cane and a night light with a picture of Jesus on it from the Primary.

Shay

She was watching me get ready to leave for a grocery trip and decided she was coming with so she has her baggy PJs on and her new beanie. While we were waiting in line she jumped on the paw prints down the aisle to keep herself happy and was really good at helping put things in the basket and listening. I'm glad she likes her face mask even though she still asks for her binky when she gets extra upset, they were a fun idea and both girls want them when they go to bed. When we went to the firehouse to feed Grandpa Bell one day they were playing "fall asleep on each other" on the floor after seeing the firetrucks and ambulances got boring. She gets tired during the day and falls asleep if there isn't anything exciting going on which makes bedtime harder because she isn't as tired and keeps Claire awake. She also gets out of bed and wants to cuddle with us in our bed, but it's only a size full so there isn't enough room!