Lava

Jeff and I had a little retreat this weekend to Lava Hot Springs. It was heaven, actually. Sweet cousin Megan babysat the boys overnight. They (the boys) had a blast. "She never got tired of playing," said Gabe. (Unlike Mom and Dad who go kaput after 20 minutes of wrestling.) In response to the question if Megan still wanted to have children at the end of this adventure, she replied, "Not in the near future." She is a trooper and we love her.

The hotel we stayed was family owned and was one of those places that have a lot of personality (mismatched furniture and bathroom down the hall). It had hot springs right outside the front door, which minimized the cold, wet walk on exit. And guess what the thriving metropolis of Lava Hot Springs has now ... yes, a Thai restaurant! My FAVORITE! A Thai restaurant! I Lava Hot Springs IDAHO! It was scrumptious, scallion soup, ginger chicken, curry noodles with egg. Scrumptious.

Leo started preschool this week. He is really enjoying the unlimited access to art supplies. The second day, he came home with nine -- count 'em, nine Giant Pieces of butcher paper covered with his patent smiley face with legs. We spread them out to admire them, and they covered more than half of the family room floor. I'm so proud of him for embracing preschool. He has struggled with other things ... refused to do a soccer class when the coach gently told him to use his feet, not his hands, even with me sitting right there. And he had a hard time going to Primary in church. But something about the preschool (probably the awesome teachers) lets him embrace it fearlessly.

Ben was up half the night Thursday night. I think it was a combination of late-drunk chocolate milk and teething. He is so pleasant, even at his worst. I actually kind of enjoyed snuggling with him on "Nanny's Chair" until 2 a.m. He still can't say anything except "Dis," and "Dat." (This and that), but I'm in no hurry for this little cutie to grow up.

Our digital camera is broken. I hope to replace it soon.