Where's I's Been and What I's Been Doin'

First, the honest truth. I apparently neglect my son until he keels over from exhaustion. More likely, he runs on fumes until he crashes. Those of you who have spent time with him can probably attest to this fact. I can't really remember exactly when I took this. Day? Evening? But it is cute. And, no I don't always send him off on his own with a bottle. Sometimes he grabs the bottle, squiggles off my lap and takes off on his own. He is going to be extremely independent!
So, our trip to Idaho. The first day there, Mom, Ria and I took my 2 youngest and headed to Boise. We shopped and shopped, ate and shopped some more. It was great. Mom bought more fabric and trims. Watch her shop for new items! They are gonna be great! For lunch, Mom insisted we eat at Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine or Roadside Cuisine (depending on where you look). Ria and I gave each other significant looks if you know what I mean. I mean, we're adventurous and all. Especially Ria. But might this be going a bit too far? Obviously, when in Rome, but not ALL of Idaho is a trailer park. Really. Go visit. But she talked us into it. It turned out to be a blast and really, really, good food. The only complaint I have is about the booth we were in. The booths are made of old bench seats. On wheels. They have locks, but not very good ones. With a 3 year old who likes to hop in and out of his seat, say 598,436 times per meal, that bench was mobile! His highlight was getting to sit next to the car up on pillars. And the very sweet 20-something women who sat in it and happily played his flirting game. After our meal, we climbed up in the car to have a look around.

Since PapaCoyote has taken up mushroom hunting, he has found some yummy morels. Our treat Friday night was Dutch oven chicken with morel mushrooms. Delish. The chore afterwards was to get all the chicken off the bones. Ria was good at this. Here is, from l-r, Ria, my momma, and H, my sweet sister-in-law. And baby Hattie Mabel who is due to introduce herself sometime in October. No, Hattie Mabel isn't her real name, it's just the nickname my mom has given her.
PapaCoyote enjoys some serious playtime with the little ones. That's E trying to climb the dollhouse, L, my niece and G is scootching under Papa. Who knows why.
Me and Ria. I first met Mason and Ria when they lived here for a year while Mason was on a Fullbright Teacher Exchange. He co-taught with my dad. They really hit it off and became great friends. When I graduated from high school, they invited to me come and stay with them. I spent about 2 months living with them. I have wonderful memories of Holland and the surrounding areas. We went on a camping trip through S. France and I spent a few days train riding with their 2 boys and a friend of theirs. They were fantastic hosts and spoiled me completely. I only wish that their main memories of me weren't of my selfish, 18 year old phase. Oh well. They seem to like me still in spite of it all. Since Ria has 2 boys and no girls, she joked that I was her temporary daughter. Works for me. She is a sweet woman and has a quick sense of humor. I hope that someday I can take my family to Holland to visit them! I just realized that Ria isn't smiling in this picture. If someone has another version of it, send it along! Ria has a great smile and I would hate for her to get mad at me.