{Martin's Cove-the adventure}

The kids loved being in the middle of nowhere with no restrictions. They ran and ran and ran. Literally. One of their favorite things to do was to try to catch one of the many wild rabbits that were hopping around.   None of them were fast enough to catch one.   They did get close, but never caught one.

Another favorite thing that they really enjoyed was looking through Grandpa's binoculars to find antelope and deer.  They were everywhere. 

While we were there, there was another missionary couple who had family visiting for the Easter weekend too.  They had a large family.  Mom said this was the biggest primary that they've had at Martin's Cove.  This family that was visiting had a daughter get baptised in the Sweetwater River.  It was a super windy day and it was chilly.  From the look on the girls face when she came up out of the water, and the cry she let out; I would say that the water was even colder.  They also blessed their baby son while they were at Martin's Cove too.  A special weekend for them.

Easter day, after church, we had nice lunch with all the people at Martin's Cove (missionaries and any visiting families) in the barn.  We had an Easter egg hunt.

We also flew kites and rode horses.

We went for a ride in the rover on the Martin Cove trails and then came back for a hot dog roast at the ranch hand's house.  The ranch hand has two little boys-Wyatt and Tapp.  When asked where they live they tell people that they live by Rattlesnake Pass, which is right by Devil's Gate, and they attend Poison Spider elementary school. (All real places.) Ha, ha.  Basically they live in the middle of no where.

Before we left to come home we went to Independence Rock.  This was a landmark for the pioneers.  It was said that if they could make it to Independence Rock by July that they would be in the clear and the weather wouldn't be a factor.  Unfortunately, (if I'm correct) they didn't make it to Independence Rock until October, and the winter weather set in and many suffered and died. Many of them signed/carved their names in this huge massive rock.  Several names are still there today. 

Eli took off without hesitation.  He followed his brothers and Grandpa had to chase him down.  It's steeper than you think and there was no way he could do it without help.  They went all the way to the top. 

Here they are taking a break on the way down.

Grandma and Grandpa had a plethora of hats for the boys to wear.

Owen enjoyed channeling his inner cowboy.

Out time at Martin's Cove went fast, but it was a great trip.  I know the boys had a great time and hopefully they will remember the stories that Grandma and Grandpa told them about our Pioneer heritage.

{Martin's Cove-the arrival}

Over Easter weekend I took the boy's to Martin's Cove to visit my parents who are there serving a mission. Kurt had to stay home and work. He did let us take the new Silver Steamer though. It took us longer to get there because I wouldn't let the boys eat in the car. Ha, ha. We had to drag everyone in wherever we went for a quick bite, which is quite the feat.

On the drive there, I managed to hit a construction cone that was laying in the middle of the road. It came out of no where. What in the heck was it doing in the middle of the road! I had looked down at something Isaac dropped and WHAMO! Clunk, Chunk, Clunk. We drove right over top of it. Whoopsie! I did pull over at a gas station and had Owen look under the car to see if he could see any damage or anything hanging down that shouldn't be. "Looks Good," he said. For some reason I just wasn't buying it. I got down on my pregnant hands and knees and scoped it out for myself. Sure enough, it "Looked Good." I couldn't believe that I had just hit a cone going 75 mph with our new car..... Yes, I did fess up and tell Kurt.

Martin's Cove greeted us with 40-50 mile per hour winds. Which is what our entire stay consisted of-wind. It was worse than being in Rexburg. I guess it's normal. But boy it sure was cold. Even though the temperatures were 70's and 80's it was freezing. We brought our winter gear, which came in handy.

When we got there we took the boys for a little stroll with the handcart to give them a taste of Pioneer life.
Here we are with Grandma and Grandpa. We were happy to have finally made it there!

A leave of absence

{Grandma and Grandpa K come to visit}

My parents, who are currently serving a mission at Martin's Cove, WY arrived at our house Sunday night. They were supposed to serve their mission from May to October (6 months), but they were asked to extend for another year. Because they weren't planning on being there during the winter months they had no winter clothing, and were given 2 weeks to come home and get some warmth. So we were able to see them for a couple of days before they had to move on down the road to Idaho.

Their attire for this mission is somewhat different from what a "normal" missionary would wear. My dad showed up in his white shirt, cowboy vest, bellow tie, and cowboy hat. My mom is supposed to be sporting a pioneer dress and bonnet, but opted for the more traditional attire while traveling. I'm just glad they didn't show up with all of their belongings in covered wooden wagon. A common form of transportation where they've been living.

Here is Eli sporting Grandpa's stetson.

We hope to get out there and visit them before their mission is over. Of course it won't be during those freezing cold winter months......No Sireee!