Washington...there and back again

**WARNING** the layout of this post got completely messed up when I published it. So beware when reading, pictures and descriptions do not match up. I'm sick of trying to fix it. This first picture is just completely out of place.



My decision to leave for Washington happened pretty fast. I decided Monday night, after hearing of my grandma's passing Sunday night, that I would leave the next day, and Brad would come later...somehow. I called up my sister-in-law, Mandy, and asked if she and Ivan, Daylen's cousin, wanted to ride with us. After a whirlwind of getting ready Tuesday morning we took off and picked up Mandy and Ivan in Pocatello and headed for Cauldwell to stay with Jamie and break up the trip. We all caravaned Wednesday morning and made it there by the afternoon. Our first stop was Grandma Murray's house in Waitsburg where we dropped of Mandy and Ivan. Let me just say we were all ready to get out of the truck by the time we got there, actually before we got there. (I took Brad's truck so we coud fit 3 carseats in the back, and I had a bunch of buckets to take Jamie and my mom.) Daylen and Ivan were so excited to be able to run around outside. After visiting with Grandma Murray for a bit Daylen, Kate, and I got back in the car and drove the last 25 minutes to my parents house. Daylen had so much fun playing with his cousins. Grandma gave them fun things to do like picking up all the pods dropped by our huge locust tree in the front yard. :) The kids thought it was fun.

Jamie and I got to go with my mom to Othello Thursday to be there when they dressed my grandma. She has always had her hair dyed brown, never in my life have I seen her with gray hair, well, they let her hair go gray these last few months in the nursing home because it was just too hard to dye it anymore. I admit when I first went in to see her, I did not even recognize her. It was her hands that told me this was my grandma, she had very distinct hands, long fingers. After my Aunt Reva and cousin, Krystal, fixed her hair and did her makeup she looked really good and I began to recognize her. After finishing at the funeral home and eating lunch at my Aunt Maxine's house we went to visit grandpa. Above is a 4 generation picture. Grandpa is my last living grandparent and I hope he lasts a little longer even though he's 90 years old. While we were there, grandpa's brother, Garn, and his wife showed up and it was fun to watch them chat. Don't they look like brothers?

Jamie and I, plus all our kids piled in the suburban with my dad to head to Othello for the viewing and then the funeral. The first picture is just before leaving, all the kids were happy, content. The second picture was taken as were just getting to Othello. Kayla was screaming, Lily was covering her ears and singing really loud to drown out Kayla, Daylen had just barely woken up, and Nathan looks bored out of his mind. Brad ended up flying the Spokane Friday with my uncle and 2 cousins, then they drove to Othello.

Saturday night when we got home Lori booked it to get ready for Sadie Hawkins, girl ask guy, dance. She asked Tom Rowley, a boy she has grown up with. In fact, they sang a song together at Jamie's wedding reception when they were like 10. Aren't they cute?? It was fun to be there when Tom came to pick her up. The poor boy was bombarded with the whole family there. By the way, Lori got accepted to BYU and will be here in the Fall. I'm so excited for her and can't believe she is old enough to be going to college!

We had fun playing games Sunday afternoon, don't get to do that very often anymore.

This cute girl, Kayla, carried a cereal bag around with her wherever she went. I rarely saw her without it.

Chillin' with mom Sunday afternoon.

Chillin' with Uncle Tyler Sunday afternoon.

Kara and Kate

Kayla, grandma, and Kate. The 2 mama's girls actually content with grandma before we all have to take off on our long drive home. We did it all in one day on the way back and the kids did awesome, aside from Kate having a poopy diaper EVERY time we stopped. We left with 3 diapers remaining for Kate, ended with none and Kate wearing a Daylen diaper. It was a fun trip and great to see family and friends!