Fun at the Farm

We're in Ashton, Idaho at the Loosli farm for the 4th of July.  We've done this almost every year.  You can't beat Ashton for great small-town Independence day festivities, lots of farm adventures (riding on tractors and horses and four-wheelers, swinging on the huge swings, learning about how potatoes and grain grows, all that good stuff) and great times at the Loosli farmhouse with like 40 people laughing, playing games, trading stories and eating vast quantities of food (while sharing 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms - but somehow it works out!  There are those moments when you really need a bathroom and have to wait but it's worth it...).

I'm so grateful I married into this wonderful family and this beautiful place.

I love the Loosli family.  I love that Jared's one of the youngest in his family of 9 kids so we get to observe and learn from his siblings who are further down the road of parenting and life than we are (I'm the oldest in my family of 9 kids so it's nice to have different perspectives).  I love having so many different family members that bring so many different things to the table - and I love that this family really knows how to laugh and play. I love the games and the late night conversations.  Plus it's a great bonus that I get don't have to be the big sister here - I always feel like I'm supposed to fall into my old big sister role of organizing people and helping my parents when I'm with my family.

(This is the view from the backyard of the Loosli house - got to love those Tetons - wish you could see how amazingly green it is right now)

Ashton Idaho is a truly gorgeous place - especially right now with the brilliant green of the new grain and the darker green of the baby potato plants with the blue blue sky and the Grand Tetons all majestic in the distance.  As Isaac and I went on a bike ride the other day, I taught him "America the Beautiful" - it went so perfectly with the scene "Oh beautiful for spacious skies for amber (green) waves of grain, for purple mountains majesty...."  

Most years, the kids have been in the 4th of July parade (they made a float featuring a giant potato last year in honor of their potato-farmer grandpa who passed away a few months earlier) but yesterday all the cousins opted to watch the parade and gather candy rather than throwing it out.  I grew up going to small-town parades involving candy-throwing and was pretty appalled when I went to my first big city parade and saw that no one threw candy.  Small town parades are sort of like a reverse Halloween - people dress up (themselves, their bikes, their horses, their cars) and throw candy at you.  You just stake out a good spot and wave at the people in the parade and they throw treats at you.  And at this parade, they went beyond throwing candy - they passed out chocolate milk and ice cream sandwiches and t-shirts and key chains and bouncie balls.  The kids were delighted and got quite a haul.

Quite strangely, it was downright cold - weird to watch the parade in sweatshirts, wrapped in blankets.  But it warmed up and was perfect for the 4th of July festivities at the town park - they always have 3-legged races, gunny sack races, watermelon eating contests, lots of food, live music, the fire engine sprays water for all the kids to run around in - you can't beat it.  Then we spent the afternoon visiting gorgeous Mesa Falls and hiking along the river where we saw the most gorgeous wildflowers and vistas.

(like Jared's new haircut - he did it himself - not exactly my favorite cut he's had!)

A big bonus this year was being able to be present at cousin Abbie's baptism - beautiful service.  The kids sure love their cousins.


So anyway, we're having a great time and they're calling me for a game so I'll sign off for now!  We'll head to Bear Lake on Tuesday to jump into the Eyre festivities.