Golden Spike Steam Festival

 The Steam Festival is held the last week of December. So, we decided to check it out. It's supposed to be really cool because the cold weather makes the steam really billow from the old engines, making for great pictures.

 Well, the weather wasn't so cold. I'm not complaining, but the steam...there was a decided lack of billowing.

 But we were there on one of only three days a year they let visitors climb aboard the engine to take a look. Lucky us.

 And lucky us that Alan and Becky's family got to come with us. Or we got to come with them. It made a fun day funner.

 The adults liked the steam train, but for Nathan the highlight of the day was this mockup of an engine's firebox. The kids took turns putting logs through the hole into the "firebox," and a ranger timed them to see who was fastest. We heard the record was ... I forget. Really fast. Nathan's time was three minutes. He would have stayed there all day. Forget all those other kids that want a turn. He's feeding the engine.

 Clara had a pretty good day too. No complaints.

And, the best for last. If you don't like poop stories, stop reading. We had Nathan go potty before we left because we didn't want to have to pull over in rural Box Elder county for a roadside bathroom break. But fate had its say.

We got about fifteen minutes before Nathan announced, "I need to go potty."

Levi had the foresight to drive off the main road for a minute and find a less visible place. When questioned, Nathan said he needed to pee, not poop. I guess that's a distinction he's still working on. Levi got him out and let him do his business, and Nathan continued to stand there for a couple of minutes with his bum in the cold wind. When told to pull his pants up, he wailed, "But they're dirty!"

Turns out Nathan caught a touch of the stomach bug Clara had had that week. Diarrhea down his legs, his pants, and spilling onto the ground. One of those times you laugh because it's better than anything else you feel like doing.

And I was super grateful I'd obeyed that little thought that maybe I should pack extra underwear and pants in the diaper bag. Small miracles, right?