Family Vacation 2010 - Part 1

After returning from YW Camp, there was very little time to rest and wind down. After only a few days of being home, we left to go on our 2 week family vacation to various parts of Wyoming! It was one of the best vacations we have ever had! There are so many great memories from this trip! After being away for 2 weeks, one would think that we would be ready to come home and get life back to normal, but no. Wes wanted to call in his next shift and get it covered so that we could stay for 1 more week! We didn't but I really wish we had! 

Here are a few highlights from the first part of our trip!

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Top 10 Favorite memories (in no particular order):

1. Wes asking the tourists in Yellowstone Park where the "famous Yellowstone Monkeys" were. All done in a British accent.

2. Hiking with Emerson to Lewis and Clark Falls. He was SOOO excited!

3. Walking the streets of Cody and window shopping with Emerson late at night after all the stores closed while Wes rested back at the Hotel.

4. Emerson hugging on a stranger's leg in Jackson, thinking it was Wes. The man was very nice but Emerson cried when he made the discovery.

5. Waking up to one of the most exciting, and horrible, lightening and rain storms in Jackson Hole's history. It was a nice break from Utah's 100 degree temps but unfortunately, 4 people were killed that day from it.

6. Always having to wear a jacket or sweater wherever we went. The weather was perfect for walking around and discovering new territory.

7. Waiting for a herd of buffalo (and their babies) to get away from our car so that we could get in it.

8. Emerson was a complete trooper in the car. He was so good and so patient and didn't even make us want to kick him out of the car! 

9. Giving our sore buns a little break at Bear Lake for some milkshakes and burgers while eating on the picnic blanket under a tree.

10. Feeling small when seeing such a vast amount of country.

Bear Lake in the distance and Emerson saying, "I want to go there". 

Charting our way

We made it to Bear Lake in no less than 6 hours! A much needed rest and wade in the waters was needed!

Finally made it to Jackson Hole that evening. Good thing I wore my camouflage for this picture! All I can see are my feet, arms and head! How funny! 

Wes is a fan of ol' Ben (as you can see by the tender and endearing stroking of the hair) because he is the one that invented the Fire Department. Thanks for that one, genius!

The world famous Cowboy Bar.

Some day my prince will come! Just kidding, Wes!

This is the result you get when you have a very annoying stranger take your picture. I specifically asked that he get as much of the antlers in the photo as possible. I'm pretty sure we could of had this same picture taken in our backyard!! 

Yellowstone Park in all her glory!

We made it!

It has been a lifelong dream of mine to stay at this lodge. You have to book almost a year in advance. Someday...someday.

Big hike for little legs!

Move along fatties! We need to get in our car without any trouble from you!

The most fascinating natural phenomenon!

Picture perfect day!

Emerson kept asking us "who tooted?" because of the sulphur smell! HA!

Baby buffalo. Looking very similar to a baby cow.

Getting into Cody later in the evening and checked into the historic Irma Hotel. I didn't take too many pictures since I have a ton from last year's trip.

We asked the lady at the check in desk if the hotel is haunted and it IS! 

To be continued...........

Campy Girl's Camp

I had quite the summer this year! I was out of town for most of it and the days that I was in town, we seemed to fill with either work or house projects! I started the summer off by going to our church's ever so anticipated Young Women's Camp! I was called to be the assistant camp director and was a little hesitant at first. I loved YW camp when I was growing up and have a lot of great memories (and many photos!) from it. I also love the mountains and camping is one of my favorite pastimes, so those were not a problem. But.....teenage girls? Performing a skit? Sharing a tent with strangers? A bad theme for the camp? How was I to get through it? Well, it turned out so much better than expected and I had such a great time! I learned to love these girls and leaders so much and they made me laugh and laugh and laugh some more!  We didn't have any problems with cliques or cattiness, I got to sleep soundly in the back of a Durango - all by myself, we twisted the theme quite a bit to make it a lot less "jockish" (If that is even a word?) and the leaders were not required to participate in skit night! Ahhhhh! 

We started the camp off with a hike right when we drove in. It was a 3 mile hike and it was really beautiful. I loved the smell of the pine trees and breathing in the fresh crisp air. Our camp site was at 9,700 feet! 

The girls sang songs and cheers at they went down the trail. It was really cool to hear their distant voices echo through the woods.

We went back and set up our tents and decorated the campsite. 

The girls were given backpacks, fabric lunch sacks and large stars to decorate and put their name on. They used the lunch sacks for their secret sister bags.

The theme for camp this year was: All S.T.A.Rs Which meant "ALways Stand for Truth And Righteousness. Our ward's color was green. The stake leaders wanted each ward to pick a professional athletic team that had the same colors as we did. We chose the Green Bay Packers. Ugh. Since I thought it was ridiculous to have our GIRL'S camp decked out in a football theme, we chose to take just the word "Packer" and center our theme around the verse, "Pack Light, Choose the Right" and based it off of a talk given by John Bytheway in which he said, "We can't change the trail we have in life, but we can make the hike easier if we change what's in our pack."

We really did have the best decorated campsite! I was in charge of crafts for the girl's and had them make these and these. They were both a success! 

The girl's wrote and performed their own skit while us leaders just got to sit back and laugh! 

We also did a service project for all the missionaries in the stake. We made them scarves, wrote them letters, made them cards to hand out to people on their mission who have helped them along the way, and we made them pillowcases. If/When I have a son in the mission field, I would want to know that people all over are thinking of him and doing nice things for him!   

4 days later we packed it all up (no pun intended!) and were ready to come back home to our families. We had almost just as many leaders as we did girl's! Note to self: Take a group picture on the first day of camp and not the last! I was a little sad it was over and to see it all taken down and come to an end. I am actually looking forward to next year!

Late Night Swing

It was 11:30 at night. Wes was on shift at the fire station. Neither Emerson nor I were the least bit tired. I thought a late night swing from the apricot tree would be fun. I wondered if I was being a bad mom for keeping my toddler up so late. He giggled, he laughed, he smiled from ear to ear as we swung in circles, back and forth, side to side, high and low. As I carried him back into the house, he wrapped his arms around my neck and said, "I love you, mamma!" I knew that I was not a bad mom at all.

Eggs and Uglies

My mom and dad had some unexpected visitors these past couple of weeks. A robin had built it's nest under my parent's backyard deck and laid it's delicate blue eggs! The nest was on top of a support beam but under the floor board of the deck. It was completely impossible to see inside the nest unless you had a double jointed neck and a head the size of an orange. I had to raise my arms up and hold my camera steady and aimlessly to take pictures, hoping that I would be able to capture something good!

I think robin eggs are the most beautiful color! It makes me want to paint something in my home this color. I don't know what, but I will find something. I kept a piece of shell just in case I needed to do a color match at Home Depot! 

Both the mommy robin and the daddy robin would sit and keep a close watch on nest while sitting on the back fence. Anytime someone, or something (i.e. dog), would go in the backyard, the parents would dive bomb and attack them! They were getting really aggressive and my mom had to start letting the dog go to the bathroom in the front yard!

they wanted to protect these little "beauties"?

Every pregnant mother wonders what her baby is going to look like and worries if they will be cute. I bet this mother is really sad.

I guess the saying "a face only a mother could love" rings true in this situation! 

Every time I raised up my camera, they would open their mouths! Yes, little robins, I do have barf in my mouth, but it is unfortunately not for your dinner - it is merely from looking at your featherless bodies and holes in your head!!!

I love this picture of the tiny beak coming up out of the nest! I'm sure the mommy would have been in there feeding them if I wasn't standing there interfering and trying to amuse myself! 

They kind of look like they are singing to me in this picture!

Still Devoted!

That's right folks! I have not given up on my New Years resolution! Do you remember it?

"1. Enter something in the Utah State Fair in hopes of being rewarded a ribbon."

Ahhh. Now do you remember?

Today I logged onto the fair's website and checked out the entry form for being a "competitor" in the exhibition. Oooo - that word just sounds so scary and intimidating! A competitor? As some of you may know, I am not the competitive type. At all! It's a blessing and a curse, really. The only person I EVER try to compete with is myself. Anyway, as a virgin exhibitor, I think I may make some de-lish cookies. I figure I will be up against some pretty serious bakers (remember this is the STATE fair - not some rinky-dink county crap!) but looking over the rules, I think I might be able to handle it!

Pretty easy right? We'll see. I thought it was a good idea to go simple since it is my first time entering. Maybe I'll move on to butter sculptures or carving a fireplace mantle for next years project! 

If anything else, it will get me a free ticket into the fair so that I can ride this with my 2 favorite boys:

This picture gets me so excited! I love everything about the fair! The food, the freaks and the fun!

-So, does anyone want to do it with me? 

-Anyone brave enough to compete against the whole state of Utah?

-Why is this a goal of mine? I have no stinking idea.

Kickoff to Summer!

It makes me really sad that my own neighborhood lacks adventure and community oriented activities. (No offense neighbors, but this neck of the woods is pretty slow paced and dispirited!) So it's a really good thing that my sister and her neighbors let us piggy back on all their activities and fun! 

Each year at the close of the school year, my sister and her husband help ring in summer with a huge neighborhood food fight for all the kids...and whomever else decides to show up! Every year I would see her pictures and hear her stories and be envious of how much fun they were having. This year I wanted to be a part of it and a part of it we were! 

Setting up! The kids gets so anxious and it was hilarious to watch them try to resist sticking their hands in everything until the countdown!

3...2...1...GO! 

Lucy and Abby - my honorary nieces! Looks like they got it good! (Kim, I hope it's o.k. to post pics of your girls on my blog! In swimsuits!) 

My real niece - Isabelle. She had her fair share of fun!

And this is how they wash off!

You would not believe the smell after it is all done! The worst combination of foods covering the ground! Ugh...watch you step!

After the food fight, it is tradition to set up the longest slip and slide known to man!

My nephew, Nick, hijacked Emerson and took him down much to his chagrin!

My nephew Joey sporting some good moves down the slide!

My niece Hollie and nephew Toby going down sibling style!

Don't even think for a minute that my sister and I didn't take a turn...or 5. "Hands in the air like you just don't care!"

And I may have let forced Emerson to go down a few more times.  Look at that face! He was terrified but I think he secretly liked it. I think. I love to click on this picture and look at it over and over and over.....

hehehehehe

Yeah, I think a move is definitely in our near future! 

(P.S. My brother and his family are in town, so if you were thinking all those nieces and nephews belonged to my sister, be rest assured they are not!)