Yellowstone

This past weekend we went to Yellowstone with our good friends, the Coon's. The kids had a blast having their best friends with them. It made it a much more enjoyable time having friends to keep them from getting bored and fighting.

Sorry for the picture overload, but I had a hard time narrowing down the photos.

Day 1 - Jackson Hole

The traditional picture in front of the antler arch

The kids loved the candy store. Sara came running up to me and says

"It's an all you can eat candy buffet!"

That girl is always cracking me up!

Wyatt was so intrigued by this grizzly

The favorite part of the whole vacation for the kids was swimming.

They spent hours each evening swimming. Then the next day all they wanted to know was when we would be to our next room so they could swim some more. 

Next year its going to be an adult vacation and then a couple days at a water park for the kids!

Day 2- Old Faithful & Grant Village

Grand Teton National Park

When we first entered Yellowstone, the kids kept saying

 "This is Yellowstone?"

"Yellowstone isn't what I expected it to be!"

Old Faithful

Wyatt was more into playing his DSi than watching Old Faithful.

Silly kid!

Old Faithful Inn

 Inside Old Faithful Inn

Check out Wyatt's expression. He can't quite believe what he's seeing!

Look how close they are to that elk. And it didn't even seem to bother him that they were around!

Then we seen this sign! I had to chuckle over that.

Yellowstone Lake

West Thumb Geyser Basin

Sylvan Pass

Can you believe the snow that is still there?

Day 3- Canyon Village & Tower-Roosevelt

Very tired kids

They fell asleep on the drive into the park from Cody, WY before we even reached the entrance.

Mud Volcano- Dragon's Mouth

Buffalo and Calf

We saw this bear and then drove a little further and seen another bear with cubs. We weren't able to get a picture of the bear with cubs because the park ranger make us keep driving.  But at least we got one picture.

And Wyatt was so excited to see the bears!

We spent our 3rd night in Gardiner, MT.

Day 4- Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris, & Madison

A coyote stalking his prey.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Steamboat Geyser

And Wyatt lost another tooth!

Even though Yellowstone wasn't what the kids thought it would be, they still had a great time. The views were absolutely amazing and everything was so vibrant and green. Our days were  filled  with sightseeing, picnicking in the park, shopping for souvenirs, car hopping and most of all swimming! So many memories were made. We had a wonderful vacation and was sad to see it end. 

Random Summer Pics

4th of July

We had a great time with the Coon's and Stewart's this year for the 4th of July. Even though it rained during the barbecue, it cleared up and the kids enjoyed playing with the fireworks at the park.

Lemonade Stand

While Stephanie was at Girls Camp, Sara and her best friend Madison decided they wanted to do a lemonade stand. So Maddie's mom set them up a cute little stand at the end of the street. I thought they would be lucky to make a couple of dollars, but its hard to resist two adorable girls, and they ended up making almost $40.

I didn't even think about taking pictures so I stole these from Kristy. Hope you don't mind!!

 

They decided that they wanted to donate their money to Primary Children's Medical Center. So the next day I took them to the bank to get a cashier's check and to the post office to mail off the check along with a letter explaining how they raised the money.

When we returned from our vacation there was this letter in the mail from PCMC thanking the girls for their donation. Such sweet girls!!!

The handwritten part reads:

 "Thank you so very much for your kind gift of the money made at your lemonade stand. How very kind of you both! We wish you all the very best! Have a great summer!

I am so proud of them both for generously donating the money they made. It sure makes a mother proud when her child does something so wonderful!

Girls Camp

The last week of June Stephanie went to Girls Camp in Heber for the first time. She had a really good time even though she got homesick and ended up crying herself to sleep the second night, which is so unlike her because she has always been so independent. It was a good thing that her Aunt was there too because anytime she started to feel homesick she went and hung out with Alyssa for a little while.
She got to go out on a canoe on the lake, did the challenge course, and then on the day that it rained, they stayed inside and did manicures and facials. She had a good time and I'm glad that she missed me. I can't believe she is going to be a teenager in just a few short months!
We really missed her while she was gone for the week. Well, Sara didn't. She was way too happy to be in charge for the week!
Here is a few pictures from her trip.

Summer Days

Summer break is half over and I haven't even had a chance to blog about what we have been up to lately. So here is my attempt to catch up.

Lagoon & Temple Square

The last weekend in June we spent the weekend in Salt Lake and took the kids to Lagoon and Temple Square. They had a blast at Lagoon on Friday and got to spend some quality time with their Aunts Tiffany and Alyssa and their Grandma and Grandpa McConkie. Then on Saturday we didn't have any plans so we decided to go wander around Temple Square.

Sara was enchanted by all the beautiful brides.

Then we headed over to the Conference Center for a tour. While we were in the auditorium the guide mentioned that only 5 organists are allowed to play/practice on the organ and we were lucky to even get to see him there. One of the other guides happened to know this world renowned organist, he has even played at Westminster, and asked him to play a piece for us. It was so AMAZING! I've loaded the video if you want to hear it, but try not to watch it too closely or you might get dizzy, Sara is the one that filmed it.

On top of the roof of the Conference Center

Soccer and a Haircut

Having three kids in soccer leads to a very busy schedule. We had games and practices 5 days a week all through April and May. It was very hectic and crazy but we loved watching the kids learn and grow.

I'm not going to miss the crazy schedule but I am going to miss watching the kids play.

Wyatt has wanted a mohawk for quite a while so we promised him that when school got out he could get his hair cut.  So on Memorial Day we took him outside and got to work on his hair.