Jellystone 2016

I have wanted to take the kids to experience "big nature" for a while. I had talked with my sister in law about it before, at family party I suggested it, we all decided on August 2016, rented a cabin that slept 30 and planned a trip that turned out AWESOME!

We ended up staying in Island Park and the cabin was amazing! It was HUGE! Room enough for everyone, a massive kitchen, games, fireplace, wrap around porch, firepit and a huge TV/kid area upstairs where the kids all piled on the floor and slept together. We ended up with the larger room on the main floor because it had a huge walk in closet which ended up being the room for Enzo in the pack n play. We packed food for the week so we could picnic and have snacks for the park which saved a ton of money. We had a family meal one night together, played games, laughed and talked.

The best $5 I have ever spent was on an App that had an audible tour guide and GPS that pinpointed key areas of the park, told us facts about Yellowstone and helped us to find some cool things that we otherwise wouldn't have noticed. Kingston wasn't a fan and kept asking, "why do we have to go where that guy tells us to go?" and was happy we didn't listen to him on the way home.

It really was a perfect trip. We saw EVERYTHING we wanted to see. It was awesome spending all day at the park and coming back to such a nice cabin with showers, a comfy bed and a washing machine/dryer. Yellowstone is like no where on Earth and we are lucky to live so close. Mark and I kept talking about how the early settlers must have thought they had gone to outer space with all the steam and hot pots all over. The kids were happy and really made it exciting. I hadn't been to Yellowstone since I was probably 8-9 so it was fun to see it again and go with the kids. We probably will try and do it again in five years (sans stroller/pack and play).

Old Snaggletooth. A bear that used to live in Yellowstone and was stuffed in the little museum in West Yellowstone. 

Da Bears

Enzo LOVED the waterfalls and would clap for them. And, the top picture were some of the bubbling paint pots that smelled only as I imagine the Bog of Eternal Stench would. 

Cousins

Ninja Cousins

Our first family picture at a waterfall on our first day. 

Buffalo crossed the street right in front of our car. 

The Old Faithful Lodge- our "tour guide" told us this was a "Don't Miss" stop when we went to see the geyser. The hotel is OLD and amazing. This was the view from the floor in the lobby. 

Mc's face.

The main living room of the cabin- lots of maxing and relaxing. 

This was a fun stop right off the main road that our "Tour Guide" suggested. The geyser only erupts twice a day (usually in the morning and the evening). There was a tour bus there waiting and a young couple that had been waiting since 7:30 AM. We got out, loaded up the stroller, put on jackets, walked to the trail and it erupted. We were SO close we got "rained" on from the steam. It was amazing! The kids loved it. Highlight of the trip #1. 

Highlight #2) While visiting Dragon's Breath and the Mud pots, walking back from the trail, a HUGE herd of buffalo came barreling down the mountain. All that separated us was that tiny, rickety wooden bridge, They charged through the parking lot and barely missed people standing out trying to take pictures. 

We did plan a great month to go to Yellowstone. We were there during buffalo mating season so Hayden Vally was the place to see hundreds of buffalo. They were SO loud. You could hear them grunting and when they would run, the ground would shake. Super cool. It made for a lot of traffic but, amazing to see up close.

We packed in our own food most days and the kids were troopers. We stopped and had sandwiches and snacks most days. The weather was perfect to be outside!

No shoes. 

We found a snake outside the cabin that didn't at all scare my children. Notice Mc's "Hello Moose" shirt which, had they made it in my size, I would have had one too.

We ended up on our last day at the Wolf/Bear Discovery in West Yellowstone. The kids had a blast! They got to go into the bear habitat and hide food for the bears. K was apprehensive and worried that they wouldn't have the bears locked away but, Mc helped him and they did awesome. Super neat experience.

Hiding in a den. 

Waiting in line to hide the food. 

Hiding the food under a big log. 

Most days, we were the first ones out the door to venture in the park so we didn't spend much time together except in the evenings. We did have one main excursion planned- a Chuckwagon dinner. It was a bit spendy and I was worried (based on reviews) that it might not be super awesome but, in the end, totally glad we went. We rode a wagon on the "plains" to a little canyon where we had dinner. The food was ok but, the best part was while we went out to pet the horses, a HUGE buffalo tried to come into the camp and gave us a show as they tried to chase him off. I have never seen Kingston run so fast in my entire life. Thanks to a video in the visitor's center at Old Faithful showing people getting too close to buffalo and elk and getting gored, K was pretty sure running was his safest bet.

The wagon. 

Dinner

Petting our horses

To the right of this picture, one second after we posed, the buffalo came and spooked the horses- exit Kingston. 

On our way out of Island Park, we stopped in Rexburg at Bearworld. This was probably the kid's favorite part. On the way there, I had heard on the radio that you could get 50% off coupons (we had Marsha grab them for everyone) and so we got in for super cheap. You ride your car through an area that is full of bears, elk and other animals. They had a petting zoo and small amusement park rides, The kids could have stayed all day. It wasn't crowded so they rode the rides hundreds of times before we had to drag them back to the car to make the long drive home.

I am pretty sure Enzo could have ridden these cars 100 times. It was the most uncomfortable, kidney punching ride ever but he loved it. 

The Williamson Clan- sure love this tribe of mine. 

Wide Open Spaces

I had casually mentioned that if the Dixie Chicks ever toured again, no matter the cost or Utah location, I would be going with my friend Jenifer Rae. You see, we have seen the Chicks EVERY time they have come to Utah since we were in high school. It's our thing. It had to be done. So when they announced their tour (nine months before our tour date), I jumped at the chance to buy tickets. We got excellent seats and waited patiently for September 2016.

The ladies did not disappoint. The weather was perfect, the show was awesome and it seriously felt like being in high school again. I knew ALL the songs and sang as loud as I could. My favorite part was the Prince tribute. He has always been on my list and since he passed away, it was like I missed my chance. Then they started playing, "Nothing compares to you"- mine & Mark's song and through a little lump in my throat, I belted that out too.

It really was an awesome evening! Jen and I have been friends for so long and our lives have taken all sorts of turns and detours but in the end, she is still one of the people I trust the most with my life secrets, my kid drama and to not tell anyone how truly, truly crazy I was in high school.

Back to School 2016

Back to school this year- it almost felt like it would N E V E R come. I thought that I had planned so much to get us through the summer but by the last week of August, the kids (and me) were ready to go back to a structured schedule filled with long days of school and early bed times. Our theme this year is, "Be True, Be True" and we are really focusing on telling the truth and trying to make honest choices on a daily basis. We had our usual Red Robin back to school dinner and daddy gave the kids awesome blessings about remembering who they are and that they can learn and grow. 

Mckinley still wants to be a chef and will be spending her 2nd grade year with Mrs. Forsyth. We have already noticed that this is her first teacher that is a little more stern and isn't as Pinterest-ey as the last two teachers so Mc has had to adjust. She is still an expert at making friends, loves school lunch, still wants me to hold her hand and walk her to school, is an amazing reader (Level K) and we are so proud of her.

Kingston still has his sights set on being a construction worker and Ms. Merrill is his first "real school" (as he calls it) teacher. She is reminiscent of Giselle from "Enchanted" and Kingston loves that she calls her students, "friends". We are still working on school lunch and adjusting to an all day Kindergarten schedule but I can tell that he is going to thrive for sure. 

We were so glad to have our master braider and picture taker here! Alex came to send the kids off, gave them sweet handwritten notes and treats. Sure miss her!

I love my kids. I really do but, it was SO awesome to send them back to school. 

Daddy & Squinty K

The Gorge that's Flaming 2016

The tradition of Flaming Gorge lives on! Mark, the kids and I headed down Friday night and stayed with Mom and Dad in the trailer. We aren't super "outdoorsy" so having a real bed (instead of a tent) was nice. The weather was awesome and the trip was just long enough. We scored the magnum pontoon this year with a canopy, lots of places to sit and shade which meant that we stayed out on the Gorge most of the day. Not too many fish this year so good thing we were in charge of a planned dinner that night. The kids had a blast playing in the dirt, exploring, using their walking sticks, eating lots of junk food and pretending.

Mc and the rainbow

Mimi and the kiddies. 

The sweet pontoon!

Mc was the first one to jump into the lake. She ran and cannon balled. 

Enzo taking a little nap on the boat. 

Kingston and Cash. 

Uncle Brayden taking the girls for a ride in his side by side. 

Mc got to go up on Wednesday with Auntie Bree, Uncle Ty and Brynlee. I am so glad they are just good friends.