Canyon 327 again!

Robby, Shan, and Matt finally made it last night around 12:15. We're so glad they made it safe and sound. We're so happy they're here! Aliyah was so funny when she walked in the door. She started jumping up and down and told us all about the rodeo they went to on Thursday night. She just cracks me up. After breakfast, Matt and the boys and Grandma and Marilyn headed out on the ATV's while Mylissa and I went on our bikes. 

Dad drove us out to canyon 327 and by the time we started biking, the ATV's caught up to us. The first three miles I just think "what a beautiful canyon it is" but then the last two miles are extremely steep with lots of rocks. Then I start thinking "what the heck was I thinking!!!!!" But then when I make it to the end and enjoy the easy ride down, it makes it all worth it. I love biking with Mylissa. At the end of the trail, Bridger found some bear tracks.

So tonight after dinner, Matt, Marilyn and Bridger went back to canyon 327 to look for animals. We ate cheeseburgers for dinner. We ate outside on the picnic tables under the canopy. It was the perfect summer dinner. After dinner we just sat and watched all the kids play on the trampoline. They just laughed and laughed. I love how well they play together. It was fun to hear their giggles. Maddy and Chase were playing teather ball and Robby and Matt told them that they were playing it wrong. So Matt and Robby showed the kids how to play the right way. It was hysterical watching them!!! Tonight Robby, Chase, Maddy, Julie, and Grandma are playing rock band. They are loving it!!! I think it's more fun to watch them jam out.

Sound of Music Canyon

This morning after breakfast, Mom, Dad, and Marilyn drove into West to do a little shopping. I went out for a bike ride up Willow creek canyon. The butterflies have been amazing! There are butterflies all over! We've seen all sorts of sizes Nd colors. Mylissa stayed home with the kids and put Caleb down for a nap. The kids have loved playing "school" out in Elaine's 9 man tent. It's huge but it does get a little hot for the kids. We've had incredible weather. I'm actually hoping for a good thunderstorm but I don't think it's going to happen. Just as I was heading out on a four wheeler ride with the boys, Dad and Mom pulled in the driveway. So we turned around and helped unload the car and waited until Dad was ready to go. 

Dad, Maddy, Chase, Bridger and I headed out and went up the "sound of music" canyon (canyon 42, or Keg springs canyon). At the end of the trail, we got out and walked around and took a few pictures. The view is spectacular! Dad sat down on a rock to look at a map. Bridger found a geocache box hidden under some rocks. We took it out and looked inside. There was a journal book so we signed our names. The kids were very excited to sign their names in the book. The kids left some snacks in the box. Then they hid it back under the rock. Dad was excited to find Blair lake one the map. Once the trail ends, you can hike about 2 miles up and over the mountain and then you supposedly see this hidden lake.












On the way back home, we stopped and found the "spring kegs" that the animals drink out of. The kids were fascinated with the spring. Dad, Chase and Bridger took big drinks out of the spring. I sure hope they don't get sick. Tonight the kids wanted to have a movie night so we watched "despicable me." I was typing in my journal when Chase came over to talk to me. He looked out the back windows and got all excited and shouted "moose!!!!" Sure enough, a mommy and a baby moose walked right through the back yard just past the rocks. We all jumped up and ran to the windows to watch them. Unfortunately they moved quickly so we couldn't watch them for by long. So Dad, Marilyn and I jumped in the car to see if we could find them but we didn't. How great to see a moose right in the back yard! Tonight we're waiting up for the C's and Matt to arrive. Matt had some extra errands to do today so they didn't leave until 5:00pm. We can't wait for them to get here. It's almost midnight so I'm hoping they get here soon.

Happy 40th Birthday Mylissa!

Happy 40th birthday Mylissa! Before Mylissa woke up, we decorated the cabin for her birthday. We put a "happy 40th birthday" banner above the door and then balloons going down the stairs. It looked very festive. Mylissa had requested "coffee cake" for breakfast so sweet mom and Marilyn made that and scrambled eggs. Then Dad cooked bacon for the kids. It was a great breakfast.

Mylissa wanted to go for a bike ride on her birthday so we decided to do the Herriman loop. Marilyn drove in the car with Caleb and Julie. The other kids rode on the back of the 4 wheelers with Mom and Dad while Mylissa and I biked. It's a really pretty canyon with a gorgeous view of the Teton mountains and an overlook of Island Park. It ended up being a 40 mile bike ride and took us a little unde 4 hours. It was a great adventure. Once we got back to the house, we were a little tired so the kids went out to the tent and played school and the adults took a nap. It was awesome. 

Mom prepared a delicious spaghetti dinner for us and then made Mylissa a peach cobbler. Everything tasted wonderful especially with Dad's ice cream. Then Mylissa opened her presents. Shantelle did a really cute idea and organized it so Mylissa opened a present throughout the day on the "40" each hour. The biggest hit was the birthday cards that the kids made for Mylissa. They were so sweet and they put so much time into them. Hopefully it was a special day for Mylissa. We love her so much and wish her at least another 40 healthy and happy years!

 

Sling shots and BB gun

Today's been a quiet day. Dad, Mom, and Marilyn went for a 4 wheel ride over to ice house. They took the back trail and on the way over Marilyn shouted to mom "stop! There's a moose." So Mom stopped and sure enough there was a moose. But all of a sudden she took a stance and her ears pointed straight up and she started to charge them. Mom took off as quickly as she could and got way ahead. They caught up with dad and were telling him about it when they looked over into the trees and saw the same moose with a baby moose. She was just protecting her baby. They came home so exited. Bridger kept asking grandma to retell the story. How exciting!

  This afternoon Dad got out the BB gun and some targets. The boys' eyes popped out when Grandpa got the BB gun out. Chase asked Grandpa if he would bring up the BB gun after shooting at the scout camp. The kids took turns shooting at the targets. It was so fun to watch them. Bridger was very serious when he shot the gun. Julie was too scared to try but Maddy turned into Annie Oakley. The kids did a great job of hitting the targets. Marilyn and Mom came out and both hit a target on the first shot. The kids were very impressed. Then Dad got out the sling shots and we practiced hitting the targets with those. It's so nice that the kids can do these "grown up" activities.

Before dinner Mylissa and I biked up Willow Creek canyon. It was a lot easier for Mylissa with a functioning bike. Her gears actually work now. Maddy, Chase, and Bridger rode on the back of Mom and Dad's ATVs. We love going together. It is such a beautiful canyon.

Old Faithful

 Today after breakfast, we loaded up the car and drove to Old Faithful. We got there 30 minutes before it went off so it was great timing. It took dad 20 minutes just to find a parking space but he made it in time to watch the geyser go off. It's nice to rely on Mylissa for good pictures because she has such an awesome camera. Its always fun to see Old Faithful go off. After the geyser went off, Dad moved his car right next to Mylissa's so we opened up the back of dad's car and made sandwiches. After lunch, we went over to the new visitor center and let the kids explore the exhibits. Just as we were finishing up, Old Faithful started to go off so we watched it again. I'm glad we got to see it again because it went higher the second time. Today's been our mini marathon day at Yellowstone. Dad was thinking of driving a little further to look for bear but Caleb and I had a temper tantrum. I didn't want to get home at midnight so luckily we headed home. We stopped in West to pick up Mylissa's bike and my bike tire. The bike shop was very efficient in fixing them. We're happy to be back in business.