This Is The Place

When I read a tip that it was free day at This Is The Place Park we packed up and headed out for fun. The kids and I had been last year and loved it so we were excited to go back and take daddy with us.




We played pioneer games...





Worked hard like pioneers...





Panned for gold to exchange at the bank...







and watched the Native American Dancers.






It was so much fun it nearly killed us...We weren't cut out to be real pioneers!

An Adventurous Yellowstone Trip

We were thrilled to be able to make our annual Yellowstone trip with some of Bob's family. We always have a great time and love the Park more each time we go.


This year we had a spectacular and adventurous trip. Let's just say we won't need to go to the Park in the Winter. We experienced Yellowstone in the snow...in MAY!

We knew the weather was going to be a little sketchy, but didn't let it stop us. It may have even been the crazy weather that made the animals more active.

We were lucky enough to see 7 Grizzly Bears and 9 black bears. Some were further away than others, but a couple were close to the car.

We watched this little grizzly digging up roots in the rocks a couple of times. He could really move the rocks.

Before we left on our trip we talked about how the moose of Yellowstone had eluded us, but this trip was totally different...we saw 2 moose, a cow and a bull.

Ethan wanted to become a JR Ranger again, but didn't want to get the same wolf patch as last year, so he chose to do the older, harder activities for the bear patch. We were so proud of him. He's well on his way to a full fledged Park Ranger.

The geysers were amazing as usual. Maybe it was all the extra water and snow.

Another highlight was the 7 wolves that ran right by our car. We watched as they faced off with a small herd of buffalo. It was amazing to see the wildlife being wild. Ethan's favorite part was that one of the wolves was carrying a traffic cone.

It was an amazing trip. We have only been back a month and are ready to pack our bags again.

On our way home we took the scenic route to visit Mesa Falls. Bob's dad tipped us off, thanks granddad. Beautiful falls, so green and more time together as a family.

Playing At The Treehouse

On a tip we gathered some friends together and made our way north to The Treehouse Museum. I'd heard it was fabulous, but wasn't sure what to expect. The kids had a super time playing together in all the different themed rooms.


We started out at the barn. Just for Papa we milked the cow.


For Auntie Hannah we rode the horse...all decked out like a cowgirl.


Ethan went for a little tougher look...Our little Buckaroo!





We moved on to the "reservation," and gathered 'round the campfire in an authentic teepee. It was so fun to watch the kids dress up, play and pretend all day long.

Our favorite room was the doctor's office. Ethan and Luke loved being the doctors, studying the x-rays and looking at bones.

Avery on the other hand couldn't get enough of the babies in the nursery. She was adorable taking care of all her little ones, weighing them, measuring them, feeding them and tucking them in. She could have stayed here all day and been totally content.

It was a great outing...we'll be watching for another tip on another great place to visit!

An Afternoon of Fun

When we bought the Pass of All Passes I was hoping we'd get to use them often. The kids are pretty excited that one of the venues is so nearby. The other day I decided to take the kids and see just how much fun we could have...

Boy did we have fun!

We rode the bumper boats...



I didn't expect to get that wet on our first ride, but the kids loved it! Of course we rode twice and Ethan got to drive all by himself the second time. He loved getting me as wet as he could and Avery's convinced she gets to drive alone the next time.

I took the kids on a go-cart ride.




We played a round of mini golf.




Rode the pirate ship swing.


Flew an airplane.



And climbed the rock wall. Ethan says daddy dared him to do it!
We had so much fun the kids are counting down the days until we go again! Thanks to the P.O.A.P. it's totally free!

Annular Eclipse..."The Ring Of Fire"

It's not everyday you get to see a solar eclipse, and even more rare to see an Annular eclipse, "The Ring Of Fire," or a total eclipse of the sun so when the opportunity came on May 20th we jumped at the chance. We hosted a little eclipse viewing party.

We constructed the necessary box for viewing...even in an eclipse it's dangerous to look directly at the sun.

We were happy to see our box actually work. Bob and I were able to see the beginning of the eclipse before the clouds rolled in, just as everyone else showed up.


We played a few lawn games and ate "solar eclipse cookies" while we waited and hoped the clouds would part.


As luck would have it just about the time the eclipse peaked the clouds parted for about 5 minutes. We were all able to quickly catch a glimpse of the "ring of fire" thanks to Uncle Brad's welding helmet...


And our box viewer!









It turned out to be a great evening and a rare sighting!

A Taste of the Canyon

Last summer we loved going up the canyon for a little fishing, dinner and a campfire so we decided to give Gram and Papa a taste of the canyon. They were pretty skeptical as to whether we would catch any fish, but were excited for the night out.

We not only caught fish, but caught 10 or more fish. Bob was a super dad and let Avery and Ethan have all the excitement of reeling in the fish.

And have all the glorious pictures of their trophy catch!

Our fire roasted hot dog dinner was perfect. We loved sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs and of course s'mores.

We found a spot right near the river to hang out and enjoy the evening.

It was a perfect way to spend an evening with my parents!

A Bit More Planting

As if a full day of planting at the cabin wasn't enough for us we decided to finish planting our garden and a few other things while Gram and Papa were here.

Ethan and Papa got the last garden box ready for plants. They added in the compost and fertilizer and broke up the soil...all ready for planting.

We had a few friends over when the planting started and they jumped right in to help...you have to love these girls! Avery and Leilah may look like princesses, but they know how to work!

And many hands make light work!

Ethan and Jackson really got in to working together and being big enough to plant by themselves.

Ethan and daddy worked til the bitter end and got all the tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins and peppers planted.

While we were at it we also planted my old fashioned rose bush from Grandpa Richard's farm. It looks beautiful next to Grandma Lucille's red poppy!

Finally, as is tradition, we planted my Welcome planter for Mother's Day! It sure feels good to have all our planting done!

A Wild Visit

After our work day at Amy's Cabin Gram, Papa, and Uncle Ryry got to stay and play with us for a while.

Ryan was on his way to a job site, but stayed long enough for a wild visit to the zoo.

It had been a while since any of us had been to the zoo. It was fabulous, the weather was nice, the animals were active and it wasn't crowded. We loved the monkeys, turtles, elephants, rhinos, and birds.

But the real show came from the tigers. One was sitting in the water fall lapping up water for us to watch, then he climbed down the mountain to come watch us...

Of course the carousel was a hit. Ry took Avery on the tiger.

And Ethan rode his favorite snakes! What will he do if ever someone else is on his animal of choice?

It measured up to be a great day!

And Lucky Us! Gram and Papa got to stay a few more days!