Yellowstone

We had so much fun on our big vacation to Yellowstone! There are a lot of pictures on thias post, but it was hard to decide which ones to put up.
The first day we did Old Faithful and the geyser basin. This is Bruce and the kids at Grotto Geyser.

We made Brennen walk a lot. He was pretty worn out. This picture is just too funny!

Watching Old Faithful. We actually saw it blow 3 times from 3 different angles. Pretty cool!

The second day we did the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. On the way there we stopped at the Mud Volcano area. This is the Dragon's Mouth. It was pretty cool. This was actually one of my favorite areas.

The family at Lower Falls. We hiked from Lower Falls to Upper Falls. It was a beautiful area.

This is after the hike. I told the kids to act like they were tired after hiking.

Day 3 was Tower Falls and Mammoth Hot Springs. This is us after hiking down to the base of Tower Falls.

Black Bear we Saw by the petrified tree. We also saw a Grizzley while driving through the Tetons, but of course, the camera batteries were dead.

Elk on the lawn at the visitors center at Mammoth Hot Springs. Brennen wanted to pet them.

The boys thought the idea of Mammoth Restrooms was pretty funny.

Traffic Jam at Yellowstone. The boys decided they wanted to be Buffalo Crossing Guards.

The boys in their coon skin caps.

Getting their Jr Ranger badges. They did a lot of work to earn them.

Our last day in Yellowstone at Fishing Bridge.
Aubree

Kaden

Tyson

Brennen

Cambree

By the Yellowstone sign on our way out.

We stayed our last night in Jackson and went to the Bar J Ranch. Here is our wagon ride.

Bruce and Cambree enjoying the show.

Fackrell Reunion

We always have a good time at the Fackrell Family reunion in Mountain View. WY. We are grateful to Uncle Kenny and Aunt Bobbie for opening their home to all of us every year.
This year, Uncle Kenny took the kids out to ride the horses. This was such a treat for my kids!
Kaden not so sure at first, but soon got the hang of it!

Aubree was a natural! It made me wish she had the chance to ride more often.

Brennen was NOT a fan, and just got more and more mad.

He and another cousin decided to scoop poop instead.

Uncle Kenny and Aunt Nancy.

Tyson really tried to be brave.

Brennen would rather hang out with Uncle Darryl than play games.

Waiting for the games to begin! Aunt Laura did a great job and had some fun water games!

Slime!

My kids have been bugging me all summer to make slime, so we finally did! It was a ton of fun and kept them entertained for quite a while.

Swimming Lessons

The kids had a lot of fun at swimming lessons this year.

For Brennen, his biggest accomplishment was the fact that he got into the pool. The first week, he sat on the side and just watched. So the second week on Monday, I had to get into the pool with him and he was OK after that. He decided being in the water isn't too bad after all.

This was Aubree's first year in Level 3. She struggled a lot, but mostly because she doesn't trust herself. She progressed so much though, and I am so grateful she had an awesome instructor who was such a big cheerleader for her!

Tyson is my little fish. He loves the water. This was his first time in level 2 and he almost passed! This is a picture of his teacher trying to dunk him. Tyson loved to egg him on and try to get dunked. What a funny kid!

Kaden was in level 3 this year, and he passed on to level 4! Great job! He also conquered his nemesis, the diving board. It has been the biggest stumbling block for him for 3 years, but he finally took the plunge! It helped having his best friend in his class with him for encouragement. Now all he wants to do is go off the diving board!

4th of July in Blanding

This year we went to Blanding for the 4th of July. To me, there is nothing better than a Blanding 4th of July. The celebration is huge, but still has a small town feel. (plus it's the only place to get a Jim Dandy Navajo Taco.)
On Friday, Grandpa Guymon took us to the fort in Bluff and taught us about the Hole in the Rock pioneers. If you hve read the book "The Undaunted" by Gerald Lund, Bluff is the town the Hole in the Rock pioneers settled. There is a neat feeling there at the fort. I'm grateful we had the chance to experience it.

Grandpa Guymon teaching the kids at the Fort.

Cambree on the grass at the fort.

Inside the meeting hall at the fort, we held a family meeting where Grandpa shared his testimony with us. Brennen decided to be the chorister for the opening song.

On the hill overlooking Bluff. The town hasn't changed a whole lot in the last 100 years.

That afternoon we took our kids and went to the dinosaur museum.

And to the Edge of the Cedars museum. The kids are down inside an actual Indian Ruin.

Friday night we had a big family dinner at the park. Uncle Darryl decided to see how many kids he could put on the see saw with him. The kids were laughing so hard. It was fun to watch.

Saturday morning was the big parade. Here are my kids with their cousins waiting for it to begin.

Cambree just slept in Grandpa's arms through the whole thing. Grandpa didn't mind, because that is the only way she will let anyone hold her.

We came home Sat afternoon so Bruce could be here for church on Sunday. We made it back to Roosevelt in time for the fireworks. While we were waiting for the fireworks to begin, the kids played with sparklers. Cambree didn't quite know what to think (especially since I wouldn't let her touch it) but the other kids had a ball!

I am so grateful to live in this great nation, the United States of America. I am so grateful to those founding Fathers and Mothers who risked everything to give us the freedoms we enjoy today!