Firsts

It's that time already--the first day of school! How can that be? Is anyone else in denial? Last week, we were all really excited for the first day of school . . . this week I'm ready for a little more summer. I guess I'm lucky to have such great kids that LOVE school and are super smart, eager to learn new things. They'll whip me into shape--I'm sure.

First day for my First Grader. That face explains it all. Logan loves school! He has taken off with reading and wants to read all the time. He even earned a free book from the school library for their HOT SUMMER READING program where he read 10 books over the summer.

It's also Makayla's first time being the OLDEST at the school. Now a COOL 5th grader, Makayla gets to rule the school. She is excited about being on the safety patrol where she gets to open car doors for kids getting dropped off and picked up in the morning and after school. She has to be on the honor role to be on safety patrol, so this is a big thing for the 5th graders. It is her first day of Safety Patrol today, so I will have to post a picture in her orange belt.

You can't survive the first day of school without hitting happy hour at sonic. Gotta love their slushes!

Palisades Reservoir

One of my favorite places to go on vacation with all of my family is Palisades Reservoir.

My uncles own a cabin there and it is an absolutely gorgeous place to stay, surrounded by trees and overlooking the lake. It's near Jackson Hole, so after our Yellowstone tour, we stayed the rest of the week at the cabin where James, Lisa, Andrea, Chase and Emmy came up to meet us. We spent the rest of the weekend boating on the reservoir and enjoying the quiet solitude of the mountains and all of the family bonding fun!

The Party Barge! And it was quite a party, I might add.

Break time on the boat . . . all the kids jumped overboard to swim with aunt Jeanette.

'sup captain.

Kayla and Brynn were regular dare devils on the banana boat.

Savannah and Brooklyn were deemed: Safety Patrol.

Love the view on the lake.

Boating Beauties

Anz and Emmy

James and Lisa

Logan and the little girls also braved the banana.

With the look of sheer determination on my face: "I will get these @#%* boots back on my feet and ski some sweet moves!"

. . . and I did.

Surfs Up! Mike was also quite the wake boarding master, surfing right up to the dock.

Mike's favorite part of the cabin was driving the little tractor all over. The kids thought that was pretty cool too.

The boys and Mr. Toga Man

You can't have a camp fire without roasting marsh mellows. Bring on the smores!

Awww . . . cute couples

And that's all of us, (minus Andrea, Chase and Emmy--they hit Jackson for the night.)

Yellowstone National Park

I was absolutely in awe most of the day at Yellowstone.

It has been about 9 years since we've been to the park, and I was excited to share in the majesty of God's creations with my kids. The park's landscape changes from geysers, hotpots and springs, to rivers, mountains, and waterfalls. Incredibly gorgeous! And the kids favorite sport of the day was to play Spot the Animal. We had so much fun watching for animals and even saw a grizzly bear. Put this on the top of your list for fun family vacations!

All of us at Lower Geyser Basin.

On our way to Old Faithful, we ran into an entire herd of Buffalo. Too cool! We got out to admire the herd even after reading the WARNING bulletin the ranger gave us as we entered the park stating that Buffalo are one of the most dangerous animals in the park. Hmm . . . not that smart, I guess, but definitely worth it.

Kickin' It Old school at Old Faithful!

Logan and Brooklyn in Old Faithful Lodge.

Steamboat Geyser

Cute daddies helping little tired legs.

Norris Geyser Basin

Porcelain Basin glazed by minerals

The day wouldn't be complete without spotting a few animals!

Another not so smart moment in my life--I jumped out of the car to snap some pics of Mr. Grizzly grazing on the side of the road. I was only across the street and down the road maybe 30 ft. from the bear. Naively, I felt safe because there were lots of people out snapping pics, and I figured the bear would eat one of them who was a little bit closer before he would attack me. I guessed that the crazy Chinese lady who stopped in the middle of the road and ran towards the bear to get a picture was a goner for sure, but Mr. bear seemed very uninterested in all the commotion. Mike was smart enough to stay back by the van, putting the kids on the roof to see the bear. When the bear looked up and started to get agitated, I decided it was time to go.

Don't forget the coyote.

. . . or the cute girls.

. . . or the even cuter boys.

Logan, Brynn, Makayla, Savannah and Brooklyn at the Lower Falls

I love this one of Mom and all her cute grand kids!

For the record--I loved Yellowstone!