Fall Break Trip: Day 2-Teton

As we headed out to Grand Teton National Park, we saw a moose on the side of the road. We thought that was pretty neat.

The kids are being little Tetons in this picture.

We enjoyed a lovely drive around the park & took some pictures of the first & second most photographed barns in America with the family. The kids loved walking around.

I love that Lexie is looking through her binoculars in this one.

Andrew & Lexie found great walking sticks.

Mormon Row is right across the road.

This is the other most photographed barn in America. (We captured in from the other side as to not be so cliche & since there are so many other pictures of it.) It is really beautiful & we would totally build a home in this area & never get sick of the views!

After a quick stop at the Visitor's Center we headed out to String Lake to have a picnic lunch & skip rocks.

Next we hiked out to Leigh Lake (named for Richard Leigh). It was a beautiful hike & lake.

And after that we drove down to Jenny Lake. It too had fantastic views & was a great place for the kids to play & throw rocks into the water.

Then we headed back into town to walk around & play at the park.

We played at Phil Baux park where they had rock climbing walls. Lexie & Joseph loved it! Andrew took a nap.

Lexie's list of animals we saw on day 2: Moose, fish, grasshopper, flies, squirrels, sparrows, moths, chipmunks, hens, magpies, cows, baby & adult buffaloes, crows, birds, ducks, & horses.

Fall Break Trip: Day 1-Handcart Museum

During Fall Break we finally got around to taking a trip to Yellowstone. It's something that we've been wanting to do for a long time. We had a leisurely drive up to Jackson & made a few stops along the way. Our first stop was at Split Rock. For those of you who don't know where that is, it's just north of Muddy Gap. You can't miss it! It's an old Pony Express stop with lots of boulders which we all had a blast climbing on.

If we were really thinking, from here we would have headed out to Martin's Cove as it was only about 15 miles from here. But alas, we will have to save that for another trip. We continued our trek northward & stopped at the Handcart Museum (Willie Center at Sixth Crossing). We enjoyed watching movies, looking at things, playing with the dog, named Willie of course, & walking around here.

The kids pointed to names of their ancestors who were part of the Willie-Martin Handcart Company. This was a really neat stop & we're really glad we made it.

We continued on & stopped at Sacajawea's grave because it was there & we thought it would be fun to take our kids to see. They thought it was fun because the tooth fairy has brought them Sacajawea dollars in the past.

We then continued on our way to Jackson. We saw some funny signs along the way. Who knew Wyomingians had such a great sense of humor?

On our way through the canyon we saw a grizzly bear just on the side of the road. It was pretty awesome!

And we really enjoyed seeing the lovely view of the Tetons driving into Jackson. The whole drive really was beautiful. The geology was constantly changing & it was just awesome!

The kids kept really great track of all of the animals we saw each day. Here's our list for day 1: cows, horses, birds, coyote, antelopes, chicken, goats, hawks, deer, sparrow, bear, geese, caterpillar, dog, spider, & an eagle.

Lizabug's Cake Party

Today we made a real birthday cake for Eliza & had cousin's over for cake & ice cream. It's not the easiest thing to get a 1 yr old to sit & smile for a picture with a cake that she wants to attack.

After many attempts we decided to give up & just feed our happy Lizabug some banana. First birthday pictures are overrated, right?

I love how she is squatting here like Rick.

Coincidentally, and quite appropriately, Aunt Becca brought Liza a fun lady bug present. She loves it (almost as much as all of the older kids).

Then we sang & let Liza blow out the candle (with some help).

She was chomping at the bit to eat some cake

& some ice cream.

Of course she loved them.

Andrewisms

Andrew was doing puzzles on Rick's phone & he was so excited to tell me what the puzzle was going to be.

"A Concreaker."

He also calls steamboats "stingboats" & when you press him on the m & b it turns to "steebboats". It's fun to hear him speak.

He also informed us (& I did get it on video) that when he is 20, he wants a ladybug cake with it's wings folded just like Liza's. (It has since changed to having its wings open.) (We'll have to see where he's called on his mission as to if I can send it to him.) And when he is 19 he wants a puzzle cake. It's nice he is planning so far in advance. Lexie is as well. On our trip we were talking & she decided that when she turns 50 she wants us to make her a unicorn cake. How funny will it be when we show up at her party with one?!

Another just fun thing Andrew says a lot lately is "but of course." He says a lot of "But of course I want yogurt for breakfast" or "but of course I can" do this or that. It is so funny how he says it at the most random of times but it's so sweet & I just know we will miss hearing him say it. Just like I miss his prayers (since he's saying longer ones now) of "Thank Thee to bless the food."

I should really write down all of the cute things that all of the kiddos say more often. I always think I'll remember it, but I don't. But I get a big smile out of what they say & that is what counts.

Happy Birthday, Eliza!

Hooray!! Eliza is 1!!

She woke up in Casper, WY & was very happy!

We had a few balloons for her to play with in the hotel before we loaded the car up & headed home. She enjoyed 2 really great "birthday snoozes" on the ride home & enjoyed playing & singing with the other kids. What more could a 1 year old want for a 4 hour car trip?

At home we had a little party for her. She opened presents & was actually more thrilled by the presents than the wrapping paper. The other kids were so glad that she loved each of the presents that they gave her & Eliza shared them very well. (The big kids even like playing with her new toys.)

Eliza loves to snuggle with us & we love that! She loves to read & will often plop down in our laps with a book & after we've read it to her she will get up, look at us, turn around & plop right back down & have us read it to her again. She adores her big brothers & sister & they can make her laugh better than anyone else! She mimics them & they get a real kick out of that, too.

She is really goofy & we love watching her personality on display. And she finds such joy in discovering new things & in the littlest of things. It's awesome!

Eliza is such a delight! She is so content & happy! She was meant to be a 4th child. And we love her gorgeous smile! It's contagious!

It was fun to watch her realize that she likes cupcakes! She got sort of frustrated that her hands were so messy after eating all of the frosting. Lexie used to hate it when her hands were dirty & would freak out & yell, "Messy!" Liza may take after her in that (& many other) regard.

We love this little cruiser! And we also love how she (like Lexie) always has to stick her binky handle up to her nose. Oh we love this little girl & are so grateful that she is in our family! We're so excited to see her as she continues to realize her potential.

Happy Birthday, Little Lizabug! We love you!