Tetons and Yellowstone Adventures!

We recently got back from our vacation to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.  Sometimes we forget that we have such amazing places just hours from our front door.  Grand Teton N.P. is about 5 hours away and Yellowstone N.P. was another 30 minutes from our campsite.  On some of these photos, the pictures just don't do it justice.

Luckily, we had just enough time to set up camp before a thunderstorm rolled through.

The girls and I hunkered down in the tent until the storm passed.  

Later that evening we ventured out for a walk down to Jackson Lake.

the Grand Teton

It's a good thing we brought along all of our rain gear.  Splashing in the puddles was a huge hit!

There are no breaks in potty training!

The next day, we explored Yellowstone.  Andy and I hadn't been there since we made our big move from Alaska to Utah.

lunch at the car while we waited for the predicted eruption time

We drove the lower half of the park, which took about 6 hours (with stops).  One of our stops was the Midway Geyser which was very cool.  

It was fun to feel the steam on your face as you walked along the trail.

We saw lots of these big boys (and girls).

It wouldn't be camping without s'mores!

Mornings were a bit chilly, until the sun came up and over the trees.

morning frisbee practice

Camping in the Tetons reminds us, a lot, of camping in Alaska.  However, they don't supply bear bins much in Alaska.  There was one of these at each camp site.  

One day, we went for a 4-mile hike.  Emma was a trooper the entire way.

It didn't take long for this guy to move off the trail.

appetizer

another hike down to the lake to watch the sunset

The next day, we drove to Jenny Lake.

Jenny Lake

 next stop:  pizza at Dornan's

This was our view during lunch.

After lunch, we drove into Jackson for the arts festival.

Then we spent a couple of hours enjoying our time at our camp site.

After dinner, on our last night, we walked down to the general store in the campground for ice cream. Yes, Abby ate her whole ice cream cone.

After you finish looking at Emma's very dirty face, take a look at that huge ice cream cone.  That is a small!  

We saw a fox on our walk back to our camp site.

Emma insisted on carrying the empty backpack.

Emma insisted on taking a picture of us taking a selfie...

We had such a great time and just really treasure the memories we are making with the girls.  Our goal is to visit one national park each year.  Next stop????

4th of July Fun!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!  We decided to not do the crazy busy parade in Park City and, instead, participate in the Brighton parade (where Andy's family has had a cabin for about 70 years).

We decorated our trailer in red, white, and blue to join in the parade festivities.

hiking around Silver Lake

testing the boats the kids made

Of course, it wouldn't be a trip to the cabin without playing some frisbee golf.  Abby has quite the frisbee throw....

Andy in action...

Emma in action...

Emma had her first sleepover at a friend's house!  It was a huge success!  Before that, though, we had a BBQ at their house and beat the heat with a little fun in the sprinkler.

running through the sprinkler with Abigail

Emma and Katharine

Abigail was just content with watching the older kids have fun with the water.

We've been spending a lot of time outside, including riding bikes and playing at playgrounds.

Emma is now riding her bike on her own!!!

We finally made it to our first Wednesday night concert at Deer Valley.  It was a gorgeous night.

Here are more photos from my latest project--Emma's headboard.

Ta-da!!

the finished product

Ways to Beat the Heat

Phew...it has been HOT here lately--even up in the mountains, where you would think you could escape the heat.  It has been about 90 degrees for the past week (100 down in Salt Lake) so we have been finding ways to not spend quite as much time outdoors.

A couple days ago, we went to a great children's museum down in Salt Lake:

"fixing" the engine of a truck

The water table is always a favorite!

snack time

making a comic

Andy wants to put one of these in our basement for the girls.

"driving" a smart car

Then we ventured down to the fountain to cool off in the jumping water...

We've also been doing projects in the garage.  Emma built a birdhouse.

I have about 1,001 projects I'd like to complete this summer.  Here is my first one--a headboard for Emma's room.  I cut (yep, I learned how to use a table saw) and sanded all the pieces and now I am in the process of putting it all together before I can paint it.  I'll put up a photo of the finished product when it's complete.