The boys at play

Here are a few shots of the boys having some fun. On our Tuesday hike, we passed a small stream and Jake had to run through it. I was a little jealous. It looked like fun. Gray is here in is jammies showing us his new teeth...and he knows how to use them! I have a bruise on my thumb!!!! The boys love to play ball together. Gray is going to give his brother a run for his money in the near future. That boy has a tight grip. :-)

As for Brad and I, we are enjoying family life out here. Yesterday we had a baseball game in our yard while Gray was napping. The neighbor dog (who Jake has named Ruby) came over to play with us. Jackson just followed him around...he seems a bit more spry than Old Jack. We had our first baseball related incident...Jake, with his impressive pitching arm, busted out a taillight on the Highlander. I'm sure it won't be the last thing he breaks with a baseball.

Brad got up early this morning to go fishing...he just got back at lunchtime and said he caught a few. He has yet to bring any home for dinner. This is Idaho for crying out loud...the best trout EVER! Where are my TROUT????

As for me, I am going crazy fighting with the earwigs. For us southerners, earwigs are completely foreign. I had no idea what those little suckers were. I just knew I didn't like them in my house. After a couple of weeks of finding them under dishtowels in the morning, I did a little research and discovered what they were. They are a completely harmless, although creepy looking bug that thrives out here. I called pest control to find out what I needed to do to get rid of them...they are keeping me up at night (as if I need any help in that department!). The exterminator will be here in the morning...THANK HEAVEN...I am in need of SLEEP! They should be gone by the time the family come to visit in a week (Christy, don't panic, I am taking care of them!) Since we have to be our of the house for them to spray, we plan to head to Idaho Falls for the day for a little shopping. There are plenty of big name stores there that we haven't laid eyes on since leaving Lexington. I must admit, I am quite excited!

Tonight is the Thursday night concert in Driggs. We went last week and had a great time. There were scuds of people there. Tonight, Trombone Shorty is playing. Good Times!!!

Beautiful Scenery

Today is Mimi and India's birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADIES. We miss you and love you.

We have seen some amazing scenery while we have been here. Our yard consists of native grasses and lovely little wildflowers. We don't have to mow...which is really nice and we have all these flowers for my vases. I have even been drying some for the winter. We have a few huckleberry bushes behind our house next to the stream...but we haven't ventured out to try them yet. We have, however, had the famous "Victor Emporium" huckleberry milkshake when PopPop was out here. We will most definitely being taking Grandmother and PopPop back for one in a couple of weeks when they come to visit (only 14 more days!!!). Mimi, Papa, Sissy, Noodle and Charly Paige will be visiting the week after Grandmother and PopPop leave so we will get to show the family the sites. We are REALLY excited to see our family. We miss them terribly. Thank goodness for Webcam.

We have taken several pictures of different mountains and landscapes while on our hikes. We hope you enjoy these photos as much as we have. The waterfall was one our favorites and the Lightening Peak trail gave us some gorgeous shots. ENJOY!

These are some of the photos taken at our new home in Victor. As you can see here, Jake is trying to catch butterflies in our back yard. Gray is shown here with spaghetti all over his face...he loves it! There are also a couple of photos of our house. The covered back porch is so tranquil. We spend a lot of time out there...especially now that Brad has the "Big Green Egg" and has been grilling most of our meals since we've been here.

Today we hiked Teton Pass. For those of you who have never been to the area, it is a high mountain pass that connects you from Jackson to Victor, Idaho...where we live. This is some of the most beautiful terrain. The trees are just gorgeous. There are several trails on this mountain and we decided to venture out to one today. So far, most of our hiking has been done at Targhee but today we decided to head to the Pass. We hiked Pass Ridge to Mount Elly. It was a nice hike thru some lovely meadows and a few steep areas, which gets a little nerve racking with kids in tow. Once we got to the top, we saw the amazing views of the valley below. We ventured a little further up and found a decayed tree that was amazing in its structure. I'm sure it has a lot of history...as much of the plant life here does. I met a really nice couple while hiking today. They were from El Paso, TX and were just the sweetest people. They reminded me very much of people back home. They just loved that we had both of the boys out hiking and enjoying the beautiful landscape.

After our hike today, Brad headed out for some fly fishing. He has been able to get in quite a bit...but as any true fisherman will tell you...it is never enough! The fishing holes here are some of the best in the country and I'm pretty sure he plans to hit them ALL...as I hope he does. I want him to enjoy everything he can while we are here. Speaking of fishing, we found a spot to take Jake. There is a little pond here that is stocked with plenty of fish for the kids and families. We have been there a couple of times and Jake has done really well. His first Idaho trout was caught there and he was SOOO proud. A few days later, we went back and caught our supper...6 yummy trout which were gutted and cleaned (BY ME...yes, I have learned to gut and clean fish...my Dad would be so proud) and pan fried. Brad and I ate well...but of course Jake didn't touch it! I still have to get a fishing license before I can head out with Brad but I have caught a few down at the pond.

This is our first attempt at blogging. We wanted to create a way for our family and friends to keep up with what we have been doing while out West. Anyone who knows us understands our love of the Jackson area. We have been talking (obsessing really ) about coming out here for several years. While the boys are both out of school, we thought we would travel this way and enjoy life out here for a year or so. Brad and I drove out in June, found this awesome house here in Victor, Idaho, drove back to Kentucky and started packing. With the help of our families, we were out in a couple of weeks and enjoying the mountains by the first week of July. Pop Pop drove out with the boys and me and Brad drove the moving truck and car hauler. I wouldn't say it was the most unpleasant experience for me, but the boys got a little restless. I honestly don't know what we would have done had Pop Pop not agreed to come with us and help!!!!

Today marks our first month since moving from Kentucky. We have been hiking at Targhee quite a bit and today we hit Teton Pass. Jake and Gray have both become avid hikers. Gray truly enjoys his backpack carrier. Jake always wants the "Best Hiker" award at the end of the hike. Most of our hikes are about 4 miles round trip but Monday we ventured to Jenny Lake over in Jackson to visit the "Hidden Falls". While we thought we were going on a 5 mile or so hike, it seemed much longer. We were pretty beat by the time we got back to the car. The trail itself was just beautiful. We traveled along the banks of Jenny Lake and watched as the glorious mountains got closer and closer. Once we got to the waterfall, it was breathtaking. We stopped for a bit to admire the beauty, snap a few photos, then head back down the mountain. It was quite an eventful hike.