Sites of Yellowstone

Yellowstone always has such glorious sites to behold. Here are just a few we saw last Sunday. We were hoping to see a grizzly (from the car of course) and a wolf but still no luck with that. But we did see some beautiful animals, waterfalls, hot springs, geysers, and landscape. We did not plan to see Old Faithful this time as we have seen it 3 times before, but we ended up heading in that direction so we got to see it again. I am so glad we did because it was the best one yet for all of us!

This was a beautiful waterfall we found on our way home.

This is Emerald Spring...beautiful but really stinky!

This guy was enjoying an afternoon snack as we snapped a few photos.

This graceful pelican was my favorite animal for the day...isn't she just lovely? She had such a calm about her. I bet if she could talk she would have said "Namaste".

Our Beach Trip...Sort Of

Last Sunday we decided to take a day trip to Yellowstone. We had not been this year and it was time. So we planned ahead of time, got the cooler ready, and headed out early that morning. My favorite place in Yellowstone is Yellowstone Lake...which is where all of these pictures were taken. As we were driving to the lake for our picnic, I could just feel the ocean...ok, I know it isn't the ocean, but it is the closest thing to the ocean for me right now! Anyway, the waves were crashing, the driftwood was beautiful, the rocks were gorgeous and the sand felt wonderful between my toes. The water was quite cold but that did not stop my Jake Allen from getting drenched and having a blast. Gray couldn't have been happier running in the sand and throwing rocks in the "big bath". The smell was intoxicating and I enjoyed every last moment!

This nice family took a family shot of us...rare to have all of us in one picture.

Here my Jake is splashing in the really cold water...loving it of course. You can see the smoke from the fire in the background. We found out later that the fire spread thru hundreds of acres in Yellowstone that day.

My sweet Gray smiles for me just before launching a rock into the "big bath".

Jake wasn't so brave when we first arrived...he decided to try it with his hoody...that didn't last long. He decided flip flops and no hoody was more fun!

Jake shows his brother the true art of throwing rocks. I think Gray mastered it!

Boys love summer fun!

The boys have been enjoying their summer out here. We haven't done too much hiking yet this year (the bears are out and about in full force right now!) so we have been doing a lot of things at home for fun. Brad built an awesome fire ring in the back yard and we have had many a marshmallow roast. Jake says I have perfected the art of smore making!!! That boy does love his smores! I enjoy sitting out there watching the sun go down and the stars brighten the Western sky.

One of our favorite things to do is to go to the Spud Drive In! When we found out Toy Story 3 was coming to the Spud...Jake and I were on it!!! Brad and Gray stayed home for that one but Jake and I certainly enjoyed ourselves. He loves it because we wear our pjs and take lots of pillows and blankets. I usually pop my own popcorn but he wanted movie popcorn with butter so I caved for him. That smile on his face says it all!

This is one of my all time favorite summer pictures this year. Both of my boys over the fire pit their Daddy made. They don't have their marshmallows on their sticks yet but they weren't far behind me snapping this picture. Jake loves to help his Daddy gather the kindling for the fire and place the logs on.

Ahhh, my Graybird. This picture is classic...he is wearing one of his Daddy's old outfits and enjoying a popsicle. How much better does it get? I know Grandmother loves this because he not only is wearing Brad's clothes, but he looks exactly like him!!!

Summer at a glance...Part 3

Part 3 brings us to July...and of course I am starting off with the 4th of July! We had one of our favorite days here this 4th of July. We started off by going to the Victor parade...which was awesome! Seriously, best parade of my life! It was simple, fun and like stepping back in time. The kids were all lined on the street catching candy, the firetrucks were sounding their sirens, plenty of old cars and trucks...and of course, horse poop! What is a parade without horse poop? Jake loved catching the candy and even got a popsicle for he and his brother. I think that was Gray's favorite part of the parade. If anyone could see behind my dark shades, they would have seen a misty eyed Mom watching as her boys enjoyed that parade. I log that one in my memory of things to hold on to!

After the parade we were ready for lunch and Brad knew just what he wanted...PORK! The Knotty Pine was having an all day concert and he wanted to try the BBQ Pork Sandwich. I was in the mood for a hot dog (oh yeah...we still had not started P90X...that didn't happen until the following Monday) so I grabbed a North Carolina Dog and joined Brad and Jake. Gray was snoozing in the stroller...quite a busy morning for him. After lunch, we cruised around the park a bit and then headed over the Jackson to meet up with the d'Arge family for a little cookout and playtime....

Jake and Tess running thru the pop jets at the village!

Jake awaits more candy from the parade (that's him in the jean jacket)!

Gray enjoys the popsicle from the parade!

Who's that high flying artist??? That would be my big boy Jake enjoying the trampoline at the village. Arielle, Alena and Jake were all flying high...Gray liked his feet on the ground, for once.

After our big play time at the village, we headed back to the d'Arge home for a cook out and fireworks. What a spectacular show!!!! Thank you to Tess, Ranyon and the girls for sharing their 4th with us. Good friends and Good times.

Summer at a glance...Part 2

The month of June feels like a blur to me. We have been so busy getting the business set up that I feel like it just passed me by and I didn't enjoy it...thank goodness for pictures to remind us, right? Two very important events happened in June...Father's Day and Brad's Birthday.

For Brad's Birthday we ended up enjoying a nice supper at Snake River Brewery. It is one of his favorites. And to top it off, Gray was EXCELLENT! Any parent with children (especially under the age of 3) can appreciate a well behaved child at a restaurant. We don't eat out very often...we cook almost every single meal at home...but this was a special occasion and Gray rewarded us!

On Father's Day, we all headed to the pond and Jake and Brad caught dinner. Delicious Idaho trout...yumm! It was such joy to me to watch the boys in action. This was quite a tribute to my Dad. I know he was smiling down from his cloud saying, "Atta Boy Jake...reel it in...not too fast...nice catch little man". Poppa Chuck would have loved that moment...as did I.

Summer at a glance...

I decided to go through our pictures and pick out some of our favorite moments thus far this summer....

For us Southern folk, we are use to a Memorial Weekend filled with cookouts, warm weather, shorts and flip flops. Well, this was our first Memorial Weekend where my husband actually skied!!! Yes, you heard me correctly. He and Ranyon skied on Memorial Day. What a rush for him! The boys and I rode the Tram up with Tess's family and the men skied down and met us at the base. We had a great day.

With Spring brings fishing...and we all know Brad certainly loves to fish. So one Sunday afternoon, I was in the mood for a drive so we all loaded up and headed to Henry's Fork where Brad loves to fish. The drive was beautiful of course, but what I loved most about this trip...FROSTOP! This place served the absolute BEST corndogs EVER!!! This was prior to starting P90X but boy what I wouldn't give for one right now. And the fries...oh the fries...dear Heaven those things were cooked to perfection. I promise, once we have completed P90X, we will be rewarded with a corndog and fries.

Did you think I forgot about you????

Wow...what can I say, I am quite embarrassed that I have not blogged on our "Family" site for so long. I was looking at my friend Dawn's blog and it made me want to start sharing our adventures with all of you again. I am truly sorry it has taken me so long to post a new blog but we have been quite busy the last few months. Here are a few things that have been going on in our lives:

April and May: The boys and I flew to KY for a nice long visit and Brad met up with us a little later. He and Jackson (our almost 14 year old dog) drove in. While in KY, we had a family weekend getaway with my family to Gatlinburg, TN. Christy, Jeff and Charly (my sister and family) had picked the boys and I up at the Louisville airport and we spent the next couple of days hiding out in Lexington. On Friday, we surprised the folks at the cabin in TN...what a shock to them. I wish you could have seen the look on their faces when we came walking around the back side of the cabin where they were all looking around. My Mom had an out of body experience...it was priceless. She didn't know if she should hug us afraid we were just her imagination. Dan, in true Papa fashion as I love so much, was misty eyed to say the least. He and Aunt Jenny both stood on the stairs with wet faces! To their knowledge, we were to arrive in Louisa the following week. It was a perfect surprise. Now...that's about the end of the good part of our TN vacation. What, you may ask??? Well, about 2 hours post arrival, Gray and I started feeling rough...and by rough, I mean the most hideous stomach virus I have ever witnessed in my life! Gray started throwing up at about 10pm and I was about 30 minutes behind him. Once it started there was nothing that stopped this evil bug...poor Gray was up ALL night long (literally) dry heaving. I just propped him up on my chest and we spent the night on the sheet covered couch with lots of towels under us!I have never felt so helpless as a Mom. I couldn't make him better. The next day was a little better for me(aside from not eating anything for 2 days) but not for Gray, he continued to be sick for 6 straight days! We saw Dr. Chad in Louisa when we got back and he helped! Thanks Chad!!! Anyway, to finish on this...this bug went thru Mom, Dan and Jake at the cabin then in Louisa it hit several more...everyone in our path pretty much!

So the next exciting event happened on April 28...my nephew Beau Hudson Blair was born. I can't tell you how happy I was that Jake and I got to share this blessed event with Kelli, Brian and Brylee. Waiting in the lobby with all the family may not sound exciting to many, but to a girl who misses her family...it was a real joy! Beau was perfect! Every birth is a true miracle!!! I miss my nieces and nephew so much my heart aches. If I were there, I would be spoiling them rotten!!!

OK, I see this could take forever so I will just sum up the rest in a short list:
*Lots of Family Visits
*Jacob and Megan's Wedding
*Jake's first boat ride (his Daddy and PopPop took him to Yatesville)
*Brad and I spent a weekend without boys in Lexington
*Party with friends at Christy and Jeff's house (so happy to see Kevin and Laura)
*Shelby's play (she's a real star with a lovely voice)
*Jake's first limo ride (thanks to Mimi's school)
*Turner's Follies (great show)
*A few of Chandler's baseball games
*A couple of Brylee's soccer games
*Lots of eating...too much eating (Giovanni's, Dee's, Little Caesar's, KFC...not to mention the home cooked food from Mimi, PopPop and Grandmother, Momma O)

Ok, so basically that was Kentucky. It was really difficult leaving everyone but we made it back to Victor safely by the middle of May. On our way back we spent one of our nights in Laramie where we got to see the University of Wyoming and Jake got his picture made at the football stadium.

Since coming back we have been very busy getting our new business off the ground. http://www.sillyandsweetbabyboutique.com/ was announced in June. This was something we have wanted to do for a very long time and we are so excited to have finally taken that giant step. We still have so much work to do and are making great strides, but just as any new business goes, it is a slow process taking off.

As for our adventures here this summer...stay tuned to the next blog (which will be very soon I promise) for pictures and details of our adventures out West!