UNwelcome Visitor

We just love our new neighborhood nestled up on a hill surrounded by fields with incredible mountain views.  But apparently such luxury comes with a price.  A scaly, poisonous price.  While walking Freya (15 weeks) after dusk the other night, Jordan and I walked past this guy soaking up the last of the day's heat on the road: 

That would be a prairie rattlesnake.  Um, NO THANK YOU!  Jordan killed it, and we've duly warned all of our neighbors who walk their dogs in the area to be cautious.  On the bright side, we now have a cool snake rattle to add to our collection of natural wonders.  But to be honest, it's something I could have definitely done without!

Welcome Visitors

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We were so excited to be able to spend a few days with my folks, who drove up from Arizona for an all-too-brief visit.  

 

It was great to be able to relax and enjoy each other's company.  We went into town a few times to visit King's Saddlery Museum, to shop and to enjoy ice cream in Kendrick Park.  Of course we drove up into the mountains one day.  We were grateful for a good day with the wind blowing the smoke away from us for a change.  We could see most of the mountain peaks, and Thane & Dad were able to spend some time fly fishing.

 

 

Back at home, the kids spent time working on their golf skills in the back field.  Even Mom took a stab at it!

One night we celebrated Dad's birthday.  It's always such a treat to be together for these occasions! Sadly, Dad and Mom are on their way back home.  Until we meet again!

Freya

Meet Freya, our new puppy.  A wire haired pointing griffon, Freya is officially supposed to be Jordan's bird hunting buddy.  But don't let him fool you, she is very much a family dog!

The kids are in their glory working on such skills as potty training, manners and playing fetch.  Fetch is going great;  as to the others...  let's just say it's a work in progress.

Freya's only been with us for a 3 days, but we are already smitten.  Love at first sight for sure!

Lake Life Is the Best Life

This year we were super happy to spend a week at the family cabin in Minnesota.  Jordan's Aunt and Uncle are such wonderful hosts, and we were once again spoiled rotten!  We did all of the usual things that make our time in this special spot so tranquil:  swimming, boating and, of course, fishing.

We took the kids to the fun park where they tackled Ninja warrior-style obstacles, go-carted and had epic water balloon fights.  After we visited the best candy store in town.

One night we were treated to a huge family-style dinner at an old logging camp.  Ribs, ham steaks, roast beef, baked beans, cole slaw, macaroni salad, rolls, cornbread, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pickles and donuts.  It was a FEAST.

As much fun as all of these events (and more!) were, the best part of the week was hanging out with the fam.  The fun and laughter is the thing that we find most memorable. 

Thanks for a fabulous week.  We're already making plans for next year!

Cowboy Luke

On our last morning in Yellowstone the kids and I packed up and drove straight to the airport in Billings, Montana, to pick up my sister and nephew Lucas.  We had a wonderful visit with Kim and Lukie, who was thrilled to be in cowboy country.

The kids played around the house, in the hotel pool, outside our home and in all 4 corners of the park.  We also went to a book carnival that our library sponsored.  

The weekend was over far to soon, and we are all missing our Arizona family a lot more these days.  Hoping to see you all again in the not too distant future!

Yellowstone Fun

As everyone knows, a trip to Wyoming is never complete without a visit to Yellowstone.  So the Yorks packed up their luggage and invited the kids and I along to the park for a few days.  After a brief visit to the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, we spent a long day and a half driving around the park loops.  On our first evening we watched Old Faithful erupt, and then headed over to the Grand Prismatic Spring.  The bad news is that we couldn't see the spring due to the freezing torrential rain that hit the scalding hot water which caused a fog cover that was thicker than pea soup.  But the good news is that we caught the gorgeous rainbow at the end of the storm.

The next day we drove another loop where we saw loads of buffalo, a petrified tree and the moonscape-like Mammoth Hot Springs.

And while I'm sure that the kids all enjoyed different aspects of the park, the one thing that they will all remember quite vividly will be our sleeping accommodations.

Yep, those are teepees anchored right along the Shoshone River.  Short on electricity and indoor plumbing, but long on adventure, these were the perfect places to reminisce about our days exploring the wild west.

Meanwhile, Up in the Mountains

 

While we girls were living our best life, the boys were definitely roughing it up in the mountains.  Jordan, Thane, Keith, Liam and Barrett hiked into our camping spot for an overnight adventure.  They had a grand time until everyone came down with a nasty summer cold.  Despite the short excursion, the boys had a wonderful time together.

Until the next time, I'm fairly certain that Liam and Thane will both be dreaming of their next camping escapade.