Bear World and Shopping in West Yellowstone: Friday, 6-12

Originally, Friday was going to be a lazy day in Big Sky, but after realizing that there's not much to do there and we all go stir crazy at the condo, it was back to Yellowstone to see some bears. We weren't able to see any in the wild, therefore, decided to settle for seeing the ones at Bear World. It was a great way to spend the morning for us and for the kids. The bears are huge!! The largest one there, Sam, weighs 1000 pounds and he was pushing around a 400 pound garbage bin like it was a tiny little ant! Again, something with so much power! Makes me kind of glad we didn't see one in the wild - he would have played with our van like it was a stuffed animal.

We ventured into the gift shop, of course, and got a picture on the big bear couch and looked around. I found my new favorite hat there and Ethan loved the play tee-pee that they had set up. After Bear World it was time for everyone to get something to eat. We went to a place called The Outpost Restaurant. Having full bellies helped make the little bit of shopping that we did a bit more enjoyable. Ethan found a candy machine in one of the shops (you know, the kind that has several candies to choose from, you put a quarter in, turn the knob and out comes your candy), but it was out of order. But that didn't deter him. Everyone else was looking for something (souvenirs, sweatshirts, etc) so Ethan was looking for candy. Looked in each and every store and then hit the jackpot! His very own store that was nothing BUT candy! He had a blast in there, and so did the rest of us. Mom got some toffee, Rick got some jelly beans, and Ethan and Trevor got a sucker. It was a great end to our time in Yellowstone and Ethan loved his sucker so much that he never put it down while on our hour drive back to Big Sky.

Once back in Big Sky we did a little bit more shopping and then ventured back to the park so Ethan could play hoops (he'd been asking every day since we were there on Monday). It really was a great ending to the vacation before we had to start packing things up to leave. Ethan had a blast playing ball and trying to make it in the hoop over Grandpa. Trevor just wanted to play on the playground so that's where he and I went. After that, it was back to the condo for a nice dinner and packing up.

Grand Canyone of Yellowstone & Mammoth Hot Springs: Thursday, 6-11

So, I've lost the notebook that had all my notes in it regarding the trip. From here on out it's just from memory (so will probably be a bit less detailed). But here it is as I remember it....

Thursday was our waterfall day! We hyped it up for the kids so they would be excited about it and to be honest we (the adults) were excited to see them. So, as we did on Tuesday, we packed it up early from the condo and headed back to Yellowstone National Park. Our first stop was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We've heard it's just beautiful and we weren't disappointed.

We started at "Artist Point" -- amazing! The waterfall, the canyon and how it opens up... just amazing that something so beautiful can be carved out of the mountains. Ethan didn't think this was very cool, however. There was nothing to touch, no trail to go on, and we weren't very close to the waterfall. Trevor liked it and thought the water was pretty cool. We got our typical photo ops taken care of and then it was off to the next waterfall.

The view of Upper Falls was a bit better for the kids being that they could walk and not have mom and dad saying, "Get over here..." 20 times over. But again, we weren't very close to it so we didn't stay too long. We went to the top of the Upper Falls and that was AMAZING. The power of water is astonishing. It was loud! Here's a little snippet of what we heard while standing there...


Following this we were going to stop off at a picnic area and eat some lunch; however, the kids fell asleep so we drove to Mammoth Hot Springs. Once there, we ate lunch and then walked around the boardwalks and up the steps. and more steps, and more steps! Rick carried Ethan, Dad carried the stroller, I carried Trevor, and mom got the backpacks and extras. I won't lie... we were all a bit pooped when we got up to the top and were happy that the scenery was worth looking at for a bit. Coming down was much much easier. We decided to go look around in the gift shop where my mom found some great stuffed animals (buffalo) and bought one for Trevor and Jackson (my nephew). They are so soft!! And my dad - well he found a cool new hat (you'll see it in the slide show). He liked it so very much, but decided to leave it for some other lucky tourist. Since the gift shop had a little ice cream parlor we, of course, needed to get some for a treat. We found a great green space across the road that had some picnic tables so sat there for a bit. The kids LOVE it! They ate their ice cream and then ran and ran and ran, but were careful not to step in the buffalo poop that was laying around! Trevor made sure to tell us that he was being careful many many times during this part of the day.

During our down time, Ethan and Rick were running/racing together and at one point Ethan said, "Grandpa, come on, you have to race too!" Grandpa tried to get out of it, but Ethan wouldn't give up. So, Grandpa, being as wonderful as he is, got up and was ready to race. As soon as he stood up Ethan said, "Ok, Grandpa, now you're going to race my daddy." We all busted out laughing! Grandpa didn't think that was very fair, but the race must go on....

Race #1 - Ethan and Rick racing .... thankfully Ethan didn't face-plant into one of those "piles" I mentioned earlier.


Race #2 - Ethan sending off Grandpa and Rick....

The green space was a wonderful break for us all, but afterwards it was time to get back in the car and head back to the condo. Since we were on the northern end of the park we decided to take a new way home and go out the north entrance and head back to Big Sky that way. I'm so glad we did because for one we got to see new scenery and two, we were able to see the original entrance to the park with the huge "welcoming gate". I'm not really sure what to call it, but it was neat to see. I especially love what it says on the top..."For the benefit and enjoyment of the people". I just love that... so much land and so many beautiful animals and things to see and it was built FOR the PEOPLE so many years ago! Thank you for keeping the beautiful land just that - amazingly beautiful!

(sorry about the huge captions in this slideshow... couldn't get them smaller for some reason)

Send off for the Gunnell's

Our good friends, the Gunnell's, left for their new home in WI on Saturday. The packing and moving of their stuff was kind of crazy (and unpredictable) with the schedule not being accurate from the moving company and all 4 boys being sick at the time. Due to those circumstances, we didn't get to have any playdates with them the week of their move. So, in order to say good-bye before they hopped on the plane Saturday, we and the Nowak family went out to breakfast with them. Imagine this..... at the IHOP. 5 adults. 8 kids. Ages 5 and under. (oh and another one on the way).

The waitress was amazing and all the kids did very well, too!! Thanks for meeting with all of us before leaving, Gunnell family. It was great to see you even if just for a little while! We'll miss you....

Ousel Falls @ Big Sky - Wednesday, 6-10

After such a long day in Yellowstone on Tuesday, Wednesday was a stick around Big Sky day. There was no rush to the morning routine. We decided to do a local hike to Ousel Falls. So we packed up some snacks and something to drink for everyone and away we went.

Trevor was much more exited to ride in the pack this day compared to Tuesday - and I have to say that I bet Rick was happier to have him on his back today rather than on the puking day! Isn't that just a wonderful image to put in your head - a sick kid in a pack on your back... not something I would wish on anyone. Thankfully, though, Trevor was feeling much better this day and we didn't have to worry about that. Ethan walked most of the way and did a great job. It was a tough little walk for him. Up and down and up some more. But we went slow and everyone made it there and back. The falls were beautiful! It always amazes me how these huge waterfalls can be tucked away in the woods and you'd never know they were there if someone didn't tell you about them. It was a great sight to see and I'm so glad that we did it. You'll notice that Ethan was not in the picture mode at this time. He was hungry and his legs were tired so he was a bit cranky! One great moment of the hike was when Trevor wanted to get out of the pack and walk for a bit. Not normally a big deal, but for us, as you've read before, there are these moments when we just look at him and say, "Thank you, Lord!" for all that he can do. Here he was, hiking up the trail with me and it was an uphill portion of it!! He got a bit tired by the end, but he did it!

After we made it back to the trail head, we had a little picnic with all the snacks we brought. However, it was a bit chilly when you weren't walking so we quick ate, drove around a bit to see some of the scenery (ok, not really scenery, Rick likes to go on what I call "boon-doggles" to look at the monstrous houses in a given area -- that's what we drove around to see), and then decided to do a late lunch (my mom's suggestion). We found this neat little place at one of the other resorts. It was called Huckleberry Cafe. It was such a neat atmosphere. Bikes hanging from the ceiling. All kinds of old-school toys on the window ledges. And great food! The kids had a blast just looking around and Ethan's favorite part was the men's restroom. He went in there on his own (it was a small little restaurant) and came back to the table all excited about how it was decorated. He said, "Dad, Dad... you've got to come in here. It's SO cool!" and he must have said that about 5 times over. Come to find out, they had all kinds of glow in the dark stickers on the walls and ceiling. And there are no windows in the bathroom so when you turn off the light you can see all the stickers! He thought it was the coolest thing... cool enough he even wanted to show Trevor!

Following lunch it was time for naps. We got the kids down and then my dad and Rick also took a nap because my mom and I left them. We went shopping up at the little shops on the resort, but it was nice. I found a neat vest (thanks Mom) and then we window shopped at the jewelry store there! Oh my, oh my. Some beautiful pieces and most of them sapphire of one color or another. And I LOVE sapphires so it was difficult to not try any of them on. But Mom tried on a necklace and it was gorgeous. A little too pricey, but fun to try on nonetheless!

Once back in the condo we all just kind of hung out and after the boys woke up we let them play at the little playground up by the shops. We ventured back to the condo after playing and gave the boys a light dinner, but the adults didn't even eat a real dinner since we all had such a big lunch later in the day. We watched Mr. Beaver and had a lazy evening. All in all, it was a good day, we just wished there would have been a bit more to do right in Big Sky.

Hangin' With Daddy

This picture says it all... they really missed their daddy the last 2 weeks!

I Love a Rainy Night....

(or a rainy day). I just love my new rain boots that Grandma and Grandpa bought me on vacation. I couldn't wait to wear them when we got back home. I was so glad that it rained just a couple days after being back home. My mom didn't even have to tell me to get my shoes on the morning that it was raining. I got dressed, immediately put on my rainboots, and was ready for school! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, I can't wait to wear them more this summer!

Fairy Tale Ball

This week, actually I think it's been the last 2 weeks, at Ethan's school (All About Kids) they were learning about the fairy tales and everything that goes along with them. As a finale to the chapter they have a Fairy Tale Ball. The kids come dressed up in their favorite fairy tale character (a princess, a prince, a knight, a villain, etc). The excitement the kids had about the days leading up the ball was very fun to see. They were excited to dress up, have a dance and eat yummy food. All the necessary parts of a Fairy Tale Ball!

Now, being that I knew about this Fairy Tale Ball since the end of May, one would think I could have mustered up a costume for it. However, I was a bit preoccupied with Rick being out of town for interviews, the mind boggling thoughts of having a potential move in our near future and a trip out to Big Sky, Montana that I had to get ready for. Needless to say, I didn't get a costume put together, but rather remembered that the Nowak's had a great Knight costume that Isaac wore just a few months before. Thankfully, Michelle was gracious enough to let me borrow the costume for Ethan's big Fairy Tale Ball.

He loved it. The minute he woke up today, he wanted to wear the costume. I told him he wasn't going to be wearing it for breakfast and that was ok, but he just HAD to wear something which led us to this scene early in the morning.

Once breakfast was done he was allowed to dress completely and was all smiles about his cool costume - and he was sure to tell everyone at school that it was is friend, Isaac's! (Thank God he still thinks it's cool to wear things from others.... I know there will come a time when he won't be able to wear things like that or even the same thing as another classmate/friend because it "won't be cool"!) But for now, it was the highlight of the day...

I was able to make it to school to see part of the Fairy Tale Ball in person. The kids were having a great time and it was fun to see all their costumes! Thank you Miss Diana, Miss Trina, and Miss Becky for doing such fun things with the children! (and thanks again, Nowak's for letting us borrow the costume!)

Can They Be Any More Different?

I've been comparing Ethan and Trevor lately. I will say that they have a lot of similarities; however, they have some completely opposite traits as well. Here's just a short run down of how different they can be...

Trev - wants sandwiches with only peanut butter
Ethan - wants sandwiches with only jelly

Trev - will scream if I try to put music on in his room at bedtime
Ethan - used to scream if I DIDN'T put music on at bedtime

Trev - will go play with the bunny next door before starting to play sports
Ethan - will play ANY sport at ANY time and only after he gets bored will he play with the bunny

Trev - such a picky eater - especially with veggies. Have to bribe him to get 1 little pea in his mouth!
Ethan - will eat almost anything (salads, cauliflower, etc)

Trev - loves to wear his "bucket" hat
Ethan - ONLY wants to wear a baseball hat (go figure)

Trev - favorite color is "red and orange and green and blue and purple...."
Ethan - favorite color is blue and only blue!

and last but not least...
Trev - RARELY falls asleep in the car (as was the case on our way up to Yellowstone)
Ethan - will fall asleep at the drop of a hat in the car (and has since he was an infant!)

Even though they are very different in some ways, they can be the sweetest most lovable boys a mom and dad could ever wish for! Thanks for your fun personalities boys!!!

Old Faithful @ Yellowstone - Tuesday, 6-9

Tuesday was our first day to Yellowstone. None of us had ever been there so we were pretty excited for what we were going to see. We got everyone up, had breakfast and had the van packed with snacks, lunch and what ever else we needed for the day by 8am. We even had hats and mittens packed since there was snow on the ground when we woke up!

We took the leisurely drive back down Hwy 91 to West Yellowstone and started our voyage in the park. Our destination today was Old Faithful and all the great things that are around it. We saw a bunch of buffalo and some elk on the way there. Trevor LOVED the buffalo and couldn't get enough of them. However, about 1/2 way to Old Faithful, Trevor got upset and wanted nothing to do with being in the car seat. He cried and he screamed and he cried some more. Nothing we could do would make him stop. We trudged on. Around 11:20am we got to Old Faithful and took our screaming child out of the car. He was so upset and beside himself that he just didn't know what to do.

We got into the Old Faithful area and saw that the "big show" was supposed to happen again in about 45 minutes so we decided to stay there to see it before going to get something to eat. Ethan wanted to know when it was going to happen... he waited and he waited and he waited. Then he met a little friend of a different nationality and they passed the time together laughing and making silly noises. It's amazing how kids are kids no matter what race, ethnicity or gender you are. I don't think they ever spoke a "real" word to each other, but they had a blast. Trevor on the other hand - he was not doing so hot. As we were sitting on the boardwalk waiting for Old Faithful to spout off her glory, he fell asleep in my arms. SO NOT LIKE TREVOR!! He ended up seeing the geyser go off around 12:55pm, but was not all that thrilled about it and then fell back to sleep.

We thought the geyser was impressive; however, not something that we'd have to go back and see again... one of those things that you can say you saw, but if you don't get back to see it again, it'll be ok. You've checked it off your list and continue with something else. Now I will admit - it was cool to see the power that the interior of Earth has to produce that large of a geyser. And my mom noticed that the water that was coming out of the geyser never pooled or anything at the base of it. It evaporated so quickly. That was a pretty cool observation!

After the Old Faithful show, it was time to eat lunch at the Old Faithful Inn. Great -- Trevor will perk up now. He loves to eat!! WRONG! He wanted nothing to do with lunch. Didn't want to eat. Didn't want to drink. Nothing. He just laid in my arms and went in and out of sleeping. He woke up one time saying, "My 'tomach' hurts." Not really making anything of it, I just let him fall back to sleep. Unfortunately I didn't know that I should have been covering myself with huge towel to catch all the vomit that he decided to put on himself and me a few minutes later. Great. Among all the things that I did pack into the van (spring & winter coats, hats, mittens, snacks galor, books, medicine, band-aids, etc) I, of course, did NOT pack an extra pair of clothes for Trevor or me.

So, I'm sitting at the table with Trevor, my mom and my dad. Ethan and Rick went potty a few minutes earlier. I have no towel... just the few wipes that I should have needed for diaper changes that day. No extra clothes either. So, I pick up Trevor - not moving him in order to keep the "stuff" pooled where it was rather than dropping it all over the floor, and walk to the nearest bathroom. My dad went to the front desk to get some towels or something and my mom stayed to let Rick know where we went. Thankfully, Trevor and I both had a sweatshirt over our t-shirts so we just took one layer off and were dry/clean underneath. Trevor's pants were soaked, but I did the best I could to clean him off. Being that it was very chilly out going in a diaper was not an option so he had to stay in the wet pants. Fortunately, (and this may be too much information) he had had some licorice earlier and that was a saving grace because that is what he now smelled like! Not the normal "nasty" smell that you typically have after throwing up! We ventured to the gift shops to see if there were some sweatpants or something for him, but found nothing. After getting sick 2 more times (in a bathroom as I was changing his diaper, thankfully), it was time to pack it up. I felt so bad for the little guy, but on the selfish side, I was really disappointed that we didn't get to walk around to all the other sights around Old Faithful - Sapphire Pool, the Paint Pots, etc. We were going to spend the whole day there, but that didn't happen.

We got back to the van and thought we should move Trevor's seat to the middle of the van rather than the way back where it was. First, just so I could be next to him with a towel in hand and also because we think that motion sickness might have been the culprit for his being sick. We then proceeded to drive the loop to West Thumb, The Canyons and Norris. We stopped at the Mud Volcano and walked the boardwalks there. Trevor was doing ok at this point and rode in the stroller. During the walk, Ethan informed us that he like the water geysers better because, "they don't put the stinky stuff in your nose!" He wasn't a fan of the sulphur smell at this attraction.


We stopped at the Canyons for dinner and were then going to head back for home. Trevor did get sick again (more like the dry heaves), but once he saw everyone's food, he wanted some too. He wanted apple juice and red jello like Ethan. We were hesitant to give it to him knowing that we had 2+ hours in the car yet, but if he was hungry, I didn't want to starve him. He did great with it and even kept it down! YEAH!! We continued on our way home and Trevor slept the entire way! He was just so wiped from all that had transpired and from the lack of a nap on Sunday. Once home (8pm), he wanted toast with peanut butter on it and scarfed it down before bedtime. He was feeling better and the return of his little laughs (which had been absent most of the day) told us that!

However, I do need to say that Trevor's sickness was not the only "fun" part of the day... I mentioned in my earlier post that we had several. 1 - was Trevor colliding with the toilet. 2 - Trevor blessing us with his vomit. 3 - Rick and Ethan almost got stuck in a bathroom due to a herd of buffalo making their way through the parking lot (see pictures). I yelled several times, "HURRY UP - They're coming!!" And 4 --- Rick decided that the van really was the BMW of minivans and got a little visit from Mr. Police Man as we were exiting the park. Literally, we were exiting the park, and the officer was sitting on the other side of the road just waiting for someone to come through going a bit too fast. The lucky one was Rick! He pulled him over (and Rick knew that he was going way too fast for the 25 mph speed limit that was posted) so it was no shock. Asked us where we were from, what we were doing, and of course, the "Do you know why I pulled you over, Sir?" question. Rick gave him the registration when asked; however, wasn't able to find the proof of insurance right away, so my dad, being the social guy he is, decided to start chit chatting with the officer telling him that we were on vacation, they had come to visit us all the way from Wisconsin, we were here for the week, etc. As Rick is still looking for the insurance, the Officer said, "I'll let you look for that, but I really hope you have it as the state law is that it must be in your car. If not, it's a minimum of $275 fine" (or something close to that). AGH!!! There goes our vacation fun! Officer went back to his car and came back a bit later, during which time, Rick did find the insurance card (whew). Much to our surprise this was a very nice officer... he gave Rick a written warning! No ticket! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Rick was very relieved along with the rest of us, but he made me drive back to Big Sky that night!

Big Sky Trip: Sunday 6-7 and Monday 6-8

This is the first of several posts chronicling our trip up to Montana in June. I wanted to get all of them out at the same time with pictures for each, but it's taking me way too long to get all of them done so I'm going to take one by one and just post them as I get them done. Enjoy

This summer, our big vacation was going to be with Rick's mom and dad to Big Sky, Montana. They were gracious enough to invite us along with them to a time-share that they had reserved for a week. We had been waiting for it for quite some time and were excited to have the time away. As happens many times, things didn't quite work out as we had planned. With the return of Cathy's cancer, she needed to go through treatment during the time of the vacation so they were unable to make the trip. However, instead of canceling the time-share, they transferred it to our name so we could still use it. We can not thank you enough, George and Cathy! We missed you terribly, but truly appreciate what you did for us!

With the change in plans, it ended up that my parents, who were going to visit later in the summer, came out to join us on the trip and keep us all in line! Not sure who was keeping who in line, but we were glad to have the company (and the extra hands) for the week.

Our journey to Big Sky, MT was supposed to begin on Monday morning; however, since the rainy, stormy weather cancelled the Hill Air Force Base Air Show on Sunday, we decided to start the trip that day instead of sitting in the house watching the rain drops hit the sidewalk. The kids were a bit confused. We said we weren't going to church, everyone was moving in different directions packing different things and they were trying to figure it all out. By 10:40am we were on our way out the door and officially ON VACATION! However, it wasn't long - only 11: 14am, to be exact - before Ethan asked "Are we at Yellowstone yet?" Oh boy... what a day this is going to be. After we told him it was a long drive and put in a movie, there were no more "are we there yets" being asked.

Around 12:30 we stopped for lunch and much to Ethan and Trevor's liking (and the rest of us, too), Grandpa bought ice cream after the nutritious McDonald's lunch. We were all freezing due to the outside temperatures, but of course we all finished the yummy treat. Thanks Grandpa!! Ethan was ready for a nap after lunch, but Trevor... he was like the Energizer Bunny. He never napped the whole trip. The whole 7 hours - not a wink of sleep. As we continued north the weather got colder and colder. Just before heading up to the resort, we stopped at a gas station for one last potty break and to fill the van up with gas. As Ethan got out of the van and started running to the door he exclaimed, "Daddy, I wish I had pants on!!" The weather was windy and a balmy 44 degrees! UGH.

After we got the keys for the condo we unpacked the van and then headed to get something to eat at a place called Choppers. The kids loved it. There were motorcycles right when you walked in and that was all they needed to see. The boys did great and Trevor's eyes were getting harder and harder to keep open! But he was a trooper and did well throughout dinner. Ethan had his normal cheeseburger and even tried a lemon. Didn't like the lemon so much, but his face after trying it gave us all a good laugh.

Bedtime lent itself to our first "fun event" (of which there are several on this trip). Upon walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth, Trevor slipped and went face first into the edge of the toilet. He hit it just at the corner of his left eye and he hit hard! Left a nice bump and a beautiful shiner for the rest of the week. Poor kid -- made it all day without the nap and then it had to end like that! But a little Motrin to cut the pounding headache I'm assuming he had and he was out for the night!

Whew... what a day. Good night!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday, June 8

Monday was just a lazy day! We couldn't sit at the pool or relax in the sun since it was SNOWING, windy and miserable!!!! So, we went for a little walk in the morning (after the snow stopped) to let the kids throw rocks in the pond and to get them out of the condo for a bit. We ventured to the grocery store and a near by park in the afternoon and then made homemade pizzas for dinner.

The weather was a bit more favorable after dinner so the boys (minus Trevor) went for a walk along the stream that was nearby. There were a couple beavers that had a hut in the middle of the pond outside the condo so we watched them for awhile to see what they were going to do. They actually provided entertainment several nights during the week. (That might sound kind of lame, but it was fun to watch them swim around and hope that they came ashore close by!) The rest of the night was a "normal night". Kids went down to sleep and the adults were able to chit chat and just enjoy being on vacation.

Off to Yellowstone National Park tomorrow...

Missouri Here We Come

I'm a bit delinquent in writing this post (along with the Yellowstone updates), but the title of the post is a little glimpse as to why I'm delinquent. Two weeks ago (just before leaving for Yellowstone), we found out that we will be creating a new home in Missouri later this summer. During the first week of June, Rick interviewed for and accepted a plant manager position at one of the manufacturing facilities in Missouri... so off we go.

After a week on vacation, it was time to come home to start the process of numerous phone calls every day, people coming in and out of the house (appraisals, inspections, movers, etc) and chaos! Rick is in the transition phase with work and is spending a lot of time out in Missouri while I am trying to keep all the appointments straight so I am at home when I need to be in order to make this move go as quickly and as smoothly as possible. It amazes me how things always work out no matter how crazy it seems as you go through it. This is just another one of those crazy times!

Even though we've told most everyone the news already, it's tough to write this post. On one hand, we are so excited about the fact that we will be closer to our family and can actually consider driving home rather than flying. Because of that fact, we will be able to get home for certain events that we didn't even consider going home for these past 3 years. However, opposite of that excitement is a lot of sadness. Sadness of leaving friends that we've made here. Friends that will be life long friends. Sadness of leaving the amazing scenery that God created here. Sadness of leaving a neighborhood we've come to love. Sadness of leaving a house that we love and that we've created many memories in and have had many laughs/tears in. Just a sadness of leaving what has been our home the last 3 years and having to create new memories, new friends, new home in a "foreign" place. Oh yeah - and a sadness of going to a place with 90% humidity and is part of the "Tornado Alley".

But on the brighter side of things, we are go grateful to those that we have met here and have become our family away from home. Had we never come to Utah, we would have missed out on meeting and becoming friends with some very special people. It's the friends that you make when away from home that either make or break your stay in a new place. Our friends here have definitely MADE our stay. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and it wouldn't have been possible without those around us. So, thank you. Thank you for opening your homes and your hearts to us and for becoming our friends. We love you all and will miss you so very much, but know our house (where ever the address may be) will ALWAYS be open to our friends and family!

When was the Fight?

Trevor is the little bruiser in our house lately. We've had a rough couple weeks with falling and hitting our head on things. First, it was his eye meeting the toilet while we were in Big Sky, MO (I know, I know, I still don't have those posts done, but I'll get to them, I promise!). He took a nasty fall which resulted in this look (and it got worse as the week went on).
Then, once back at home, he decided to take a face plant into the driveway cement as he was trying to run after Ethan. That additional wound has given him a look like this...
What a mess our little guy is! I'm just glad that we don't have pictures coming up anytime soon!

We're Back

We've been on vacation in Big Sky, MT and Yellowstone National Park! We just got back tonight and are getting back into the routine already! It was a great vacation and I was hoping to update the blog a few times while we were gone; however, the WiFi connections that we were supposed to have were not very nice to us while up there! So - that will be coming in the next few days. And boy oh boy do we have a lot of pictures and things to share!

Some of Our Buddies

While the dads are away, the children must play

(and the moms will just have to chat to pass the time away) (such a hard thing for us moms to do! yeah right...)

(L to R): Heck boys - Trevor and Ethan, Gunnell boys - Jackson, Cade, Walker (and Ty in the stroller behind) All age 5 and under.

Prayers for Recovery

Today marks the start of a long month for our family - my in-laws, specifically. Today, Rick's mom, Cathy, starts her final chemo treatment that will knock her immune system down to NOTHING, and then they will rebuild it with her stem cells that they recently harvested. It's a very long road right now... 6 days of chemo and then a couple weeks of rebuilding before she can come home. Even then, she will be limited in what she can do at home for a bit. I only wish that we were closer so I could help with things that needed to be done!

For me (and I'm sure the rest of the family as well), it's a scary thing to think of an immune system being brought down to zero! Very scary. But we have to have faith that the doctors know what they are doing (and we do), and have faith that she will pull out of this last treatment with flying colors and be cancer free for a very long time. We have that faith! But any of you reading this... please say a little prayer for her - extra prayers can never hurt!

Cathy, we are thinking of you by the minute and we know that you have the strength and determination to get through this. We love you and will talk to you very soon!!

Go Bumble Bees!

Today was a very exciting day for Ethan from the time he woke up at 6:30am. It was a day that he had been waiting for since the end of April when he went with Daddy to sign up for his very first t-ball team! Needless to say, it was an exciting day for me too because I got to finally say "Today - you get to play with your baseball team!" He has been so anxious and ready to play and today was his first game.

As I mentioned, at 6:30am he was up and at 'em getting dressed all on his own for his baseball game today. He put on his "sport shorts", his t-shirt, and his new socks that he says are "perfect for playing baseball and basketball". He had a great day and was ready to play at 6:30pm!

Once we got to the field we found Ethan's coach and he received his very own yellow shirt (hence the team name, "Bumble Bees") with a big number.... FOUR on it!! I think he could have left at that moment and been happy for the night. The number 4!! His favorite number (at this point time) because he's FOUR years old and of course, because that's Brett Favre's number! But we didn't leave, we stayed, and he also got his very own t-ball hat to go with his shirt.

It was so fun to see him playing and after explaining to him that he didn't need to tackle the other players in yellow to get the ball in the field, things went much better! He did a great job hitting the ball, too. The first one was a bit rough. He hit more of the T-stand than he did the ball so it went high up in the air, but not very far from the plate. The 2nd hit, on the other hand, was all ball and went flying! He was so excited to have hit it like he does in our yard and had the biggest smile on that sweet face of his! Way to go buddy.... now we just have to wait til the next game!

Some Things are Worth the $$$

You know how there are some things that are just better done by someone else even though you have to pay them to do it? Well, we recently figured out one of those things....replenishing 21 cubic yards of mulch in our yard. Yes... 21! Now, was it something that we could have done? Yes. However, with Rick's work schedule and 2 little munchkins running around, it would have taken us ALL summer to finish it. These guys, who also landscaped our entire backyard soon after we moved into this house, were able to finish it in just a couple of days. There were 3 men, 4 wheelbarrows and nonstop work for the time they were here. No stopping to get someone a toy out of the box. No stopping to make someone a snack. No stopping to put someone in time out. Just work time and a few breaks every now and then. We are so grateful for them -thank you for all your hard work!

So why did we need 21 yards of mulch?  

To go from this....

To this....

By using all of this... (yes the full pile took up that entire "dirty" area on the road.   Sorry neighbors for making it a one lane road for a few days!)