Teton National Park

We had a fun day trip to beautiful Teton National Park! We can see the Grand Tetons from our back yard...and this is what is on the other side!! We are kind of on a canoe kick right now, I guess. We canoed String Lake, then portaged for 100 yards, then paddled around Leigh lake. It's really cool because you can only get to it by foot. No motorized anything.



Spencer and Lindsey had fun together. What a gorgeous back drop! This is String Lake with the Grand Tetons in the background.


They were beaming with pride as they came to the shore- they were able to steer themselves around the lake a few times and return to shore.

Kami collected a bag of beautiful rocks she was very proud of. She even slept with them last night.

This is Leigh Lake with Mt. Moran in the background. We can see this mountain from our back yard, too...now we know whats on the other side of it! Spencer had some canoeing lessons from Ryan, and learned how to be in the back steering the boat. He had to jump out of the canoe into icy deep water...it took him a lot of courage!

This is the life!

Dallin LOVED the water. I kept putting him up onto the sand, and he kept crawling out into the water.

Fun times...Ryan got so many comments on his beautiful....no, not family, not wife, but his canoe!! It is pretty compared to all the others out there! (he made it in high school)

Climbing at Heise

On Monday we took the kids climbing down to "the rock" at Heise. The same rock Ryan would hitchhike out to with his buddies Jason and Jeff while they were going to Ricks, oh so long ago. Who knew he'd be back in a few years, with a bit more belly, a little less hair, 5 kids, and a teacher of those crazy college students.

The kids climbed "pigeon's crack". It was a crevis with a nest up top, and lots of bird poop. The deal was that they had to climb to a certain point on the wall where there was a big rock, and if they touched it, they'd get to pick any icecream treat at the "Backyard", a Frozen Custard place in town. Spencer and I made it. The other kids were close, but only got a normal ice cream cone.

August

Ryan started out the month taking the scouts on their big backpacking trip of the year. They went to the White Clouds in Idaho, and had a lot o fun.


Last summer it was tee pees, this year it has been cabins. Every day after their morning of chores were over, the kids and their best neighborhood friends would race out to the back yard to work on their cabins. The girls and boys each built their own. They spent hours hammering and working together. When they were finished, they had fun decorating with old things I didn't need anymore...rugs, chairs, pictures, a clock. They even painted their own welcome sign. One day last week there was a really bad wind storm. Lindsey's cabin blew over, and their work was demolished in just minutes! The boys made sure the girls were aware that their cabin was sturdier, and didn't collapse.



Happy First Birthday to Dallin! He turned 1 year old on Aug. 21st. We got him this little car, and he LOVES it!!


Friday evening we went canoeing on the snake river. We went about 9 miles... it was tons of fun...we saw 3 beavers, an eagle, a moose, lots of birds, and some sort of crane looking bird.

CHOCOLATE keeps me happy in my uncomfortable life jacket that I hate wearing!


Ryans new thing is "slack lining" at the park. The kids think it is pretty fun too. I tried it once but fell off and hurt my toe! That was enough for me!



Budding percussionist