7-30-09 Thursday

It rained practically all day and Jaydon was needing to get some fresh air. So I put his raincoat on him, but could only find 1 rainboot, so he wore a sandal on the other foot. He got my mail and then decided to stay inside until the rain stopped. Good idea buddy!

7-27-09 to 7-29-09 Monday to Wednesday

7-29 Wednesday: I made 26 breakfast burritos for our trip to Big Mac. We are meeting our friends, Tiensvolds and Boeselagers, for our 2nd annual trip to the lake. I can't wait.

7-28 Tuesday: I'm learning how to use Photoshop Elements software to digitally enhance photos. Love this picture of Cassie. I'm hoping to put a lot of new, neat stuff on the blog.

7-27 Monday: As I left Josh in Crawford, he was already digging in and getting busy. He looks the part, in the cap and apron, while pattying hamburgers.

7-24-09 to 7-26-09 Friday to Sunday

7-26 Sunday: These 2 elk made their way to Hay Springs and were next to dad's hay field. They were pretty nervous about us checking them out.

7-25 Saturday: Mom, Dad, Josh, Jared, Jaydon, and I went for a little drive one evening and since only 3 of us could ride in the cab, Mom, Jared, Jaydon and the dog rode in the back of the pick-up. The rode was a little dusty.

7-24 Friday: Dad made sure to cut the grass in front of their house so the boys could play a little pasture golf. Jared can really hit the ball. Jaydon is right-handed but swings a golf club and baseball bat left-handed.

7-21-09 to 7-23-09 Tuesday to Thursday

7-23 Thursday: Jared had his best friend, Luke, to the ranch to spend the night. Josh went to Chadron to stay with Logan. So I took Jared and Luke to a pond fishing and they caught 9 bass. Jaydon didn't want to go along because he was cutting hay with Papa.

7-22 Wednesday: Dad and I took the boys to the pond to fish and this is how tall the weeds were. Jaydon kept saying we were walking through a forest...I guess we were!

I'm so glad to be in Nebraska again this year at the same time as last year. Grandpa passed away 1 year ago today. We had a big breakfast a Grandma's house and talked about AJ. Doesn't seem like a year has passed...miss you grandpa!

7-21 Tuesday: Dad kept stacking hay bales and we (Josh, Jaydon, and me) played a little hay bale tag! Wow did that bring back the memories...and awareness of how out of shape I am.

7-17-09 to 7-20-09 Friday to Monday

7-20 Monday: Jaydon has a tractor fascination at the farm. Papa took him for a ride on the old Mini and rake some hay. Jaydon loved it and played on that Mini while we were back.

7-19 Sunday: I took this from our bedroom window. It even looks better from above.

7-18 Saturday: We spent the day at the lake again, water skiing and swimming. We are all loving our time together.

7-17 Friday: This was Corey's Friday off, so we went to the lake. Sure is nice having him home every other Friday. We've really been using our lake permit this year.

7-13-09 to 7-16-09 Mon to Thurs

7-16 Thursday: Thank goodness for Craig's List. I found this captain's bed for Josh with a matching desk for only $150. Brand new the bed alone is over $700. He loves it and so do his brothers. They each want one for their rooms too. Guess I'll keep watching Craig's list for another good deal.

7-15 Wednesday: We got the lattice up and worked the vines through it. Nice shade and a little different look for not a lot of money!

7-14 Tuesday: I had salad from the garden. Fresh lettuce, cucumber, and finally a ripe tomato. It was delicious.

7-13 Monday: I put those boys to work staining that lattice. Builds character!!!

7-9-09 to 7-12-09 Thurs to Sun

7-12 Sunday: A nice day at the lake. This is the first time Jaydon has swam in the lake. He's always been a little scared to get in with his life jacket. Now he is jumping off the boat and really having a good time.

7-11 Saturday: 6 pieces of cedar lattice to stain and put on top of the pergola for shade and to support the vines.

7-10 Friday: After a long week of swimming lessons and playing hard, this is what Friday morning looked like. The boys cuddled up on the couch watching some toons.

7-9 Thurs: They begged me to have a sleep over in Josh's room. This is what it looked like the next morning.

Cooling off in the lake

Lake time

7-6-09 to 7-8-09 Monday to Wednesday

Monday: All 3 boys started swimming lessons today. We were so busy last summer, they didn't get a chance to take lessons. So they might be a little behind but they're kids. They catch on quickly and enjoy going to the pool everyday. This is Jaydon's first crack at lessons and he seems to be enjoying them.

Tuesday: So while the kids are in lessons, I have 25 minutes of me time. I catch up on a little reading and get motivated again.

Wednesday: Jaydon is relaxing a lot more today and trusting his teacher. Of course he is having a hard time listening, it's just too tempting to swim around when he's supposed to be sitting on the step.

7-5-09

Not even home for 24 hours from Yellowstone and Corey hooked the boat to the camper and took it for a trial run. We are pulling it all to Big Mac in August and he wanted to make sure it was the right length and the pick-up could handle it. Looks like we are good to go.

July 4th

Paul's stash of fireworks. Think we'll have enough??? We shot off fireworks until midnight and he still had a box left.

Yellowstone Vacation Day 7

We were so sad to leave Yellowstone. It's such a wonderful place and we (all 5 of us) had a great time there! We stopped to check everything over and take one last picture of Yellowstone lake. We stopped at the South Entrance to the park to take a few pictures and lucked out seeing this grizzly bear on an island in the middle of the river. We were so excited!! Our plan was to spend a few short hours at the Colter Bay visitor center in Grand Teton National Park and do some hiking on the shores of Jackson Lake. As we started our hike, we passed the marina and Corey decided to rent a motor boat for 2 hours and really see the lake. It was a great idea!!! We had so much fun on that little boat and saw spectacular views. Everyone took a turn driving the boat and enjoying the water. We didn't see wildlife from the boat, but we certainly were not disappointed with the views. The water was calm, like glass, and very relaxing. We left the Tetons wishing we had camped there for 1 night. Instead, we headed to Lander and camped with our good friends and neighbors, Tim and Narda McClain. They were on their way to Yellowstone, so we shared some of our stories and handed off maps. Narda even brought strawberry shortcake...YUM!!! Sadly, another great vacation was over and we made it home safely and back to reality.

Oh, I almost forgot the favorite parts of the day:

Corey: leaning over the edge of the boat and letting his fingers glide through the water while watching Jared drive the boat.

Josh: seeing the grizzly bear

Jared: driving the boat

Jaydon: the boat ride on Jackson Lake

Me: Looking at the Tetons from the boat

Yellowstone Vacation Day 6

Haydon Valley

Hayden Valley: Corey loved this part of the park. There are always wildlife in this lush valley and the beautiful view of the mountains.

On our way to Tower/Roosevelt area we had to drive over Mount Washburn and a morning storm had just dropped rain and was moving on. It was a little chilly and the dark cloud left a sense of calmness on the mountain. The steam from a thermal feature is rising in the background. As we headed toward mammoth, we saw a petrified redwood tree and another beautiful river cutting through a canyon and valley. When we pulled into Mammoth, there was a small herd of elk with their new babies grazing in this picnicing area. So we decided to eat with the elk. The kids loved it and the elk didn't seem to mind. After our lunch, the boys took their completed Jr. Ranger packets to the visitor center and received their Jr. Ranger patches. It was such a great program for them to do and we all learned a lot. Way to go, Jr. Rangers!!!

We saw this black bear outside of mammoth. At first we weren't sure if it was a black bear or grizzly, but the boys learned the difference and said the griz has a hump at his shoulders and a dip in his nose. This bear had no hump and a straight nose, so even though he is brown...he is a black bear.The kids needed to burn off a little energy, so we let them climb around on the rocks below Sheepeater Cliff. It was neat to see how the lava rock had cooled in these columns. Every road in Yellowstone is surrounded by some sort of wildlife. Traffic is moving pretty slow and sometimes there is a wildlife (usually bison) traffic jam. While stopped for those in front of us to take pics of some elk, Jaydon spotted this buck laying in the grass next to our truck. Most of those in front of us, and even Corey, did not see it until Jaydon pointed it out. He even know it was an elk. I was impressed. The brink of the lower falls was breathtaking, and a little scary. The viewing platform was really close to the edge and you would feel the rumble and vibration of the water rushing over the edge. Oh, the power of nature!!!

Yellowstone Vacation Day 5

Day 5: Canyon and Lower Falls, Norris Geyser Basin, Brink of Upper Falls

Artists Point & view of Lower Falls

Mom and Dad's favorite part of the day: Lower falls were right behind us. We hiked the south rim trail and it took a good 2 hours. The kids did great and we all enjoyed the hike. The lower falls. WOW!!

Jaydons' favorite part of the day: Norris Geyser Basin

Josh and Jareds Favorite part of the day: Brink of the Upper Falls and a rainbow in the mist.

Looking over the edge of the falls.

Yellowstone Vacation Day 4

Day 4: Old Faithful & Madison We saw Old Faithful erupt 3 times and ate lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge, which is the largest wooden structure in the world. We then drove the Firehole lake route and Firehole Canyon route. We ended up at Madison Junction and listened to a Jr. Ranger program on the Myths of Yellowstone. Favorites: Jared: Sitting on a rock by the Firehole cascades. Mom: Eating lunch @ Old Faithful Lodge where Jared tried trout for the 1st time.

Dad & Josh: Seeing Old Faithful blow

Jaydon: watching the geyser blow and the water fun off

The boys dipped their heads into the Firehole river at a calm spot. Goofballs!