Is It Yellowstone or Jellystone National Park?

If you ask our kids they will tell you Jellystone because that was the standing joke all day.  We decided on a last minute, unplanned for, unprepared for trip to Yellowstone!  It was so much fun - I think partly due to the fact that we were flying by the seat of our pants and experiencing something new with little to no preparation!  We had some advice from my cousin and from my dad about must see things, etc. but that was about it.  

We were on a hunt for bears.  We were hoping to see this:

But instead, saw a lot of this:

Riley will tell you that the buffalo forgot to shave because that's what Andy kept trying to convince him of and Sissy will tell you about their poop because all she remembers is seeing one poop and now she understands why buffalo patties are so big!

We entered the park through the east gate with the plan of touring the park in a counterclockwise direction.  Our first stop was to check out some steam pots along the lake.  Riley was fascinated right away.  We had warned him about the smells so he'd be prepared...We told him it would smell a lot like Daddy's farts!

You can see in this photo below some of the remaining damage from forest fires.  It's amazing how the forest just reseeds itself over time.

There were so many questions from Riley all day...He was a sponge and absorbing everything we could tell him about the Earth's surface and crust.  Andy gave him the analogy of a tea pot and how when I use my tea pot to make the water hot, it steams and releases that steam out into the air.  It seemed to make sense to him, but he still had a bizillion questions!

Here is some of what we got to see while we were there...We didn't get to it all...saving some for a future trip.

This picture below basically looked like boiling mud!

Walking through here was like being in an outdoor sauna...kind of reminded me of Jax, but a lot more stinky!

Sissy refusing to walk

This guy was just laying over by the steam pot...free steam bath I guess.

This guy must have been getting a steam facial...

Doesn't it look like there could be a dragon inside there?

My climbers...

Monkey see, monkey do...

There was an older woman next to me who was freaking out over the fact that I let my kids climb the rocks...little does she know they are both good climbers and there was no way I was going to stop them.  They needed to get some energy out after driving around in the truck!

The summit - well, at least as far as mom and dad would let them go without spotting!

"Go home Mommy!" was what I was hearing during this shot...I think she just wanted to get back to her normal routine!

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

We hiked a trail that ran along the side of this canyon.  It was beautiful!

Kendall was so curious about what everyone was looking at so she had to see for herself

"Duckie water right there Momma!"

These pictures are from the Artist Paint Pots.  Aren't the colors incredible?

This reminded me of marble that should belong in someone's kitchen.  The colors were awesome!

The blue of this water made me want to go to the Caribbean!

This was a mini geyser compared to what we got to see later in the day.

"Thar' she blows" - Andy Chunko.  Old Faithful earned it's name by erupting right on time.  What an incredible sight.  We had fantastic seats and Riley was thrilled to see it in person.

On our way out of Yellowstone, we decided to drive through The Grand Teton National Park...it's on the way home so why not?  Talk about beautiful views.  

Can you imagine how gorgeous it would be first thing in the morning with the sunrise shining on it?  We're going to time our next trip that way.

Just breathtaking!  I think the Wasatch are gorgeous, but these just might edge them out!  The lake right next to it is the icing on the cake!

We drove into Jackson and stopped at the local Loaf & Jug (which is a minit market out in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, etc.)  They are owned by Kroger who also now owns our favorite Turkey Hill Dairy and Turkey Hill Minit Markets.  For all of those folks back in Dutch Country, that newest Turkey Hill symbol that we all think looks ridiculous on the stores, well, it's a Kroger symbol and all of their different minit markets have it.  Loaf & Jug carries Turkey Hill ice tea.  So I packed an empty cooler just so we could stock up on some ice tea for us and the Wiegands!  The odd thing is that Kroger owns one of the local grocery store chains here in the Salt Lake valley and they DON'T carry TH ice tea!  They sell it in Wyoming, where the population is MUCH smaller, but they don't sell it here.  They even advertise Turkey Hill ice tea on the local CBS station as well as have Turkey Hill ice tea billboards along I-15!  (For those of you who don't understand my obsession, once you try it, you'll be hooked too.  Turkey Hill is also a family thing...the original family who owned the dairy and now just runs the operation, are VERY good friends of our family.  The Freys spoke at both of my grandparents funerals because they were the best of friends.  Although, I must admit, Angie's sweet tea in Jax Beach did give it a strong run for it's money!)  Anyhow, 4 gallons and 4 half gallons later, our cooler was filled and we were back on the road.  

We decided to brave the exhaustion that we both were feeling and head the rest of the way home that night.  We left Jackson around 9ish and then pulled in the driveway at 2am!  What a trip!  Worth every minute of exhaustion we felt on Sunday!  Can't wait to do it again.  If you haven't visited Yellowstone, put it on your bucket list.  It's an amazing place and one trip you won't regret!

Who Us? Be Spontaneous?

You must have the wrong family!  We have two little kids and a dog to worry about!  Yes, believe it or not, that was us this weekend!  We were visiting my cousin in northern Wyoming when Andy got the idea that we should go home by way of Yellowstone National Park!  We had the dog covered at the "spa" through Sunday afternoon and we had clothes, diapers, and plenty of dvds for the kids, so why not?  So after a few teary goodbyes, we loaded up our munchkins and headed west for Cody, Wyoming in search of some cowboys!  Our plan was to stay there overnight and then get a full day in the park since all of the lodging in the park was booked (like a year ago!)

Riley had already gotten a "Woody" looking cowboy hat while we were in Sheridan, but poor Sissy was feeling a little left out.  She wanted a "Jessie" cowboy hat.  After checking into our hotel, we headed back into town.  We stopped to refuel ourselves at the Irma Hotel which was owned by the one and only, Buffalo Bill Cody, for whom the town was named.

After lunch we strolled along the main street in search of cowboy gear.  Low and behold we found her a red cowboy hat in her size!  She was so excited she screamed when I took it off her head to pay for it.  Momma even found herself a new "yee haw" hat so I wouldn't be left out!  Kendall kept saying "Momma a cowboy too!"

We stopped back at the Irma Hotel to watch some gunslinging by the Cody Gunfighters.  They recreate a scene from the days of the wild west.  Who knew we'd get to see Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok, Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and Doc Holladay!  They performed a shoot out and poor Kendall had her hands over her ears the ENTIRE time!  She kept saying "guns too loud Momma!"  Riley was loving it.  He was sportin' his hat and his cap gun for the show!  I think Kendall liked getting to pet the cowboy's horse after the show the best!

Watch out!  He's armed and she's dangerous!

Momma's little cowpokes!  Who knew cowboys were so cute?

Only in Wyoming, right?  A big shot gun on top of a building!

Here come the bad guys...

Cue the music...Wyatt, Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill to the rescue!

Stay tuned for my next entry...YELLOWSTONE here we come!

Our Visit To The Cowboy State

This past week, we packed up the truck and headed to Wyoming to visit my cousin and her family.  Lori moved out to Wyoming with Jason and his family about 4 years ago.  I decided that I needed to go visit them while we lived this close because who knows what next summer will bring.  I've decided that I want to see as much of this part of the country as I can before we get the call to move once again.  We never know when that will happen and I'm determined that I'm not going to assume that I can always do it later!

We had a wonderful time staying up to the wee hours of the morning catching up...I realized how much older I really am than Lori because each morning, I was in dire need of some Turkey Hill ice tea to get my kick in the pants and quit yawning!  Andy spent the week in Gillette for work which allowed us to have a free schedule.  She showed me around town, out for lunch, to playgrounds and even took us up into Big Horn National Park for a picnic.  The kids had so much fun playing with Lori and Jason's precious little girl Madison.  She and Kendall are a little over a year apart in age so it was fun to imagine them playing together as they get older.

Andy came to pick us up on Friday morning and we planned a last minute, spontaneous trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks on our way home.  Thank goodness Lori has been there before and gave us lots of helpful advice.  It was so much fun to be so adventurous with the kids.  Normally our trips have to be more planned out, but we decided to wing it and see where it took us.

I was so thankful to be able to have the chance to go visit my cousin at her house and see first hand what life is like for her in Wyoming.  I don't know if I could do it nearly as well as she does!  She lives outside of a rather small town in northern Wyoming.  I didn't use to think I was a city slicker, but compared to the life she leads, that's exactly what you'd call me.  I'm so proud of her and the way she lives her life.  It would be so hard to leave everyone behind and not have nearly as many opportunities available for networking as I have had in every new place I've lived.  She's definitely the Country Mouse and I'm the City Mouse (although I'd still say I'm a country mouse when it really comes down to it)!  I am hoping that sometime she and her family will be able to come visit us down here in the Beehive State.

Sissy convincing Aunt Lori to swing her

Isn't she just the cutest?  I could eat her up!

Riley enjoyed seeing all the statues like the cowboy and Native American, through out nearby Sheridan

This is the Occidental Hotel which is in Buffalo where Lori lives

A number of famous people have stayed at this hotel over the past 130 years

Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody as well as Teddy Roosevelt have all spent the night here at the Occidental.

Thanks Cuz!  We had a great time and you were a fantastic host!  Love and miss you all!

Dancing Queen

To celebrate the 4th of July, our church, held one service, instead of the normal 4 that are held on a Sunday morning.  We met, along with the Daybreak campus, at the new Draper Ampitheater for worship.  It was a family worship service so we took a few blankets some snacks, and headed out.  What a nice day...overcast and perfect temps!  After the service, we were encouraged to stay for a picnic and listen to some of the music by members of the worship team.

Kendall was dancing through most of the worship music during the service, but once it was over and we were sitting down for lunch, she really started to cut a rug!  I couldn't help but catch some of her dance moves on my phone!  I hope you enjoy watching her as much as we did!  She's great entertainment for us!

I Did It!

I finally broke down and tried my hand at canning today.  Usually I just freeze everything that I want to preserve, but I'm starting to realize that without a deep freeze, that's just not going to be possible this year, you know, with having a garden and all.

I bought all my necessary items at Wally World and a ton of berries at Costco and got started today during naptime!  I was able to make 2 batches, which resulted in just under 2 dozen jars of homemade strawberry jelly!  I would have made a third and possibly fourth batch, but ran out of jars!

I grew up with a mom who canned everything out of our garden.  When I was old enough to really learn how to make jelly, mom had packed away the canning equipment and settled into freezing everything.  Andy was worried about the investment cost to start canning instead of freezing.  Well, it's a no brainer when you have a garden such as ours this year.  I'm growing 3 different kinds of tomatoes, lots of peppers - bell, habanero and jalapeno, strawberries, carrots, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupe, some herbs and even 2 pumpkins!  I'd like to be able to make some yummy salsa and can that so I always have it on hand.  I am also investigating some good spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce recipes to prepare fresh from our garden.  If anyone has some tried and true pasta sauces to share, I'd love to try them!

If any of you are nervous about trying canning, the Pioneer Woman has some tips and advice as well as step-by-step instructions on how to can strawberry jelly.  You can also find the instructions inside the pectin box, but I always get confused when I read them...it's how I make my freezer jelly, but I use the cooked recipe and then put it in freezer containers.

Best of luck!

A Refreshing Summer Treat

So there is a dessert that I had at a party at our neighbor's house that I fell in love with and couldn't wait to try it myself!  It's called Lemonade Pie and it's so delicious and refreshing.  I made it two nights ago when I couldn't sleep...I know, me with insomnia, shocking, right?

Take a look at this yummy dish...You'll want to make it too after you see how yummy it looks in the photos!

If you are interested in trying it yourself, here's the recipe:

Graham Cracker Crust:

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

7 Tbs. butter, melted

In medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs, sugar & melted butter.  Press firmly into pie pan and bake for 7 minutes at 350.

Lemonade Filling:

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, chilled

1 (12 oz) container cool whip, thawed

1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, keep frozen

1 tsp. candied lemon peel

In a medium bowl, add chilled milk and cool whip.  Fold gently.  Add frozen lemonade and continue to fold.  Do not allow mixture to become soupy.  Pour mixture into pie crust and freeze overnight.  Garnish with candied lemon peel.  (As you can see from my pics, I left off the peel.  I've also had this with a strawberry fruit topping and it was a perfect combination!)

ENJOY!