Family Vacation

St. George, UT and Cove Fort

The first stop on our summer vacation was in St. George. We wanted to visit the St. George Temple, but first came across the St. George Tabernacle. We did a tour there and learned some interesting history about the city. Next we visited the temple grounds, where a newly married couple was being photographed. I always love to see that! Brings back memories of our own wedding day. After we finished looking around the temple and going through the visitor's center, we had lunch at Nielsen's Frozen Custard. Yum! For anyone who loves ice cream, you can't pass through St. George or Bountiful, UT without stopping in for this delicious treat! Next on our trek north on the I-15, we stopped into Cove Fort and did a tour there. I've passed it so many times throughout my life, but can't remember ever stopping in to learn more about it. We found it very interesting. That night we stayed at Grandma Turner's house in Orem, UT.

Idaho Falls Temple

We drove from Orem to Island Park, ID the next day, with plenty of stops along the way. Our favorite stop was at the Idaho Falls Temple. It's so beautiful! The kids enjoyed stretching their little legs on the temple grounds (we didn't see any newlyweds this time).

Island Park, ID

Our first full day at the cabin also happened to be my mom's birthday. She got some special birthday hugs from all four of her grandchildren. The older ones were super excited about Grandma's birthday cake.

Yellowstone National Park, Day 1

On our first day inside the park, our final goal was to see Old Faithful. Along the way we made a couple of other stops and saw some amazingly beautiful geysers. As you can see, little J had to sneak in a nap on the go. Ethan quickly bonded with Jacob Stoddard, and those two hung out a good part of the reunion. We also had our first wildlife sighting of a couple of elk. One of them was collared.

Mack's Inn, Mt. Sawtelle, and Roasting Marshmallows

The next day one of Josh's former missionary companions, Mike, came up to hang out with us. First we went to Mack's Inn to see Johnny Sack's cabin and Big Spring. Next we drove to Sawtelle Peak. The drive was a bit scary because the road up the mountain was narrow and unpaved. I'm glad we went up, though. From the summit, we could see out over three states (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) and a good park of Yellowstone Park. I think everyone enjoyed the campfire that night, making s'mores and other creative roasted marshmallow snacks.

Geyser Basin

Wednesday we returned to the park to view Geyser Basin. It was breathtaking! We ended up hiking around on some dirt trails, pushing the double stroller over some pretty rough terrain. On the way home that day, we got stuck in about an hour of traffic. We kept our fingers crossed that it was an animal sighting and not a car accident. By the time we got up to the front, we were not disappointed. A bison was sunbathing in the middle of the road, and his family was off to the side, causing quite a traffic jam. It was amazing to be that close to such a huge animal in the wild!

West Yellowstone

The next day we hung out in West Yellowstone without actually entering the park. We saw a couple of movies at the IMAX theater (Yellowstone and Bears) and Josh took Ethan to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center where he could see wolves and bears up close.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Our final day in the park was my personal favorite. We saw several bison throughout the day, an eagle's nest with the baby looking out and the mother perched nearby, and the views of the river, waterfalls, and canyon were beyond description. We also got caught in a brief, but heavy cloud burst. You can see the looming clouds in the scenic pictures.



Journey Home

We had to make lots of stops on the way home. Ethan was doing fine thanks to the DVD player that we borrowed, but Jacob decided he was done with his car seat. Poor little guy. By the time we got in to Vegas to look for our hotel for the night, he was crying so hard that he threw up. That was the first time he'd ever done that. :o( These are some pictures from three of our stops: one for a Twinkie break, one to take a look at the Rexberg, ID Temple, and one was a lunch break when Jacob learned how to pucker up for a kiss!

Disneyland's Birthday

 

Here are some cute pictures of Ethan, Dan, and Judy from earlier this month. Ethan really did have a great time. I'm not sure why he looks mad/comatose in his pictures! lol He looks really ticked at Tinkerbell. lol

Stayin' Cool

 

Today when Ethan asked for a popsicle, I told him yes, but that he'd have to eat it out on the front porch because it would be messy. He happily agreed to my terms and took his popsicle out to the porch swing. A few minutes later I grabbed my camera thinking I'd get a cute picture of a sticky Ethan. I was surprised to see he had already finished off his treat, with just one little drip on his shirt, and was relaxing in the swing. I was excited to have him sitting still long enough to take a couple cute pictures of my little man.

Redlands Library Days

 

Our city library has a children's summer reading program. If a child reads four books per week, then they get a coupon for a free ice cream. I signed up both Ethan and Jacob. So every week we go to the library, check out four books, sit outside the library on the grass, and I read stories to them. I'm not sure how much they are listening, as you can tell from the pictures, but they enjoy this outing. We then go return our books and pick up our ice cream coupon and go out for ice cream. It's nice to have something fun like this to do during the hot summer days!

4th of July Fireworks

Here's a video clip of the aforementioned Independence Day fireworks at the University of Redlands. Ethan absolutely loved the show and asks to see this clip over and over again.

Independence Day

This was the first year we took Ethan to a fireworks show. In years past we always decided that he was too young and would be scared from the loud explosions. He ended up loving the fireworks show and has asked me everyday since the 4th if we can see the fireworks again. My dad, sister, and bro-in-law came with us, while Josh graciously stayed home with Jacob. It was a great celebration at the University of Redlands. I haven't been to a firework show for years and this show exceeded my expectations.
Ethan drank so much of my dad's and Spencer's drinks that I had to take him potty twice within one hour. He was so thirsty! Not to mention he loves sugary cola drinks.

Ethan in Primary

Primary Teacher: "Jesus can help us to feel better."

Ethan: "Jesus doesn't make me feel better, mommy does! She puts medicine on my owie and then puts a bandage on it."

Picking Fruit With Grandpa Dan

Best Buds

We wanted to capture Ethan and Jacob playing together, but Josh and I just noticed that it looks like Ethan is measuring Jacob's head in one picture and ready to drill through his head in the next! Jacob is playing the willing participant. We got a good chuckle out of those two shots.

Jacob Practicing Walking



Ethan's DCA Trip with Grandma & Grandpa Long

Ethan wanted to meet Mickey Mouse, but was hiding behind his hat and glasses.

Mickey Mouse decided to take matters into his own giant hands. Ethan is normally very particular about how he wears his hat by wearing it really low on his face. He won't let anyone adjust it; however, when Mickey adjusted it, he didn't protest even the tiniest bit.

Ethan loves Mickey Mouse!