The first amazing event in July happened the very first weekend- we got to spend the weekend in Yellowstone (is there any place better!?!) with some great friends we met while attending law school, Greg and Gina Huff and their boys!! We haven't seen them in a few years, but it was as if no time had passed, we had a fabulous time together. Gina and I rode together quite a bit and it was so fun to catch up! She was one of my very bestest friends from our law school days (her husband was in the vet program at Washington State) and we lived just a few doors down from each other! I would not have survived law school without her, she's a wonderful friend and we had SO much fun together! Despite them having 4 boys and us having mostly girls, the kids all got along so well and had a blast together! The weather could have been a bit warmer but all in all it was such a perfectly wonderful weekend! Here our some snapshots of our fantastic weekend!!
Greg, Gina and their four boys, Owen, Sam, Blake and Gabe in front of the the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone!
Classic Yellowstone! A beautiful shot of Old Faithful! I love watching Old Faithful with "first timers," it is such a magical experience watching the geyser, period but it is especially neat to watch others experience it for the first time! I spend more time watching them than watching Old Faithful itself!
We saw 7 bears over the course of the weekend, it was awesome! I loved seeing so many and this mama and her cub were super close!! In fact almost a little too close for comfort, especially as I jump in Greg & Gina's truck as it's getting super close only to see Larren (completely unaware of the bear's change of course) walking straight towards the bear with all four kids in tow!! I jump back out of the truck and scream and wave my arms! Thankfully I got Larren's attention and he retreated quickly and got the kids and himself back in the van just in the nick of time!! Gotta love the thrill of a near miss!!
Why I love this place - vistas like this, open space, nature, beauty, no cell phone service, hikes, waterfalls, animals, geysers- just being in awe of the beauty that reminds of He who created all of this for us! I love that connection to my Heavenly Father that I feel as I enjoy Yellowstone with my family!
We were hiking the Mud Volcano area, and were road blocked by a herd of bison and a coyote even wandered by, were were at a standstill for about 30 minutes before the ranger finally let us sneak by!
One of my favorite picnic spots in the Park, Sheepeater's Cliff, the kids LOVE climbing on the rocks! They actually climb clear to the top and then hike around the side and back down despite my shrieks in protest!! Crazy kids!! Gina's boys loved the rocks too, it was a fun evening!
Here is the cute little cottage we stayed at in Gardiner Montana, little is the operative word, no I mean cozy!! It was a really cute little place with a BEAUTIFUL view of the Yellowstone River! Complete with a pet goose, the kids were fascinated!!
The kids on a geyser walk! So much fun to be watching these natural wonders!
A little black bear crossed our path! It crossed the road right in front of our van! Another near miss of a mauling as we were all out of the van watching it and then all of a sudden it beelines for the road, we got in the van but all our doors were still open as it crossed the road!! So exciting!
Jonas checking out a bear through the binocs! He loved trying to figure out how to use them, he never managed to see anything through them, but he wouldn't let anyone else try either! Funny kid!!
We were actually in Yellowstone on the 4th of July so we missed the parade and fireworks, but we had our own little display in the driveway when we got back! The kids loved watching Larren put on a show!!
Savannah with a sparkler in the front yard! I love this picture of her! She looks so happy!
Savannah and Audrey took art classes this summer, here they are in front of a group project they did as a class. They love taking art classes every summer.
We took the girls to a couple of Chuckers game this summer! This one went 11 innings! But the Chuckers pulled out a W! It was a really fun night out with the girls! So glad we had a babysitter for the little ones- especially with the 11 innings!!
Savannah at swimming lessons! These were another huge part of our summer! The girls did so well, and made so much progress! Savannah is actually becoming quite a little fish! It's fun to watch them having such a good time!
We were the only ones who went with my mom (got suckered in- I mean we were so excited to go) to the Cruser Reunion at Dowata Hot Springs! The kids and Larren played at the swimming pools and water slides most of the afternoon, I joined them for a while after the reunion meeting! The kids loved it! Here is Jonas playing in the fire hydrant at water park!!
Savannah had no fear! She loved the huge water slides, she took them on with a vengeance and loved every minute of it! Audrey was nervous at first but she tried them too and loved them too!
Grace playing in the water fountains at the water park! It was such a fun summer day!!
Audrey's first day at Theater Camp! She was in her element! This was a dream come true for her!! She has always wanted to be in a musical! This summer's production was Seussical the Musical! She had so much fun! She was a "Who," the part she wanted of course! She was adorable! It was so much fun to watch her perform!!
Here she is in her Who costume! She was so super adorable! It was the cutest thing ever!!
There she is front and center in the closing number! The theater camp was two weeks long and the performance was stellar! I couldn't believe how amazing the performance was after them just working together for two weeks! The songs were so cute and the sets and costuming were great! She can't wait to be on stage again next year!!
We got some really good news regarding Audrey's hand this month almost a year after her accident! We went for what turned out to be our last check up! Her hand looks great! She doesn't have to wear a glove anymore for protection, she does have to continue to be super cautious in the sun as her grafted area will hyper-pigment, if it is exposed to the sun. She has been so good and responsible in taking care of her hand. I know it looks as great as it does because she has been diligent in looking after it!
We spent a weekend at Jamie's family cabin! We love going to her cabin, it's on Bill's Island right on the water and has it's own private dock. It is so relaxing and so much fun to spend a weekend there! I am so grateful for Jamie and the trouble she goes to getting us a weekend scheduled! We love our family time together and it is so fun to watch the cousins all play together and enjoy the water!
Jonas sitting on the dock! He loved the water even though it was pretty dang cold!
On our first night a moose and her twin babies walked right through the driveway of the cabin! It was so neat to see a moose and her young so close- thanks Chandler for spotting them out the window!!
OK so nobody in my family can swim except for Bryan, so a few years ago Lisa and Emily invented the "sumo diaper," by putting on the life jacket upside down, then you can just sit in the water and it keeps you up and you aren't being choked by the life jacket. So that is the way my family "swims!" Hilarious!! Here is Em in her diaper going for broke off the end of the dock!! Too funny! She's gonna kill me for posting this pic!! Thanks heavens it's a private dock right?!?
Laura brought her Karaoke machine and the cousins had a blast singing Hannah Montana and Disney songs! It was quite the show for us in the audience!! LOVED IT!!
Grace learned to pump this summer! Oh the freedom! She no longer needs to be pushed! She swang everyday this summer for hours! She loved the freedom and the independence!!
The Blue Angels came screaming into town at the end of the month, and with our proximity to the airport we enjoyed the thrill of the practice runs everyday leading up to the show! All that practice was a great teaser and Grace wanted to see the show so bad. She begged and begged and finally talked us into buying tickets! It was the best, so HOT, but still the best. We were babysitting Ronan that day so we had our four kids plus Ronie, who like Jonas loved the planes! It was a really great day!
Fat Albert! This was one cool plane! It was fascinating to watch! 
Stealth Bomber! This was so neat! It was like paper thin! I have never seen anything like it, it was awesome!!
We ended July with a family camping trip that went into August! So that be in the next post!! Feels good to be done with July, I'm catching up slowly but surely!! Making progress!! August here I come!!
