Camping

This last weekend, Aiden and I tagged along on a camping trip with my brother and his family. We had so much fun! Aunt Rindee had this little helmet for Aiden to wear while riding the 4 wheeler. Aiden decided to wear it when he wasn't on the 4 wheeler as well!

The weather was a little chilly, so the kids spent alot of time playing dominoes in the camper.

The rain quit for a while, so we took a 4 wheeler ride! We stopped on the trail and had a little picnic. It was about this time that it started to get a little cloudy.....and windy.

And then the rain started.....and the hail started! We were SOAKED!!

My brother made a make shift tent with the table cloth, in an effort to keep us from getting more wet? Once you are wet, you are wet......and cold!

As my brother would say, "The crappy things make the best memories!" Very true, it was a little cold, and wet, but we had a great time!

Thanks David and Rindee! We had an awsome time!

Aiden

-Day 3-

Sunday morning my little man was ready to get home to dad. He woke up at 7:30 and the first thing he said was, "Mom, wheres Crappy?" (by the end of the trip, Aiden had actually mastered saying Cambree instead of Crappy, but we all decided that we liked it better when he couldn't say her name! )and "Time to go home find Daddy?"

Aiden has been on an independence kick lately. Every other sentence out of his mouth is, "I do it by yourself!" We spent alot of time waiting for Aiden to 'do it by his self.'

We went to Mcdonalds for breakfast...is it a little odd that my kid just wants pancakes when we go to Mcdonalds??

Part of Aidens 'do it by yourself'phase includes putting things in the garbage......one thing at a time. He cleaned off the tables and put everything in the garbage all by him self, one thing at a time!

Then it was time to hit the road again. Aidens most favorite part of the road trip was this tunnel just outside Cody, Wyoming. We came through it on the way, and he and Aunt Rindee had a countdown during our trip of days until we got to go back through the tunnel!

He was pretty excited! When we got through it, he said. "Mom, go tunnel again?"

After the tunnel excitement was over, there wasn't alot to do until we got home, so the kids took a nap!

We had such a good trip. I am so greatful that we got to go. I love my family, and it was so much fun spending time with them. My brothers are pretty amazing. In ways we are so much alike, and others we are so very different, but when it all comes down to it, I know who has my back! I can't wait to go again!

-Day 2-

No trip to Lovell would be complete without a stop at the Red Apple. It is the super market there, and really the only store still open in the town.

Aiden decided that grocery shopping with the whole family is alot more fun then shopping with just mom!

Again....no words can express some peoples love of peanut butter. The two wonderful worlds of oreos and peanut butter collide in these yummy little snacks!

This is the place. This was our families utopia. Growing up, this is where our family had our best memories.

Everything about the cabin is calming to me. Nothing had changed. It still smells the same, the same clock hangs on the mantel, and years later, I still felt that same calm feeling being there.

There is something sureal about this picture. Our family wasn't always in a place where a trip like this could have been possible. Time has definately healed some wounds. Since our last trip as a family to the cabin, my mom and dad have divorced and both remarried, we have all gotten married and started families of our own, and still we feel united here.

Aiden made the most of getting to know my grandma. He spent most of his time running back and forth from her chair telling her all about what was going on outside. I am so glad that he got to come and meet her and just be where I was when I was his age.

We saw more wild life in the few hours we spent on the mountain then we did during our whole 45 mile per hour drive through Yellowstone National Park. As kids, out favorite thing to do was feed the squirrels and hummingbirds. My grandpa put cans up in all of the trees, we would fill them with sunflower seeds and wait. It never took very long for them to make their way to the cans. This trip was no exception. This little squirrell took complete advantage of our kindness and helped himself!

The moose was an added bonus! This is Bill. We got to know Bill on a pretty personal level. He and his family wandered into the yard and Bill just stayed! Aiden kept saying. "Mom, he better go find him mudder!"

Bill was a very stubborn moose. We tried to wait out his visit inside, but the kids got bored. So, I took matters into my own hands and tried to scare him off, that didn't work either!

David decided to try and reason with Bill, but in the end, we lost the 'who's house is this?' fight.

We said goodbye to Bill, and swore we would be back again!

Family Vacation.....minus a few! - DAY 1-

When I was a kid our typical family vacation almost always included a trip to Lovell, Wyoming. To the passer-by, Lovell looks like a quiet, tired little town with not alot going on. And, sure it may seem that way now, but even though now the streets are filled with run down, and closed shops, when we were kids, that place was magical!

We decided as adults with families of our own, that we wanted our kids to experience that magic. We packed up our little famlies, minus my hubby and Mr. Codee, and we headed out for a little mini-vacation.

We all met at my moms for breakfast friday morning. My mom had drug out all of the pictures from trips past and had them out so we could look at them. I don't remember all of our trips, but I remeber certain little things about each. We spent a while looking at pictures and were completely embarassed to show our kids pictures of how we dressed back then!

We piled into the cars and hit the road! Aiden was thrilled to get to ride with "Crappy" and "Caree", unfortunately, when you are the only boy riding in the back seat with two girly girls......toys are slim pickins! Aiden took his turn baby sitting the dollys!

Our hotel was about 5 hours away, so we decided to make a pit stop in West Yellowstone and let the kids stretch their legs.

One of the fascinating attractions in West Yellowstone is the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. At $10.50 a person, I expected to see a bear attack a wolf! No such luck! There was only one live bear that was out and about, and all of the wolfs were sleeping.

The kids had a good time, and all wanted to pose like bears when we came out!

We had lunch at a little hamburger place in West. Aiden, Cambree and Carlee had fun riding on this little bear while we were waiting for our food.

Our next stop along the way was of course Old Faithful.

My mom has always had a HUGE picture taking problem...probably where I got my love of photography. She insisted on getting photos of everything that we had photos of when we were kids.(Minus the crazy 80's clothes!)

And of course, we had to get the new generation in on the "pictures from the past!"

I remember Old Faithful being a bit more glamerous as a kid, but Aiden loved watching it! He kept saying, "Mom its foking! It so fokey!"

After all the excitement of the day, the 3 amigos fell fast asleep in the back seat! All 3 of them insited that they weren't sleepy.....hmmmmm......

(Apparently excitment affects people in different ways.....there are no words! )

The highlight of the day for the kids was getting to swim and the hotel! Aiden loves to swim, and was exhausted by the time we finally made it to bed.