Yellowstone Part 1

This last week we took a fun trip to Yellowstone! I have three posts' worth of pics for you to enjoy!

First, we had to drop off Dakota at the boarding kennel. She loves it there and she got really excited to play with friends. She sat at the window as we drove away. It was hard to leave her, but we took this picture because she was so cute sitting there, wishing us happy trails.

The first time we stopped for gas (in St Anthony), there was a cute little park nearby and there was an Army tank. Wow!! The boys had to go check it out. How cool is that???

Andy was delighted by the stream running through the park, even though we couldn't see any fish in it. It's a cute little spot though, isn't it?

We checked in to our room, and just a block away was a grizzly and wolf preserve. Did you know poachers are killing bears for their gallbladders?? Apparently it's a delicacy in some countries. Weird! Anyway, it was an interesting place. You get a pretty good view of wolves...we watched them eat their breakfast the next day. The bears were pretty boring, but we got to see them.

In the gift shop there's this giant teddy bear couch. Spencer looks so tiny! Carson was a little freaked out by it.

This wolf was just on the other side of a window. Isn't he beautiful? It made me miss my doggy. Most of the wolves were the same size or smaller than Dakota!

We went into the park just a little. You have to drive a long time to get to different areas of the park, so we just looked at some hot pots, visited Old Faithful, and called it good.

I love the colors in this one. Spencer enjoyed standing in the steam and smelling the sulfur.

There's Old Faithful! Spencer thought it was pretty cool. Carson wasn't overly impressed. Just after Old Faithful went up, another geyser right by it started.

Again, we had to stop and look at a river. This is one of Andy's favorite fishing spots in Yellowstone. We saw some old geezers there and had to stop and ask, "So, what are you using?" (meaning, "What kind of flies are you using?") A good fisherman never misses a chance to hobnob with the old guys.

Exhausted little boys! I love to watch them sleep, especially when they share a bed! There was a LOT of giggling before they finally conked out. We had to keep reminding them to go to sleep, but it was the cutest sound ever. I can't help smiling when I hear that.

National Dog Day

Today (August 26) is National Dog Day. So in honor of the occasion, I am posting some pictures of my favorite dog!

Nothing makes her happier than a new bone!!

She's not really as sad as she looks...she was feeling tired. She came in to watch the sequel to "Old Yeller" with me and Spencer. She slept through most of it.

Good show!

Playing with Uncle Adam. He got lots of wet kisses!

Wildlife

Here are some pictures of some creatures we have seen so far this summer. We're going to Yellowstone next week, so we'll probably see more soon!

Andy took the Scouts fly fishing (what a tough job). All in the name of service, right??

You can see he's really miserable.... Can I tell you how many times I heard about how amazingly big this fish was?

What a beauty!! (Or a disgusting, slimy thing...depends on your perspective.)

We went up to Logan to visit my grandparents' grave. These deer were just hanging out not far from them. If I was a deer, I'd do the same thing. It's a nice, peaceful place with plenty of shade.

Demolition Derby

A couple of weeks ago we went to a demolition derby with my brother and his family. The boys were sooooo excited! I think it fulfilled their dreams. A lot of the people there were...ahem...unusual. In other words, there was great entertainment for all!!

Every time I asked the boys what they thought of the derby, they both replied "Awesome!!" They are rednecks at heart.

Carson doesn't understand girls. My niece was being silly and switching his hat around to make him look funny. He just had this puzzled grin the whole time, and then he'd fix it straight again. He didn't understand what was so funny about messing up a man's hat!

I'm sure if I asked Spencer right now which cars were the winners, he'd still remember. Nothing better than watching car wrecks!

A Date with Dakota

Last night the boys wanted to go get donuts. Andy was unavailable, so I asked them if we should invite Dakota to go along. Wow! That idea was a hit! So we all got in the van and I secured her leash to a hook in the back. I also took some doggy treats so she wouldn't feel bad that she didn't get a donut.

First I stopped for gas and there were endless peals of giggles from inside. It doesn't take much--a few licks on their bare legs, even her very presence was enough to make the whole trip hilarious!

That's not something I'm used to seeing in the rear view mirror!

I held up the camera and told them, "Everybody smile!" so they all did!

"Don't I look pretty with the geraniums?"

Happy Boys

Just a quick story to start off.... One day I gave Carson a snack in a little pink bowl. He looked at it with disdain and said, "Oh bother--PINK!!"

I seldom let them bathe together anymore because they make such a mess in the bathroom!! Occasionally the giggles are worth it though.

Luscious lips (wax, actually) These lips freaked out Carson. He screams and runs to hide behind me.

Yeeeeehaaaawww! Carson was scared to death of this little horse when he got it for Christmas a couple of years ago. He's over that now that he's almost too big to ride it!

He's being a "motorcycle guy"--in pajamas.

I have absolutely NO intentions of encouraging him to join the military, but he does look awfully cute in the uniform!

Okay, this one doesn't really go with the title, but it's too funny not to include it. Carson HATES wearing buttoned shirts unless he can wear his tie like the big guys. Spencer never cared what he wore to church, so I had all these cute little outfits and I want Carson to wear them too. Sometimes I just make him wear them anyway. This is how he feels about it.

A Mother's Love

You will not believe what I did this morning--I captured a LIVE praying mantis in a jar for my children!! Blechhh! I hate bugs! But they were so excited about it and I decided it was a learning opportunity. That is just how nuts I am about my boys. NO ONE ELSE warrants such sacrifice and grit. Our specimen (of decent size) is now on the shelf in the garage where it can be inspected by all the neighborhood kids as well. Andy is hereby responsible for either feeding it or disposing of its corpse when that time comes.

In other news, Carson cracks me up. Okay, that's not really news. He is getting really funny to play with. I found some cowboy and Indian figurines at the dollar store, so we were playing with them the other day. There were bombs exploding and all kinds of violent happenings. My cowboy broke his leg in the blast, and the only sympathy he got was "You want a Bandaid--yes or no?" I hate to admit it, but I love to argue with Carson because he says, "Yes you didn't!" or "Yes I don't!"

Spencer is enjoying first grade. Here are the pics from his first day. (I honestly forgot to put them up until now.) He likes his teacher, though she is not quite as mothery and affectionate as his kindergarten teacher. It's been a big adjustment for all of us to have him at school all day. We had to make a new rule that he doesn't play with friends on school days because it just throws him over the edge. He gets so tired he can't even function! He is now eating lunch at school, too, which makes things strange around here. He claims he eats a peanut butter sandwich or pizza for lunch nearly every day, which I take with a grain of salt. I have access to the menus, so I know he has other choices. Anyway, he has a good teacher who seems very on top of things. She focuses a lot on reading, which I appreciate. If a kid is a good reader, everything else comes easier.

Lastly (this is not really news either), our dog is a big sissy!! When I bring her upstairs, Slippy usually keeps out of sight. The other day, though, she was feeling feisty. She sat at the top of the stairs and when Dakota came up, she stayed right there, hissing and growling. Dakota was on a leash, so Slippy could have escaped anywhere she wanted to. But no, she was in a crabby mood. Finally she stepped aside and my poor big baby put her head down and went behind me to my other side to avoid the 6 1/2 pound kitty! The next couple of days, Dakota would look around nervously, head down, to see if there would be another encounter! She is a sweetheart, but not the bravest dog I ever knew! (Which makes me love her even more!)