Our Trip to Idaho

We were so lucky this past week to take a trip up to Island Park, ID! Our dear friends the Ellis Family treated us to their lovely cabin for 5 days. We had a blast!

The Ellis Family!
Doug, Blake, Ashlyn, Samantha, Sydney and Robyn

Our first stop was to Bear World outside of Rexburg. It was way cool. Here are two Grizzly Bears playing in the water.

The Ellis' were in front of us and the Bears seemed to really like their car.

Inside Bear World they had baby bears. They were so cute.

After the kids looked at the animals and the bears there were small little Kiddie rides for them to play in. It was a perfect break for them being in the car for a few hours.

Max wasn't too sure about this big fat pig.

Blake Ellis was nice enough to carry sweet Nicholas around for us, we sure love those Ellis kids!!!

All Aboard! Max enjoying the train.

The next day after Bear world we headed to Yellowstone. That was AWESOME! Doug Ellis knows everywhere to go. He was our personal tour guide, who sometimes is nick named CLARK, from the vacation movies.

Ashlyn and Blake being typical brother and sister!!!

Raegan and Samantha

Andrew posing in front of the Fire Hole water fall.

This is a huge waterfall called Fire Hole Falls

Andrew and Max

The kids, Chad and Doug went swimming up at Firehole and had a blast. The water was freezing. There was an area that the kids jumped in and then the water whooshed them down, they had a great time.

Nicholas hanging out in his backpack on our way to Old Faithful.

The "Sydneys" were the Best of Buds... Most of the time.

Old Faithful

Tyler, Cassie (5 months prego with twins), Sydney, Max, Kalli, Andrew, Raegan, Nicholas and Chad.

The kids and Chad in front of some way cool geysers.

Blake and Tyler were like brothers, I think Blake always wanted a little brother he could torture!!!

Ashlyn, Kalli, Sam and Raegan
A much needed Ice Cream stop! Kalli loved the Huckleberry Ice Cream. She tasted Huckleberries for the first time and thought they were pretty great!

Andrew

This was a Gigantic water fall that scared me to death!! It was HUGE and FAST! I had a hard time enjoying this part because I was so nervous with the kids.

Nicholas and Sam Ellis

Max and Daddy

This huge Buffalo walked in front of our car in the middle of the park, we had to stop traffic to let him through.

Kalli and Raegan back at the cabin after Yellowstone.

Tyler on the Four Wheeler
This was the only picture I got of the kids riding the four wheelers. My camera was dropped and broke right after this picture, I was so sad. The kids rode the four wheelers every day over and over. They had a blast at the cabin. Doug also took Chad and the kids up a mountain, too a spring and then canoeing on the Snake River. I have no pictures of these things...I am sad. But I am happy I did get what I got. We had an amazing time and can't thank the Ellis family enough. It was a great way to end a long summer. Now it's back to school and back to reality.

Soooo Big!

Nicholas is getting so big so quick! He is such a sweet, fat, bald, white baby. Lately he has become mobile and we find him in the most interesting spots. He tends to end up under the couch quite a bit.

He now sits up, with the help of pillows just to cushion his fall.

Just look at those cheeks!

We finally started feeding him baby food. Peaches are definitely his favorite, followed by apples. He does not like Carrots at all.

When I took him into the doctor last week he was up to 23 pounds! At seven months he is definitely my chubbiest which makes it so much fun to kiss his chubby cheeks. I love this little guy!!!

Camping out...well sort of

We told the kids that we would take them up to the mountains for a campfire to cook hot dogs and smores. Well our plans were ruined by the rain that kept coming so we opted to borrow a neighbors fire pit and had dinner in our front yard instead. It wasn't quite the mountains but they were happy.

Sister in law Benka, Max and Kylee. Max made my mom extremely nervous the whole time. So my mom ended up sitting in a chair on my front porch so she wouldn't have to watch him near the fire.

Kalli was lickin her lips!

Picnic table and blankets on the front lawn, what could be better than that (well maybe the mountains but we did our best)

Tyler was showing Max how to use his new pocket knife...yet another reason for grandma to be nervous.

Yummm...Smores

Being Cheesy in Wisconsin

Raegan had the opportunity to go and spend a few days in Wisconsin. She went to visit Chad's cousin Heather and her family. They have a daughter Raegan's age, Mackenzie. Well these two girls hit it off from the minute they met. It has been so fun for these girls to connect. It all happened because Heather and I got to be friends on Facebook and one thing led to another and poof...Friends Forever!!! Here are some fun pictures of the girls while in Wisconsin. I can't wait to go and pick Raegan up from the airport tomorrow and hear all about it.
Thank you Hasse family!

Fun at the Fair

Wow, I don't think Raegan has ever been this close to animals besides her dogs!

Chad made Raegan promise that she would get a picture in front of Lambeau field where the Packers play.

Chad's cousin Heather and Brian Hasse.

They had a wonderful time at the Hasse's cottage by Lake Michigan.

Swimming in the Lake

The day before Raegan left, Heather took the girls for a "Spa Day". They got Manicures, facials. scalp massages and their hair done.

And then a photo shoot at the Botanical Gardens

I am so jealous, what a fabulous week these girls had. Raegan deserved it, she is a good girl who works really hard and helps me out, I am happy she got this opportunity. Thanks again Hasse Family!