Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to three of the most wonderful fathers I know.

Both Michael and I are so lucky to have such amazing fathers, who are also amazing men.

They are strong, faithful priesthood holders who love their wives, children and grandchildren immensely.

And I am incredibly blessed to have a wonderful husband and father to my children.

He is faithful, devoted, hard working, compassionate, loving and kind. He is the best man that I know.

Vacation Part 2: Yellowstone

 The weather was perfect for May in Yellowstone, but there was still a lot of snow in certain areas.

Yellowstone Lake, which is huge, was still frozen.

 Max enjoyed the chance to admire the lake from the roof of our car.

We lucked out and saw so many animals on our trip.

Right as we drove into Yellowstone Park, we noticed cars pulled over to the side of the road. 

It was a mama grizzly bear and her two cubs searching for food. That was a pretty exciting way to start.

Here's a (strange) fun fact about bears- mother bears deliver their cubs while in hibernation.  

We made it just in time to watch Old Faithful. 

Afterward, we went to the Old Faithful Inn for ice cream. It's tradition on a warm day.

Max loved all the trees on our trip. He always asked if he was as tall as the trees. 

Most of the time he wasn't. But, he lucked out while we were walking around Old Faithful.

"I'm bigger than this tree, right mommy? "

We walked around Biscuit Basin and admired all the beautiful pools. 

I had to threaten Maxwell multiple times to stay away from the edge of the boardwalk.

All the steam and cool colors were just too tempting for him! 

We saw so many buffalo all over the park.

  But our favorite were the little baby calves. They were too adorable!

We finally saw some elk, and two of them started to fight while we were watching.

MORE buffalo and their babies.
These boys could not get enough of the "buffalo chips". They were pretty amazed.
Max still asks me why buffalo poop on the grass. He's such a boy.

Our binoculars really came in handy. Too bad we didn't have an extra adult pair.
There was always a lot of fighting over who got to use them.

Later in our trip, we went back to Yellowstone Park with Michael's brothers family and his parents. 

We walked around and looked at the paint pots and saw more animals.

These two boys are trouble.
So, we made them pose by this sign for the Spasm Geyser.
They really enjoyed posing for the camera. 

Vacation Part 1: Jackson

We spent a week traveling through some gorgeous places over Memorial Day weekend.

We loved spending time with our little family earlier in the week. 

And then we met up with some of our extended family later.

First, we spent a few nights in Jackson, Wyoming. We had so much fun exploring the town.

We had to get the classic antler arch picture at the city park.

This bear made a huge impression on all of the family members.

Everyone wanted a picture with it.

And let's just get a closer look of my very favorite one from the group.
Papa bear looking so very handsome and serious.

Did you know that there was a landslide in Jackson this spring?
Well, we decided to be super adventurous and eat at a restaurant right in the landslides path.
I'm guessing it was one of the businesses deemed safe to re-open since it was packed:)
Let me tell you, the hot wings were well worth the risk.
And of course the 50 TV screens playing a variety of sports channels sealed the deal for Michael.

Next, we drove through Grand Teton National Park. 

Oh my goodness, that mountain range is breathtaking. It's truly amazing.

The weather was so beautiful, but there was still snow on the ground in some places.

We found a nice patch of snow, and Kathryn and Michael built a darling little snowman.

Complete with green hair. You must take advantage whenever there is snow.

 We drove to Jenny Lake, which sits at the base of the Teton Range.

And ate a few snacks.

Maxwell loved the birds that kept begging for food.

We eventually saw a sign that said "Do not feed the wildlife". 

Included in the list of animals, were birds. Oops. I guess we'll know better for next time. 

 We all took turns playing in that glacier water. Michael was the bravest and got the furthest out.

Although, I think the kids played in the water the longest.

For some reason, kids seem to be able to tolerate the cold so much better than adults sometimes.

Oh, there you are Sammy baby. We love that sweet boy.

Another view of the Tetons on a clearer Day.

 We stopped at the Mormon Row Historic District on our way out of the park.

We spotted our first buffalo as we drove down the road.

And then we saw tons of people next to an old cabin taking pictures.

So we got out to investigate.

Some people said they were baby foxes, although we're not completely convinced.

We think there were nine darling little babies. They were even kind enough to pose for all the pictures.

Good bye Teton National Park and beautiful mountains.

30

It was my 30th birthday last week. And if I must say, it was the best birthday yet.

I spent the day with family and friends. We went to lunch, got snow cones and went to the pool.

After Michael got off work, we went to our ward softball activity.

The next day, Michael had planned to take me to the temple.

We made it all the way there, when he informed me that he had forgotten his recommend (and wallet).

So, against his protesting, we stopped to wash and vacuum my car before heading home. 

That was not how he wanted to spend my birthday. 

I insisted that it was completely necessary, because it hadn't been cleaned since our week long vacation.

And then, he complained about my driving.

And how I was going way too slow. And how he didn't like being a passenger. 

I reminded him that he needed to call and order a pizza for his parents and our children.

But, he wanted to wait and go out when we got home.

SURPRISE!!! I walked into our home to find a houseful of family and friends.

I was beyond surprised as I scanned the smiling faces. And then I started crying.

Which probably wasn't a surprise. And Michael immediately went to work preparing the food.

Since we were 30 minutes late because I insisted on washing my car and driving slow.

My sweet husband went all out. He planned every detail of the party. 

He planned a yummy barbecue and invited wonderful company.

He knew that his party-loving wife would love to have a surprise party for her 30th birthday.

And he was right. It was such a perfect night.

However, he did inform that I was one of the hardest people to surprise.

Which again, I'm sure wasn't much of a surprise to him.

He went through so much work planning this party (and keeping his lies straight). It was a big success.

This was the card he gave me afterwards:

Happy Birthday. I hope you enjoyed your 30th!

You deserve such a party every year. 

I wish I had the energy guts and memory to put one on for you.

You are the most amazing person, mother and friend I know!

Love Always,

Michael

I love you too, you romantic sweetheart! Thank you for a wonderful day.

My cute cake with items to represent three of my favorite things: red vines, taking pictures and cleaning