Cousin Time

It was so neat to see the cousins together. Everyone got along great and had someone their age to play and hang out with.

Sightseeing in Jackson

This is one of the cutest towns we've ever visited. The downtown area is so fun, filled with great shops and restaurants. The backdrop is amazing. You can see Jackson hole behind the shops. I guess they aren't lacking elk or deer in this area. Yikes!

We made it!

The Tetons are so amazing! We got to drive through the Grand Teton National Park to get to Yellowstone. We were eagerly welcomed by mosquitos at the entrance. Repellant is our best friend!

Old Faithful

As the name promises, we weren't disappointed. We had front row seats and a spectacular view of the geyser. The kids cheered and screamed at the buildup and eruption of Old Faithful. The kids loved being there with their cousins. It was truly a BLAST!

Geysers Galore

We went on a short hike to see morning glory. On our way we saw about 12 or more geysers. It was so much fun to see the kids discover geyser after geyser. They were so excited to find them and come show us. Morning Glory was a pretty magnificent sight. The smell is comparable to rotten hard-boiled eggs, if you can imagine that, but definitely worth the hike.

Wildlife

There were animals everywhere, especially buffalo, birds of all types, and much, much more.

Fire Pit Hole

We swam at the coolest spot. The natural hot springs warm up this area of the river, making it an ideal swimming hole. The kids and adults had such a great time letting the current push them downstream. We really could have spent all day there.

Lewis Falls

This was the first of many waterfalls we saw at Yellowstone. The cousins had a blast playing around the river. My rock collector boys found a treasure of obsidion. Awesome!

Lower Yellowstone Falls

These falls are incredible! This was definitely one of our favorite things to see at Yellowstone. The hike down to the falls was like something out of Swiss Family Robinson. We hiked through wooded areas while dropping over 800 feet in elevation. There were 328 steps to climb (Maddie counted). Down was not a big deal, but on the way back up we all felt a little winded. Uncle Q, the fireman, carried Carina a long ways back up and so did Willie. Our heroes!

Montpelier Cemetery

Willie and I wanted the kids to see where Grandpa used to live as a kid and where he spent his summers. We also wanted them to see where many Wilcoxes are buried. It was a pretty neat experience. We found Wilcoxes right away, but spent over an hour looking for great grandpa Warren's gravestone. After much searching and two phone calls to grandpa, we found it. The kids thought it was so cool. It was so peaceful and beautiful and the air smelled so good.

Bear Lake

We took a different route down to Utah. We went through Montpelier and the kids wanted to stop and play at the lake. It was about 5 or 6 pm when we got there and the weather and water were beautiful!

Strudel the Magnificent

The wonder dog perched on a sandbar in Bear Lake. We threw her in the lake and she swam to shore every time. The kids enjoyed her swim more than she did.

People and Places

On our way back home we drove through Logan and saw the Logan temple. It is one of my favorite temples for sure. It is gorgeous! We also visited with Scott and his kids. They recently have moved down to Draper, Utah. Willie and Scott had not seeing one another for 12 years. Wow! He has three darling kids. Lauren is the oldest (9), then Braiden (6), and the youngest is Evan (2)