Yellowstone Day 5: Thursday, Cody, WY

Here's our little caravan on our way to Cody, WY.

Some beautiful wildflowers we saw along the way.
And then of course the bison sighting - right beside the road. Close enough for you?

We stopped just outside Cody to see a cabin that used to be in Grandma's family. Pretty neat, huh?
Here's the bridge across the river to it. It's the only way over to the cabin.

The adorable newlyweds!
The next stop was a cemetery in Cody where some of Grandma's family had plots.

But of course when you're 3, you have no idea what the proper behavior is at a cemetery, but it's a pretty good guess that this isn't it.

And then Jana tried to convince us that she was big enough to sit in the back seat because she could strap herself in.

Then off to the Buffalo Bill Museum. The girls were both fascinated by the life-size horses and so excited to sit on this saddle. In fact, we kept going back to the saddle to sit on it.

Then we found the very cool animal section, which was quite a bit more kid-friendly.

After a dinner at the only sit-down establishment we could find in Cody (Pizza Hut), we loaded up in the car, in their jammies, and headed back to the house.

Kara was asleep within about 5 miles of leaving the restaurant.
Jana, who refused to sleep in the car for almost the entire trip, declared she wasn't tired.
Still not tired...
Zzzzzzzzz....

Yellowstone Day 4: Wednesday, Jenny Lake

With the idea of staying close to home, we headed to Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons National Park. It was just gorgeous!

We hiked down to the water at our first stop and "dabbled our toes in" as Jana says.

Here's Uncle David helping Kara down the steps.

Grandpa and his little buddy, Jana.

The water was a tad cool, so the kids weren't too sure about it...the adults liked it.
In the end, both girls didn't need too much convincing to "dabble our toes" in the water, too.

It was so beautiful spot, so we took the time for some family pictures. Here's Grandpa Ray and his girls.

Here's a great family picture... except for our little twit getting in there. What a stinker!

Grandma and Grandpa

Then it was off to another park for a picnic lunch. We found a great shady spot next to the river.

As soon as Auntie Sarah cracked open the container of berries, the girls were all over her.
The girls pigging out on berries.
This is what Jana did when left to entertain herself for a few minutes. First spread out the towel.
Then fix the sunglasses.
And finally, catch a few rays. Where does this kid pick these things up?!?!?!
Kara, however, headed straight for the water.
Then, she and Ari (aka "Baby Owie" to Kara) decided to play with the stroller.


Aren't these two cute together? They seem to play together so well.

After a boat ride, Dadda, Sarah, and Patrick headed on hike while the girls, Grandma, and I headed back. Here they are on their hike.
Grandpa Ray, the girls and I headed back to the house for an afternoon nap while the rest of them hung out and had some swimming time.
Then we all met up back at the house for some dinner. Gramps and Glenna had dinner on their own and brought back their left overs. Uncle Dave enjoyed the burgers and the girls devoured the fries. Apparently it isn't just berries that they hover over the food for. :-)
After dinner the big "kids" went out for a round of bocce...


and the little girls all begged to go outside too (into the mosquito infested play area).

Since Mama was getting eaten alive through the jeans and long sleeves, I decided to cover up Kara (who also still got eaten), but the drier sheet trick seemed to work for Ari.

Not wanting to bring too many toys, we just invested in a new bag of balloons. They were a hit! Who knew such a cheap toy would keep them entertained the entire trip.
And then it was time for a bath... and boy did they all need it. Ewww!