Lagoon

Last week we went to Lagoon with my Grandpa and aunt for their Stake Lagoon Day. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect with two little ones. First off, I haven't been to Lagoon in like 5 years and it has changed. I was surprised at how many new rides there were. Finley has been there a few times with her friends and knew right where to go. Eliza didn't like the fact that she just had to sit there and watch her sister have all the fun, so how do you solve that problem? Find rides she can go on. Yep, Eliza went on her first roller coaster ride and a few others. It was a blast. At the end of the night Finley had stated that the Dinosaur Drop and the old school Log Ride were her least favorite. The best ride? Bombora. It's a roller coaster that both kids and adults can go on. She would have gone on it over and over and over. I myself discovered I no longer can go on the rides that just go round and round. Oh can you say motion sickness? Finley is insistent that we go back and take Brian with us and he for sure has to go on the 'Snake' ride and get soaking wet. Love discovering new things with kids!

Puff the Little Dragon, Liza and I on the baby coaster. She didn't cry, just kept say 'whoa, whoa'. It was pretty funny.

This is the little kids ship ride. It was fun and the best part, we were the only ones on there.

Finley on the kids swings.

Ok, this is Liza looking at Rattlesnake Rapids. She was smiling so big and was so excited. Did I take here on it with us? For sure. We got a little wet and then we came to the waterfall. I tried so hard to avoid going under it with Liza but of course we got drenched. I tried to cover her as much as possible. So the outcome?...

Finley a drowned rat.

Eliza and I pretty much took a shower with our clothes on.

This is Finley and her friend 'Big Eliza.' Since we have our little Eliza we have to say big and little when they are both around so they know which one we are talking about. Big Eliza is 9 and takes good care of Finley. They went on all the rides together and Eliza would make sure Fin was buckled in right and they would giggle SO hard. It gave me a perspective of what Finley and my Eliza will be like in a few years. So much fun.

Big Eliza and Finley on Dinosaur Drop. This is a kid version that takes you up and drops you. Fin's legs were stiff as boards and after she came off saying that it wasn't her favorite ride.

Wyoming Trip

Last week we went to Bondurant, WY for an adult only trip with my in laws (my sweet mother in law decided that a vacation bringing little ones isn't really a vacation for us moms). I did miss my little ones but it was a great week. Each day was filled with activities and laughter. I must admit that Jackson is one of my favorite places to go so I was very much looking forward to this trip. Yes there are a lot of pictures but a seven day trip will end up that way.

This is Brian in all his Fishing Glory. Did he catch anything? No. He claims he was checking to make sure the fish habit was doing well. Only he could get away saying that.

After finding a good fish habit Brian and his siblings built a homemade teeter totter. Yes you read that right. We had to test it's strength and our ability to get all of us kids on it. Left to right: Micall, TJ, Tehmi, Kevin, Me, Brian, Hunter. It was quite impressive watching Brian, Micall and Hunter do all sorts of balancing acts on there. Oh the simple things that amuse us.

What do you get buying a $120 ping pong table? 3 hours to put it together, every stinking little screw, bolt, hinge, ALL of it. I must say us 'non-blood' Tolbert's had a few good laughs through this process. We built this while the 'blood' Tolbert siblings built the teeter totter.

This was an activity that I was scared to death to do. Run the river. If you didn't know I'm terrified of water. Was it worth it? Totally! I got put in the safest part of the boat and listened to my mother in law giggle the entire time. The best was when the guide told Hunter to stand on the front of the boat and had us in the middle scoot a foot to the right. Wait what is going on? Then like a flying squirrel the guide ran across the boat and tackled Hunter into the water. He had NO clue what hit him. Wish I had it on video. It was hilarious! I survived the rapids through Lunchcounter and learned a cool few facts about the river. We even went passed the section where the big landslide hit a few weeks ago. So fun!

This picture sums up what the weather was like most of the days. Cloudy, cold, windy, rainy or snowy. Did this stop us from our list of activities? Heaven's no.

Through rain, cold, and wind, we rode our bikes through a heard of buffalo (at least 40 of them). I've never been so close to such a large animal in the wild. They weren't sure what to think of us so we quickly got through there.

Yes, this is the 'famous barn' that is seen in most Wyoming photographs. It is located on Mormon Row in Kelly, WY. It was cool to ride past. How could you beat all the scenery on this ride?

We decided to rent a 15 passenger van on the day we went to Yellowstone so we could all enjoy the car ride talk. It was fantastic! There were many funny jokes, Kevin throwing Hunter over two rows of seats to land up by the driver / passenger area and great snacks. I couldn't believe how much snow was in the park. Still feet of snow. We watched Old Faithful go and then ate lunch in the main lodge.

To prove yes we were there.

We looked at lots of bubbling hot pots. So fascinating we had to see them all. I must admit I'm a bit of a geology geek. Love it!

We went to Bar-J Wranglers, shopped, went on Indian Runs (explanation at the end), ate lots of really good food, watched movies, bought a Jackson Hole sweatshirt, played golf, ate more good food, hung out at the 'barn', played ping pong, slept in every morning, and enjoyed the company of our family. It was a great 'touristy' trip and can't wait to go back up there.

Yep, pretty much had my down coat on the whole time. Good thing I can pack it into my purse!

Indian Runs: This is Brian's term for a run in the wild. If you're lucky you'll find a cattle trail to stay on. These runs were 4-7 miles long, 800+ elevation climbs, and maybe running through rivers. Oh that husband of mine, he's a goer and I love it.