Island Park and Yellowstone!!

Every year Ryan's family goes to Island Park, Idaho! Ever since Ryan and I have been married we have been able to go and every year it is so different- and such a blast! This year we were able to stay in a cabin with two of Ryan's sisters and their kids. With 8 kids in one small cabin, Jane didn't sleep a wink...and she loved every minute of it. Here is Jane trying her very first S'more. She gave that up quickly and went straight for the chocolate.
Here we are all gathered around the campfire enjoying the beautiful view, some yummy treats and eachothers company...so fun!
Jane loved having gal pal cousins to play with and take care of her!! Here are Madison, Jane, Mackenzie, and Olivia all watching Tinkerbell together- such gorgeous girls :)
We all went to Mesa Falls after church on Sunday! This is one of my favorite waterfalls ever...so beautiful. Olivia was kind enough to keep tabs on Jane for me during the hike :)
Here is Ryan (and Beckham in the backpack) in front Mesa Falls...what handsome fellas!
Here's a great view of the falls...I love it. And its not a long walk at all!
Jane was fascinated by all the gushing water.
Here's a terrible picture of me with Jane in front of the falls, too!
Here is Beckham cooling off in the visitor's center. He was such a happy camper the whole time:)
Of course we went to Yellowstone and saw some amazing hot pots and geysers! I love Yellowstone, it's so amazing! This particular hot pot was so beautiful and blue and the water was so clear, you could see all the way down.
Jane loved walking on the boardwalks all by herself this year! She is growing up so fast:)
Jane was a little slower than the rest of us however... I love this view of the boardwalk over tons of small geysers and hotpots. Yellowstone really is awe inspiring!
Every year, we love stopping at the Old Faithful Lodge (I think that is what it is called) It is entirely made of wood and is so amazing!
Our little family in the Old Faithful Lodge for lunch.
Here's beautiful Yellowstone Lake! It is just breathtaking! Having gone to Yellowstone every year for 5 years, we decided to do something a little different this year. We rented a motor boat and drove around the lake for awhile!! Jane loved it and Beckham slept through it...perfect!
Here's Beckham getting suited up for the ride...he hated it- poor guy.
Here's Ryan on his very first boat driving experience. He was a pro!
And Jane and Mama enjoying the ride!
Another great year at Island Park with the Dicks. Thanks Jean and Kelly for another amazing trip. And thanks Erica for all your hard work on the food...you did everything:) Love you guys!

Cupcakes and Pizza!

I left Jane in the kitchen with a cupcake to eat...and when I returned, this is what I found....
We also decided to make pizzas for family night. It was so much fun!
Jane knew just what to do...with a little help from mama and daddy.

Jane really enjoyed her pizza...though I am beginning to wonder of this girl is ever going to learn to eat without making a ginormous mess of herself...

Last Week of Summer...Too Early

Ryan had a 5 week break from school before he had to start working full time doing different rotations in different hospitals and pharmacies for his last year of pharmacy school...so we really tried to live up what short summer he had. Our last week was spent going on some wonderful hikes around Utah!! We really live in a beautiful state!

We were daring and took Jane on the hike to Timp Cave. It is a mile and a half long hike which is straight up hill the WHOLE TIME...eeek!! I was impressed with how well Jane did, however. She was such a trooper- though Ryan ended up carrying her in the backpack for a little and I even carried her in my arms for some of the time, too!! And I was a basket case the whole time worrying about Jane as she walked on a trail with an edge that went straight down :(
It was tiring but so worth it!
The views were so beautiful!
The cave was amazing, too! Our camera died so we only got a few pics in the cave...bummer!! But I would highly recommend this to everyone...such a blast:)
Jane at one point in the cave asked, "Are we going to die?" We had a good laugh over that one. No worries, she wasn't scared at all- that was just so random!
We also took Jane and Beckham on a short hike up Rock Canyon...where I tried my hand at rock climbing...pretty good eh!? (Sorry it's sideways)
Our little adventurer, Jane, tried a little rock climbing herself...
Here's the wall we were trying to climb.
Rock Canyon is really amazing with a beautiful view of Provo!
Lastly, we took the kids on a small easy hike up Payson Canyon called the Grotto hike!! I love this hike...so easy with an amazing pay off at the end. Little Beckham was such a good boy- he loves the great outdoors.
Here's Jane diligently following daddy...
There were logs used as bridges to cross the river and Jane loved crossing them every time. After we were done she was asking to go over the bridges again and again!
Once you get to the waterfall it is surrounded by rocks, it almost looks like a cave and totally feels like a grotto! This is another hike I would highly recommend.
Here we are in front of the beautiful waterfall!
Our short little summer was soooo wonderful- but it's back to reality!! I am so grateful for my darling little fam and my hard working, adventurous husband!