Grand Teton's

This is our favorite National Park.  It is beautiful every time we have visited and the campgrounds are always great.  Obviously as you have seen a couple outings, we have had quite the summer of camping!  It has been awesome.  This Teton's trip was our big one of the summer, we took it over July 24th.  We were gone 5 nights 5 days, 2 at family's house to start and end the trip, 3 nights & 3 days at the campground/park.  Plus, it's like a 2.5 hour drive to family's house, then another 3 to the Tetons, total of 5.5 hrs in the car...yuck.  Allstar hates being in the car for longer than 30 min.  He just wants to be out moving, we think he gets bored in the car, like his mom.  So anyway, because the Teton's is so far away it's the drive that was the scariest part.  In the end, he did Awesome!  He slept a good part of most of the drives, and played with toys the other little parts, and only fussed a little.  Wow, we were so thankful for that.  We had a wonderful time, of course.  We ended up taking Spencer's parents tent trailer since it was a longer trip, as well as our friend's canoe.  Both ended up being fun to have.  I'll let the pictures tell you the summary of our days!

This is actually the very last picture of the vacation, as we were leaving Idaho Falls.  If you look close at our faces and hair you can see they look 4 days old!  I still think this pic is really cute; dirty and all.

 This is my latest invention...the car tray.  We looked at the ones to buy, and decided we didn't want to pay $15 for something that may or may not work.  So, this is what I thought of!  Genius if I say so.  I bungee'd it to the sides of his carseat to keep it in place.  It worked for the way up, then he started to figure out to throw things out, then to kick it with his legs.  It's ok, it worked for moments here and there!

 We stopped here to eat on our way to Pocatello, where Spencer's sisters live, who we stay with in ID.  It's just down the street on the Exit for Malad.  Highly recommend this little bbq joint.  Prices are great, food is awesome.  Only open like March-Oct.

 We canoed a couple times.  Jackson Lake was first, pictured below.  It was a bit rough since there are boats, but it was nice to get out.  String Lake we liked better.  It was so calm and smooth.  Allstar didn't sit for long.  He was usually in between my legs while Spencer rowed us around.

 We learned after our first camping trip to take plenty of toys for Allstar.  We filled a canister and little backpack full, which worked out great.  This was our dirtiest camping of the season, nice brown dirt covered us most of the time, caked on with bug spray!

 My friend gave us this little stroller a couple days before this trip.  It is missing part of a wheel and the handlebars are bent a little.  Out of all the toys to choose from in her garage, this is what Allstar wanted!!!  She said it'd be great for him to have, with the new baby on the way.  I don't mind the pink, and neither does he, it was his dad who had to be convinced!  After Allstar wanting to push this thing around for blocks of time throughout the day, Spencer was convinced pretty quickly that this stroller rocks and is now taken on any trip we go on!

 This is the hike to Hidden Falls.  It's our special hike that we will forever remember.  It is actually where Spencer proposed to me!  Awww...which that moment we caught on camera, you may be lucky enough to see it if I ever remember to scan and post!  Anyway, we took the other hike route and ended up not liking that way.  Between the backpack with a 21 lb toddler on Spencer's back and a big 7 month belly on me, squishing my bladder, we made it.  There were tons of people, way too many, but you wouldn't know from our great pics!  We managed a quick, not so great, family pic and headed out, the easy way...

 We took the ferry boat back to the trail head!  The hike proved too much for Spencer's back and my hips that we decided to take this out, this one time.

 the Beautiful Teton Mountains.  We have managed to have blue skies every time we come.

 Sunday we went into Jackson for an hour of church, then spent the afternoon at the park for lunch and delicious ice cream.  It was a nice, relaxing day for us.  Much hotter than at the Tetons!

 We always take a pic in front of the N.P. signs.  It proves a little more difficult with a kid now, but we still take the effort to get one!  Maybe sometime I'll show you a post w/all the N.P.s we've been too...it is quite the impressive list I must say!

 Eating w/Allstar was much easier with this chair we borrowed.  Though we were not great parents for a moment and he wiggled his way to the edge of the table [b/c of course we had him on top of the table] and tumbled off.  Whoops!  He was fine, just got scared.  He loves to eat corn ON the cob. btw.

 Sleeping arrangements inside the tent trailer.  Allstar get's one side in the pack 'n play, we get the other.  He actually sleept really well, throughout most of the nights.  It was CUTE to wake up to this though, don't you think!

Camping is over, we are now on our way back to Pocatello, where our sweet boy starts to get creative!  I of course find this highly amusing and totally laugh and watch him for 10 minutes, only encouraging this behavior!  I stopped after a while, and he actually hasn't done this since.

 Idaho Falls.  Spencer hadn't ever been here, and it had been like 10 yrs for me, so we finally rerouted over to it.  The temple is beautiful, of course.  The falls were interesting to read about.

 Allstar LOVED all the ducks and geese.  He chased them around, and got a little too close to the water for a good half hour or so.  We restrained from feeding them all, since it is not healthy for them anyway.  It was pretty gross with all the bird droppings everywhere, but definitely worth that little boy's excitement!

 I stuck with the stroller and the shady spots and let Spencer chase after the curious boy.  Too hot for this mama!

I guess that is the end!  A shower was so nice to have, but we instantly miss the campfires and being outdoors 24/7 in the beautiful nature that we can find.