lions and tigers and bears...

okay... maybe NOT lions and tigers, but the bears were for real!

this past weekend, we took a little "family" jaunt to 'island park', just out of yellowstone. instead of staying in a motel, we opted to rent a cabin that we could all stay in together... {you know... the family that plays together, stays together??? (anyway, that's the hope of the mom and dad)}.

this is the cabin we rented

(moose creek lodge)

gramma, siona and kendyl, putting together a 'princess' puzzle.

isley... once again, being mauled.
(she'll be glad when haley has her baby!)

playing games until all hours of the night.

karaoke competition.


who can go to "yellowstone" without going to "old faithful"
gramma, isley and kendyl and tiff with ibert and kj.

elk

'ibert' with his trusy "noclers".

he even had to sleep with them. but he has them turned around, and no one could talk him into looking thru them the right way.

of course, we had to sit and look at this buck for quite sometime
(like we've NEVER seen a buck before!)

we stopped and had lunch in the park.
and let the kids run for a while.

kendyl, siona, and ibert
having fun being together.
(notice the 'noclers' around ibert's neck, and the death grip he has on them.)

i guess we saw some 'monkeys' too!
kamryn and siona thought it was fun doing back bends over the logs.

under this little warming shack, was a grundle of potguts.

the kids (and papa) had sunflower seeds that they were feeding them.
first just one came out. he went back in and then two came out. they went back in, and gathered up the whole crew to come out for lunch.
this was probably one of the biggest highlights of the park for the kids.
they could have stayed there all day, feeding these little fellers.

hunter, trying to make friends.

heyyyy... where did you go?!

buffalo, so close we could kiss them!

artist point
(isn't this a gorgeous picture!)


ibert and hunter playing "who's the quickest" with papa


highlight of our mornings! when the grandkids would come and climb in bed with us.
(you can't see donnie in this picture, because kendyl is sitting on top of him).

we saw this this mama bear, just about as close as we wanted to!
she had two cubs with her.

ibert was DONE! two long days in the car was about as much as the kids could take.
not counting the ride up and then having to drive home on sunday.

we spent two whole days driving thru the park. the kids were so good. in all, we saw 7 bear, deer, elk, wolves, a fox, an eagle, and buffalo. no moose this time. but the scenery was awesome!

we played games into the night and some even ventured out into the hot tub. it was cool and rainy, but beautiful! oh and how could i forget...TERIBITHIA?!!

kj, kamryn, siona and hunter

(kamryn couldn't wait to take them to see teribithia!)

here they are! at TERIBITHIA!???

we had a great time and hope to make this a tradition of a yearly family 'bonding' experience.