Girls' Night

I love these girls and had to have a photo to remember our "last girls' night before the baby comes" night. AnnDee is an adorable pregnant lady, but she was ready to be done, and Toni and I were more than happy to have a night out laughing and talking and having so much fun. So blessed to have them in my life. Tender mercy from the Lord when he blessed me with these girls as college roommates.

Bear Lake

We decided to take a short family trip to Bear Lake on the way home from Island Park. Unfortunately the weather wasn't perfect, but it ended up being a great day nonetheless. Since it was overcast in the morning we had the beach to ourselves. It wasn't too cold, just not warm. But it was actually okay with me--no worries about sunblock and no sweating to death! It was warm enough for a dip in the lake and perfect for building sand castles. Devin was insistent that we make a sand castle, and since all our sand toys are in the storage unit somewhere, we bought some more at the lake. 

 

 

 

 

 

We took a break from the beach for some lunch and a nap for Landon and Mommy, while Devin and Daddy played at the playground. We were going to try to rent some sort of water toy, but since the wind was picking up and a storm was predicted, we decided against that. However, after Landon woke up from his nap, the clouds had burned off and it was a lot warmer. No storm! So we headed back to the beach for some more fun and beach time. Rich tried to dig the world's greatest hole, but Landon kept pouring the water where it was not wanted. It was a great day spent at the beach and the boys were in heaven. We ended the day with a famous raspberry shake, which was the perfect end to a perfect day with our cute little family. 

 

 

We were supposed to stay another night, but since we needed to sign the closing papers for our California house (!!), and because our hotel was GHETTO. Seriously. Probably the worst hotel we've ever stayed in. The boys didn't mind though--they were just happy to get to bounce around on the beds. Anyway, we decided to head home that night and sleep well in our own beds since we were so close to home. Yay for family fun!

Britton Family Adventure Drive

After everyone went their separate ways on Monday morning, our little family decided to take the scenic drive down to our next stop of Bear Lake. We drove back into Yellowstone and stopped to see some geysers, which Devin did not appreciate. He was totally disgusted by the smell. Landon was unfazed and mostly wanted to run in every direction and endear himself to all the tourists. I think 10 people commented on how adorable he was--and on how much energy he has! 

 

 

We were going to try to see Old Faithful, but when we realized how much of a scenic drive we were taking, we decided against that so we didn't get to Bear Lake at midnight. So we drove south through Yellowstone and into Teton National Park.

Driving through the Tetons was so gorgeous. What a pretty drive! We were lucky enough to see a herd of bison and had to stop and get some pictures. I was amazed by these beautiful mountains and by how peaceful this part of Wyoming was. We did get to drive through Jackson, but I definitely want to go back through this area again when the boys are a little older. The boys were great in the car, but we were all ready to be done by the time we reached our hotel.

Millett Family 2014: Yellowstone

On Sunday, after church, the whole family headed into Yellowstone to see some of the cool sights. We headed first to the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone", and it was beautiful. Such an amazing sight. 

I love waterfalls, and it was so cool to be so close and to have such a pretty rainbow as an added bonus. We saw the Upper and Lower Falls from different viewpoints and had such a great time hiking. I loved having some in-depth conversations with Devin while we hiked. Love that boy and his curiosity about the world.

 

 

 

The boys loved climbing up "mountains" and testing their bravery on the rocks. Devin climbed up first to "get a better look" and then Landon, being the little brother, had to follow in Devin's footsteps. 

 

 

We got to see a little bit of wildlife, and the boys were ecstatic about the bison being so close to the road and spying the elk in the trees. 

 

On the way back to the cabin we stopped to see the Paint Pots, but the boys had fallen asleep. Aunt Jo was so nice to stay with them at the car so Rich and I could go on the short hike. Yellowstone is crazy cool. Definitely so much more to see.

Millett Family 2014: Big Springs

Saturday morning the crew headed out to Big Springs to feed the fish and go on a short hike to enjoy the beautiful area up there. Unfortunately we didn't get to see very many fish, I think they'd already been fed a lot that summer, but we did get some to come out of hiding. The boys thought it was great fun to throw in the bread and watch the fish dart out to get it. The 20-minute drive was really too much for Landon, so he had a short nap before feeding the fish.

 

 

After feeding the fish, we went on a short hike to one of the original settler's cabin. It was the coolest cabin I've ever been in! We got Landon to hike by having Aunt Christy pretend to bark like a dog. Landon will go anywhere there is a dog. 

 

 

Outside the cabin we listened to a Ranger talk about bear safety and the differences between Grizzly Bears and Black Bears. Landon mostly wanted to look through Addie's binoculars while she was still wearing them. Devin listened to the whole bear discussion and later on the in the trip would spout out random bear facts or things we should do if we encountered a specific type of bear. That kid is a sponge. Beautiful day with our beautiful family!