The week of June 30 to July 6 we were on vacation!  Before we left, we had a quick present-opening party for Beth!  She got a new doll from us and dress and doll clothes from Grandma Elton!

We drove up to Kevin's Dad's house in Rexburg, Idaho on Saturday.  He had a great dinner waiting for us and then we had another party for Bethany!

 We also got to ride on the four wheelers!

On Sunday we went to church and visited.  We drove into Idaho Falls and visited Kevin's Aunt Alice and Uncle Lyle and saw some cousins.  Kevin gave us a tour on the way home of all the houses he lived in as he was growing up and took the kids to the graveyard where a lot of their ancestors are buried.  They learned a lot about their dad that day.  It was neat!

On Monday we went boating with Grandpa Skinner!  Savannah, Megan, and Mariah all got up on the skis!  Sarah pulled a muscle in her arm, but she'll get up next time!  The rest of us enjoyed the tube and swimming from the dock.  Thanks Grandpa for a great day!

On Tuesday we left to rendezvous with Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik to camp in Grand Teton National Park.  It was sooooo beautiful!  After we set up camp, we walked down for a look at the lake, then back for dinner and another party for Bethany Kate Skinner!  Grandma and Grandpa strung streamers and hung balloons from the lodgepole pines all around camp!

On Wednesday we drove into Yellowstone!  We stopped to picnic, skip rocks, and eat fudgesicles at Bridge Bay then it was on to the waterfall at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and finally watch Old Faithful erupt before heading back to camp!  We roasted marshmallows and had s'mores that night.

On Thursday we did one of my favorite hikes ever.  We took the ferry across Jenny Lake and hiked to Hidden Falls and then on to Inspiration Point.  It's sooo beautiful!  The kids were all great hikers.  Ben was a great hiker there but a real pain on the way back.  Mostly he wanted to go every direction but down, wanted to pick up every rock, and wanted to stay and watch the caterpillar for the whole day.  Kevin got the brunt of it.  He was a good sport and the view was worth it!

On Friday the kids played in the trees where we were camped and we went down to the lake and swam some more.  Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik also had a bunch of camping games set up in the trees that the kids enjoyed all week.  I finished my book.  It was a fun day!  We were also joined that day by Kevin's Uncle James and Aunt Shirlene.  Fun!

Saturday we headed back home, but not without a nostalgic long look backward at the beauty we left behind!  It was a great week and Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik sure made it fun!  Thanks to all!