Fun with the Fam

(Trying to get a cousin picture... if more than half are cooperating it is a good shot which makes this a good shot.)

On our way cross country we took a nice long break to have a family vacation with my family. We spent a few days in Cody visiting and preparing for our trip to Flathead lake Montana... it was a beautiful beautiful place and lots of fun. We stayed in a great cabin with the whole family for a week and it was the perfect space. The cabin was a great size with a small fenced in front yard and a HUGE backyard with a firepit, two ponds, a waterfall, TONS of cherry trees, a peach tree, apple trees, pear trees, and raspberry bushes; we spent a lot of time picking and eating the really yummy fruit and we were lucky enough to be there right at the peak of the cherry season, they were delicious.

This is the view of the lake from the deck of the cabin.

All the cousins enjoying their bribe from the family pictures (which I still don't have a copy of).
We (well at least Jared, our kids, my parents, and I) enjoyed a trip to Glacier National Park and the beautiful scenery there... see how happy Dad is to be there!

There is so much color there... aqua water, red rocks, green plants... and Claire's red hair.

Claire was TOTALLY in her element here and could have walked around outside in the forest and near the water all day... Jacob wasn't so sure!
More Glacier....
And more...
There were a couple of times that we drove right through a cloud and could look down on it, it was kind of a drizzly rainy day but was still beautiful.
When we weren't at Glacier, picking cherries, or playing with cousins we were most likely on the boat... Claire loves the boat.
Jacob likes it sometimes.
I love to be behind it. We got one great day on a smaller much smoother lake and got in some great skiing. Jared really did well on one ski and went farther than he ever has on one and crossed the wake several times, I think he has it down now... unfortunately all the pictures from that day were on Mom's camera.
We went swimming and grilled burgers by the lake one evening... if you look in the distance I am rescuing my nephew who floated right over the rope for the swimming area. When I got to him and asked if he needed help he replied in a confident little 3 year old voice "nope! I can do it by myself, the waves will bring me back!" (his Dad didn't want to swim out to get him, so as he was panicking that he was getting to far out he kept telling him the waves would bring him back... they didn't)
We had lots of baths in this fun tub. (Showers in this tub were very interesting... the all around shower curtain was very clingy).
We also had lots and lots of glow stick fun... every night (the kids loved playing in the little loft).
More glow stick fun. Thanks Grandma!
And this is my beautiful daughter holding a giant slug... don't be fooled by her face, she did not hate it. You would not believe how impossible it is to clean slug slime off of hands! And why would she be holding a giant slug?????
... because she has cousins like this, who love bugs, snakes, bats, and apparently slugs. Giant slugs! They are trying to teach Claire their love for these things.
We also had a lot of fun with bubbles because Grandma brought lots of bubble guns and other bubble toys. This is my adorable niece Tyler, she is shy, she doesn't love new people, but she is really cute.
Claire loved the bubbles.
Thanks for such a great time Mom and Dad we can't wait for the next trip! :)