The last stop on our busy, but fun, summer trip was to Jackson Hole, WY. My sister Ashley's husband attends an optometry conference there every July, and this year he & Ashley decided to invite other family who could come. We joined them (even Lee was there for the first day), and so did my parents. Definitely something I wouldn't mind making a tradition of!
Hard to see faces, but Marshall (my nephew) loved pushing Melissa in the stroller!
We spent one afternoon swimming, which tuckered the kids out. I bathed Melissa and then asked Morgan to take her while I quickly showered. I suggested that Melissa was tired and would likely just want to be held. Well, this is what I found
when I got out of the shower:
I LOVE this picture of Ashley and Morgan!
These pictures were taken on the gondola that takes you to the top of the ski slopes. My girls were very excited when they found out we could go on it (a.k.a. it was free!)!
Even Melissa enjoyed the gondola!
At the top of the ski slopes - breathtakingly beautiful! And the view was really nice too! :)
The condo we stayed at was perfect for us! Besides having a perfect number of rooms and beds, it also had a perfect view of the landing strip for the parachuters. The kids spent a lot of time on the deck in the mornings watching tons of people land. They would go on the deck at the west end of the condo to see the parachuters taking off on the top of the mountain, and then they'd run to the deck on the east side of the condo to watch the landings. I'll admit I enjoyed the entertainment also! :)
Here's a picture of some relaxing that occurred our last night there. Brynne thinks Grandma Ross's lap was made for her :) and Morgan enjoyed playing cards with Ashley's kids, Marshall and Elise.
Our family has a thing for Coulter Bay in Teton National Park. It all started with my mom's family when she was growing up - they went camping there every summer. She still enjoys going there and has passed onto us kids the desire to go there every chance we get!
During our Jackson Hole visit, we had a picnic lunch at Coulter Bay and then spent a couple hours playing in the water. Since the water is really cold, I wasn't sure Melissa would like it. Eventually I put on her suit (see below), but at first she had a good time playing on the beach with Morgan.
Brynne discovered a lot of tiny fish along the shoreline. She used a frisbee and went along scooping up water and baby fish for everyone to see. I somehow convinced her to stop long enough to pose for a picture. :)
Melissa with Aunt Ashley
Brynne has never gone anywhere without taking time to create something! This time she created some nice rock art - do you see the heart at the top of the circle?
As I mentioned, I eventually put Melissa in her swimsuit to see what she would think about the cold water. She loved it! In fact, she kept wanting to hold my hands so she could walk out deeper! She also enjoyed sitting in the water playing with all the rocks.
Remember the picture of Melissa sacked out on Morgan's lap after a long day of swimming? Well, guess who sacked out on Mom's shoulder after another long day of swimming? :)
Our trip to Jackson ended the day before Morgan's 11th birthday, so Grandma and Grandpa Ross were nice enough to buy a horse cake to celebrate her birthday while we were all together. (We were quite shocked when Uncle Derek called from the store to say he had actually found a horse cake!) Truth is - Morgan shares a birthday with my parents' anniversary, and this year was their 40th Anniversary! Ashley and I had talked about doing something to celebrate their anniversary (40 years is a big deal!), but my parents had been planning to do something to celebrate Morgan's birthday. It's just like my parents to move aside and do everything they can to bring joy to a grandchild! Morgan was very pleased to have her moment!
When we left Jackson Hole, Morgan rode home with Ashley and Derek to Riverton, WY so she could spend a few days with them. Ashley was wonderful to set up lots of play dates, make arrangements to ride horses, and countless other things to help Morgan enjoy her stay - and Morgan had a wonderful time!
Ash & Derek - Thanks a ton for inviting us to Jackson with you!!
