...there's a new baby in the family

April and Scott have a new baby boy. Zach Owen Jensen. I got to visit Hobblecreek Haven today and meet him for the first time.

Sonora is looking and acting all grown up now that she has a little brother. 

She loves to take his socks on and off. 

I'm excited to get to know you little Zach!

...another three day road trip

Time to head home which means goodbye to the lodge and sink baths for the boys. It was hard leaving knowing we had three days of sitting ahead.

We decided to make the trip fun by hitting Lake Michigan, Mt. Rushmore, the Big Horn Mountains, and Yellowstone. It was fun, but very, very, long. I think we took the longest route possible and still made it home in three...very...long...days.

There was plenty of time for such things as a photo shoot at the lighthouse.

With all the amazing things we saw, Drew and Neil liked this playground the best.

I went to Mt. Rushmore when I was little. But I don't remember much. I do however remember the water slide park we visited in Rapid City. I guess I was just like Drew and Neil--appreciating the finer things in life.

We left Cody, Wyoming at 10:00 pm and drove through Yellowstone in the dark. I almost hit a moose and had to follow a buffalo through a stop light. Luckily we made it to Rexburg safely at 3:00 am. 

Highlights from the road trip:

*Drew throwing up into sandwich baggies three times and never getting a drop on himself. I adore him for that.

*The boys having to pee every hour. By the last day Neil decided to just start going before we could ever pull over. No more Sprite for him on road trips.

*Me leaving my camera on the car roof and driving away. Luckily we stopped soon thereafter to get dinner and it was still there.

*Jenny recounting amazing tales of dinosaurs, trappers, and little boys on adventures. She must have told 100 stories to wide-eyed Drew and Neil. 

*Drew and Neil continually asking "When will we get to Mt. Muckamore?"

...just some photos from our trip

...do you want a pet?

What kind of trip to Mom's would it be without trying to trap or shoot something? There has been a rabbit/marmot eating her flowers and she is fed up. So Drew and Neil tried to figure out the trap to help her out.

She had to give us all a lesson in catching our furry friends. We haven't caught a rabbit/marmot yet, but we have caught many other friends.

Okay. I didn't catch this lake trout. But ain't it a beaut?

...summertime and the livin's easy

We arrived at the lodge on June 7 just before midnight. It was so fun to see Mom and Dad and get out of the car. The river is high...so it's time to fish!

We caught a small walleye and kept it in this bucket full of water. Drew reeled him in. The kayaking rally is happening next week so Mom and Dad need lots of fish for the fish fry.

On top of fishing we've made sauna runs, played baseball, and I'm even reading a book. It's not all play though--we've cleaned three cabins, gathered firewood, washed many dishes, and helped fix the dirt road. I even hid from my dad when he started mowing the lawn--not wanting to be recruited. I was relieved when Jenny informed me she had already volunteered to help mow. She's exponentially more mature than I am. 

...I'm drivin' to Quebec via Yellowstone

Jen, Drew, Neil, and I set out on the morning of June 5 to start our adventure to Quebec. We left from Rexburg, so decided to drive through Yellowstone Park. Looking back, it was the best part of the road trip. 

There were buffalo, elk, and...a momma grizzly that killed an elk calf to feed her two cubs. No joke! But we didn't take binoculars, so we just stood in a group of people straining at the hillside for that one.

Drew is always an animal in the pics. Here I believe he's a three-pronged velociraptor. 

It was hard to stop at restaurants for dinner. Drew and Neil had been so cooped up in the car they didn't want to sit down. It's amazing I got these shots of them pretending to peacefully eat their food.

An ice cream stop was welcome once in Canada. We noticed black flies and mosquitoes for the first time. We must be nearing the lodge!