Get ready for it....

There are 21 pictures attached to this post.

yes, seriously.


These pictures are from our 4th of July trip to Wyoming, which means I am only one month and 2 days late doing a blog post about it...THAT'S PRACTICALLY CONSIDERED EARLY FOR ME!

Okay, off we go!
Here is Jaxon, seriously SERIOUSLY excited to be getting on a plane with his cousins and grammie and Grampie!

Did I mention they were excited?

We all flew into Billings where we met Tyler and AnnaMarie. You may or may not know that I was born in Billings, and lived there until I was 8 years old. The first night we just ate dinner, put the kids down, and hung out a little at the hotel. Also, some people in the family may or may not have gone to Baskin Robbins and NOT brought me my favorite ice cream in the whole world, while getting themselves double scoops of said favorite ice cream... Just sayin.... ;o)

Here are the kids with AM in Billings at a park. Mom and Dad, me, Tyler, and Amber drove around to our old homes, schools, ward buildings etc. We couldn't all fit, and let's be serious, our spouses and kids didn't care, so AM, Brandt, Dave and the kids stayed at this park to play!



(Please note how gorgeous my little guy is in this picture.... I don't know what it is, but it melts my heart!)

We drove to the Billings Temple which is new since we left. A few weeks before we left for this vacation we had a family night on temples. We watched a slide show of all 126(ish) temples, and then let Jaxon pick his favorite to display in his room. He just happened to pick the Billings Temple, and was seriously excited when we told him he would actually get to see it in person! It did not disappoint. It's absolutely stunning.



Grammie and Grampy with all the kiddos at the temple
Friday afternoon we left Billings and headed to Cody Wyoming. My mom did a lot of her growin' up years here, and it holds a special place in all of our hearts. We often traveled here for the 4th of July, and I swear it is the most down home, country, patriotic place you could possibly be Independence Day! IT WAS AWESOME!!!

Here we are in front of Cody's claim to fame- Buffalo Bill Cody!!!

Grammie was so excited to show Jaxon the statue, and he was appropriately impressed!

Saturday (these pics are a little out of order...) We went to the kids parade down mainstreet in the morning, and to the RODEO in the evening!


Let me tell you a little secret... RODEO'S ROCK! SERIOUSLY!

This was a PRCA (Professional Rodeo circuit) rodeo, and the biggest Rodeo in the US held over the 4th, so these guys were GOOD!!! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, yelling, cheering, cringing, gasping, and YEE-HAW-ING with the best of them!!! Even Jaxon loved it!


Here is Jaxon and his best buddy Hailey, looking quite angelic...

Though to be honest...they usually look a lot more like this....

Jaxon continued to wear his cowboy hat everywhere (to my GREAT pleasure) and continued to have his picture taken. (Much to his DISPLEASURE!)


At first he tolerated it....

Then he got pretty tired of it...

Then he decided to let me know how he really felt about it...

The kids got to sit on a REAL BULL!!! They are much more docile when they aren't being Ridden by a cowboy and don't have their....well....we all know how they get those bulls to buck... YIKES!! But seriously....look how HUGE this guy is!!!

Sittin' pretty!

4 cousins on, NO PROB! Brennen refused to actually get on the bull's back, but was content to stand next to it!

Here begins Saturday morning at the kid's parade along Mainstreet. A fantastic time was had by all I tell you, BY ALL! The weather was great, and the kids were excited! Candy was thrown, what more can you ask for?

My Patriotic little buddy, ready to go!

Sporting our fashionable cowboy attire....

Just the girls...minus mom. She was sitting on the curb with all the kids, and wouldn't have moved for the world!

I.

Love.

This.

Picture!!!

All the boys just hanging out! My brothers love to wear their BYU attire just to annoy Dave, and bless Dave's heart, he sported some Cougar Blue just for the occasion!! (HA.HA.) He did keep his Devil spirit alive with the hat though...

Grammie in all her glory with the Grandkids!

Sunday we went to church and then went to Heart Mountain, one of the largest internment camps during WWII. There really wasn't much there to see but a few plaques... I guess the US doesn't want people to go see proof of some of their darkest days.

...Moving right along...

Sunday afternoon we made the 1.5 hour drive to Burlington, the town where my mom lived on a ranch during the summer! We visited the old ranch every summer growing up in Billings, and were so saddened to hear when it burned down a few years ago. The familiy sold most of the land, but still owns a few acres, and "the tank" is still there. It is just that, a metal storage tank, that holds all sorts of antique treasures, junk, dust, and spiders! AnnaMarie and I had a great time going through some old boxes, but we would need much better light, tools, and time without kids to really explore all of it's wonders!

Is this sign not awesome??? A town with 250 people? I LOVE IT!!!

Here are the boys lighting off COPIOUS amounts of fireworks....all legal on private property in Wyoming. This takes me straight back to when we were kids and lit major fireworks in Wyoming...the only difference is this trip, we DIDN'T start a major fire!


On Monday morning we went to the BIG parade down Mainstreet on the 4th of July! Again, it was awesome. Slightly sunnier, but no big deal. I think it was about 30 degrees cooler than it was in Mesa. And that, is a little slice of heaven!

Here is Jax with his best buddy hailey again...

And I had to save the best for last! Jax and Grammie waiting for the parade. Don't you love that little hand on Grammie's cheek? LOVE.

I left out a lot, like daily dips in the freezing outdoor hotel pool (Tyler and AM from Minnesota thought it was downright delicious, but the rest of us froze our buns off!) Hysterical and frustrating dinners where restaurants in this tiny little town tried unsuccessfully to accomodate a party of 19, and playing games in the hotel hallway until late. It was one of the most fun vacations we have ever been on. We seriously loved it. I wish we could make it a tradition...but I don't see that happening any time soon... I don't think Cody can handle the Ferrell Clan every year!