Jackson Hole & the Tetons

After Yellowstone we spent a couple days visiting the Grand Teton National Park, and exploring Jackson Hole. Here's some pics of our hike around Jenny Lake.

 

 

We read that the hike to Hidden Falls was an easy 3 mile hike along the lake. No big deal, right? But with this crew it took a while. Josh was always carrying at least one girl. I'm very lucky to have him. So many people we crossed paths with made comments on how crazy brave we were to go on this hike with 4 little girls. Or maybe they just thought we were crazy to have 4 girls. There was an elderly couple taking a break, and the wife said to us "Well, if you can do this, I can do this" and she pressed forward. That made me happy. At times the hike was steep, and we were slow, but we made it. We were proud of ourselves and our girls. And we were happy to take the boat ride back to the trailhead :)

 

 

We stayed at the Snake River Lodge in Teton Village, which is at the base of Jackson Hole ski resort. It was pretty quiet in the summertime, and a perfect place to relax.

 

 

 

The girls even tried out the bungee trampolines in Teton Village

 

 

 

We visited the city of Jackson for lunch, did some shopping, rode the stagecoach, and treated ourselves to Moo's Gourmet Ice Cream.

 

It was a wonderful place to visit - we will definitely be back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Viets do YELLOWSTONE

One of the things on our "bucket list" for our time here in Montana was a trip to Yellowstone National Park. The first national park, and maybe the best, in this country. We were on our way to visit friends and family in Star Valley, so we decided to tackle Yellowstone on the way down.

The DRIVE

We live about 120 miles from the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park, but to get there we had to drive the Beartooth Pass. Breathtaking. The highway zigzags up the steep Beartooth Mountains to an elevation of 11,000ft, where there is usually snow. Yes, snow in June and July. There is even a ski-lift running year round. Then at the top there are beautiful mountain lakes and pristine wilderness. It was a slow drive, because it was both dangerous and beautiful. The girls didn't appreciate it as much, especially when Josh made them get out for a picture.

 

The WILDLIFE
This was the most exciting part for the kids, but spotting wildlife is a rare occurrence on a hot summer day. Except for the buffalo. The buffalo are everywhere, in large herds, grazing the valleys, the roadsides, and sometimes taking leisurely strolls along the road.

 

The elk were pretty common too. At least the females were. There were a lot of elk near Mammoth that just made themselves at home, and didn't shy away from people or cars. We found one just sitting on the lawn outside the gift shop.

 

We did see one male though, with antlers still young and furry.

 

Some mountain goats high on the hillside.

 

And then there were the BEARS. You always knew when a bear was spotted because there would be tons of cars pulled over to the shoulder, and a bunch of overzealous tourists with cameras trying to get close to this deadly animal. We fit right in.

I was so unlucky, I got out for a picture and all I ever saw was this big brown bottom. Then as I was getting back to the car, the bear decides to cross the road just a few cars ahead of us - and I missed it! Lydia and Josh saw the whole thing. Josh saw 4 bears that day. He took this picture of a momma bear, and she had her cub hiding in the grass next to her.

 

 

The HOT SPRINGS

I didn't realize until this year that Yellowstone is a supervolcano, and that's why there are so many geothermal features throughout the park, like geysers and hot springs. We visited the Midway Geyser Basin to walk through the hot springs and see the Grand Prismatic, the 3rd largest in the world. There were lots of pools to walk along, and lots of steam to walk through! Claire's glasses kept fogging up, it was so cute we all had a good chuckle.

I didn't take the picture below, but this is a view of the Grand Prismatic from the hillside. Maybe next time we visit we'll hike up the hill to get this view.

 

Mammoth Hot Springs is a large, terraced hot spring that is thousands of years old, and mostly dry by now. But the calcium deposits over those years created some pretty impressive landscapes.

 

 

The FALLS
Yellowstone is full of waterfalls, and big ones at that. It was so great to be driving along the road, turn the corner, and spot a 200' waterfall in front of you. The most popular one is the Lower Yellowstone Falls, at over 300 feet! I took this pic at a lookout spot from the road.

It was the only waterfall we decided to hike to. There was a short trail that lead from the road down to the brink of the falls, so we took the girls down there for an up-close look. Both Josh and I were a little queasy as we looked down the waterfall...but the girls were picking up rocks and throwing them into the falls to the interminable depth below.

 

Yellowstone's Grand Canyon

 

The FAITHFUL
No trip to Yellowstone is complete without a visit to Old Faithful, the most predictable geyser in the world. We had dinner at the Lodge, then got our ice cream cones and found a bench to park on while we waited for the "show".  We had trouble explaining geysers to the girls, so we just called it a "water volcano"...and left it at that. It was a perfect night, and great to see so many other geysers in that basin erupting at different times too.

 

 

And yes, it is possible to do all of this in a day. That's what we did! 

Father's Day "Heart & Sole" Run

The Heart & Sole Run takes place every year on Father's Day weekend in Billings. There was a 5K, 10K, and a 2 mile "fitness walk". We both wanted to run a race... but what about the kids?

We decided that in honor of Father's Day...Josh should run with the girls. So Lydia and Claire did the 2-mile race with Josh, while he pushed Hadley in the jogging stroller! What a sight. Then I was free to run the 5K, my first race since Hadley was born. As for Scarlett...we all agreed she would be too much work during the race...so she just went to a friend's house.

My 5K race performance was not impressive. I was pumped up with music, excited about the big crowd, doing my first race in well over a year...but the excitement wore off as I began gasping for air and getting passed by 8th graders. How did I ever run a half marathon last year? It was definitely a different body. I was struggling to keep my pace below an 11minute mile. Struggling. Ugh.

Josh's experience was frustrating in a much more comical way. For some reason he had his mind set on winning this 2 mile "fun run", with 3 little girls with him. He had to start at the back because he had the stroller, but at the shotgun start he wove through all the other racers to get to the front, all the while cheering the girls on to keep up with him. At one point Claire was slowing them down, so he threw her up on his shoulders and pushed forward.

Yes, he was that guy.

But they stayed with Lydia's pace, and had fun along the way, even with their crazy dad. We were so proud of our girls. The next day the race results were printed in the newspaper. They all finished in the top ten for their age group ;)

Hadley's Blessing day

 

Hadley Sue Viets

blessed in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Sunday June 2, 2013

 

Josh gave a beautiful blessing to Hadley, and we are excited for the wonderful life she has ahead of her. She's already a light in our family and I know her light will shine brighter as she grows into a confident young woman, influencing those around her with her example of kindness and love.

She's our perfect little angel!

First visit to Red Lodge

 

Red Lodge is a small mountain town about an hour south of Billings. It's got everything - lakes, rivers, camping, hiking, wildlife, and a ski resort in the winter. We spent a Saturday there and Josh taught the girls to fish at a little lake called Wild Bill Lake. Lydia and Claire both caught fish and reeled them in... but like their mom they were a little freaked once it got to shore!

 

 Scarlett liked to pretend she was fishing, but didn't have the attention span to wait for something to catch her line. She mostly played with the rocks and splashed the water. Lydia was the best fisherman, getting probably 3 or 4 fish, and actually holding one! Claire never wanted to touch them. "No daddy you do it! You get my hands all dirty." Claire also got her pants wet when she fell in the water and demanded a wardrobe change.

 

 

 We then went to the Montana Candy Emporium. It's full of old time candies (cinnamon bears, jellies,  taffies, etc). It reminded me of my grandma Taylor who used to always have a glass jar full of these candies for the grandkids. The real treat, however, was the homemade fudge and chocolates. Just for mom and dad of course.

Red Lodge also has a Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to all sorts of animals that have been rescued due to injuries or were owned illegally. There were bears, wolves, elk, a mountain lion and bobcat, and the big buffalo, among others.

 My Montana girls!

Lovely Lydia

Our lovely Lydia is growing up so fast. It really is so fun. She and I talk about boys and boy bands (Big Time Rush), she likes to dress up in mom's clothes and wear lip gloss, and she loves when I straighten her hair. We have talks about modesty and language and she is not afraid to be different from her friends at school. So far so good. We just gotta stay on this track!

Lydia got a new bike...because Scarlett and Claire needed bigger bikes! Lydia is lucky to be the oldest because she always gets the "new" bike, while the others get the hand-me-downs. Fortunately Claire and Scarlett were thrilled with the change! We go on a lot of bike rides around Ironwood, and the girls are pretty fast now. Scarlett only keeps up if she has her scooter.

Lydia has now lost her TWO front teeth, just a week apart. It always happens when dad is away in North Dakota, so she gets very excited to FaceTime with him to show off her missing teeth! 

 

Lydia just finished her first season of soccer in Montana, with the Pink Panthers. It's "spring" soccer, which means its cold and windy, and sometimes it even snows during the games. The YSA league is very laid back - the coaches ref all the games, there aren't many rules enforced, and the girls just have fun. Our team wasn't that great, but they didn't know it. Lydia scored 2 or 3 goals this season and is still very good at dribbling.

 

We got to visit Lydia's class at Arrowhead for a circus! During the week they learned all about circus animals, and decorated their classroom and props to put on their own circus for their parents. Lydia was a twirler.

 

Now the school year is over and summer fun begins!

Claire's ready for Kindergarten!

Last month was Claire's preschool graduation. Yep, she's on her way to kindergarten next year! At her graduation ceremony the kids sang some songs and then they were each presented with a new book and a special folder with artwork they'd done, photos of their activities, and a nice card from her teachers.

 

Claire's friend - the other "glasses girl" in class - Alaina.

 

from Mrs Smith

" We are so glad you found our preschool for Claire, she was such a wonderful addition to our class. She was a bit slow to warm up to our loud students, but found her space and made friends very quickly. She is very well liked by her peers. She will really blossom in elementary school, she enjoys learning so much. When it is playtime Claire usually chooses to sit and write words, and is starting to read sight words. She is independent, she can take care of her own needs, and follows directions well. She also shows a strong understanding of the Bible stories, and her favorite was "How God made the world". We will miss Claire, but she will  love kindergarten and all the learning to absorb :) 

 

Claire drew this picture on her last day of preschool



 

Love her!