Yellowstone Day 1

On Father's Day after church we drove to Blackfoot for a barbecue with Grandpa. We met up will cousins including the Ferlans and Webbs and had a nice time. We tried to get the kids to bed by 9 o'clock, though, becuase we wanted to head out early to see a new part of Yellowstone called Cascade Corner.

Mom ate at the table with the little cousins.

These bigger kids like to hang together.

It was fun to be with my dad on Father's Day!

On Monday morning we got up early and drove to Cave Falls. It was a long dirt road, but it wasn't too far from Ashton, and we were lucky enough to spot a moose and her calf. They were pretty far away, and they moved down the hill and out of sight before we got a picture, but they were still fun to check off our Bingo sheet. We even stopped at the Bechler Ranger Station, which is a shuttered kiosk with the ranger standing outside. Of course, we took a picture by a park new sign, too.

Mom has to stop for all the wildflower fields.

We were excited to be in a whole different part of Yellowstone.

When we arrived at the waterfall, we were prepared for it to be the longest in Yellowstone, but we didn't know how high it would be. It was only about 10 feet, but it was still impressive. We took a few pictures and even spotted a few frogs. Then we ventured up to the top of the falls. Surprisingly, we hadn't found the correct waterfall at all. The reall falls was farther up the river, and it was really impressive! Dad declared it his favorite waterfall in Yellowstone, and everyone agreed it was pretty cool. 

This was the first waterfall that we thought was Cave Falls.

We took all the pictures and then looked a little further up the river.

Cave Falls was definitely worth the drive.

It was an impressive waterfall. Mark was a trooper with his cast.

This is Dad's new favorite Yellowstone waterfall.

The waterfall is so loud!

We saw a bunch of frogs.

We also enjoyed Cave Falls from the top.

We sat in the shade at the top of the waterfall and munched on sandwiches while the mosquitoes munched on us. Finally, the boys retreated to the car to eat in peace. Then we started down the trail to Bechler Falls. 

The walk turned out to be nicer than the waterfall, which wasn't nearly as impressive as Cave Falls. We looked for a little while, and then continued up the trail to an open meadow. We spotted a bald eagle and an osprey, and a deer even walked out on the meadow for us. Best of all, we didn't see a soul along the trail. 

Mom and Dad were the only ones who braved the bugs.

The Bechler Falls trail hiked right along the river.

There were so many rocks to climb.

Bechler Falls was not as impressive as Cave Falls.

We enjoyed the slow river section and the meadow.

Dad loved the peacefulness of this area.

And Dax and Seth found a pregnant tree.

We bumped into Melanie after Cave Falls and headed to Mesa Falls together. We walked down to the large waterfall and took a few pictures before heading to meet everyone else in Island Park.

Melanie and Mom with their kids.

Mesa Falls is such a great waterfall.

We checked into the bunkhouse in Island Park, and it had been entirely remodeled. There are wall-to-wall queen beds in two large rooms (a total of 22) and a new elevator. The kids all claimed their beds and we stocked the small kitchen. Then we headed out to dinner.

Dinner was a show and a play at the Yellowstone Playhouse. We had all the meat, salad, and beans we could hold. Then they brought us an ice cream sandwich for dessert. After we'd eaten, we turned our chairs around to the stage. We laughed until we cried at the exploits of Robin Hood in Rottingham. The show was so much fun! We also ordered cinnamon rolls and huckleberry floats at intermission because we were having such a good time. Though we got to bed late, it was a day of new and fun adventures for all!

We had front row seats.

We all laughed so much at this super fun playhouse.

Mark's Broken Arm

We were pretty excited when we got an opportunity to ride electric bikes in Provo Canyon. We were a little worried, though, too. Dax and Seth aren’t big enough to handle the big bikes. Luckily, they were able to get electric scooters, which were just as much fun. So, with some trepidation that a scooter was going down at some point, we climbed on and headed up the Provo River Trail. 

We made it all the way to Bridal Veil Falls without incident. Then we turned around and came back down. Mom was taking a lot of pictures and Dad and Mark were leading. The other boys cruised along on their scooters, too.

We had a fun time riding the bikes!

Right before the incident.

Finally, Dad decided that he and Mark better stop and let the others catch up. They pulled to the side right where the trail goes under a short footpath. Dad waited on the side while Mark had fun cruising down under the tunnel and shooting up the other side.

 

On his last pass, just as Mom caught up, Dad saw another biker cruising up the trail. He shouted to Mark, who turned and then looked back forward. At that speed he momentarily lost control of the bike and laid it down. He suffered a fair amount of road rash, but he said his wrist really hurt, too.

 

We knew it couldn’t be broken because Mark had recently made the summer team for High School. In the game the previous night he’d started at shortstop and hammered a triple over the centerfielder’s head. When Dad asked which hurt worse, the road rash or the wrist, Mark said, “Definitely the wrist.” We knew it was broken.

Mark was very tough and actually never cried even though Mom could tell he was in a lot of pain. He has also handled it very well, and didn't complain, even though he had to get that bike back to the bottom of the canyon with one arm. 

Mark got a purple cast to show his team spirit (and colors). He’s taken it all very well, though he is going to miss the next four weeks of the season. If he’s lucky, he might play the last two games of summer league. For now, we are just hoping the wrist heals up okay!

Mark had a temporary cast for 4 days while we waited for the swelling to go down.

Then he got this nice purple cast.

Update: Mark got his cast off today exactly four weeks after he got it on. He was so excited to swing a bat again. The doctor told him to use it a lot, in fact, he recommended a lot of vacuuming, window washing, and dishes. His arm has healed up wonderfully and he was most excited to take a shower without a garbage bag! He even raked a single in his first trip back to the plate!

Last few moments with the purple cast.

The nurse was so careful while cutting the cast off. 

Then the doctor zipped the other side off in 3 seconds.

Mark's arm was pretty gross under that cast.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day was a little tough this year with Dax and Seth and Mark playing in the tournament! So Mom and Dad had to split up for their Memorial Day events. Mom took the early morning gathering at 9:30 am up in Pleasant View. She took Mark and Seth with her while Dad went to Dax's first game on Monday.

There was a large gathering for Mom's Memorial day.

There was quite a turnout. We had more than any previous year! It was great to be gathered with everyone and check in with them. We talked about Mercy Alice Marshall and all that she sacrificed when John Edwin Maycock served two missions. She died at such a young age, too. Grandma shared lots of interesting info and a few others piped in. Soon, we had to hit the road to get back and switch kids. Dad needed to take Mark and Seth down to Nephi and Mom would be watching Dax's next game.

We took a picture of Grandma and her siblings. They are the Maycock core!

Dad had a nice crowd in Nephi, too. Since we were talking about Grandma Isabel Ockey, we had his cousin Diane and her husband there. Gary and his kids were even in town from Iowa. There were plenty of people to share because so many remembered Grandma and had stories about her. Grandpa talked for quite awhile, but his brother, Don, was a little too ill to make it. Still, we were glad to be together.

Dad with most of his siblings and his dad (Grandpa Ockey).

Here is the whole crowd that came down, except for Diane and her husband (they took the photos).

And after all both gatherings, we all met back up for Dax's championship game. And the 11u Barons won! It was a nice end to a LONG Memorial Day.

Dax's team

Dax played well! 

We didn't get a family picture at the cemetery, so we will have to take one at the baseball game.

May Fun

May was full of, you guessed it, baseball! Sprinkled with a little soccer. We played more baseball this Spring than we ever had because now that Seth is also playing on a competitive team, it never ends. So here are a few fun photos from baseball.

Seth loves the kids on his team.

Sometimes Grandpa comes to baseball games.

Dax loves a shake after a hot baseball game.

Seth's team has so much fun together.

We squeeze in adventures between baseball games.

We love when Grandma and Grandpa come down from Idaho to watch baseball.

We took lots of rides to the pond near our house in the spring. Dax and Seth love looking at the fish, while Mark prefers to check out the birds.

Dax is finally getting used to braces.

We love this little spot near our house.

Mother's Day was very nice this year. Dad surprised Mom with chocolate waffles with a chocolate syrup. They were delicious and Mark helped Mom devour them. The boys and Randy gave Mom a new hat and a new sweatshirt to help her enjoy baseball even more. She was sure spoiled and loves being with her family.

Dad always gets a little nervous to cook, but he does great.

Mom LOVED the chocolate waffles.

It's always a happy day when we spend time as a family.

She's ready to go!

Mom is lucky to have Dad!

We took a big bird drive up to Farmington Bay, which has become one of our favorite spots. There were so many fun birds. Unfortunately, the gate closed at 5:00, so we couldn't drive out on the road, but we could still walk the trail by the Eccles Center. We saw two bitterns! It was so exciting. We also saw a bunch of muskrats and baby geese. We had fun exploring together.

We love bird watching.

We searched so hard for our first bittern, but now we have seen a lot of them!

This muskrat was moving grass around.

Dax helping Seth spot something. 

I love to capture the moments where they are good to each other.

Mom loved all of the baby geese!

May was a great month! 

Dax ordered this fun game with some birthday money. It is a lot of fun!

Mark and Mom went on one final adventure on Wednesday.
We will miss these times we had together next year!

Dax's 12th Birthday

Dax is 12 and needs a haircut!

Dax turned 12 this year! I can't even believe it! Remember when he was the smiliest, chunkiest baby?

Our pictures of Mark and Seth look alike, but we never confuse Dax!

Now Dax is 12 and is slowly preparing to become a full-fledged teenager. Dax is a fun kid who loves to try new things, except roller coasters. He is so skinny that it's hard for Mom to find pants and shorts that will fit him, but this also means he is speedy. No one can catch him, and he beats out even the weakest of grounders at 1st base very often. Dax is smart and an excellent student. His teachers love him because he is very obedient and works so hard. Dax loves to snuggle, and he also enjoys fishing. We are trying to learn to love fishing, too.

Brittany sent Dax some yummy cookies.

We added some pictures to the wall to remember 12 years of Dax.

Dax's birthday this year fell on a Saturday, and if you know anything about our lives, that meant A LOT of sports games. We had a soccer game and 7 baseball games, and we would have had one more soccer game, but Dax had to miss his soccer game because his was playing in a baseball tournament. Luckily, Dax is easy going and a great support to his brothers, so he didn't mind watching lots of games, and playing in lots of games, too. 

In fact, his team WON their tournament! What a great birthday present. 

So many baseball games!

Just like he won a gold medal!

It was fun to win a championship on his birthday!

Dax's team!

We went to Denny's after all of the games since their food is quick, but a few days later we went to Brick Oven because that is what Dax requested. Dax got an electric bike for his birthday and he has ridden it every day since. It was definitely the right gift for him!

We finally met up for dinner after all of those games!

Dax is such a fun boy!

Dax also got this fun version of ping pong that we love playing.

Electric bike rides every day!

There is nothing better than Brick Oven Root Beer.