Bradshaws Do Yellowstone

This past weekend we took a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park. Believe it or not, it was the first time for me and the kids. We left on Friday and made a stop at a stocked pond along the way and let the kids feed the fish. Then we were off to West Yellowstone. We stayed the night there, and enjoyed some pizza, ice cream and homemade fudge. The kids had fun swimming in the hotel pool all night. The next day we got an early start in the morning and headed for the Park. We had an amazing time. There was so much to see. We saw tons of buffalo, elk, deer, an eagle in his nest, and even a small grizzly! We made lots of stops along the way and saw lots of little geysers, hot spots, waterfalls, lakes and of course Old Faithful. The kids really had a great time despite the fact that at the end of the day, we were all hot, tired, sunburned with tons of mosquito bites. But the kids were real troopers and never complained. On the way home we ended the day with a stop at Big Juds. Always a hit. All in all it was a great time and I'm sure we'll be back!

4th of July Weekend

What a busy fun weekend! We had a lot going on. We started it off by going to Ross Park with my sisters Teri and Holly and their families. Always a good time.



Then later that night my family all came up from California. It was so great having them all here. We later roasted some s'mores out in the backyard. Mmmmm...my favorite! Then Saturday was the 4th of July!! One of my all-time favorite holidays! We started it off by going to the parade-of course.



Then we went to the park for some fried chicken and a little football--who knew my sister Caroline was so good at football??



Then we went back to our house for some slip and slide. I used to love playing on my slip and slide with my cousins when I was little. It was fun to watch MY kids play with their cousins on the slip an slide. The kids also played with the water balloons and even did some finger painting. Later that night we fired up our new BBQ and had some burgers and hotdogs. Then really later that night, there were the fireworks. By this time some were too wiped out. But those that went said they were as good as ever!



The following day Sunday was Landon's blessing day. It was really nice to have all of my family there as well as a bunch of Josh's that had come from Utah. It was a very special day for us.

We had a great fun-packed weekend! I am lucky to have such a great family.

Saddle Up!

Last week we had a mini-Bradshaw reunion with Josh's family. The highlight of the day was horseback riding in Rexburg. The kids had a blast! They got to ride the horses all by themselves. Later in the day we just played in Josh's parents backyard, ate good food and hung out. It was a good time.

Play Ball!

Another softball/t-ball season has come and gone. I was nervous how I was going to make this season work with a newborn, but I learned you just do what you can. There were many games I watched from the car with Landon, but I guess that goes with the territory. And having to chase Riley around the field and parking lot, well...let's just say I'm glad this month is over. But the kids all had a blast as usual. Katelyn is now in softball where the girls pitch to each other. Her team was also UNDEFEATED this year! And Katelyn helped score the winning point to make that happen. She had a great season and didn't want it to end.


Emma is now on coach-pitch softball. She made that scary move up from t-ball to softball and has done really well.


Mason just finished his 2nd year of t-ball. He loves it! He's finally getting the hang of it and is learning what to do with the ball this time around. He also loves having his cousin Parker on the team.

How's that Potty Training Going??

Since Landon has been born I get a lot of "So how's the potty training going with Riley?" I understand that's a natural question. She is 2 and a half after all. We get little bits of enthusiasm every so often and about going at it again with her. Like this last week. We thought, this is it. It's time, she's ready. So we send her to the bathroom and she's sitting on the potty (that's major by the way), and we leave for a bit hoping for some big news from her. Well, a while goes by and nothing. I don't hear anything. I figure I better go in the bathroom and see what is going on. I open the door and Riley is no where to be found. But this is what I find.....
Who does she think she's fooling??

Pine Basin

Katelyn went to Pine Basin, a camp a little over an hour from here, last week with some friends. It's for kids grades 4th-6th and she was so excited to go. She had to earn half of the money to go, which she did manage to do. She went up with a couple of good friends of hers and they had so much fun. They learned a lot, went on some hikes and even took a trip to Jackson Hole. They were there Monday thru Friday and parents night was on Thursday. This is where they put on some cute skits for us parents and the kids got to show us around camp. Katelyn did admit to being a little homesick, which surprised me a little. But she had a great time and is excited to go next year!
Katelyn and her friends Kylie and Sadie on the bus ready to go!
Katelyn and Sadie on their bed. It was close quarters in that cabin!
I'm glad Katelyn got to go with some friends. It made for a really great time.

2 Whole Handfuls!

Katelyn celebrated her 10th birthday this past Saturday. That's 2 whole handfuls as she would put it. She celebrated by having some friends over for a BBQ. They played water balloon volleyball, badmitton (yes, the 10-year olds loved the badmitton), some games that involved lots of candy, night games, and they roasted smores out at the firepit when it got dark. She really had a great birthday. She is lucky to have some really great friends.
Katelyn enjoying breakfast in bed.