While Rachel and McKenna were at EFY...

My sister Karen and her two girls came back to Washington with Grandma after the Jackson reunion. They stayed a couple of days with Grandma, then came over to meet up with us.  The next day we dropped McKenna and Rachel off at EFY.  They were excited for their adventure together.

But while they were gone, the rest of us had to have some fun too.  So we had some adventures of our own...

The Museum of Glass

First stop:  The Museum of Glass.

The exhibits right now were a lot of fun.

There was a room full of illuminated letters that we could play with.  Everyone had fun spelling their names.

William's favorite item in the kids' exhibit was the Donut Ninja.

We watched them work in the Hot Shop for a long time.  It was mesmerizing.

And no trip to the Museum of Glass is complete without a stop on the skybridge to wave at the traffic.

Walking the Narrows Bridge

Another day we walked the Narrows Bridge.  

It is tradition for Sydney to get her picture taken doing cartwheels at all sorts of places.  Everywhere they go on vacation, Sydney finds somewhere cool to do a cartwheel.  This time, her and Kate did synchronized cartwheels on the bridge with the cars whirring by.

Washington Ambassadors of Music Concert

While McKenna and Rachel were at EFY, and the rest of us were off having adventures, Sarah was at camp with the Washington Ambassadors of Music in anticipation for their trip to Europe.  Sarah got selected to participate in this group as part of the band, but at the first day of camp, she finagled her way into the choir as well.  They rehearsed hard for three long days, and then put on a concert for the parents and friends at the end of the third day.  Karen and I and the kids all went to cheer her on (and die of heat stroke in this un-airconditioned gym).  They sounded pretty great!

Here's a not-so-great picture of the choir singing that I took with my iPhone. 

And then the next day, I took this beautiful girl to the airport to go on a grand adventure to Europe.

Bella Bella Beach

We spent a glorious afternoon playing, relaxing, and soaking up those beautiful blue skies at our favorite beach.  

The Zoo
We took a trip to the nearby zoo and aquarium.

 Kate got selected to participate in the animal show.  She loved being up on stage.

 Feeding the budgies is always a hit.

Sydney and Kate petting the sting rays

Watching the sharks

Boating and crabbing in the Sound
Another day we took the boat out in the Sound.   We set out the crab traps and had a scenic ride near Anderson Island.

We spotted lots of seals and even more jellyfish.

We caught some crabs, but none big enough to keep until the next day (after Karen and her girls left.  Sorry!  They did taste really good!)

Saturday morning we picked up Rachel and McKenna from EFY.  They had a fabulous time together and shared lots of great experiences.  Then it was time for our fun week to end and we had to take Karen and her girls to the airport.  It was a great week!  Come again!

Hales Family Reunion - Jackson Wyoming

We went to Jackson Wyoming for a few days for a Hales Family Reunion.  

On the way, we passed through beautiful Swan Valley.  It is tradition in David's family to stop in Swan Valley for square ice cream cones.  So of course we had to stop.  And it was delicious!

They really are square.  They use a special square scooper.  

The first night that we arrived in Jackson we went to dinner all together at Bar J's Chuckwagon.  We had some time before dinner, so we walked around the grounds at Bar J.

 Then we got our seats and waited for the dinner and show to begin.  We had fun visiting and playing cards.

 Dinner was amazing!  Very excellent food.  Then after we ate, the singing began.  These guys were super talented performers--excellent music, good stories and lots of laughs.  It was a great night.

 The next day we hiked around Jenny Lake.  It was beautiful!

Cousins!

And other than some of the kids getting far ahead and some of the adults panicking that they were lost, we had a good time.

My sister Julie and I

Sarah and Danielle

 It was a pretty amazing view from the top!

 We got to watch this beautiful elk for quite a while.

Yeah, I pretty much couldn't stop taking pictures.  This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

After the hike and a picnic lunch, we drove a little ways up to Jackson Lake.

Wow!  It was so beautiful!  The Tetons are spectacular!

We borrowed David's brother's boat and played on the lake.  However, due to some mechanical problems, we couldn't tube or ski.  But we had some fun scenic drives around the lake.

It was a lovely afternoon!

 We got back to Jackson just in time for the famous shoot-out

 and a stop in front of Jackson's signature archway.

 We also spent some time doing hanging out in the pool,

and catching glimpses of the hot air balloons each morning.  

One afternoon most of the big kids and grown-ups went whitewater rafting.  William was too little to go, so he and I, along with Mark, Andrea, Zachary and Emma, took the scenic raft tour down the Snake River.  We had a great time, but it was a bit long for the little kids.  I made my family promise to go back in a few years when William is big enough so we can experience the whitewater rafting too.  They all had an amazing time.  

The last night there we went to the rodeo.  Not as good as the Ellensburg rodeo, but a fun thing for us to do all together.  

Yay for family!  I love you all!