Life in a Northern Town: Over The Weekend

Well, it's Thursday and we have had a WONDERFUL visit with Cousin Brent and The Sweetie (Autumn), but we have absolutely no photos to show for it! They are heading back to Utah this morning. We've just been hangin' out doing our regular weekday routines while Brent and Autumn have been exploring Livingston on foot as they are training for a half-marathon next month at Mt. Rushmore. Their endurance is inspiring...Mayberrys are runners fo' sho'! (Have you guys read THIS book? Looks super interesting!) They did some lazy stuff with us, too, like floating the Yellowstone with Rich yesterday, Autumn & I went to Enrichment meeting (Slow Cooker night), taking naps, and watching Glee last night. It has been so fun, and we are so happy that Autumn is going to be our cousin forever!

Now, as promised way back on Sunday, here are our camping photos...

The girls woke up so early on Saturday, I had to get upand find them stuff to do so Rich and James could sleep in, so we got some snacks and painted with water colors and decorated for James' birthday. When he woke up, we gave him his pictures and some birthday pancakes.

Here we are getting ready for pancakes.

And from another angle

(you can see James' favorite "big rig" in the background)

Our camp neighbors invited James to explore their tractor trailer...

he was in hog heaven, pretending to drive "Mack" and talk on the cb radio.

Keep on Truckin'!

Addie and Daddy baked James a birthday cake in our new camping oven...

it turned out GREAT!

We let James open one gift in the morning...

it was a little Buzz Lightyear.

A view of our campsite from the big rig.

After breakfast and some games, we went into West Yellowstone (about 15 miles). Here's Addie posing with a Bison in West. Right before this photo, we had a sandwich picnic in the park. Right afterward, we went to see the IMAX "Alaska" movie. It was so fun!

At 4:30, we med Grandpa & Grandma Melin and Uncle Mike & Christina at Wild West Pizzeria (they had been in Yellowstone Park and were coming to see a play at the Playmill at 6pm). Daddy decorated James' cake at the pizzeria.

James got a super cool tool set from Grandma & Grandpa

"I LOOOOVE it!"

Christina made him a cool scarf

Mommy got him some fireman boots and some new jeans.

Heidi enjoyed the pizza!

Everyone loves the birthday boy!

We made his candles read "Happy Birthday" the way HE says it:

"Happy Dirbay!"

After dinner, we went back to camp where James played with his tools and wore his boots

And the girls had a tea party with Sprite in the tea set Addie bought with her allowance in West.

Sunday morning we had a quick cereal breakfast and headed out to church at Mack's Inn.

(notice we camped right by the Arizona Flag)

As we drove down the highway, we couldn't get Fiona (our gps navigator) to tell us where the church building was. However, when we came over the hill to the Mack's Inn turn off, we didn't need directions anymore! There were rows of cars a quarter mile long and lines and lines of people just walking toward the church, so we just parked and walked along to the building for sacrament meeting. The count the clerk in the hall gave us was 1, 960. Nearly 2,000 saints gathered on a holiday weekend to take the sacrament and it was quite a sight (I whispered to Rich, "Is there a Rainbow Bread truck outside? This should totally be B.Y.O.B!"). I thought to myself, if I were scared of Mormons, this would be a horrifiying sight...like ants coming in from the woods, and then just disappearing 90 minutes later. Amazing, and a lovely place to think:

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
***

Sunday night, Brent & Autumn joined us for s'mores, then came home with us on Monday...