we did it differently this year...

... because we were nana-papa-less this labor day weekend.

there was no alpine slide rides or miniature golf for us... much to the boys' disappointment!!

so we tried jenny lake again...

thankfully, this time there was no ice or snow ... but fall was creeping in

even the bees are taking naps on the flowers!

twelve...

so now my baby is twelve...

it seemed like i'd be changing diapers and washing bottles for the rest of my life! then all of the sudden it started...

he became the "big brother"...

he became totally absorbed by thomas the tank engine...

he started to become this cool little dude...

we started going to parks and museums...

like the denver art musem where he reached out and touched {yes, touched} a monet!

then he started pre-k...

and now BOOM--he's twelve!

it happened so fast!

so this cool {almost} twelve-year old kid opted for a weekend trip to jackson, wyoming for snowboarding rather than a birthday party*...

so it was... has been... a great ride!

happy birthday, jacks!!

*THANK GOD! i was spared a house full of boys this year!!

curse you facebook...

at first i was not convinced that facebook was something i was really into... and then i got addicted! totally addicted! so while i have been so consumed by facebook, i have neglected my blog, and there have been so many things happening around our house!


most importantly jackson turned 11 on friday... and he was lucky enough to be able to celebrate for a whole week!




we went to jackson, wyoming to take our friend, Flat Stanley on part one of the birthday. he was very good luck--

we saw a moose!

the moose was not the only wildlife we saw... we went on the elk refuge sleigh ride. so we saw many elk, mostly the ones with horns (are those also called bucks? i know they are the males, but i'm not sure...) the really cool thing was how they were sparring--but only for fun. they aren't quite ready for chick-elk-impressing-antler-clashing, but it's coming soon!

after the sleigh ride, we decided to warm up in the hot tub, stanley stayed by the edge...







dinner... oops! we forgot stanley...

but we did take him to the square for a picture with the antlers...

and we also took him in to "see" the historic

Million Dollar Cowboy Bar

then because he isn't old enough to be in the Cowboy Bar, we left...

after a good night's sleep, we took stanley to Jedidiah's House of Sourdough for breakfast... yummmm... sourdough french toast...


and after our HUGE breakfast we went sledding...

and sledding...
















and sledding...

and more sledding!


finally, we stopped for square ice creams in swan valley. stanley didn't have his own, but he may have shared jackson's cookie dough ice cream...

i think a good time was had by all...

( t o b e c o n t i n u e d . . . )