Trip to Yellowstone National Park!!

On our way to Yellowstone we stopped in Idaho at Bear World. I love this little park. It is cool to be able to drive through the bears and wild life and see them up close.

Cody was happy to get out of his car seat and as always, he was climbing and crawling on everything!

We rode the train and the little kiddie rides. I couldn't talk Rod in to participating though..

Two Peas in a Pod.. It was so nice to go with Kevin & Shar, it made the trip more fun!

The animals in the petting zoo knew best to run when the saw Cassidy coming!

The baby bears are my favorite.. They were so much fun to watch play!

And my BABY BEARS! So CUTE!!

Once we had eaten lunch, we were on our way again and headed to Yellowstone!

I have only been to Yellowstone once and I was like 8 years old. I was really excited to go!

Rod loves Fishing Bridge it brings back good memories for him.

I love Old Faithful, a trip to Yellowstone isn't complete unless you get to see it..

Cassidy thought it was "AWESOME"

We visited the Grizzly Discovery center in West Yellowstone, and I tell ya it was the coolest! The Grizzlies are massive, you know they are big, then you see one this close and realize they are gigantic!

They rescue problem wolves and bears, it is their last hope before having to destroy them. It is such a neat program. It was my favorite part of our vacation. This bear was my favorite..

Cassidy got to go in the bear cage and they hide food for the bears to come and find, like they would in the wild. They try to minimize the direct contact with humans as much as they can.

Then they let the bears out and they rummage and work for their food!

This is a bear trap, it is made of incredibly heavy duty steel, which was bent up by bears trying to escape.. WOW.. They are such amazing animals..

We hit all of the little hikes along the way.. Everything was so beautiful and fascinating!

Here is Rod and Kevin looking for Bears.. We ended up seeing 2 Grizzlies, 2 Black Bears, A lot of Buffalo, a Bald Eagle, Elk, Coyote, Mountain Sheep, and Wolves at the discovery center..

Cody was about sick of sitting by the end of each night! He was so good!

We discovered Cody LOVES red licorice.. It was everywhere! The mess was worth keeping him happy though!

We loved the mud pots.. There was mud shooting all over! Cassidy thought it didn't smell so good! It was so beautiful though!

Happy Birthday Sunshine!!

So the festivities began with Cassidy's friend party..
She really wanted a Madagascar party with a lot of pools and a jungle..

well.. couldn't locate a jungle (unless my back yard counts) I was able to gather a few pools, and with my sister Jerrilynn's help and 2 hours later, 350 water balloons. The balloons didn't last more than 20 minutes or so, but they were sure a hit! Cassidy really tried hard to hit ME with them!

It was a little too windy so the kids were not as excited about playing in the water for a long time. They hung out on the deck listening to the Madagascar soundtrack! It seemed like they all had a good time and Cassidy loved it!(and is already planning next years party.. I guess she really is my daughter!)

She was especially happy her Jani came to the party..

On her actual birthday Cassidy and I went to Toy Story 3 with Brittany, Ryann & Austyn, Then she picked McDonalds as her special dinner, so we ate Chicken Nuggets and French Fries!

Then we had her family cake and ice cream party.

The Hardy's came, and we love it when they visit! Jack & Cassidy have been friends since she was born!

and Grandma Applegate made the trip again to celebrate sis's birthday..That is alot of driving in one weekend!

She got way too spoiled, and as always I promise next year will be different.. Yeah.. we will see right?

I love you baby girl.. You have made our lives so much brighter..
you are my sunshine for sure!

All professional pics taken for both Cassidy & Cody were by
Kristy Taylor, Delicious Photography.
If you would like her contact information let me know!

Happy Birthday to my little Monkey Boy!

Cody wasn't sure he liked being the center of attention. We had a small party for him, not our typical whole family gathering (at Rod's request)..

He didn't quite grasp the concept of opening gifts either, but Sis was more than happy to 'show' him how to do it!

He liked the Happy Birthday song, Didn't blow out the candle but REALLY wanted to grab it!

He LOVED his cake and ate it ALL!

Grandma & Grandpa Applegate came down for the celebration and our friends the Thorntons! It was a good thing too because there was WAY to much cake! (mmmmm..)

Happy Birthday little man.. I do not know what we would do with out you! You have made our family complete!

Welcome to the FARM..

Meet Remington (AKA Little Buddy Earl) He is Rod's source of excercise these days. We trot around the block, ride at the arena and do barrells, andwe are so happy he joined our family! He is so mild mannered, and will be perfect for both Cassidy AND Cody!

Meet Sheer Khan.. (AKA Kitty) This is Cassidy's new baby.. She is a cute little cat. And seems to LOVE/HATE Sis.. :) It is hard ot get Sis to want to do anything BUT play with her, but it is a great bargaining device!

Meet Rooster Cogburn.. He is a great rooster, not aggressive at all, you can hold him and pet him, but don't touch his hens! We are looking for a new home for him if any one is interested. Cassidy likes to hold the chickens like puppies, and he doesn't like her too, so she is afraid of him. But he is a nice old guy, would make anyone a great meal!

Dancing with the STARS!

Sis started late in the year, but she did a great job! We loved watching her do her thing on the stage!

Cody especially enjoyed the Hip Hop songs!

She did two numbers, one was a cute ballerina song, and the other was baby face.. They were all just darling!

Her teacher is really structured, and she did a great job with Cassidy in teaching her the dances.

What a fun night. I love my darling little dancer!