Brad has never been to Yellowstone, so we decided while visiting my sister in Rexburg, Idaho, that we would make the drive over with her family to see the National Park. It was so much fun! We were all scrunched into my sisters car, and listened to the kids argue over who gets to sit in Grandma's lap!
Little Hannah-bear. She is the spitting image of my sister and I when we were her age. It was almost scary watching her, it was like looking in a mirror. My mother always told me that I look and act just like my Aunt Tammy, and now I can see how scary it really is. I understand what my mom has been saying for years!
We saw a lot of buffalo.
Brad and I watching Old Faithful for the first time together
Brad enjoying Old Faithful.
My favorite little guy. He insisted that he wear his spider man tee that Brad and I picked up for him in Alaska. It was wayyy too large. But - it glows in the dark!
To get Hannah to smile, she was pointing at all the odd places you might find bubbles. This is "Bubbles in my ears!" She sure is a hoot!
You cannot look at the picture and not fall in love with this little one!
We came up on a herd of elk, and were able to get out of the car, and watch them drink in this little pond. They then crossed the road to the lake. We got some gorgeous photos of this very elk enjoying the waterhole. . .
And the lake.
It was such a fun day in the park. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family members to take us out and show us the beautiful country side. Brad is still new the the Northwest, therefore the more we can see in one trip the better. It was also such a fun drive, all cramped in the car, listening to the children, and enjoying the scenery. Their excitement was contageous, therefore the day was full of laughter, love and memories.
It was a special time for me to see Brad interact with the children. One neat thing about this trip home, was we were able to stop in to see 4 of my 5 siblings at their home. The detour was about 1800 miles, 2 and a half weeks, and probably $2000 out of our way, but it was worth it. At each stop "Uncle Brad" got to start a bond with each of my nieces and nephews, get to know my siblings and their spouses, and in general, see our family. Being that I watched David and Hannah both from the time they were newborns, the love and bond I share with them is so strong. It is definitely hard to be so far away from them by living in Oklahoma. Because of this, watching Brad hold Hannah in the car and help her point out all the animals, help David use the binoculars, and keep the two kids occupied was so special. He is so wonderful with kids, that it brings tears to my eyes thinking about the time he got to spend with Maggie, Boyd, Troy, Adalynn, Breckham, Mickelsey, David, Hannah, Hayley, Cache, Casen, and Sawyer. It was a beautiful friendship, and relationship I saw begin to form. Now, every time Hannah talks to me on the phone, she asks, "where's Uncle Bad?" To them, he is my other half, which is what I want them to remember. Maggie might be the only one who would remember Aunt Deanna before there was an Uncle Brad, but for the rest, it is very important for me that the know, and love their Uncle Brad.
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