Hoppin' To 9

 Have I ever mentioned Lucy is obsessed with frogs?  Not the cutest animal, I admit, but it's her thing.  So when she asked me for a "small frog birthday party", I wasn't surprised.  I was a little stumped.  How does one make a frog birthday that is age appropriate for a 9 year old?  

I'm always up for a birthday party planning challenge so I got right to work.  She gave me her "small" list of friends she wanted to celebrate with and gave me the location.  Out lake house...naturally because frogs love to swim.

One might be surprised at how many frog related items there actually are.  I certainly was.  I set up the long dining table with a few froggy centerpieces and lily pads. At each child's seat there was a frog bucket hat, a frog tee, and frog gummies.

I knew the girls would spend most of their time swimming.  Especially since Lucy had requested a special boat ride to the water park.  But I also wanted to have a few things for them to do in the evening and the following morning.

The "activity" table had personalized green water bottles with a bowl full of frog stickers to decorate them, a frog piñata, and frog garden stone painting kits.

The piñata served as a great decorative centerpiece until we used it.

Here's a look at the food bar before the food actually arrived. The girls dined on green grapes, green applesauce pouches, green Gatorade, green bags of chips, and sadly NOT green hot dogs.  Any idea on a  green main course kids would actually eat? Yeah, me neither.

 

In lieu of a birthday cake we decorated cupcakes with little frog figurines.  The girls loved them and were very specific about which pair of frogs they wanted.

Since it was a sleep over, I thought it would be fun to give the girls a favor that could be used at the party.  I found these cozy frog blankets and stuffies on Amazon.

And that's what it looked like until the party started...

These pictures make me smile every time I look at them.  These girls truly had a frog-tastic time!  Such sweet friends.

The fun didn't end there either.  Just a few short days later we celebrated as a family on Lucy's real day.  She got balloons at the bus stop, birthday cake, and sibling gifts.

You sure are loved little Lu!  Happy Birthday!  It's been an incredible 9 years.  I can't wait to see all that is  to come with you.

Back To School...It's True

After the past two school years, I'm finding it hard to believe that it's true.  We really are going back to school and in person!  Now if we could just get those masks off of my sweet kiddos faces...in time...I'm hoping anyway.

Well, here we go again.  Three kids and three schools.  I am happy to say they are all in the right places for this school year.  I'm not lying though, it would be nice to streamline this one day.

So let's start with my oldest.  Jack is back at the same middle school he as been at for the past 2 years.  He is in 8th grade this year and needed a full replinishment on his uniforms.  I think the kid grew 5 inches over the summer.

Next up is my Maggie. Sweet girl has been tossed around schools during this pandemic and is doing it again.  Maggie starts a new middle school this year for 6th grade.  I know she is in the right place and I know good things are to come.  But, I'd be lying if I didn't say this is going to be a big transition for all of us.  Her first day was riddled with excitement and nervous energy. 

You've got this sweet girl!

And then there is the baby.  Lucy is off to 3rd grade this year at our local elementary school.  I think she scored the biggest with the first day being a breeze...same school as the past 3 years and it's not middle school.  

She even got to participate in the fun elementary school meet and greet.  And guess what?  Lucky girl got just the teacher she had wished for all summer!  We are excited for a thrilling 3rd grade year Ms. M!

To wish all my littles {who are now not so little} an AMAZING first day of school I left a treat for them at the breakfast table.  And lest you think a Maze Pen wouldn't excite them, you are wrong, they were very grateful.  And even more so when they found the $5 tucked away in the back.

Happy First Days of 8th grade, 6th grade, & 3rd grade.  I know you all three will do AMAZING!

Wild West Wyoming

We just returned from our family summer vacation out West.  This year we took on Wyoming with emphasis on Yellowstone.  This has been on Daddy's list and after a year of cancellation due to Covid, it finally happened.

We did a group tour experience with the agenda laid out, all transportation taken care of, and every detail and logistic covered.  I can look back and tell you this...I loved the social aspect that involved meeting and traveling with other families.  However, I did not like the time restraints, the rules, and being on such a tight schedule.  

I think most of my family agreed with me.  So from here on out, it will be the Cibulas take on {fill in the blank} and we will follow our own schedule, get lost, and wing a few details her and there.

Now on to the vacation.  We flew into Jackson Hole, Wyoming the afternoon before we met up with our group.  This gave us a full free day ourselves.  Daddy dragged us to the mountains to take the ski lift up for the views.  We grabbed lunch and put a check in that box.

Next up, I got to do the dragging.  Welcome to the Jackson Hole Rodeo.  It seriously may have been a dream come true for this wanna be country gal.

 

The following day, we did some shopping in downtown Jackson Hole.  Everything was within walking distance from our hotel {even the rodeo}.  Downtown has some great boutiques, outdoorsy shops, and fun junk shops for the kids.

From there, we walked {yes, another destination within walking distance} to Snow King Mountain.  Here we took a short hike, and rode the mountain coaster and enjoyed other attractions.  

On to day 4, I think. We made our way to the Grand Tetons.  We met up with a bike tour company, got fitted, and hit the path.  It was absolutely breathtaking.

We made a couple stops on the way.  But Mormon Row was by far my favorite.  It was postcard perfect.

We ate a picnic lunch in Grand Teton and them made our way to Yellowstone National Park. It's what we had all been waiting for.

Our first stop in the park was the West Thumb Geyser Basin.  We were wowed from the get go.  The terrain is unlike anything any of us have ever seen.  

 We then got checked into our lodging at the park.  After unloading our bags, we grabbed dinner at one of the lodge cafes and took a seat by Old Faithful.  She's pretty predictable, hence the name, so we knew we could eat geyser side and get a show.

The rest of the evening, we roamed around the boardwalk checking out more geysers and lots of hydrothermal features.  But nothing could blow our minds like the buffalo sidling up along side of us.

We caught a beautiful sunset and called it a night. 

Our next morning was spent exploring all around Yellowstone National Park.  We visited the Lower Loop Excursion, Fountain Paint Pot Trail, Grand Prismatic Spring, and Hayden Valley.  Pictures can not do the sights justice.

The final leg of our trip was spent at Brooks Lake Lodge, which is slightly north of Yellowstone.  It was a great little reprieve from the busy itinerary up to that point.  We were able to slow down and spend three nights in a cabin enjoying all the property had to offer.  The guides on property were so much fun and the main dining hall served the most delish meals.  I highly recommend this little slice of heaven.

We spent our days horseback riding, fly fishing, canoeing, trying out archery, and even a little pole fishing. 

 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the most eventful part of our visit to Brooks Lake.  Somewhere around midnight on our second night at the lodge, our smoke alarm went off.  I was the only one who woke up and I must have thanked God a million times over for that. 

I went into the main living area {where my darling Lucy was sleeping} and found the wood burner stove in flames.  Imagine a cabin made of wood, flames to the ceiling, and then you can properly imagine my desperation.  I grabbed a fire extinguisher and was able to put out the fire.  I then moved all the kids to the front porch as our cabin was filled with smoke.

Long story short, we all lived to tell the story {thank you dear God} and lesson learned.  DO NOT ever put anything on top of a wood burning stove while there is a fire inside.  Something us southerners just don't naturally know.

Besides that frightful evening, our vacation was a delight.  The west has so much to offer and the beauty is magnificent.  I can cleary see why Yellowstone has been a standing on Clay's bucket list. 

Thanks for the Wild Visit Wyoming!