August in Wyoming

Top ten reasons to ditch Houston in August and head to Jackson Hole, Wyoming

1. There are days when the temperature will make you wonder if it's December. And you will start singing Christmas carols without realizing it.



2. Instead of dead armadillos on the road, they've got these guys.






3. There are no billboards, no skyscrapers, and no sidewalks so hot you can fry eggs on them.













4. Your man might go for a hike and come back with something like this.



5. You won't have to wait until February to go to the rodeo.







That is my son drinking hot chocolate in August.



My future cowgirl and me.



6. There are good burgers to be had beyond our state's borders.

Oh, Billy's Burgers, how we heart you.







7. When life slows down, funny things happen.

That's a bagel in Jackson's mouth.



Annabeth's thumb sucking + our occasional heater use in the cabin + much drier air than we're used to = a very raw hand. Bless her heart, we had to put ointment on it and cover it with a sock at night.



She fell backwards and landed right in her brother's lap. He was so tickled.



Annabeth fell asleep while we were at a cookout. She had to have her thumb, of course.



8. Your hair may go bump-it in the night.

You are looking at God-given bump-it, siestas.



9. You might see a grizzly bear. Preferably from your car.

(This is zoomed in - we would never get that close.)



10. Yellowstone National Park is like the Disney World of Nature. You cannot believe how much cool stuff is in one place.

We got there early in the morning in hopes of seeing more animals.



Behind Curtis and Jackson you can see everyone waiting to watch Old Faithful.



And there it is.



I'm not sure what this is. Maybe Jackson was excited about the dirt on his hands.













Jackson and Curtis with the Upper Falls in the background (I think).



Can you see the rainbow?



River water going over the Lower Falls.



This picture makes the bottom of my feet hurt. Does that happen to anyone else when they look down from up high?









After seeing it from close up, we drove down the road and saw the Lower Falls from a distance.







Curtis and I marveled at how much Annabeth changed during our two weeks in Wyoming. This picture was taken on the day she started sitting up. She was using her hands but could sit for a long time.



Exactly one week later, when she happened to be wearing the same outfit, she was sitting with no hands. This is such a fun stage! I'm enjoying our last bit of time before she becomes mobile.



This was Annabeth's first time in a restaurant high chair.



One night after my parents arrived, we had dinner on the deck at Signal Mountain Lodge. After that we walked down to Jackson Lake.











Jackson is embracing his big brother role a little more these days.



This is a picture of one of the cookouts we attended by the river.



Curtis and Annabeth challenged Jackson and his friend in a race.





Annabeth did not enjoy being a track star.



Here's Baby Girl's first time in a playground swing. I did not bring her enough cool-weather clothes, so I frequently resorted to pajamas.



One morning our whole family attended a breakfast cookout up on a mountain. Dad and I and joined the trail riders on horseback while Mom and Curtis brought the kids up in a car. We had hot chocolate, eggs, bacon, and pancakes. It was so much fun.









Jackson and his daddy played hide and seek in the town square. Here's Jackson counting.



Here he is hiding.



A view of the Tetons from near our place.



Mt. Moran might be my favorite.



A deer in the river by our cabin.



The Sleeping Indian. Can you see him?



One day we visited Jenny Lake. You do not want to miss it if you ever visit Jackson Hole.



We took a shuttle boat across the lake to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.



Looking up at the mountain from the boat.





Here's what we hiked to see.









We - mainly Jackson - got soaked on the boat ride back. The water was freezing! Jackson has always loved being splashed with cold water (seriously), so he had a great time. People around us were even trying to take pictures of him because he was so funny.



The pictures you are about to see are from The Greatest Day of Jackson's Life.



We went to Snow King and did the alpine slide.





The slide was really fun, but I only did it once because the ski lift to the top of it scared me to death. Curt says it isn't as freaky when there's snow below you. The Moores aren't skiers, so I wouldn't really know.



Then Curtis and I went temporarily insane and let Jackson do the bungee trampoline. You are seeing the highlight of his three-year-old life.



Everyone within a mile heard him squealing.



After that, we had lunch at the Saddle Rock Family Saloon.



The only beer they served was root beer. Oh my word, it was the best ever!



Jackson capped the day off with a horse ride. This is Blizzard, the most chilled out horse known to man. Jackson looked like a baby on top of that big ole animal.



That concludes the Greatest Day of Jackson's Life.

Here's a bad picture of some elk in the valley.



This is our favorite pizza place. No visit is complete without it.



It's our tradition to take a picture on this huge stump before we leave. Right after this, some very sad Joneses got in the car and drove to the airport. Sad, sad, sad.



Top ten songs from our vacation playlist

1. "Just Wanna Say" by Israel Houghton
2. "My Brightness" by Charlie Hall
3. "Glorified" by New Life Worship
4. "You'll Come" by Hillsong Live
5. "Light of the World" by Watermark
6. "A Grateful People/Bless the Lord" by Watermark
7. "Glory to God Forever" by Fee
8. "Since the World Began" by Matt Maher, Amy Grant, Ed Cash, and Mac Powell from Glory Revealed 2
9. "He Will Rejoice" by Trevor Morgan from Glory Revealed 1
10. "Waters Gone By" by Shawn Lewis from Glory Revealed 1