Clark Clan: Fun times in Montana

Last week for Spring Break we traveled to Billings, Montana to see my parents for the week. The ride there went quite well. We didn't leave until 5pm on Sat. and only made one stop for gas and a potty break in West Yellowstone. We got there around midnight. We weren't sure if we were going to go the whole way in one day, but Bryce just kept driving and the kids did great. They slept the last few hours of the trip.

Sunday we had a lazy day and watched conference. The kids enjoyed playing at grandma and grandpa's house. They had never been there. My dad made Pasta Primavera for dinner, my absolute favorite. Thanks dad!! That evening the kids wanted to get in the hot tub and so Bryce got in with them. They loved it!

The next day the boys went to Sportsmans for fishing gear and the girls went shopping. The boys came back with their very first fishing poles. They enjoyed practicing casting in my parent's backyard all night. Tuesday, we met grandpa for lunch at his favorite cafe and then the boys all took off fishing. My dad showed them where the fishing spot was and went back to work only to return a little bit later to spend some time with them fishing. Tyler caught his first fish ever and grandpa was there to see it. They were definitely hooked. Bryce isn't an avid fisherman but I think he will probably have to become one now for his boys.

They actually fished on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Wednesday, Brayden caught his first fish and was so excited. On Thursday, only Bryce and Tyler went fishing. It actually rained/snowed in Billings that day so the fishing wasn't all that great. The water was too murky.:( Thursday night Bryce and I went to the Billings temple and did a session and then went to the Olive Garden. It was nice to not have to pay a baby sitter. Thanks mom and dad.:) We don't get out much. The kids had fun with grandpa and grandma that night and had pizza and ice cream.

On Friday we went and saw "Monsters vs. Aliens", which everyone enjoyed. Ellie actually fell asleep for the majority of it. Yea!! After that Grandma took us to a new candy store in Billings and let the kids go wild. It was a lot of fun. They had everything under the sun. A child's paradise!! Then we went to "The Reef", an indoor water park. The kids had a lot of fun there. Me and Ellie spent most of the time in the hot tub, although she tried out the wave pool and the little kiddie slide. Brayden also enjoyed the wave pool and the other little kiddie attractions. Tyler went down the big waterslides several times. He actually got me on it a couple of times.

The next day, Saturday, we left for home. It took us about 8 hours this time- 2 stops and not as much sleeping by the kids. But the drive from Bozeman to West Yellowstone was beautiful. We had a great trip and I will have to say the only bad thing about it is Ellie now thinks she doesn't have to take naps and she has learned to climb out of her crib. The portable crib she slept in at grandma's she didn't like so much so she would climb out and come and get in bed with us. So we are probably going to need to invest in a new bed for her.