24th of July - Wyoming Style

My brother, Scott, and his family live in a small town in Wyoming called Mountain View. It is right outside of Lyman and near Ft Bridger. Their son, Ryan, was getting baptized over the 24th of July weekend so we headed to Wyoming. Rob stayed home with Sadie and Jaxson and the 3 older kids came with me. They do a big Pioneer Day celebration over the weekend of the 24th and we have wanted to go for a few years, but it never worked out. We are so happy that we were able to come this time.

We left on a Friday evening and made the 2 hour trip to Wyoming. My kids were SO excited! Scott and Tiff were so gracious and were great hosts! They let us stay in their trailer which worked out perfectly. The first night was a little interesting. I had just tucked the kids in bed and was walking with Scott back into the house when we heard some loud banging sounds and sirens. Scott is a Wyoming Highway Patrol officer so he immediately was curious as to what was going on. Before we knew it, we looked through the trees of their side yard and could see huge flames coming up! Soon there were a lot of sirens, a lot of smoke and flames, and crashing. Apparently, someone's huge shed was on fire. It was very close to Scott's house so it was a little scary. Scott jumped in his patrol car and off he went to help block off the streets. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. But all of the commotion meant that my kids were way too wired to sleep. It ended up being a late night. I didn't sleep great, which is ironic since I didn't have the baby with me, but oh well.
The next morning, we got up early and got the kids ready in their clothes for the parade. The girls were pioneers and Cayen was a modern day boy. My kids had never been in a parade before so they were very excited. Tiff and her mom did a few small floats pulled by horses and 4 wheelers. After I got my kids settled, I went and watched the parade with my parents and sister. It was so fun seeing them come down the street and throwing candy. They were thrilled and beaming with pride!

The kids in their floats ready for the parade

Scott rode on his horse along side the floats. I had to laugh a little as he rode around while talking on his cell phone.

After the parade, we had a lunch at the park and then headed to Ryan's baptism. My dad baptized him and Scott confirmed him. It was a really special day for Ryan and my kids were so happy they got to come. In typical Ashlee style, she said at the end, in a very loud voice, "Are we done YET!?"
After the baptism, we headed to Tiffany's parents' home for more fun and a yummy dinner. They have a ton of land and have 4 wheelers and horses. The kids were in HEAVEN! A highlight for me was watching my mom ride one of the horses. But the best part was when I put all 3 of my kids on the 4 wheeler and the four of us took off for a fun ride! It was a blast!! The kids also had fun being pulled around behind the 4 wheelers on a trailer.

After the dinner, we headed to the big Ranch Rodeo. My kids had never been to a rodeo, so it was a new experience. This is a different kind of rodeo and they do a lot of the old ranch style events including wild cow milking, hyde pull, goat milking, etc. My kids even participated in the chicken chase. They didn't catch any chickens, but sure had fun.
It was such a great weekend and we hated to come home. I have promised the kids that we would come again next year for another fun Pioneer Day celebration...Wyoming Style!