Jackson Five...OK, Jackson Four

Sunday we returned from our four day visit to Jackson Hole where we enjoyed hiking, fishing, watching for wildlife, playing with wildlife (also known as the family) and most importantly, relaxing. The kids were troopers through the trip, especially Rachel, who typically can't go more than forty minutes in the car without a meltdown. I have to give a special thanks to our neighbors who let us borrow their car DVD player, too. THANK YOU!! It made a world of difference.
As much fun as it is, I'm sure, to hear about the fun parts of the trip, I am well aware that it is the bear attacks etc. that provide the most entertainment, so for those of you who are waiting for the juicy details here they are.
First, though not as interesting as a bear attack, we did get to see a huge herd of elk cross the road right in front of us. It was quite impressive.
Second, the guys once again were unbelievably successful fishing in Jackson Lake. They caught trout after trout, all of which were huge. It was only as they were leaving, however, that they realized perhaps their success was due in part to the fact that the lake was closed to fishing during the month of October. OOPS!
And last, but not least, the most exciting part of the trip happened on the way home. We tried to get out the door early Sunday morning because our Ward was practicing for the Primary Program. Sadly, we didn't quite make it to church, however thanks to not one, but two of our children tossing their cookies on the way home.
We had just left Jackson and were winding our way up the canyon when Sarah started whimpering. Being a veteran mother, I recognized the sound and told Greg to pull over. Had there not been a five-point-harness to compete with, I might have had a fighting chance of getting her out of the car before the explosion occurred, but instead I had to use about a thousand cleaning wipes (Thank you Lorna for letting us take the rest of them with us!) all over the straps, and buckles before I could even get her out of the car.
Thirty minutes later, Sarah was dressed in Becca's shirt and a fleece blanket, and her car seat, the back of my chair and the car door were all wiped down.
We continued merrily on our way for another hour or so, when, upon entering the next canyon Ellie informed us that her tummy hurt. I told her that if it got bad to tell us, and after another five or ten minutes she said, "I think I'm going to throw up!"
Greg once again pulled over and I ran around to let Ellie out. I got her unbuckled, and was just picking her up when she let loose. After another thirty minute break, I managed to contain the dirty car-seat covers, blankets, and clothes that had been soiled, reloaded the car to put the offensive smelling objects far away from us, wipe down the rest of the area and head off.
When we got home, I immediately threw the dirty items in the wash before unloading the rest of the car. By the time the rest of the car was unloaded, I could tell that I had obviously missed a few important points in my cleaning, and backed the car out of the garage, rolled down the windows and started detailing the car.
I love living next door to the church, but it just happened that while I was attacking the car with a spray bottle and wipes, our ward was just leaving church.
Fortunately, my neighbors are pretty confident that we haven't gone inactive, and as one neighbor passed he asked "Let me guess, is the ox in the mire?" I briefly explained the situation, and he replied, "Yep that's one big ox."