Our trip to Yellowstone

After 3 years of promising our kids they would get to see Yellowstone Ntnl. Park, we finally just had to do it! Not that I don't just LOVE it up there, it's absolutely GORGEOUS country...it just never seemed to work out. This place has lots of wonderful memories for me as a child. I remember visits up there with the family, and my cousins & Grandparents. I'll never forget the time a moose stuck his head in the bathroom window one time & my Aunt Julie squealed very loud! Despite all the rain (we've had SO much lately, it's been crazy!), we still got to enjoy all that area had to see, like some amazing waterfalls all throughout!

You certainly see plenty of incredible mountains & lakes! And of course, lots of wildlife! It is the home where the buffalo roam, and the deer and antelope play! :} But, I am going to disagree with the lyrics in the song that say "And the skies are not cloudy all day!"
Yep, we even enjoyed all the cute little chipmunks too! :}New nickname for Kaley: "Lil' Ms. Hollywood". She just thinks she's "all that" lately! OK, she is ALL THAT! :} Where is my baby going though?!
Could she be any more of a Daddy's Girl? I think not! (But isn't it just darn cute?! :})
Having some time at our campsite at Flagg Ranch We enjoyed hanging out at the Campsite Lodge some nights so we didn't have to do too much cooking! (since there were bears sited in the campsite area that week even, best to not have too much food around!)
Dylan & Kaley playing a bit of see-saw while we were waiting for Old Faithful to blow.
It's always cool to see, though not as dramatic with all the clouds around. My kids didn't quite get the excitement of it all, as much as I tried to get them to read the brochures & understand how they occur, and how this area has the most geysers than anywhere in the world! :} Hopefully someday they'll get it, and know they were there!
Chillin' on the patio for a bit We started to get a downpour; but, this area, The Upper Geyser Basin, was neat to see. The steam was hitting us, it felt like being in a sauna! It felt good!
The turquoise pools
The Mud Volcano. Oh, would hate to be around when that decided to go off!
"Don't mess with me!"
Yes, we even saw bears!! Fortunately from a distance, as it should be! Here is a black bear just to the right of the pine tree.
And a Grizzly up on the hill. Again, great to see...from a far distance! Apparently we missed a Grizzly chasing a Mama Moose & it's baby across the road & through the river (which would have been sad to see too) by just a minute or so. The kids blame me for that since I made them stop for a picture before that! :} What are the chances you happen to run into your old teacher on the side of the road in another state? Here is Mrs. Pehrson (Dylan's 2nd grade teacher, prev. Ms. Johnson), up by Tower Fall. Dylan has a good eye, he noticed her with her back to us as we were driving by. We thought that was pretty neat! :}
Doug & I at Tower Falls So, of course, Kaley met some new friends. She's just lovable like that. She was thrilled to meet her 1st set of Triplets: Chesney, McKala, & Kaya (I hope I got that right! And I have no clue in what order they actually are either! I tried! :}). And Kaley just "couldn't believe that she had the exact same pair of Levi's too, with the same cute flower design! So they're like 4 sisters!" :}
They were a fun family, The Shanks, from Houston, TX. They made for great camping neighbors. Their son, Chris, was Bradon's age who is also a football fanatic & knows his stats like Bradon. The girls giving us a performance (I know, surprise surprise! :})The girls having some kind of bonding moment of "Friends Forever" (oh for cute! :}) Having a few silly moments in the camper. Here's Dylan shaking his head like a mad dog.
Seeing the "Grand Canyons" of Yellowstone, in the the Upper Falls area. Kaley was NOT in the mood that day (seriously had a dramatic meltdown girl moment in the parking lot! Girls! :}) So this picture is a trip. Besides another amazing waterfall, is anyone else thinking Mickey Mouse fell in & is reaching his arm out of the water to get out?! I'm just sayin'! :}

OK, pretend with us...check out the kids amongst the birds in the mountains! :}

Having a little more time with her new friends before we had to leave.

Catching what I could of the Grand Tetons on the way out. Should have gotten that picture on the way in without all the clouds; but, we were anxious to get to camp then! Still amazing to see!
Kaley insisting I take the picure where it tells us about John Coture, who discovered the Tetons
I'm so glad we finally got to visit this part of the country. It's really not that far, we need to do that more often!