For the last few days of our vacation all of Alan's family headed up to Yellowstone area for a little family gathering. I hadn't been up there for about 10 years, it was nice to see all the trees growing back and with all the natural beauty around you can't help but see God's hand everywhere.
Our first stop was at Mammoth in the northern section. Ready for lunch and for exploring!
Mammoth hot springs. A bit of a hike for the kiddos but amazing to see. I wish my camera did it justice.
The boys were not a fan of the sulfur smell, but they thought it was really cool.
Naomi was determined to walk up the stairs "all by myself" so she and mommy lagged a bit behind. But she did it!
Taking a water break. Thank goodness for the clouds and the incoming storm or it would have been miserable!
Fountain Paint Pot Nature Trail. This was nice because it was not very crowded and more trail like than just a wooden walkway.
It was fun to see how the different water temperatures and chemicals make so many fun colors!
Naomi and daddy..walking all by herself again! I think we carried the stroller more than she rode in it!
Beautiful view from the top and it was pretty cool to see the rain rolling in and hear the thunder echo through the valley.
Where's Peter? He's almost as skinny as some of these trees!
Gibbon Falls. So beautiful. Although seeing my curious monkeys looking out over it still makes me nervous.
silly brothers
my boys
my baby girl
It was nice to break up the driving with stops to get out and explore. Note to remember for future, horrible cell service inside the park! After a day of exploring we headed to our cabin.
We stayed at this great place just south of Yellowstone called Eagle Ridge Ranch. Your own little cabins, horseback riding, swimming, fishing, we had a great time relaxing and playing!
We went on a 3 hour horseback ride with the kids. I wondered how they would do since they haven't spent too much time around horses, but in true style they just climbed right on like they have been doing it forever!
Isaac rode with daddy.
And Peter got a horse all to himself! He thought he was pretty big stuff! The guides were even kind enough to let him "lead" us all! I think he talked the poor guides ears off!
Isn't it just beautiful!?
Naomi rode with me but a little after halfway through she was getting tired and super wiggly so we traded with daddy.
I think when Peter wasn't talking he was trying to run into all the trees he could...or his horse was trying to rub him off!
Mommy and Isaac!
At the end of our ride! What a fun memory!
Playing at the pond! I took the boys when Naomi was napping one afternoon and they could hardly decide what to do first! The water was pretty cold so they didn't last too long, but they had so much fun!
There were tadpoles all along the shoreline and they had so much fun catching them. They tried to convince me to bring some home but mommy convinced them they wouldn't like the ride in the car!
The rest of Alan's family stayed a mile away in another cabin so we spent all our evening together with cousins!
We headed back to Yellowstone one morning to hit up Old Faithful and the surrounding areas. The kiddos worked on their Junior Ranger badge during our trip and they had so much fun finding out all the facts about the park.
proudly showing their badges waiting for Old Faithful
In another life I would like to be a photographer, here's my lucky shot of the trip!
