Yellowstone

We went to Yellowstone last week. It was sort of a family reunion as we had most of Kevin's immediate family was there. We had 13 grand kids with us which meant that no matter what time we went to bed at 6 a.m. the next day there were kids waking us up. It was great to have Elena exposed to lots of people at the same time and she did alright. By the end we were able to leave her alone with her grandparents for a few hours.

Got to play with dirt. The first thing she did was grab a rock and put it in her mouth.  Then she tasted some dirt and grass. What a delicious adventure!

She got to play with her uncle and 16 month old cousin Sarah

Her other cousin Mary loves Elena. Mary has  been her friend since she was a newborn. 

Elena finally learned how to pull herself up to standing on this trip.

Had smores around the fire as a family. What could be more unifying???

A natural spring that feeds the Snake River

We fed the ducks and had a musk rat join the party.

Floated the river. It was a long ride and Elena did fine until towards the end.

Kevin had been wanting to swing off this rope for years and finally did it. It was freezing 

On another occasion we rafted a much more fun part of the river. There was some white water: enough to get us soaking wet at the beginning of our ride and for the rest of it we had to sit in a puddle inside our boats.

Went on some refreshing walks as a family

Of course, Zoe had to join

Kevin's parents rented a couple of fun things to ride while we were together. 

Even I got a turn on it. It was awesome!

Yellowstone National Park. Waiting for Old Faithful to erupt.
Right to left: Debbi (Kevin's mom), Brian (Kevin's brother from Texas), Logan, and Jackson 

It was a hot day up there!

Seeing this never gets old. Fascinating!

Proof that Elena has seen Old Faithful :)

One of the hot springs in Yellowstone

Can you see something in that tree? Well, I couldn't. Apparently there's a chipmunk  on it.

Kevin's brother Brian pushed Elena around Yellowstone. This stroller we borrowed  was definitely not meant for  6'4'' men! Yet, Brian was sweet enough to keep at it :)

It was a very long ride for this baby (6 hrs)