Yellowstone!

Last weekend Todd's parents took the entire family on a trip to Yellowstone.  We had such a great time!  I was especially lucky since we were able to go through Rexburg and Sugar City, and see all of our favorite places.

First stop was the Idaho Falls Temple, where Todd and I were married.  Next week is our 9 year anniversary! 

Next stop was Bear World, and Ty loved sitting on my lap!  He really liked looking at the animals.  He kept saying "Dog, dog, woof woof!" and then he would just squeal at the top of his lungs.  So cute!

This was our favorite bear.  He/she was so sweet hugging the log while he slept.  The girls loved it.

I have loved taking cheesy pictures like this since I can remember! 

We, of course, had to eat at Gringos for dinner.  Ty loved the chips and salsa!  He and I were both covered in salsa by the end of the meal.  :)

Re-enacting our proposal.  We always take the kids up to Ricks and show them where we met and went to school.  This is the practice room that Todd proposed to me in.  Each time we visit we take a family picture here.  It is fun to see our family change and grow.

Todd's mom made matching shirts for all the grandkids to wear.  They say "Yellowstone, Cub # 1-7".  They each have a number according to their birth order.  They turned out so cute.

Here we are in front of the canyon that Yellowstone gets it name from.  This picture doesn't do it any justice.  It is so majestic, and the color is really yellow.  Go figure.  :)  Aside from me worrying that someone would fall over the cliff, it was incredible.  I visited Yellowstone many times as a kid, but I don't remember ever seeing this before. 

Sitting in front of Old Faithful.

This was my favorite geyser as a kid.  Walking the boardwalk around the geysers brought back so many childhood memories.  It was great to be back and share it with my own children.  As an adult I am starting to realize what an amazing place Yellowstone really is.  I couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like to discover Yellowstone as a Native American or explorer.  No wonder places like these have always been considered magical, sacred, and healing.  I really was in awe by all of it. 

I couldn't help but be annoyed by many of the other tourists there.  :)  So many were driving crazy and getting WAY too close to the wild animals there.  It almost seemed like a lack of respect and reverance for the amazing environment they were in.  I have always loved learning about Native Americans, and the peace and respect they had for the earth.  I wish I could be more like that.  I love how they didn't feel entitled to everything in the world, like most of us feel now.  Such a deep respect, it really does move me.

Can you tell that this little girls like fairies?  (check out her Tinker Bell jacket, she is almost obsessed!)  So you can imagine the excitement she felt when we went to a place called Fairy Falls, and she caught some sort of winged bug, and we told her it was a fairy! She totally believed us!

Notice anything wrong with this picture?  Ty had a case of the runs (yippee), and had to wear Magdalen's short while we found him some clean clothes.  Doesn't he look great in lace?  :)

We ended the trip at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.  The older cousins even got to help feed the bears!  And yes, the little girl sticking out of the bear's bottom is mine.  :)