Summer Vacation II: Yellowstone Day 1

72degrees! Well, cold at first, but it sure did warm up! Our destination...the canyons of Yellowstone.

We made it to lower falls around 10:30, after a bit of a traffic delay due to elk. After a steep incline down, and a very nervous mummy, we were at the brink of the falls. The power of water is incredible!

We needed more, so we drove to Uncle Toms Trailhead, which is 328 stairs down! I was a little nervous at times while looking down through the grated steel steps, since I have had a fear of falling through the cracks since I was little...if only I were that skinny! The view was worth it and the boys seemed to enjoy counting steps. So much so that they convinced us to take on the south rim trail, a 2 mile round trip hike! The views were amazing along the way and when it ended at Artist Point, I was so glad we did it!

Then we had to walk back.  It was hot.  The boys were tired...one in particular.  So, we split up and Tom walked with Jeb after sitting in the outhouse with him since he conveniently had to go #2.  Times like these, I am SO glad that I have boys and am not allowed in the mens room!  The older boys and I made it in 20 minutes and were surprised when Tom and Jeb showed up 10 minutes later.  Lots of carrying, but they made it! Trail mix at the end was a big reward and we were so happy to refill our water on this hot day!

We stopped at Norris Geyser on the way home. It looks like armegeddon! Baron land with steam rising. Jeb held his nose much of the time and a few tourist started taking pics of him! I was a little nervous about the smell since I remember my brother throwing up at this place when I young and on my first visit to Yellowstone.  We didn't stay long.

On the way home, we came head to head with a bison, as we stopped on the road to watch it graze. It then decided to cross! It was huge with horns and stood there and stared at us as if to ask us to move.  I thought for sure it was going to gore our car! We were all so excited after, but I never want to be that close again!

Home for dinner and then to bed. Early morning "safari" tomorrow!

Summer Vacation I: The Drive to Grand Tetons

June 15, 2012.  The day we have been waiting for.  Bags have been packed, maps have been checked, the car is FULLY loaded and The Griswolds...er, I mean The Koops where ready to cross the United States!  Destination?  Yellowstone and Glacier with a few stops inbetween.

Please note, this is a long post...meant to document the trip for the boys, who may not remember it in the years to come.  Wait, maybe for me and Tom too!  Anyway, parts are highlighted, feel free to skip around!

Summer!

Summer is here and it's really hard to believe how fast time flies.  Even for my kids - on the last day of school, Aiden commented that the year went by really fast and he wasn't ready for school to end.  Which kind of blew my mind since I remember counting down the days till school was out when I was a kid.  But, maybe it has to do with school getting out on May 29, yes, MAY!  What is going to be really hard is going back in the dog days of hot August.

We are really looking forward to summer.  Afterall, it's a time to sit back and relax because a lot of busy things are done.

Like this:

And this:













And this:













Yes, activities are done. Now is the time to enjoy going to the pool, picking berries, and sleeping in. Yeah, right.  How could I have forgotten what summer with three boys is really like?  Actually, the average number of boys at our house on any given day is around 4-5.  And keeping the house clean?  Well, that is a joke.  Groceries?  I thought I had a handle on it - I would just order online and get it delivered.  But, every once in awhile you need a little something.  Last week was one of those times and I took all three boys for a 'quick' trip. 45 minutes later we were out and I had spent $50 on stuff I didn't even have on the list!  I am exhausted at the end of the day, going to bed at 9:00 most nights. 

BUT, I do love it most days.  So what if we have to buy berries at the farmers market and everyone bails on me when it's time to make jam?  I'll make that memory by myself and it will be a cleaner process.  And so what if the house is in shambles because we headed to the pool?  And so what if the biggest thing I have to yell at my boys for is for laughing constantly.  This is what summer is all about! Time to enjoy the boys while they still want to hang with me.  The rest can just fall to the wayside.  And the house?  Well, that can get cleaned in September!

So, bring on summer!