Yellowstone

We were especially excited to go to Yellowstone this year, since we weren't able to make it during the spring. I spent weeks telling Lilly about how we were going to Yellowstone, even though she thought I was saying "Yellow Store," which is what I use to refer to IKEA. She knew that we were going to see buffalo and hopefully bears. My mom went a few weeks ago and saw tons of bears, so I was hopeful...

This time around, instead of carrying her around in the backpack for every hike, she insisted on hiking most of them with us. Taking a 2 year old on a hike is like taking someone with extreme ADD through a field of pretty, random objects. "Look, mommy, a bug! Look, mommy, a rock! I want that stick. Carry me! No, I want to walk now. Look a bug!" All hikes were twice as long with Lilly. I usually wouldn't mind, but my PSD (bone and joint pain in my pubic bone, hips, and back) was super bad because of all the hiking and standing. Constantly stopping and going to look at all of Lilly's treasures was really hard on me. As much as I wanted to bow out of the hikes, I didn't want to annoy everyone else, I wanted to push through it to say that I did it, and why the heck would I have gone if I didn't want to do any of the hikes? Tylenol was my best friend, come bed time.

As far as wildlife goes, we struck out. I think we saw more squirrels, chipmunks (or chipsmunks to Lilly), and giant spiders than anything else. At one point, Lilly asked me if she could eat the chipsmunks. Ha! We saw TWO elk, and maybe a handful of buffalo. No bears. Dang. Lilly liked getting to see all the "hot water," and getting to pose for all of the Asian tourists that kept asking to take her picture. All-in-all, we had lots of fun. Exhausting fun, but fun nonetheless.

Our little hiker, complete with walking stick and pack-pack

I was THIS close to sitting this part of the hike out, when I saw that I would have to hike straight up a mountain. But when my 2 year old started hiking it, I took that as a challenge to do it myself. I did it very slowly, but I made it to the top! Woo!!

The first giant spider that we saw. I have a terrible habit of looking down at my feet right as something scary scurries across them.

Lilly wanted to touch this fatty. I was worried about what squishing it would do, considering how huge his body was.

Kid you not, this picture is legit. Kevin and I were sitting on a bench with Lilly, waiting for the rest of the group to finish the hike, when this group of tourists stopped and asked to take Lilly's picture. Total paparazzi moment. Lilly loved the attention and started to ham it up for them. Big smiles and goofy poses.

Cute smiles like this...

And goofy laughs like this...

We both got new Yellowstone hats

Always the center of attention

These walking sticks literally saved my life at times.

She likes to collect rocks

So proud of her new hat

I successfully made Dutch oven chili and "baked" potatoes.

This reminds me of when I was a little girl visiting Yellowstone. My dad would pull up to a buffalo and tell us to get up close for a picture. I remember him saying "get closer....get closer". I'm surprised we're all still alive.

While I made dinner, Lilly and daddy played in the river

She really wanted to share her cookies

Yellowstone timeout.

She was SO tired at the end of the day. I couldn't even get her to put on her jammies

I. Look. Terrible.

These were from my new favorite hike; Lonestar. SO amazingly beautiful, quiet, flat. Perfect.