TWENTY

 2021 week twenty

This last week started off pretty crummy. I was hit with a stomach bug on Saturday, Leland too but not as bad. I think the dehyration led to clogged ducts and almost mastitis but I caught it in time and was able to bounce back pretty quickly. We spent the whole weekend resting and hoping and praying we'd all be recovered in time for the trip we had planned. 

On Monday we got the garden all planted, well not the front but we got the vegetables in. Fingers crossed it does well this year. 

Luckily we were all feeling well by the time we left for our trip on Tuesday. Alexander was visiting Utah and joined us on our trip. It was really nice to have another set of hands to help out with all the kids!

Sweet Mosey was a little angel in the car. As long as he was staring at my face he was happy. 

The first day we drove to Yellowstone Bear World. I had seen other's pictures and I've always wanted to go. It turned out to be really fun. It was uncrowded and the rides were all low key and perfect for our kids ages. I took Israel on the little rollercoaster which he declared "very very gary (scary)". They petting zoo was really fun, Adele and I both loved petting the deer, it was crazy to see deer so tame. In the drive through area they had bison, elk-including an albino elk, moose and bears of course. The bears looked so fluffy and playful. The cubs were so adorable. They were mine and Leland's favorite part. 

Afterwards we stayed at a little airbnb in Rexburg. The kids were all so tired but did not sleep very well, but better than expected. Here is Mosey being cute at the airbnb. 

The next day we drove about 2 more hours to Yellowstone. It was just as beautiful as everyone says, and I think I appreciate the beauty more now that I'm older. It was Leland's first time and I warned him many times about the traffic jams that come when tourists stop to see the animals. I think it helped him be slightly more patient when we were stuck at a standstill for about an hour while this herd of bison passed by miles ahead of us. Luckily by the time we got to them they were still on the road so we got to see them right out our window. Some of the babies looked just born and so cute. 

We drove to Old Faithful and the kids made a friend with an older couple while we waited. The kids were not that impressed with Old Faithful, I guess after waiting in the crowd for 30 minutes they were expecting something really extreme ha. 

After seeing Old Faithful we drove to the Midway Geyser Basin. We had planned to hike Fairy Falls so we could see Grand Prismatic from above, but the trail was closed due to grizzly bear activity. It was probably for the best because it was so cold that all the geysers were covered with so much steam it was hard to see them anyways. Walking up the board walk to these trails was a strange experience. Once we got in the clouds of  warm steam we could barely see anything and those of us with glasses were doubly blinded because they kept fogging up. I didn't remember the geysers being steamy before, so maybe it was because of the cold? It was about 50 degrees. The kids loved the steam and wanted us to keep walking into it because it was so warm. 

Excelsior was so blue, I loved it!

The yellow was Adele's favorite. 

Such a bright orange, it felt like you were on another planet. 

It was very very windy, lots of blown hats could be seen off the board walk. 

After a long day we went to West Yellowstone for dinner and stayed at a hotel there. Taking five kids to a restaurant is not easy but these kids did pretty well. 

My boys 

In the morning we let the kids swim in the hotel pool with a waterslide. I think this was the highlight of the trip for them ha. It's not like we could have this same experience down the street from our house of anything. 

The water was too cold for babies, but we had to show off these rolls somehow. 

After swimming we drove the 4.5 hours home. Since then we've been busy catching up on normal life. It was a great trip though. Now that the kids are getting older, trips seem to be slightly more manageable. At least with Moses at this age we don't have to worry much about nap times or strollers or finding baby friendly food. If only the kids would go to bed at a reasonable hour and not fight we'd be set ha. Really though it was a fun trip and I can't wait to see more of Yellowstone someday.