We interrupt our scheduled programming to bring you...

...THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!  THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!  THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Haylee, our resident 2nd grader, actually started last week.  She is doing the early track this year which means she wakes up around 6:30 and is on the beloved Flip Flop bus by 7:40.  In the first week we missed the bus twice which caused a whole lot of reconsidering from her non-morning-person mom but I think we're starting to get the hang of it.  AND it's worth it.  Instead of getting home at 4pm, she's home by 2:40!  I actually get to see her during the week!

This early morning business is wearing her out.  Every night she is sooo ready to crawl in bed.  Which is nice.  What's not so nice?  The growing up and getting emotional and caring about big girl things.  For example:

Haylee:  Mom, when do girls start shaving their legs?
Mom:  Uhhh....why?
Haylee:  Because my legs are getting too hairy and I want to-
Mom:  YOU can't start shaving till you go to middle school!


Bree, our Kindergartner, started yesterday.  No trauma, no nerves, nothing.  Got on the bus with a forced hug from mom and a couple pictures and she was off.  When she got off the bus I asked her what she did on her first day.  She told me she couldn't remember.  Upon being pestered for details (hey, that's my job!) she told me she was too tired and busy to think back and answer my questions.

"You can take 2 pictures of me Mom!"

Getting off the bus to come home on the first day!

I eventually got some details though.  She drew some kind of picture of herself.  She recognized a bunch of kids in her class from the neighborhood and from preschool.  She played hopscotch and on the slide during recess.  Her teacher told her to shut the door when she was in the bathroom.  She has a new best friend but doesn't know what her name is.  She did not sit at a table or desk, just on the carpet "like the one at preschool" (really?), the whole day.  She sang "I am a  Child of God" (yeah right, I don't believe that one).  The boy bus driver told her she would ride his bus "forever".


Finally, Luke, our 9 month old, has become 100% mobile.  He's been rolling and sort of bear scooting all over the place for a while but now he can do this:

There is almost nothing he can't get his hands (and therefore his mouth) on in our house.  So Cambree and I pulled out the outlet covers the other day since he seems to gravitate toward outlets.  And Luke tried to eat the outlet covers which led to a very disgruntled big sister.  

What a funny expression, almost as if to say "Really Mom?  Another picture?" or "If you think you're gonna stop me from getting these with a camera in your hands, you're WRONG!"

We also installed a baby gate which has made life just a little more interesting for everyone who walks in our home.  A hassle? Yes.  But it's worth it.  No more Luke on the stairs.

Happy Birthday Bree!

But where is the Yellow Stone? Part 2

In which we get up close and personal with super-sized hairy mammals, stupid people, magnificent waterfalls and ancient ruins.  

See the butterfly?  We saw lots of these!

Found the rest of the bison.  This was Hayden Valley.  If you drive through you are sure to see several herds.

One guy leaving the group...

Some not smart people.  I couldn't figure out what they were thinking!  One wrong move and they'd be gored by the biggest animal in the park.

More not so smart guys...

This was taken from the car window.  He was clooooose.
And enormouser than many of the others (and that's not just
 because I made the picture x large.  He really was.
 Believe you me.  H. U. G. E.)

These are the Upper Falls of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon, viewed from a super steep walk down to the crest of the lower falls.  Did you know Yellowstone has a grand canyon?  I didn't.

Crest of Upper Falls, they end some 300 + ft down below.  This was a lookout to make anyone a little doozy.  

Lower Falls.  These falls are taller than Niagra but not as volume-ess.

Right in front of our car

Haylee took this one from the back seat with no special zoom lens.
This big guy was that  close.
 I love that you can see BJ in the mirror.

Our black bear friend.  This was on our way back from the Falls, just on a crest by the road.  This big guy caused a heck of a lot of traffict (as the girls like to call it, "are we in traffict again?)

Searching for the famous 5 foot wide osprey nests.  Apparently, they're pretty common in the canyon.

This and many of the following are all of the Upper Falls and all from the most famous picture-taking, artist-painting spot in Yellowstone.  It's called Artist Point.  Go figure.

They may look bored and really really tired.  They were.
But they really were impressed with the falls and enjoyed seeing them.
Maybe not from the 15 different look-outs we visited but who's counting?
 (Besides Bree of course..."Is this the last one yet?  Can we please go back to the campsite??)

Almost every look-out we went to for the falls/Grand Canyon
 just took my breath away.
The grandeur and perfect beauty of it was just amazing.
 Pictures could never do it justice.
 As you can see though, that didn't stop us from taking them. :)

A very nice lady who repeatedly told us what a cute family we had
 (she wasn't the first and no I'm not bragging.  So we have cute kids, so what?
 One lady even asked to take our picture on her own camera!)
offered to have her husband take our picture.  Apparently he'd done it before
 because he almost charged us a minimal fee.

Upper Falls, now up close.  Smaller than the Lower Falls but still magnificent.

The Petrified Tree of Yellowstone, some 50 million years old.