Day one we all arrived in the evening and ate dinner. Then we had a big campfire with songs, s'mores and roasted starbursts (apparently they are delicious, I didn't try them). After the kids were down we visited and Katy and I sat outside and looked at the stars which were beautiful.
Day two we drove to Yellowstone and tried to caravan, but got separated. We all met up at Old Faithful which seems to me to be a glorified parking lot with more visitors than Disneyland. We did have fun watching the geyser erupt. Then Rob and I took our kids and stopped off at some of the geysers on the way home. At Biscuit Basin the kids wanted to get in the river so we went wading and decided to go back the next day. After a delicious dinner provided by Millie and Colton, Katy had a fun relay for the kids, then we settled them in front of a movie and the adults played a very fun "newlywed" game, also courtesy of Katy.
Day three we did a better job of caravaning and we headed up to Yellowstone Falls with several stops along the way. We saw a herd of Bison (don't call them buffalo or the younger crowd will bite your head off), a herd of elk, a grizzly bear, a couple elk bulls, and all sorts of cool birds. It was so beautiful and the kids had so much fun being with eachother. After the falls we split up and Gavin, Rob, and I took the majority of the kids back to Biscuit Basin for a swim in the river. The hot water from the geysers gushes into the river and it is warm and very fun. We rushed back to the lodge for a delicious dinner courtesy of Stephen and Ann. Then the kids all crashed in front of a movie again and the adults played a great game courtesy of Meagan. The highlight of the game had to have been the 'okole charades. Lots of booty shaking. Anyway after that Emily and Jayson pulled out the karaoke and you can only imagine how it went from there. We felt feel Jamie's absence keenly that night, and imagined she would have really helped liven things up.
Victoria Cascade.
Madi, Camille, Lu, Anders, Max at our lunch stop
Bison in the background, wannabes in the foreground
The bison herd
You can see the elk coming out of the water
checking out the wildlife
Max, Finn, Anders, and Ollie at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Taking in the incredible view
Ollie, Madi, Camille, Maren, and Meg at the Falls
Spectacular doesn't even come close
Long day
In the river at Biscuit Basin
Up close and personal
Day four Rob had to leave for a work related trip (sad). So before he took off we quickly took family pictures then the Dickie contigency headed over to Big Springs which is in Island Park. It was beautiful. The kids loved looking for the giant trout, and I loved all the wildflowers. Johnny Sacks cabin, now open to the public, sits nestled there next to the springs, and it was fun to walk around inside and covet the old cabin and wish we had a cool cabin in such an incredible location. After that we headed back to the lodge for a more relaxing day. The kids swam in the hot-tub, rode Uncle Steve's zipline, made a movie directed by Uncle Phil and Uncle Jayson, played pool, and got there fill of karaoke. I was in charge of dinner and was very grateful that in Rob's absence had ample help in the preparation and clean up. After dinner, we had a talent show. It was great. Meg sang a cute song, Annika told a joke, Ollie did an awesome puppet show, Max did an armpit fart dance (now that is talent), Lucy drew a picture, Madi sang a song (that girl can sing), and Emily, Millie, Maren, and I graced everyone with a nostalgic dance to Madonna's Cherish. We incorported a lot of our dance moves from the olden days. My favorite was a surprise dance by Tucker. Who knew the kid had moves. I was lauging hysterically. Then it was another campfire with more s'mores and some truth or dare second grade style. You would be amazed at how much opposition there was when I dared the boys to sing "I'm strawberry shortcake and princess pretty." NO WAY. The rest of the evening was spent visiting and playing games. It was so fun and the kids loved loved loved being with cousins. It was sad to leave and I can't wait for the next one!
Tuck, Ollie, Madi, Lizzy, Lucy, Meg, Anders,
Finn, Gavin, and Meags looking for trout at Big Spring
I have never seen such clear water
The actual springs come out here
In front of Johnny Sack's cabin
A la talent show
A little Cherish action
Clara admiring Madi's talent
Tuck on the zip line
A bit of karaoke
A lesson in Marshmallow roasting
On a dare: the macarena
Just for fun: Tuck's moves or So you think you can dance:
