Michael and Mallory: Out West

We decided we would head out to Mike's family reunion (this year held in Idaho) a week early so we could spend some time visiting my brothers in Salt Lake and also take the kids to Yellowstone. It was a lot of driving and hot, hot weather--the first time my feet have ever swelled up during pregnancy--but it was a lot of fun and the kids were duly impressed with Yellowstone. It is a very cool park.

We stayed with BJ and his family in Utah, which was perfectly situated between my brothers in Salt Lake and Mike's grandma in Orem.

Levi has a trampoline, which was a huge hit with our kids. Mike would love to get one, but I keep killing it. Sorry kids--you can blame me when you're feeling deprived.

The kids ask a few times a year--especially Finn--if we can find a zoo to go to. The closest thing Maine has to a zoo is the Maine Wildlife Park, which is actually really cool, but is three hours away. It hosts native animals, but many of them are very reclusive and difficult to find, like fishers, moose, and wolves, so it's worth visiting now and then. But, while we were in Utah, we promised we would take them to the Hogle Zoo, which, despite its size, is actually a great zoo. And this coming from a girl who has visited some impressive zoos.

I took the kids on a train ride around the African savannah enclosure and the Old American West section.

This girl makes the craziest faces. She's not sad here, she's just being weird. She loved the train, so she wanted a picture with it.

We also hit up the mall and surprised Madie with some ear piercings. It was scary, but she is wicked happy to have them.

After Utah we started the 6 1/2 hour drive up to North Yellowstone, but broke for a couple hours in Rexburg for old time's sake. Mike visited a couple of his old professors with the girls while I took Finn to see one of my own. As Dad and the girls disappeared into a building Finn said, "Actually, I want to go with Dad."

"No, Finn, it's too late. He's gone and it's too busy a place to let you run off to look for him."

"Awww..." he drooped his head and shoulders.

"Listen, Finn, Dad's professors are nice, but trust me, this guy we're going to see is the one you want to visit. He's a medievalist, which means he's got some really cool stuff in his office."

Obviously, I was right. He talked about it for a couple hours after. Thanks, Merrill, for visiting with us for a bit.

There are lots of Yellowstone pictures, so here they are:

A herd of bison passed right in front of our car, with a bunch of calves among them. They are awful cute.

At Artist's Point

Mammoth Hotsprings on our last day. We saw a bear here too!

Walking to the petrified tree.

On our last couple days, our friend Trish and her kids joined us at the hostel we stayed at and then hit up Mammoth with us. It was great to see them and spend a little time with them, even though we knew we'd see them later in Maine when they came to visit. Here we got them all to ourselves.

Ben is about 5 months younger than Petya. Here they are "playing" Nintendo.

Then it was a drive from Yellowstone to Boise to meet up with Mike's family at his sister's house before heading up to McCall. McCall was beautiful, and although it was a little warm still, there were some lovely breezes that helped cut it down. And we witnessed a marvelous thunderstorm from the cabin in which we stayed.

Petya on a sitting stone at the peak of one of our hikes.

Madie and Petya overlooking the water from the top of our hike.

Walking with Dad.

At the town beach in McCall, which sits on Lake Payette.

Our family at the top of a waterfall hike--sorry, neither of us can recall the name of the falls. The reservoir was beautiful and had a gorgeous snow-topped mountain right behind it. The picture, as usual, does not do it justice.

At one point on our last hike before heading back to Boise, Finn and I got a little confused. In this particular state park, they don't use trail markers, and when the trail became unclear, I told Finn we would just look at the falls (which was the goal of the hike--I didn't realize the trail continued to the top of them) and then turn back and meet up with Dad and the others somewhere on the trail or back at the cars. This was unsettling to him--until then he'd been singing songs and chattering away happily. Now he stopped and said, "Are we lost?"

"No, we're not lost, but I don't know the way forward and I don't see Dad, but the waterfalls are right there, so we'll look at them, then head back."

"We're lost?"

"No, Finn, we're fine. The trail is right behind us, through those trees."

He started to get panicky and to cry a little. "I want Dad! I wish he were here!"

By some miracle, Mike thought to look back down at the trail (which, apparently, we were still on--I honestly couldn't tell; we were only not lost because I knew where the trail was behind us, not because I thought we were still on it!) and called to us. We scrambled up a rock face and there was the group at the top of the falls. I'm glad it happened before we turned back or we would have missed the view.