Bison, Bears, and Elk (oh my!)

I've been a very lazy blogger lately... seems like summer has been pretty busy so far.  We went to Yellowstone last week and had a good time.  I hadn't been there since I was very young, and hubby had never gone, so we figured it was time. 

Old Faithful is still very faithful, and it was fun to see the many, many geysers and hot springs in the area.

I must admit I was a little nervous about how the kids would do at Yellowstone, especially the little ones.  There is a lot of walking and car riding involved (read, potentially high "whine" factors), but everyone did pretty well for the most part. 

There were only a few moments of sheer exhaustion from one of our teens on the trail (the boardwalk is tough hiking, ha ha)

We also saw quite a few animals.  The bison were fun to watch.

This guy was right by the side of the road, so we got an up close and personal view. 

And this guy (Mr. Personality) stopped in the middle of the road for about ten minutes for photo ops.

We were very lucky to also see a bear in the wild.  Not exactly close up pictures, but he was on the other side of the Yellowstone River and I don't have a great telephoto lens.  It was still amazing.

We also went to a wildlife rescue center in West Yellowstone and saw wolves and bears up close. 

Overall, it was a really fun trip and we would like to go back and explore more of the park another time.

I'm linking up to Sunday Snapshot-- these were just taken with my Canon point and shoot, but I have a "fancy" Canon, and hope I will get some more motivation/tips to use it more regularly (and not always shoot on auto!)

The graduates

Whew, it's been a busy couple of weeks.  School is OUT, as of Friday!!  I still have some loose ends to tie up in my classroom, but for the most part, we are d.o.n.e.    Lot of big happenings-- Jason graduated from kindergarten. 

And here he is-- shaking my hand (and also getting a big hug!)   Yep, he was in my class and it was a great experience.

And here's our little preschool graduate with her sweet teacher. 

Sarah's preschool class had a short program.  "Sam I Am" made a guest appearance and Sarah wasn't sure what to think about him.  :)

Princesses and Prom

I've been neglecting the blog quite a bit lately.  May has been busy, and it's only half over.  Justin's soccer team made it to the second round in the state tournament, and after the game (played on a Saturday) he had to race home to get ready for prom.  

My handsome boy all ready for prom

The very cute couple   :)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Yes, even princesses have to clean their rooms. 

Sarah is having a princess phase (well, it might be more than a phase!).  This is the attire she selected to clean her room.   "Another hour, another outfit" has been her motto lately.   ;)