Go to Yellowstone...or Wendy's!

Oh, Yellowstone!  To be honest, this day was sort of a downer.  It rained (and snowed) while we were there.  Everyone was a bit on the grumpy side, and we were stuck in the van...again.  We had told the kids we would hike and see lots of wildlife in the park, but it just didn't happen.   

 (We look like we're having fun though, right?  That's what matters for the Christmas card!)

Jon and I kept saying, "Keep looking out your windows, kids!  There are LOTS of animals in this park."  But we drove, and we drove, and we drove...and still no animals.  

Before we had arrived at the park, we had stopped at a Wendy's and spotted this deer in the parking lot.  After not seeing much wildlife in the park, we were beginning to think that the Wendy's deer might be all that we got. 

Poor Kate was confused the whole stinkin' day.  We kept talking about "getting to the park" or being "in the park"...she kept asking when we would get there and was looking for a slide and swings.  Despite explaining to her that it was a "tree" type of park instead of a "playground" type of park, she never really seemed to believe it.  At each stop, her eyes would light up and she'd start looking around and asking for the "park" again.  :) 

At one point, we drove around a bend and saw a very beautiful view.  Jon and I were admiring it, and Kate piped up from the backseat, "Mommy, I miss home."  The timing of her statement was funny. 

 Determined not to sit in the van all day, we ventured out in the rain on a few trails. 

Old Faithful...once again...not sure that the kids were that impressed.  They had just come from a ranch with kittens and horses.  That was hard to top!

On our way out of the park, the wildlife started to appear!  By this time, we were pretty much D-O-N-E, but they were still fun to see.  (And helped to keep us from looking like liars to our children.) This coyote was running down the side of the road.

  Elk close by our van

 See the buffalo?

We were all thrilled to get to the hotel that night.  I think this is what we all really needed at this point in the trip.  All in all, it turned out to be an okay day.  However, if you are thinking of planning a Yellowstone trip, you may not want to ask the kids if they would recommend it.  :)