Mostly Andersons: The big one...

This summer was full of trips and fun. Oh and we moved. Oh and we put our house on the market, staged it, sold it, panicked that we'd sold it that fast, commenced searching for a new house, panicked that we couldn't find a new house, then found it in the nick of time and moved. A few posts are coming your way...hope it was worth the wait.

The big trip.

In June we headed north to Yellowstone. To say that it was an adventure would be a GIANT understatement.

Really, it was the drive there and back. The time in Yellowstone was fantastically fun. But, 11 hours in the car with three kids anyone? Yikes. Did I mention that one of them (ahem, KEELER) hates the car? That he employs all sorts of "crying wolf" techniques to get out of the car? Need examples? "Ouch!! Mama! OUCHIE!!!!" "Hurt, Mama! HUUUUURT!!" "Hot, Daddy. HOT. Daddy. HOT DADDY. OUCH!!!!". You get the picture.

Thankfully, once we got there it was all rainbows and butterflies. Or something like that. More like buffalo and foggy frosty meadows but, again, you get the picture.

We ALL went.

All of us Mestas peeps. Except Kaitlin (Ethan's GFF) wasn't there. And she's one of us.

View from our Kabin.
Yep, with a K. Because that's how they roll at the KOA. This was our view in all directions. I ran through this terrain and felt like I was on top of the world. A very green and big world.

One of my favorite pics evah (thanks Ethan).

Milo and Grandma Kim planning our route. This pretty much sums up traveling with both of them. Grandma is planning and Milo is learning.

Old Faithful and the happy couple.

(It should be noted that I am in a rain jacket. My first one ever. I think I am actually a grownup now. I have weather-appropriate attire. Well some anyway.)

One of my favorite adventures of the trip...a hike to the lower Yellowstone falls.

Hiking with my Dad always brings back good memories. :) This trip was really one big trip down memory lane. The last time I was in Yellowstone, I had long braids, a woven cowgirl hat, and a one piece sunsuit. And a mom and dad ready for adventure. Not much has changed really.

Shoulda' been in black & white. I love these two (and the shadowy runner in the front!).

Coloring and camping go hand in hand in our family.

My favorite camping activity when I was little involved going out in the camper every year and rediscovering all of our camping coloring books in the cupboard above the couch/fold-out bed.

Keeler having a "back pack snack" on a hike.

Newly knighted Junior Ranger.

He worked hard for that patch and the inappropriately large/sharp safety pin.

Second newly appointed Junior Ranger.

Being sworn in.

This Ranger took her job VERY very VERY seriously. I would too. Just sayin'. She had a masters in something Forest Rangery and presented an excellent program on birds in the park.

Cutest best buds.

That sweet hand-holding was actually a death-grip that was maintained throughout this trip. We had visions of Keeler dashing off to sit on a bison or "sfimming" in a geothermal pool.

Hiking buds looking over one of the giant geothermal walks.

Milo was SO over these. He was not a fan of the smell or the steam. He was more into the 459,356,987 bison that jammed the roadways throughout the park.

The clearest of the billions of "from the car" photos taken by Milo and Isabel.

Hiking cousins.

Thankfully, this was the coldest day. Layers and layers and layers. I think that this was the walk where I was asked by a woman pushing one baby in a $1000 stroller if "those were ALL my children" and "Do you have SIX children?!". The children she was referring to were my children (3), my nieces (2), and MY BROTHER (6'3" man with a beard). Ouch.