Yellowstone...If you see a bear run faster than the person behind you.

"I think I'll stay here for the rest of my life," has been the theme song for our kids this week.  As the week draws to a close we are busy trying to fit in every bit of fun and bonding we can with our Minnesota counterparts.  Yesterday, after completing their Junior Ranger work *note to National Park system, those worksheets felt a lot like homework* everyone got their Junior Ranger badges and the promised trip to the gift shop where small stuffed animals were purchased.

The animals are named Bisony, Beary, Wolfy, Elky, Grizzy, Moosey and Horny.  Yes, Child #1 decided to christen her moose Horny because, duh, he has horns.  The animals immediately became friends who stampede a lot and talk to each other in high-pitched baby talk causing Mr. Minnesota to threaten to leave early.     

We hit all the major hot spots yesterday.  The hot, boiling, bubbly spots technically called geothermal features.  The good news is nobody fell in and nothing was dropped off the path.  Lesson learned for the day, don't yell out, "Sista' wives time for a group shot," unless you want a lot of strange looks from a bus full of tourists.

In a model of efficiency, that was an endless source of delight to Rach our efficiency expert, we managed to see the "Welcome to Yellowstone" movie, hit a ranger talk and be on scene for Old Faithful's spout in quick succession.  What was even more impressive, this all happened without any bathroom breaks--a happy event for the husbands, who have taken to grumbling, "Can't someone put a cork in those kids?" at each rest stop.

We ate dinner at the historic Yellowstone lodge where a darling girl from Texas painted a picture of the freewheeling and idyllic post-college existence.  "I'm here for the summer," she said, "And then I'm taking a few months in Thailand."  We all sighed.  The idea holds a lot of romance when your dining companions can't stay in their chairs and regularly spill beverages.  We tipped generously because we're all with her in spirit, if not in fact.

Tomorrow is the culmination to our love fest.  It's been amazing.  We don't want to leave.  On the other side of our happy family Von Trapp awaits the collective obligations of work, school, homework, piano, hockey, soccer, cheerleading, choir, ballet, girl scouts, tennis and Spanish.  We'll make it through, but a little part of each of us wishes we could all live together on a giant compound right outside the North entrance to Yellowstone.  

Daily Statistics

Teeth lost:  One

Buffalo spotted:  Seven

Bathroom breaks: Constantly, like our kids are suffering from a collective UTI

Bloody noses: Four

Time in car: Too much

Antelopes:  Herds and herds, almost like pests on people's lawns.

Number of children sleeping in their assigned beds:  Zero

Miles between Oregon and Minnesota: Three thousand