Weekend in Yellowstone

Okay Joni, you asked for it - Emma pictures!!

Last weekend we planned a last-minute trip up to Yellowstone with Grandma & Grandpa Harmon, which I was feeling incredibly nervous about - an entire weekend in the car, trying to keep Emma sane... Eeek! But I needn't have worried, she was a champ! Okay, I should say the in-car DVD player was a champ. LOL Without that, it could've been a very different story.

But, with a steady stream of videos & lots of entertainment from "Gwama Joni", it was a fully successful vacation!

Grandma Joni earned yet more points for whipping out these mini-binocs for Emma. Good thinking!

I can see it now: Emma Harmon, gold medal gymnast at the 2024 Olympics!

Okay, Grandma spent all day Saturday telling Emma, "You're gonna see lots of buffalo today!" Aaaaand... notta one. Zilch. So the next day she switched tactics, telling Emma "You're not gonna see any buffalo today, at all." At first, that seemed to be a true enough statement. But finally, Colby spotted one of the hairy beasts just off the road, having some lunch. He's in the background of this pic, just to my right - see him? Big ugly dude, hard to miss. And let's not forget about Emma at the forefront, proudly displaying the rock she found. :) Thanks for sharing, Emma!

Throwing rocks into the river with Daddy (Emma's really big into finding & throwing rocks these days, inspiring a fresh wave of "rock" puns from Daddy. Yay.)

Next up: Cutest. Picture. Ever.

I am so in love with these two!!! Could there be a better looking guy, or a sweeter little girl? Not a chance! I am officially the luckiest gal around.

Here's something we thought was pretty cool: buffalos, despite their perma-matted coats, do actually take baths. We snapped this just as he was getting out, but this guy went all the way across the river, then proceeded to cross the road we'd just driven on & continued to the green pastures beyond. Way to go, Buffalo! p.s. - you're still ugly as sin.

Here's Emma giving us the big newsflash: "WATERFALL!!" Look at that, she's right. Well spotted Emma! :)

After all that excitement, a little rest in the shade was in order. So Emma just copped a squat against this rock; I had my doubts about the ergonomic comfort of her selection, but she seemed happy enough.

Finally, it was time to head home. Since she was skipping a nap (for the second day in a row), I decided to let her have a little time with her traditional sleeptime companions "Bubs & Tigger." Once she had her bubs, there was no taking it out. But, she also really wanted some fish crackers - what a dilemma!! This was her solution:

Lovely, sweetheart.

And finally, after trying to help her with this the whole weekend, she saw the value of headphones. Sound to accompany the moving pictures, what a concept! This be the 21st century, kiddo, thanks for joining the party.

Emma did so well with all this car time that we've decided to head up there again in a couple weeks, this time with the Norton Crazies. Ready for round 2, Emmanema? Thank you Gma & Gpa Harmon for such a genuinely fun trip!