We're so lucky to be able to go on so many fun trips during Summer I always fall behind with sharing. Plus there's an element of the fact that nobody cares about other people's vacations that makes me slow to post. Sorry for the old news, but this trip was in actuality super awesome.

So here's some self-indulgent pictures of Yellowstone's scenery you probably don't want to see. But mostly here's us and David's awesome family ;)


First stop: really big waterfall with a name I don't remember. It was crowded, we hit it right when some tour busses pulled up.


This random guy next to us looks disgruntled. Maybe his tour group left him behind, haha.


I almost discarded this photo and then noticed Annette's awesomeness and had to add it in, haha.

I was so proud of myself for so expertly packing the car by myself and then going to pick up David at work. Until I realized I spaced the hiking backpack for Scotty. That little principessa got carried around (mostly by daddy) the entire trip. Contrary to her face here, she loved it.
This was one of my favorite spots because the trail wrapped around so you could see the hot pots/springs from up on the hill and on the ground.


I just can't even with these two and their love (que ugly mom cry). Dadda is one of her most used words.

 Pretty colors was basically the story of Yellowstone.



We got to ride with Grandma Sandra and Grandpa Larry and Scotty enjoyed entertaining/being entertained by Grandma in the back. I was impressed by how well she did hanging out in the car for two days as we drove around the park. It wasn't perfect, but it could have been harder.



Colleen & Nathan had the best parenting hack- let the kids all take pictures with different cameras. Their kids went crazy for it.
Okay I LOVE talking to Noelle. There's no such thing as a dull conversation with her. The memory I'd most like to preserve was when I accidentally talked her out of going on a mission by informing her there's a list of approved reading materials. She was astonished and besides stating, "that's not fair" she pushed further and clarified that you can't even read for pleasure in the 10 minutes before bedtime. I suggested the experience she seemed to be contemplating sounded more like a study abroad, bahaha.
Also, I forgot a real jacket for her #completemomfail
 Sorry Noelle, it was you or Grandma with your eyes closed in these pictures so... Grandma won.
 Look at these two lovebirds and their awesome posing skills.
 Now to the family that decided to stand in the shadows and only take 1 photo- ugh.
 Okay, back to the photogenic people!
I love this shot of our fun group, we had a great time with them. Also, I volunteer Tara to teach picture posing lessons at the next family gathering- look at that pose!

 Andddddd momarazzi is behind the camera ;)

 Lizzy will assist Tara in her lessons on how to be photogenic! Look at this girl!


 Oh hey hey, another waterfall.
 Yenta the Scotty fan.
 Lizzy, the epitome of sweetness- LOOK at that face!





The kids were often told about the importance of staying ON the boardwalks due to the crazy temperatures of the springs and things. Unfortunately we did have one fall off on a luckily not dangerous area. Even though carrying Scotty was a pain I was kind of happy we didn't have to deal with the kid-boardwalk dynamic quite yet.


At the cabin we had fun hanging out and playing games. One of the days Peter taught everyone how to make a fire.




Scotty enjoyed collecting rocks cousins brought to her.

We definitely had our wild animal expectations met, there were plenty of buffalo, elk, beavers and other creatures to satisfy the hype.

Scotty was napping in the car but woke up just in time to see old Faithful. That baby has good timing.


Nathan and Colleen brought their temperature laser gun and the kids would tell us the temperature at each pool. I can't remember what the highest one was but it was HOT.
This was my favorite pool by old Faithful. I liked the color and the shape.
David got creative with Scotty transport.

Once right when she turned one, Scotty was sitting her high chair while David was on a work call. She's gotten really good at repeating words back to us as we coach her to name things. As David said things like "good" and "okay" into the phone Scotty would repeat them without coaching. Because anything Daddy's doing is worth doing.


Fathers play an irreplaceable role in children's lives and David plays an irreplaceable role in ours. He's the absolute best.

The truth is nobody cares about your vacation. There's really nothing worse than other people's vacation pictures. It's not that you're not happy for them, you probably sincerely are, it's just that pictures of the surroundings are never as amazing as reality and it all comes off as kind of boring.

I made an effort to focus more on people rather than environment this time because I was aware even I didn't care about those photos later haha. So here's David and I's 5th trip to Camelback and Scotty's 2nd. Stay tuned if you can stomach it ;)

 I couldn't resist these mommy and me suits at a local warehouse sale in Provo before we left. Matching with this chick was so fun!
She enjoyed her first pool experience and even kept her sunnies on once she realized the alternative wasn't fun.
 There were lots of fun pool shenanigans, volleyball, inflatable duck races, etc.

 And lounging of course, you're never too young for that.

The traditional Friday night train ride was fun, Scotty took it in stride.


 Packed full of family! I tried to convince some kids not to ride in the cattle car. We tried that when we were kids and that's when I learned having a phobia of being trapped in a small space was a real thing.
 Watermelon baby face zoning out on a train haha.
 Grandpa Smith running over to say hi to the riders!
 Now for the clingy tired baby on a train ;) My gorgeous waif.
 We left shortly after to put the ladybug to bed but when daddy's around even a case of tired eyes doesn't matter.

 We lucked out and got the same room as the previous year and it was adjoining my parents so we could go next door while Scotty napped. Even though the shower door still doesn't close all the way it's still our favorite location. Good proximity to everything.
 My mom got Gage a bucket hat from the gift shop because he "forgot" his. When I told him that's why she got it for him he scoffed and said he hadn't forgotten his bucket hat, he just couldn't be caught in it 3 years in a row (the SHAME!!).
 So Hunter came to Camelback jacked. He's been lifting weights for about a year consistently and it paid off- a fact which has Gage simultaneously horrified and jealous. Go Hunty!
 This group of cousins partied so hard. Games, guac and sun was probably their motto.

 Daddy is her favorite. Hands down favorite.

Though Grandma Smith really won points too, especially while assisting Scotty in her endeavors to eat as much ice straight from pool cups as she could.
 The picture train kind of came to a grinding halt because poor Scotty threw up Saturday night and then proceeded to throw up every couple hours all night. She stayed home from the church meeting but we dressed her and brought her out for pictures because we really wanted the family ones we take on Sunday. So that sweet face right there had a fever. Scottlyn is such a trooper and not at all a complainer, even when she's sick.


She threw up again pretty shortly after this picture and we spent most of the rest of the day cuddling and sleeping. We brought her out again for a final picture with my amazing photographer cousin (I kind of feel like the worst mom ever but really it was so close to the room and just for a few minutes). She looks miserable but so sweet.
Basically this trip was SO FUN but also there was so.much.barf. I'm glad this won't be her real impression of Camelback though. Can't wait until next year already!

Feel free to compare to: 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 (opps didn't blog it)