We're back in town after a grueling trip to Yellowstone. We had tons of help this year, and somehow it was still exhausting. Riley got to hang out with Grammie and Bumpa for nearly a week while Rew and I went out in the field. He had a great time keeping them on their toes. Then Andrew's Dad came to visit with us and we did some camping with Riley. The three boys hung out during the day while I battled the mosquitos. We had a near catastrophe - the beloved Ikea Kitty went missing for several days and we thought she was lost for good. But she was later found hangin out in the bottom of Riley's sleeping bag. Crisis averted, but not before I bought a back up off of EBay [now we have a spare for the future]. Turns out this 5$ toy is quite hard to find now that it's off the shelf!
We've been trying to catch up all week. We took Riley to school on Weds, our first full day home, and we played hookey to grocery shop, do laundry, and see Harry Potter. Have to say, it's a little strange that those movies are over. Andrew and I have been watching them on the big screen for nearly all of our relationship! Today, we took Riley to see his first film too, with a couple of his little friends and assorted parents. The little guy had NO idea what was going on, thinking that the promised fun was going to be revealed in the arcade area. When we told him we were in this strange place to see a brand new Pooh video, he thought we were going to watch it on those little screens on the video games. As soon as we walked into the theater, his little eyes riveted to that screen, even though it was only the pre-preview garbage up there. He sat still in the tipsy chair the whole time, and everytime a new preview or commercial came on, he said "Mommy where's Pooh?". I mean really, who keeps a 2 year old in suspense with commercials like that?!! Do they think they have their own wallets?! Anywho, he just loved it, and would occasionally belt out commentary. At the end, when people clapped, he clapped too. it was all very sweet.
Here's a picture down the maw of a hot spring. Andrew was mapping features for us, and he took this shot. Don't worry, he's not as close to it as it appears here.
Riley seemed to get a hold of our new camera constantly, and my "film roll" is full of these self portraits. There are also a lot of pictures of the steering wheel and his new bison purse [which he LOVES].
The little guy really loves tent camping. He gets so excited. Here's a shot from a cozy morning.
Full of glee and excitement in the campground!!! I'm sure there are lots more pictures of him from his grandparents, but we don't have them yet. Otherwise, most of my pictures from the trip are of sample locations...snore....
Here he is at the theater today, with his little friend Abi. They both had these looks on their faces the entire time!
