But first let me show you the way us rebellious people toast our bagels when they don't have access to a toaster.  I know, the beauty and inspiration of this photo is just too much to handle.  You may not want to go further.

Breakfast in the cabin

"Where should we begin our journey through Yellowstone with four energetic and spirited little boys who have been cooped up in a van and then a tiny cabin for hours on end?"

"I know!  The part with the unstable ground and boiling water!"

"Sounds great!  Let's go!"

You only wish you had our parenting skills. 

"Oh!  And there's lots and lots of bacteria there, too!  Score!"

It's incredible.  For miles around the land looks like it's on fire with all the steam rising up from geysers and mud pools and hot pots everywhere.

Turquoise blue water underneath all that steam

Some of the hot pots are so loud with the steam escaping you have to yell to have a conversation!  And they reek of sulphur, or as John Paul says, "those eggs you make for picnics."

Feeling the warmth from all that steam

This little koala bear has spent most of our adventures on Papa's back.

Unashamed tourists

Old Faithful at rest...

...and erupting!

Feeling the hot water that just minutes before was far far down inside the earth

Some of the "Paint Pots"

It's phenomenal how the water is crystal clear and you can see down a chasm that goes miles down into the earth.  Also quite unsettling and sort of freaks me out.

The kids were disappointed that you can't throw things in the pots.  It would totally be this group of hooligans that blocks up the centuries-old geysers and hot pots...

Breathtaking.  The bacteria is actually what gives the pools these crazy amazing rainbow colors.

This might have been one of the best memories of this vacation.  There was this huge group of Chinese tourist that just could not get over Luke and the fact that we have four boys.  It was hysterical.  They kept following us around, holding his hands, talking to him, and taking pictures of him and our whole family.  We even posed for them.  They were completely ignoring the sites around us.  (He, of course, hammed it up for them, much to their delight.)  I wish I had a video but it would have been so shaky anyway from me laughing so hard.  It was incredible, though, to see firsthand that even surrounded by the spectacular beauty that is Yellowstone, God's greatest creation is still a little baby.

Our next destination was a drive through Hayden Valley and we saw a herd of buffalo grazing all throughout.  Hundreds.

Just chilling out next to our car

We saw some elk and mule deer as well (no pictures...) but no bears or moose, unfortunately.  David was also disappointed that there were no elephants.

Crossing right in front of the van

We made it to Upper Falls and by this time the boys were d.o.n.e.  So here's my extremely poor photograph of an absolutely stunning waterfall.  

When we saw that John Paul was desperate to just sit and whittle and that David was having a meltdown, we knew it was time to head back to the cabin for dinner which included par baked DiGiorno pizza over the fire (it doesn't work, don't try it), corn on the cob, baked potatoes,

and of course, s'mores.