Yellowstone Vacation Day 2

We woke up at Triple Play on Day 2. 

Although it doesn't show in the ticker on the side of this blog the kids earned their trip to Triple Play!  I didn't keep updating the ticker because it took too much time to go in and change it and then copy the update each time.  We love Triple Play this time of the year because, as you can see in the pictures, we pretty much get the place to ourselves.  The big attraction is the waterpark but there is also bowling, mini golf (an 18 outdoor and a 9 indoor), water spray boats, go-carts, laser tag, a rock wall, an arcade and play tubes.  It is all attached to the hotel by a sky bridge.  Most of the time we had maybe 2-3 other families in the whole place with us.

You get 2 days of wrist passes for the price of 1 when you stay at the hotel.  Elayna wished she could not wear the bracelet and still play on everything.  Sorry Elayna!

And then off to the water park.

A couple rare pictures with the older kids in them. 

They were so busy going on the water slides they were hard to get in pictures.

This shot shows how we were the only ones there. 

It felt like we owned the water park.

"Mommy, what made this?"

Kylie always loves to do the rock wall

 This was the cutest mini golf course.  Made to look like an old mining

 town and then all under black light.  The flash of the camera ruined the black light effect of course but you can get a feel for how detailed it all was.  There was even a real stream that runs through the whole course and under the bridges. 

Daddy gives Anna a few pointers before she plays her first game of mini golf.

Here is the entrance to the cave.

Inside were painted fluorescent animals on the walls.

Anna getting tired.

During the year Kristin saves up points on websites like Mypoints and cashes them in once a year for a bunch of gift cards to help cut down on vacation expenses.  This year we got $250 in gas cards, $100 at Outback Steakhouse and $100 at Olive Garden, $50 at Cracker Barrel and $125 at wal-mart and $25 at Albertsons for groceries or missing items along the way. 

Stephanie made this adorable little denim holder to keep them all safe and together.

Normally we wouldn't be able to afford to eat someplace like Outback Steakhouse in the middle of a vacation but the cards give us some fun meals out like this while we travel.

Anna enjoys her ribs and potatoes! 

Some people were ready for bed sooner than others

and had creative ways of blocking out the light and noise.

Yellowstone Vacation Day 1

Off on our fall vacation! 

We are heading to Yellowstone and exploring other educational sites on the way.

Our first stop was to see the King Tutankhamun exhibit at the Seattle Center.

The timing was perfect in that our Church group was going the day we were leaving.

What a fun way to start a vacation, visiting with friends.

Waiting to go in

When you first walk in it kind of takes your breath away.  Everything is so beautiful.

It was all very tastefully and respectfully displayed.

It is hard to imagine that you are looking at artifacts

 made by the hands of  people thousands of years ago.

They allow you to take pictures as long as they are of just the artifact,

no people posing in the shots.

I was surprised so many turned out ok considering the lighting conditions and the fact there were often glass display cases to contend with.

These are just a few of my favorites to share.  I won't post a picture of everything

 

 

 

Then the long car ride to Idaho began.

This year we brought a treat box to choose a treat from before long drives so there is something small and new to do on the car ride.  Most things in it are little .50-$1 items from the dollar store or the party store.  Mini rubics cubes and mini puzzles.  Friendship bracelet craft kits.  New pencils.  Mini pads of paper and mini pens. 

From Seattle to Idaho is about 4 hours.  As it got late we stopped in Moses Lake to get coffee to get us through the last couple of hours.  We comented that 5am felt like days ago instead of just 15 hours ago.   

Then we said goodnight to the sun as we got back on the freeway and got our sleeping little ones to the hotel for a good nights sleep.