Kaleb is a quick learner and not once today did he do anything to Tobias to bug him. He kept to himself and worked on his Junior Ranger program so he could get the badge by day’s end. It was a much more pleasant day in the car with the boys not smacking each other every few minutes. We also kept them busy looking for license plates. I wrote down the names of all the states and we crossed off each one as we spotted it. In just one day in the park we got them all except Hawaii, Rhode Island, Delaware and Kentucky. We saw Delaware and Kentucky yesterday, but not today, so that didn’t count. We even spotted several different Canadian provinces, so that was fun. I think Tobias was impressed with how many people come to Yellowstone from all over the continent. I’m sure there is nothing like it in all of Europe that has such a massive and universal appeal.
When the boys were done with all their work on the Junior Ranger program (an educational program to help kids learn more about the park’s features), we went to the Ranger station to get their badge of completion. Tobias saw one boy in front of us being awarded his badge with all kinds of attention drawn to him by the Ranger. Immediately Tobias decided he didn’t want to get the badge if he had to endure that procedure, and he turned a rather tomato-ish shade of red. When I told him he could get the badge without all the hoopla, he was quite relieved. The Ranger quietly gave him his badge and shook his hand for all the hard work he put into the educational endeavors. She then turned and made a huge deal over Kaleb getting his badge, since it’s his tenth National Park Ranger badge completed to date. Kaleb thrives in the limelight, Tobias melts. They are so different, but probably good for each other in many ways. I was very impressed with Tobias completing the program, since it was all in English and he had to do a lot of writing and reading to finish it. His spelling and penmanship was far superior to Kaleb’s, so I felt rather inadequate in my teaching abilities after all these years of homeschooling Kaleb. Tobias even knows much more about the individual states in America than Kaleb does. So much for Kaleb feeling like such a smarty-pants all the time; Tobias’ knowledge has humbled him just a little.
Jimmy took us on an hour long ride around the neighborhood and up into the hills after dinner tonight. Every cabin around here looks like the classic Montana log cabin and people pay big bucks to come to this part of the world just for a little peace of quiet. We stopped for a long time and watched a herd of antelope playing in a meadow. There were four babies that were absolutely adorable, running around, butting heads and kicking up their heels. I think that gave Jimmy the idea to make all his kids, and Kaleb, jump out of the car and start running down the dirt road, trying to catch up with the car. We were on Park property at that point, so a ranger came out to check on us and see why there were kids running wild on the road. They just needed to “blow the stink off,” as Joni says, because they were getting a little bit rambunctious in the back seat. The ranger understood completely. Kaleb just loves the kids in this family and fits in like a brother, so we are very thankful to be here, spending time with them. They are so positive in every way and joyful to the core. One more day and we leave this home on the range, “where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play, where seldom is heard, a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day….”
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