Highlights of the Day....

So Heidi Anne's daycare send us a cute story every day entitled "Highlights of the Day". Where they rely a story about what your child did during the day. Well, the last few weeks have had some pretty cute ones. (I love this about Susan-it lets working families still be there or know about those cute little things your child has said or done. Personally, it makes me feel like I was there for those moments and gives me more insight about Heidi Anne. Furthermore, it reminds me to be on the look out for those funny moments I might have otherwise taken for granted.

Today Heidi Anne was riding one of the little bikes and one of her friends said "Heidi you are getting SOOO big". She nodded back and said "Yeah, Heidi big now!" It was so cute to see how she just knew she was big now.

Mallorie (one of the teachers) brought her dog in to play with the kids for a few minutes. Heidi Loved the dog. He did tricks and Heidi Anne would try to get all the other kids to watch him. After the dog left more of the children in daycare returned from a trip. Heidi Anne tried to reenact the dog's tricks for them.

Heidi Anne to go to the bathroom. When she got there, the door was shut. She thought someone was in there (no one was) so she knocked on the door and yelled "HEY, you in there I need to go potty-so open the door." When she found out no one was in there she just giggled and said
"Oh, Heidi Anne's turn now." (She's funny!)
--Their words, not mine, but I agree is so super funny.

She's also a very caring friend, too. As these two stories show:

Heidi was so excited when she earned her 10th star today (after 10 stars they get a prize). When she was looking in the prize box she noticed that her friend wanted a prize too. She sweetly asked "Zoey, do you want one, too?" Then she tried to get Zoey a prize. She's such a thoughtful friend.

In addition to sharing her possessions, she likes to share her knowledge with her friends, as this little conservation Susan heard between Heidi Anne and Skylie, Heidi Anne's other "little sister"- (FYI, unlike Ana Rose the doll, Skylie is Susan's real life 2 year old daughter)

Heidi and Skylie were sitting at the table drawing. Heidi decided to give Skylie words of wisdom from her Dad. She went on to tell Skylie how her Daddy said that when your birthday comes you will get bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and then you have to sleep in your bigger bed. Then you can be big like Daddy. Then she went on to say "You happy now Skylie? You can be bigger on your birthday like my Daddy!" It was quite the conversation.

Blast at Bear Lake

We went to Bear Lake on Sunday with my sisters' family. To say the least everyone had a blast! We got to Bear Lake bright and early so we could get to the North Shore-the one that's the most beachy. (Some of the other parts of Bear Lake are more pebble like).
The girls were thrilled to see each other. Heidi Anne was super excited to see her K-Bug.

They had a ton of fun just playing on the beach making sand castles and looking for little sea shells. Perhaps they are Lake Shells??
This was Heidi Anne's first time EVER being in a body of water that wasn't a plastic 18 inch deep wading pool. She was a little unsure of this whole "Lake" and "Waves" thing at first. But with a little help from her Kayla Bug-she quickly got over that. Especially after she learned that the shore had the really pretty rocks and Lakeshells. They came up with a game of "Tag" with the waves.We got them out into deeper water-with a big thanks to Bekah's sister in law who provided a raft for the girls-Heidi Anne called her "Kayla Bug's Sarah" it was cute. We even got Rykks to come out for a swim-and he LOVED it. He would splash and kick. Heidi Anne and Kayla would just drift in the raft while an adult guided them. After we had fun we went and got lunch. Bear Lake Pizza and Raspberry Shakes. Bear Lake Raspberries are the best! The girls had more fun visiting then eating I think, well Heidi Anne did at least, short attention span.
SQUIRREL!!

Meet Anna-Rose

Heidi Anne has been begging for 1 thing for her birthday-a baby sibling. "Kaikai has a little brother, I want one too." She loves her cousin Kaikai and Wyken (which is how Rykken comes out when she says it). She's adopted Susan's baby girl, Skylie as a little sister for the most part. However, Skylie doesn't come home with us or play often on weekends-since she's only 2.

Lucky for me, I mean her, her Nana got her a Bitty Baby Doll for her Birthday. These dolls look very life like and are about the size of a newborn (in fact we let her use some of her old "Newborn" clothes to play dress up with the doll and they fit-for the most part).

She went through a few names at first. Most of her dolls are named "Heidi" this one was Dolly and then a few minutes later was renamed Sarah. But when we got home she realized that there is already another doll named Sarah-it was like showing up to a party in the same outfit. She then came up with Anastasia Rose. Ana Rose for short. We figured it's still named after her, Heidi Anne and Ana Rose.

No matter the name, Heidi Anne and Ana Rose are super cute together. She takes great care of Ana, she loves to play dress up with her (we can spend hours together playing that), feeds her, reads to her, carries her around, even tucks her into bed with her at bedtime. It's so adorable!

Yet, somehow I feel like she's trying to prove to me that she can help take care of a little sibling....

My Sister-The Great Mommy

My sister is a really good mom. As this little story of hers illustrates:

"It's never a good thing when your three year old comes running to you yelling "It's snowing in my room!" in the middle of Summer :/  It was a complete mess! Rykken's Diapers everywhere, All their sock and clothes, shredded papers, toys and my powder from the bathroom! I can't even see the floor. She looked up at me with a huge smile and said "Let's make a snow man!" She did something like this a couple years ago, but it was a large brand new pkg of wipes. She just likes snow I guess."

Kayla The Culprit

Most of us would have had a nervous breakdown-and I know she had just finished cleaning that very room. However, she takes it in good stride and walks the Awesome Mommy road. She picks up the mess and to top it off she takes the time to share this funny moment with everyone else. 

Wykkenn-The Unwitting Accomplice?

See, I told you, she's a Great Mommy

Happy Third Birthday Heidi Anne!!

So we're not sure how-but she knew her birthday was coming. Every morning for at least the last week she would wake up and say "My birthday is coming!" Will you sing me Happy Birthday and say To Heidi?"
I even asked her why she liked the song so much, she said "Because it's a Happy song!". 

Just So Camera Shy..What a Shame

Even in daycare she's been counting down the days. Two days before her birthday we were told this cute little story by Suesue (now called Susan by Heidi Anne since she's a "Big Girl") "Susan you sing Happy Birthday to Heidi-and then everyone else will sing it too!!"  

On the 7th at long last her birthday came. We woke her up (she was already wake in bed smiling) and we sang "Happy Birthday to Heidi Anne" twice. She got to watch the Simpsons twice after she got all dressed and ready-because it's her birthday. We brought M and M cookies for her to share with her friends at preschool / daycare (her favorite cookies). 

That night we picked her up, Susan had given her a birthday gift, as well as a friend of ours at work. On the way home we sang Happy Birthday AND Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (I know, I was shocked too,not Just Happy Birthday??). We let her pick dinner, grilled cheese sandwiches. She got to open 1 present before dinner. She opened the one from Susan. As you can see-she loved it. 

What could it be??

A Doll and a Carrier!!

After dinner she was able to open the rest of her gifts-I was so proud of her-there they were-all pretty and wrapped up-begging to be opened. Oh and trust me, she did beg a time or two. But for the most part, she was content with the new magic baby bottle, the doll-(since named Sarah-but her dolls names change constantly) and the carrier. 
 

It's a shame she's so camera shy, I hope she outgrows it. ^_^ 

What is it?

Surprise! Its for my Dollhouse!!

Take My Picture Dadda!!

Finally she got one more Official Round of Happy Birthday to help her blow out the candles on her cupcakes. Every birthday she's had cupcakes, never a full cake. It was just so adorable for her 1st birthday, worked out great for her 2nd, and now it's just become tradition! 

Birthday Cupcakes!! Making a Wish..

The next morning when we woke her up she told me "Momma, Heidi Anne sad." I asked her why, she said, "It's not my birthday anymore, no more Happy Birthday to Heidi song." I gave her a hug and asked if she wanted me to still sing it, she said yes but then we have to sing another song too-because it's not her birthday anymore. So we sang Happy Birthday and Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. Have I mentioned how much I love that little girl? 

 
 

Real Vacation-Day 4-Homeward Bound!!

MMmmmm-Doughnuts.....

We headed home at 5:00 AM (you may have noticed, we’re early birds-rarely do we sleep past 7:00 AM on weekends). Once again, we made the mistake of needing 2 little things-Some gas and Donuts-a special treat for Heidi Anne. Did you know that most gas stations have pretty high gas prices and are cleared out of everything on the 4^th of July? We found that out first hand. After gas station number 4 we found the last package of Hostess Donuts AND some decent priced gas. 

Muffalos!!

We drove back trough Yellowstone. We went up to Norris and saw a huge heard of “Muffalo!” What is a Muffalo, you may wonder.

Heidi Anne: Momma, Look Big Scary Cows!

Me: Oh, those are Buffalo, that’s just how they look.

Heidi Anne: Momma, I want to see more Big Scary Muffalos.

When we came across a wolf, everyone stopped right in the middle of the road (a ranger had come out and get the traffic moving again. Heidi Anne got a glimpse of the wolf. What was her response? “Move puppy, I want to see the Muffalos!”

We then went to Norris Geyser Basin-It was sooo pretty and it was a “Me” hike for the most part. The guide said "slightly steep incline" at the end of the hike. Sounded decent to me, and it looked so beautiful. The way down was done in a switchback / terrace manner-so I was pretty sure the way back up would be the same. Well, it was more of an incline then I was lead to believe, (guess our viewpoints of "slightly" differ greatly) it was all pretty much uphill at a steep incline. Apart from that-it Just so much fun! 

Showing Off Porcelain Basin

Going Down the Trail

We drove trough Firehole Lake Drive-there were lots of little trails-but not easy to do with little kids. Great for like ages 4 and up-or an age that doesn’t need a booster seat, or if you want to walk the whole drive-it would work as well.

Our final trail in Yellowstone was the Midway Geyser Basin.It was breathtaking. There was this one elderly man there at would talk to anyone who would listen "The water is at the lowest point I've ever seen it..." yet there were flood warnings and notices everywhere.

Real Vacation-Day 3-Just Being!!

Heidi Anne and the iPad

Heidi Anne playing with Alice

The rest of the day was just nice and relaxed. It was spent either getting dinner ready, reading, resting, talking with family. Watching Heidi Anne and Alice play together (Heidi Anne now wants an iPad-she tried to make my phone do Apps—Haha-jokes on her, I don’t even have data capabilities’ on my phone). 

There's an App for That...

This Place IS an Adventure

It was so cute when someone asked Heidi Anne if she wanted to go a walk with them, she wistfully replied with her little dimpled smile and arms outstretched, “No, this place IS an adventure.”

Later that night we went out to see the stars. Oh, it was so clear and bright, just divine to see. Emily had an App that mapped out the Constellations for you. It might be cheating-but it makes stargazing a lot more fun for amateurs. It would have been fun to spend more time out there, however, Heidi Anne needed some attention-and the total dark scares her and the thought of her getting bug bites worries us. Char was sweet and took her back in so I could spend more time admiring the stars. He knew how much I was looking forward to it. So he packed up for the trip home, comforted Heidi Anne, while I got to stare at the stars.

Facebook-Not So Funny

So Char is at the Instacare-Alone. Otherwise I'd REALLY get sick poor guy-I think he got  something from the hospital yesterday--Fever and cough. Face mask for him even at home. :( 

Real Vacation-Day 3-Tetons!!

 Our goal was to meet Emily and her family at Jenny Lake in the Tetons-but the Aloe Hunt took longer then expected. After a beautiful drive we went to the Craig Thomas Visitors Center to see if there were any “Me” hikes. Sadly, the Tetons aren’t nearly as ADA compliant as Yellowstone. So we choose to go to Jenny Lake. Nonetheless, the Visitor's Center has a great museum-we couldn't let that opportunity pass us by. Naturally, Heidi Anne enjoyed every minute of it. We even ran into other members of the family-they were going to Jackson, but changed their minds. They picked a 5 hour hike to go on (100% a not a "Me" hike) but wanted to check at the visitors center where the exact location was. They stayed with us while we toured the rest of the museum. Honestly, who wouldn't want to witness Heidi Anne while she on one of her "Adventures"?

 I even meet a lady who heard my cane do it’s CLANK…CLANK….she stopped me and stated that she used to be an RN and a Physical Therapist-and when canes make that type of clank it can mean something is loose. She was worried I might have my cane break on me while on a trail-then I would really be in a world of hurt. She tightened a few things on it for me, (it now makes a different CLANK-but I believe it’s a safer one). I was very touched that a stranger would take the time to make sure I was okay (when I didn't even know I wasn't). Just another angel in disguise Char says.

We drove to Jenny Lake, once there Char made us sandwiches in the trunk of the car on the top of the coolers. It was our own little Subway mixed with Beni Hanna. We choose to have a car picnic since it was nice and cool in the car. After we were feed we started walking along the trail to Jenny Lake but it was just to hot and I had just pushed myself to much over the last few days. We went to the lake, admired it, and went back to the car. We then drove a different way to the Cabin.

Real Vacation-Day 3-What to Do!!

On Sunday Sarah made a really nice treat-crepes! I was introduced to Havarti chesse and Nutella as well. (I have since bought my own jar so I can make Nutella and Peanut butter sandwiches). We made either fruity strawberry/mango nutella crepes, or Havarti (and if you wanted it sausage) crepes. It was super good.



Everyone spent quite sometime trying to figure out what to do for the day and trying to sync schedules. Either way we just needed to make 1 little pit stop first-All I needed was some Aloe Vera for my Super Sunburns. You see due to medications and just plain fair skin, I don't just burn, I roast and blister. I put on SPF 1000 every hour on the hour. Nonetheless, I look like this:

Well, it turned into a scavenger hunt-it took 2 gas stations, 1 Victor Emporium, and finally 1 The Market to find it. (Note to self-bring your own Aloe when out in the middle of nowhere.) Little did we know this would impact the rest of the day. When you think about it, that's how most adventures start-Just one delay here, or backroad there...you never know what may happen because of it until later.

Real Vacation-Day 2-Fireworks!!

Dadda and Heidi Anne taking a Cat Nap

Heidi Anne and GrandPa

So I had thought that everyone in Char’s family would be coming to the firework show. Thus I staked out a large patch of land many hours in advance (as you can see-it got rather packed). I had envisioned everyone there all watching fireworks and eating ice cream or watermelons—watching the excitement of Heidi Anne and Alice see the fireworks. Again, this is why I don’t plan weddings-only a few of the family were able to come. Heidi Anne said “Sarah not coming?” in the most sad puppy dog voice I had ever heard.

Just Dancing

Anyways, the Symphony was so beautiful. I guess hearing “Edelweiss” in the mountains gives it the home field advantage. I bet if played by a 3rd grader in the Tetons it would sound great as well. Heidi Anne graced us with her lovely dancing and singing as the sunset in the valley. It was pure heaven to me.

Beautiful, (Packed) Driggs, ID.

When the fireworks went off, Heidi Anne was startled at first. We told her that they were stars that were on fire. I told her how to expect a big boom but then really pretty stars would soon show up. She curled up on my lap, had me cover her ears for her with my arm (so she was pretty much all wrapped up in me)-and then we started pointing out the “stars” to each other.

It was the BEST Firework Show I have ever seen in my life. So beautiful, bright, we were on the hill, and Heidi Anne would yell “THANK-YOU STARS” after each firework would fade away. She would try to catch the fireworks as well—yes, they were that big and bright you felt like you could just reach out and grab a spark. The show went on for nearly an hour. We didn’t get back to the cabin until 11:15.

I think it was more fun seeing it through her eyes, the amazement, and the sense of magic, to hear her squeals of delight, and yelling THANK-YOU for nearly every firework before it disappeared.