Cowgirl Up!

I'm so proud of Heidi Anne, she has adapted to Wyoming much better then I could have hoped for. I feel like there are numerous things that helped her a ton are; her horse ridding lessons, her instructor's family (she has great kids that are around Heidi's age), the kids next door, the kids in church, and school is starting soon. But more then anything it's her horse ridding lessons that have made the biggest improvement and helped her to get used to the area. 

This is from her second horse ridding lesson, she's on a pony in the small corral on a lead line. Which means Melissa, the instructor, is there holding a rope attached to the halter, basically spotting Heidi while she rides. After a little bit of warming up she was riding on her own. She's had to use the lead line a few times since her second lesson, mainly when she's learning something new and is uncertain of herself.

I love Melissa's way of teaching. She has all of her students brush down the horse before and after saddling it. Next, for the little kids like Heidi Anne, Melissa saddles the horse while explaining the process and the reasoning for it.  As soon as the student is ready, they lead the horse into / out of the corral by themselves. I think it's great how (more often then not) Melissa lets her students determine how the ridding lesson will go.

Currently, she's riding bareback and loves it. It's to help correct an issue of her ridding tilted making the western style saddle slowly shift to the left. Then Melissa has to re-saddle the horse and Heidi Anne had to resume her lessons. Heidi Anne can resume the western style saddle any time she wants, however, for now she's enjoying it. She really wants to race barrels (but that will have to wait until next spring). So we have lots of time left for her to adapt to western ridding. 

Furthermore, there are some signs that she is embracing Wyoming life. For example, she is trying to learn to climb trees. When I asked why, she gave me a puzzled look, then replied, "Because we're out in the country now Mom, kids out here climb trees. It's just what we do." A few days later, we were at a store in Utah where a girl about Heidi Anne's age was having a fit about almost scrapping her knees. That's when Heidi Anne looked up at me and said, "Mom, that girl just needs to Cowgirl up."

If you were curious, yes Rory and I attend every lesson for the whole lesson. Heidi Anne really wants to ride during the Wyoming winter, as long as it's safe to drive and we're properly bundled up, I think we can pull through it. Heidi can't wait until Rory can sit up on his own, then she wants to have him ride in-front of her while she warms up.  She's really getting into ridding, in fact she wrote an note to Santa last night asking for a saddle and a horse halter for Christmas. 

Heidi Anne's First Grade Experiance

Well, we're less than two weeks away from Heidi Anne starting Second Grade and I realized that I never wrote a single thing about her life during First Grade. Most of this oversight is the result of my pregnancy and having a new born baby. Well, better late than never.

Lucky for me, she had a special project to do each month and the teacher, Mrs. Bellingham, saved the work and made a special book for every student. This is the cover page, which reads "My First Grade Art Book", giving us a snapshot of her school year.  I'll translate what she wrote in case it's difficult to see in the pictures in purple, my own thoughts will be in blue.  
An additional note about Heidi's progress in First Grade, she went from being unable to identify the sound each letter of the alphabet makes to reading chapter books. I think it's due to her teacher being a perfect match in personality for Heidi (and getting her ADHD treated so she could focus). Her teacher said that my homework routine helped out as well. Especially at the beginning, when she had difficulty and suffered major frustration, but we kept on and tracked the tiniest of milestones. Somehow, it all clicked with her. Yeah for awesome First Grade teachers! 

On the first day of First grade I liked school.

(This is a picture of her on the first day, she looks so exhausted because she was the last one to get her picture taken.)

Apples are a fruit.

Apples are red.

Apples are sweet.

Bats

Bats can fly. Bats have families. Bats are the only mammal thet [that] flies. Bats use echolocation to find food.

I am thankful for my mom and dad. I am thankful for my dog and my cat. I am thankful for school. But most of all I am thankful for my bed.

Let me explain that last one, there were some homeless / transient children in her school that they had a fundraiser for. Secondly, Heidi Anne was the only student in class to be thankful for school. 

Rudolph has a funny nose. It glows red. He eats lots of licorice. He eats lots of raspberries, too.  

Who does this look like to you? Well, my first thought was a vampire, with a weird uni-brow and a mustache, hunting at night. Turns out it's Martin Luther King, Jr taking a walk at night. (I bet you're now seeing the vampire, too.) 

Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream. He wanted people to be nice. He wanted fair laws. He wanted equal rights. He wanted people to love - not fight. 

.

Somebody loves me just the way I am. My mom and dad give me hugs. My mom loves me. My mom and dad give me snacks. They take me to the library. They ready me books. I am a love monster because I love them.

Abraham Lincoln 

Abraham Lincoln was born on the February the 12th. He was the 16th President. He was a kind man and an honest man. He was called "Honest Abe".

George Washington 

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Virginia. He was the first president. He led the Revolutionary War,

My baby brother is worth more to me than gold because he's fun.

(Insert heart melting awww and "that's so sweet")

Back to awesome teacher. Since Heidi Anne had been an only child up to this point and knew she would have a hard time no longer being the center of attention, Mrs. Ballingham wrote her a lovely letter and gave her a little gift. When Heidi Anne opened it, there was another note reading "To play once a day with any parent who can". The gift was two different card games. That started a new habit of Charlie and Heidi Anne playing a card game once a day. It takes only a few minutes, but it's HER few minutes. I don't think we would have ever thought of that without her. She also gave Rory a cute little outfit.  

Spring is here.

Pretty butterfly is here.

Roses are pretty flowers.

I am happy it is [spring].

Green grass grows. 

When I grow up I want to be a vet. I want to help pets and wild animals. A vet can give your pets shots to help [them] feel better. I want to help zoo animals. 

I am awesome because I am good at reading.

Heidi Anne, the morning of the last day of school.

Heidi Anne with Mrs. Ballingham on the last day of school. Again Mrs. Ballingham went above and beyond on the last day of school. She gave Heidi Anne five books, because Heidi loves to read and never gave up. Her books were; "A Bad Case of Stripes," "I Knew I Could", "Junie B. Jones and the Stinky Smelly Bus", "Old Yeller", and "Clementine". I wish every child could have a teacher like her for every grade of school.   

Moving Day!! (Again)

Yeah, we moved out of that small apartment in Utah to a house in Wyoming. The city we moved to reminds me a lot of Providence, Utah but without Logan just a few miles away. During the final packing and moving stages Heidi Anne was with my sister-in-law (whom I would like to thank again for taking her for the weekend). Meanwhile, Rory stayed with us. We all woke up around 6:00 am and packed the last few items still out. Then we put all the boxes and other items in our "staging area" (aka. the kitchen with the sliding door). 

Once that was done we went to pick up the U-Haul truck, I made a joke along the lines of what would happen if the help came before we returned with the truck. Well, I got home before Char and there was a guy just hanging around our front door. At that very moment Char texted me "Oh, there is a guy there, he's one of my co-workers so don't worry." Which I'm glad he did, otherwise I would have called Char to verify that the guy really knew him and was really there to help.

In theory, people from our church were coming at 10:00 am to help us move. By 10:30 am no one else had showed up despite my bribes of donuts, cool water, and juice. I felt bad for the two guys, so I called to remind some people that we desperately needed help. Within 20 minutes 5 more guys to help with packing and one lady to help with Rowan arrived. It was amazing! In less than four hours EVERYTHING was packed into the truck in a nice, orderly fashion. It was truly a miracle. 

Then began our hour long drive to our new home. I was so excited I took a selfie! My very first selfie ever! Then I took a picture of my sidekick. She was a little stressed at first but soon fell asleep, just like Rowan did in the back seat. 

Before I knew it, we had arrived to our new home. I tried to help Char unload the truck, but Rowan had other plans. They involved ONLY Momma, ALL the time. Then another miracle happened. Char's dad came up to help us unload the truck AFTER participating in a marathon race, that's roughly 26 miles! Somehow, after that he was able to help us out. Which I thought was amazing, because it would have taken forever if it had been just the two of us unloading. 
                                                                                                           
If you were wondering, Heidi Anne loves the house, especially the back yard. She tried to pick as many dandy lions as she could before Char mowed the lawn. It was funny to watch. A little girl trying to be a few rows ahead of her Daddy, gathering as many dandy lions as her little hands could hold, take a deep breath, and blow as hard as possible. Then the whole process would repeat itself until all the dandy lions had been mowed. She also wants to learn how to ride a horse, too. She has for a while but now she "has to if she ever wants to be a real cowgirl." --Direct Quote 

What's in a Name Part II

After Heidi Anne was born I wrote a post explaining why we chose the names we did for her ( you can see that one in 2010/July - What's in a Name. Well, here are the reasons for Rory's.

Rowan- Little Red One 

         To be honest I love the name Rowan for what the Rowan tree symbolizes to a verity of cultures from ancient Greece, to the Norse, the Celts and though out the British Ilses . In folklore the Rowan tree helped to guide wayfaring travelers on their way through life. During the last 18 months - 2 years that is exactly how we felt.  The Rowan tree also symbolizes endurance, protection, healing, and strength. These were all qualities we wanted our little boy to have. NOW, if you ask Heidi Anne she will say he’s named after Rory in Doctor Who. The Doctor Who Rory is a time traveling nurse who protected his wife over and over, which is awesome! 

William – Strong-Willed Warrior / Determined Protector (It varies) 

            He’s named after Char, who’s middle name is William, his dad, and my Uncle Bill. All of whom are great examples and role models in their own ways. Char is a hard working man to provide for his family and so I can stay home with the kids. He's loving, strong, and driven. Besides, what child doesn't want to be like their dad when they grow up? Rory's Grandpa is the same way. My Uncle Bill has been with my Uncle Don for over 38 years! Which in this day and age is rare. That takes serious dedication and love. My uncle also likes a good roller-coaster ride and trying new or different things in life. 
I would be proud if my son grew up to be like any of them. 

Daddy and Rory

Heidi Anne with Grandpa

Uncle Bill in Helsinki

Wright - Apparently this means Worker

        This additional middle name wasn't planned in advance. It's after the nurse who helped me during the most painful and scariest part of my labor. She was right by my side, made me her sole patient on a busy night, and had to be forced from my room for her mandatory break. (She still came back early). At one point I asked her if she was the angel I had been praying for. I'm still not sure what would have happened to us if she hadn't of been such a strong and proactive advocate for me. Nurse Wright was a God send. 

Rory at 5 Weeks old!!

First Camping Trip Ever

Preface: This post was written on 8/6/13. The next day I was admitted to the U of U's ICU. I just barely found this post today-2 years later.  

Since Heidi Anne has been about 2 years old we've gone on a little trip around her birthday. We've gone to the Grand Tetons, Bryce Canyon, and this year we spent the night in the Cache Forest at Bear Lake. This was the very first time we went camping as a family. I got some great advice from my friend, Valerie, what camp site, activities, or just some general tips. 

We decided to take it easy with camping. This was Heidi Anne's first camping trip and our first one since we're been married. Because I'm me and on top of that I was feeling unwell. But this was her birthday wish.

Char got a gift card from work. He had a great idea of we'd all go out to eat a good  lunch. That way if something bad happened to the camping food we wouldn't be as cranky. After our fun lunch we heading up the canyon. Heidi Anne promptly helped out. She would bring out some of the supplies from the car, didn't get under foot very much. But that could have been her "job" was to bring out some firewood. 

While we made our chicken dinner in a dutch over Heidi Anne kept herself busy by playing with blocks of wood and sticks. Heidi Anne and I would go and explore the surrounding forest right around our camp site while Char kept an eye on dinner. 

After our yummy dinner we played different card games. Then all three of us went on a longer walk through the whole camp site. The whole day she talked about how excited she was to have her first camping trip, What she wanted more than anything was to see the stars. Once twilight came Char brought out the the fixings for our s'mores while the stars slowly made their appearance. We did learn that Heidi Anne loves roasting marshmallows, but isn't keen on eating them. She ended up eating a deconstructed s'mores. How she loved all the bright clear stars! 

We then spent the coldest night of our lives! We didn't pack nearly enough blankets nor did we have any foam barriers to protect us from the bumpy rocks. On the bright side, she loved getting up to see the sunrise!

Epilogue: My friend Valerie now has her own blog about traveling at: http://www.51centadventures.com (I can't make it hyperlink!!)

Letters From Heidi Anne

Heidi Anne has learned a ton in first grade. Her favorite thing to do right now is to write notes to me, composes "poems", and writes little stories. Here are her Mother's Day Cards to me as well as some of her other notes. I will be using the exact grammar and spelling as she had written them.

(The flowers are made from her finger prints). Inside it reads: 

Mom, thank you for your good food you make. I love you.

Love,

Heidi

(Again the flowers are from her finger prints.)

Inside it reads: 

Dear Mom,

You are the gradist mom I have ever have. You are the best mom I ever had.

Love,

Heidi

This note is a response to a note I wrote for her on a Saturday morning letting her know I had set out breakfast for her, to stay quiet and that she could watch some TV. This was the note she gave me in return. 

Mommy,

You are my Mommy so I love you so, so, so , so , so march.

This note is a response to a note I wrote for her on a Easter morning asking her to wait in her room until we came and got her.

Hi Mommy,

I have a note to you. You give me a note today.

I love you!! You are my Mommy.

Love,

Heidi

This is her thank-you letter to the Easter Bunny (she even drew a cute little picture).

Dear Easter Bunny,                                         04-06-15

Thank you for the candy, the scooter, and the soccer ball.

Love,

Heidi

I wanted to post her poems or a story, however, she's at school and I don't have her permission. If you get her go ahead to read one of her stories it's a big deal. Maybe she'll write and publish a book just like her Uncle Don. 

Eight Months in A Nut Shell

I haven't really shared this, but we had lost four pregnancies before we had Heidi Anne. After she was born were told that I had suffered some trauma. That trauma combined with my ill health would make getting and staying pregnant again nearly impossible.When we got married we wanted to have 2-3 children. However, after all the losses, we we thrilled to just have her. We quickly came to terms that we were going to be an only child family.

Yeap, Third Test and Still Pregnant. 

Travel back to June 2014 with me. Char was in nursing school full time, working full time, studying full time, and sleeping sparingly. Our apartment lacks A/C, so when I kept getting sick I blamed the heat. Even when I was 2 weeks late, I still blamed the heat. (Of course, Char knew better the day I was late). Finally, I caved and took the test. It was positive, as you can see, I was in shock, fear, excited, and surprised more than anything.

Hello, Gummy Bear Baby!

Towards the end of July we had the first OB appointment. I was 7 weeks along. We saw that little gummy bear sized baby. The anxiety increased by the second as they started to look for the baby's heartbeat. I was holding my breath the whole time until I heard that strong beat, First words out of my mouth were "Thank Heavens!"

At 19 Weeks Along

Then came the unrelenting "morning" sickness. I was constantly sick (pretty much until the day the baby was born).The slightest off putting smell made me sick. Things I liked, I couldn't stand anymore. For example, bananas, Normally I LOVE them. I love Banana Nut Muffins, bread, frozen bananas. Not anymore. Char helped with the cooking, when he was home, otherwise it was the same 5 meals or sandwiches.

Around week 15 it only got worse. Heartburn got thrown into the mix. It was rather frustrating to have heartburn when I didn't feel sick. It was a nightmare to suffer from both simultaneously. Sometimes eating was the furthest thing from my mind. One day I said to Heidi (half joking), "Tell me to eat something." Her response? "Momma, eat something or else the baby WILL DIE and Daddad will be SAD and CRY."--I did eat some crackers after that one.

At 28 Weeks Along

In late September I found my saving grace - EGG NOG!! How I craved it! Bonus it was the ONLY thing I could drink that didn't make me sick nor gave me heartburn! I was so lucky a majority of my pregnancy was during the holidays. I had at least a quart a day (if not more) of egg nog. I was so disappointed in early January when my ample supply vanished. 

The Look of Disappointment

We found out at 20 weeks we found out the baby was a boy. When we reveled this to Heidi Anne she said "NO Daddy, you're wrong! It's going to be a little sister, I want and have prayed for a baby sister. We told her "Sunshine, the doctor says it's a boy." "They're wrong!" she cried out. Then she came to me and said "Momma, I want you to find a new doctor, one that says it's a girl!  Eventually, she came to terms with having a little brother. 

At 35.5 Weeks Along

Around 30 weeks, I was in a car accident, which triggered contractions. I got to stay in the hospital for 24 hours for observation. The plus side, I got a trail run of how my delivery would go. The down side? The Braxton-Hicks contracts never stopped. They stayed around 3 per hour - for 6 weeks. What made them finally stop? Our little guy decided he wanted out. He was born a month premature at 36.3 weeks along. Oddly enough, the exact same gestation age as Heidi Anne. However, the arrival of this new little one is another story. 



P.S This is the last picture of me pregnant, my water broke 5 days later!