We headed out Friday evening to go camping. We reached the campsite at 8:30 pm and it started pouring before we could get out of the car. We waited for a break in the rain to set the tent up and then jumped back in the truck when it started raining again. I think Emma finally went to sleep (with a lot of help from me) aroung 10:30. She was pretty excited! The first night was a little rough since we could not get the air mattress blown up and it was so damp. I did not sleep well sine I kept checking on Emma and ended up bringing her in the sleeping bag with me when I realized her hands were ice cold. She woke us up just before 7 am.
Headed out for a drive further down the road to see what was there. Saw lots of deer. Dave had seen a black bear earlier that morning on his walk to the bathroom. After our drive we headed back past our camp site and decided to walk around Natural Bridge. We went there a couple weeks ago. It was a totally different experience this time due to the high flow of the Boulder River. The river was high enough to send the water over the top of the falls instead of through the lower falls. I will have to try to find some to show the difference. This supposedly is supposed to happen every summer with the winter melt off but Dave says this is the first time he has ever seen it and he has been there off and on for the past 10 years. We were there a year ago and the river was not high enough. It is amazing to see but I think I still like it better when the water is lower. More to explore..
Once back at the campsite we just relaxed. Emma drew a picture with charcol from the fire and we took lots of walks up and down the shore of the river throwing in pine cones and rocks. Shortly after we got back, a car pulled into the site next to us and they had an almost 2 year old with them. Emma finally met up with her later that night and they played for a while. Was pretty funny because after we came back to our site to roast marshmallows we could hear the little girl calling out "Emma! Emma!" and then a while later she would call out again. If they walked up to their car the girl would make a break for our campsite. I guess she even woke up this morning calling for Emma!
Emma went to sleep a little easier Sat night. Still needed help though since she was in an unfamiliar place. Dave and I stayed up and watched the stars. I tried to take a long exposure picture of them but my battery died at some point :( I think everyone slept better the second night since we were not chilled from the rain. Emma only woke up once but as soon as I shhhh'ed and Dave patted her on the back, she went right back to sleep. Again, I think just unfamiliar area.
We are already planning our next trip... We are going to try to get a few more in this summer, as many as we can at least. Emma did very well for her first time camping and I think she had a lot of fun! I will try to get the pictures up within a few days.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
It has been a busy week. We had a bad wind storm on Wednesday that took out about 1/3 of our big shade tree in the back yard :( The big branch that broke stayed up in the tree and the only way to get it down was to cut it the rest of the way and let it fall. In doing that, a couple more branches broke off. It looks very strange to look out in the backyard now. Will get some before and after pics posted next week.
We are going to try to head out this weekend and camp a night or two on the Boulder River. I am supposed to be getting stuff ready but I thought I would post a quick update before we go. Still not sure if we are going to head out tonight or tomorrow, depends on when Dave gets off of work today.
Emma is doing good. She did her first somersault this week. I think the first one she just became off balance when she was looking between her legs but she managed to pull a couple more off after that (with a lot of failed attempts too!)
Then today we were at the market and she kept saying something new... "mil" or something like that and I looked up yo where she was pointing and there was the milk, so now she is saying milk, or something close to it!
Well, I better get back to laundrey and packing in case Dave gets home earlier than I plan. Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will try to get some new pictures up soon!
We are going to try to head out this weekend and camp a night or two on the Boulder River. I am supposed to be getting stuff ready but I thought I would post a quick update before we go. Still not sure if we are going to head out tonight or tomorrow, depends on when Dave gets off of work today.
Emma is doing good. She did her first somersault this week. I think the first one she just became off balance when she was looking between her legs but she managed to pull a couple more off after that (with a lot of failed attempts too!)
Then today we were at the market and she kept saying something new... "mil" or something like that and I looked up yo where she was pointing and there was the milk, so now she is saying milk, or something close to it!
Well, I better get back to laundrey and packing in case Dave gets home earlier than I plan. Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will try to get some new pictures up soon!
Monday, June 20, 2005
Swimming at Chico Hot Springs
Yesterday we took a drive and stopped at Chico Hot Springs for dinner and a swim. I was not sure how Emma was going to do. She loved most aspects of swimming last summer but when I took her once during the winter she did not seem to enjoy it. Well, she was glued to the window during dinner and watched all the swimmers in the pool. Once in the pool it took her a few minutes to get used to it but she had a blast! Dave was throwing her up in teh air and she would have a big grin on her face when she came down. They did not have the main pool filled as high as normal which was nice because the shallow end was shallow enough for her to walk around in with some sort of support from us. She went under a few times with out protesting and by the end she was standing on the seat around the pool (level with the water) and "jumping" in from there. She got lots of attention! We had a throw-away water-proof camera left over from a trip last year so I finished that up. If the pictures come out ok, I will post them.
We are going to try to go to the city pool a couple times a week with her once Dave is home from work. I just hope it is not too crazy there. I was going to do the parent/tot lessons with her this year but they are not offering them. Oh well...
We are going to try to go to the city pool a couple times a week with her once Dave is home from work. I just hope it is not too crazy there. I was going to do the parent/tot lessons with her this year but they are not offering them. Oh well...
Sunday, June 19, 2005
19.5 month update
I wanted to write this up so I had it with everything else. I figure I can just print all of this to keep track of what Emma is up to so she can read it years down the line..
at 19.5 months...
Signs Emma knows: She uses most of these on her own if she hears the word or sees the object. Uses quite a few to expresses what she needs and wants.
milk, food, more, done/finished, please/sorry (uses same sign), thank you, cat, dog, fish, lion, bird, giraffe, smart, bathroom/potty, baby, brush teeth, comb hair, drive/car, train, airplane, paper, book/library, up, down....
Words Emma knows (whether understandable to anyone else or not!):
woo-woo (train), dog, cat, cow, mooo, ah-ah (arf-arf), mama, daddy, num (yummy/food), mmmnmmmn (her response to what Cookie Monster says)
Body parts Emma knows:
eye, ears, mouth, nose, head, hair, teeth, toungue, cheeks, chin, eyebrow, eyelash, hand, elbow, fingers, arm, leg, tummy, butt, back, knee, shoulders, foot, toes, heel (with some help, we are just learning this)
She has 13 teeth (unless another has started to poke through in the past week or so).
She is getting good at recognizing where we are when we are driving around town. She never fails to point out
- the market (where a mighty mouse ride is)
- the plaza where the video store and Pamida are (we do a little shopping there)
- the bank
- the gas station we get our gas at
- the shopping center that has the ice cream parlor(num num if we even drive near it!)
- she recognizes the train crossing south of town (woo-woo if we drive near a crossing or she sees a train, moving or parked)
Does hand motions for: Itsy Bitsy Spider, Head shoulder knees and toes, Where is Thumbkin, If you are happy and you know it, and the wheels on the bus.
Does not watch too much TV. She is interested in: Lazy Town, Blues Clues and The Backyardigans but mostly for the music. Blues Clues is the only on she will occasionally tune into for more than the music.
Really into caring for her babies (can be her cabbage patch, a little people person or another doll). She likes to feed them, give them a bottle, burp them, rock them in her arms, put them to bed in the cradle, take them for rides in the doll stroller, and "change" their diapers (she grabs a diaper and opens it and lays them on it... will grab the diaper cream and wipes if I forget to put them up too!).
Emma loves to dance, play at the park and outside, paint, color, play with rice, water and sand. She enjoys the library and checking out books and videos. She really enjoys story time each week and seeing her friends there.
Sleeping an average of 12 hours a night. Naps are hit or miss but when she goes down she will sleep an hour up to 3 hours.
OK that is it for now, Emma is done playing on her own and it is time for family time!
at 19.5 months...
Signs Emma knows: She uses most of these on her own if she hears the word or sees the object. Uses quite a few to expresses what she needs and wants.
milk, food, more, done/finished, please/sorry (uses same sign), thank you, cat, dog, fish, lion, bird, giraffe, smart, bathroom/potty, baby, brush teeth, comb hair, drive/car, train, airplane, paper, book/library, up, down....
Words Emma knows (whether understandable to anyone else or not!):
woo-woo (train), dog, cat, cow, mooo, ah-ah (arf-arf), mama, daddy, num (yummy/food), mmmnmmmn (her response to what Cookie Monster says)
Body parts Emma knows:
eye, ears, mouth, nose, head, hair, teeth, toungue, cheeks, chin, eyebrow, eyelash, hand, elbow, fingers, arm, leg, tummy, butt, back, knee, shoulders, foot, toes, heel (with some help, we are just learning this)
She has 13 teeth (unless another has started to poke through in the past week or so).
She is getting good at recognizing where we are when we are driving around town. She never fails to point out
- the market (where a mighty mouse ride is)
- the plaza where the video store and Pamida are (we do a little shopping there)
- the bank
- the gas station we get our gas at
- the shopping center that has the ice cream parlor(num num if we even drive near it!)
- she recognizes the train crossing south of town (woo-woo if we drive near a crossing or she sees a train, moving or parked)
Does hand motions for: Itsy Bitsy Spider, Head shoulder knees and toes, Where is Thumbkin, If you are happy and you know it, and the wheels on the bus.
Does not watch too much TV. She is interested in: Lazy Town, Blues Clues and The Backyardigans but mostly for the music. Blues Clues is the only on she will occasionally tune into for more than the music.
Really into caring for her babies (can be her cabbage patch, a little people person or another doll). She likes to feed them, give them a bottle, burp them, rock them in her arms, put them to bed in the cradle, take them for rides in the doll stroller, and "change" their diapers (she grabs a diaper and opens it and lays them on it... will grab the diaper cream and wipes if I forget to put them up too!).
Emma loves to dance, play at the park and outside, paint, color, play with rice, water and sand. She enjoys the library and checking out books and videos. She really enjoys story time each week and seeing her friends there.
Sleeping an average of 12 hours a night. Naps are hit or miss but when she goes down she will sleep an hour up to 3 hours.
OK that is it for now, Emma is done playing on her own and it is time for family time!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
New Pictures
New pictures added to page 2 and 3 of June 2005. Taken last night playing outside, today downtown and at the bank and last week on a playdate with her friend Lyom. Enjoy!
Finally some nice weather!
We have had rain everyday for the past week or so, but today the sun came out and it was warm! So Emma and I walked downtown and deposited the money from her piggy bank into her savings account. We told the teller what the money was for, and then the teller asked Emma if this money was for account. Right on cue Emma replied "Yah!" Got a chuckle frm the teller. As we were leaving a 3 year old and her aunt came in and the 3 y.o. was pushing her "baby" around in a stroller. I have been thinking of getting Emma one so I asked the aunt where it was bought. Turns out Ross for like $4! The 3 y.o. shared with Emma and Emma had a blast pushing the stoller around then bank! We went down to the park this evening after dinner and stayed for almost an hour and a half.
Every once in a while I check out a video from the library for Emma. She is not really into much unless it has music. This last week it was a music video of Sesame Street but we did not actually watch it until the night before it was due. She was a riot! The first song was basically following different commands and they kept adding more and it would get faster and faster. Started out with clap you hands, stomp your feet.. she did both of those... adds turn around, touh your toes, again she does both.. adds tug your ears, flap your arms.. she has the tugging down and is starting to get the flapping... adds reach up high and all fall down... And she would do both of these. She started throwing herself on the ground. I think I got some decent video of this today so we will try to get it posted soon. (Just changed computers so we need to put the card with the firewire port into the new computer so we can upload video).
She continues to take care of her baby. Yesterday, I caught her trying to put her baby in her booster seat so I brought the booster seat into the living room and put it down on the floor. She strapped baby in and put the tray on. Then Emma turned to me, signed food and then point at her baby. So I brought out an empty bowl and spoon and that was not good enough. Emma grabbed the applesauce off the table, but in the end I just gave her some cheerios to feed the baby with. I need to keep my camera handy and get some pictures of her with the cabbage patch!
I am not sure she will be going to swimming lessons this summer like we did last summer. The parent/tot class is not on the list of classes. I did call and I was the second parent requestiong a class so maybe if they get enough inquiries they will add it. It is not like they learn much but I liked it that there was nt a lot of distraction like there would be during free time. Last year Emma and I worked on coming into the pool safetly. She would sit on the edge and lean in. After she had the hang of that we worked on leaning in and when she came in she would go under and then come up (in my arms of course). She was not fond of being on her back though and I wanted to work more on that as well as work on her learning to kick her way up when let go under water. We were going to start that last year but ran out of time.
Well, I almost have some pictures ready, just need to resize and upload and add them to the page.
Every once in a while I check out a video from the library for Emma. She is not really into much unless it has music. This last week it was a music video of Sesame Street but we did not actually watch it until the night before it was due. She was a riot! The first song was basically following different commands and they kept adding more and it would get faster and faster. Started out with clap you hands, stomp your feet.. she did both of those... adds turn around, touh your toes, again she does both.. adds tug your ears, flap your arms.. she has the tugging down and is starting to get the flapping... adds reach up high and all fall down... And she would do both of these. She started throwing herself on the ground. I think I got some decent video of this today so we will try to get it posted soon. (Just changed computers so we need to put the card with the firewire port into the new computer so we can upload video).
She continues to take care of her baby. Yesterday, I caught her trying to put her baby in her booster seat so I brought the booster seat into the living room and put it down on the floor. She strapped baby in and put the tray on. Then Emma turned to me, signed food and then point at her baby. So I brought out an empty bowl and spoon and that was not good enough. Emma grabbed the applesauce off the table, but in the end I just gave her some cheerios to feed the baby with. I need to keep my camera handy and get some pictures of her with the cabbage patch!
I am not sure she will be going to swimming lessons this summer like we did last summer. The parent/tot class is not on the list of classes. I did call and I was the second parent requestiong a class so maybe if they get enough inquiries they will add it. It is not like they learn much but I liked it that there was nt a lot of distraction like there would be during free time. Last year Emma and I worked on coming into the pool safetly. She would sit on the edge and lean in. After she had the hang of that we worked on leaning in and when she came in she would go under and then come up (in my arms of course). She was not fond of being on her back though and I wanted to work more on that as well as work on her learning to kick her way up when let go under water. We were going to start that last year but ran out of time.
Well, I almost have some pictures ready, just need to resize and upload and add them to the page.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
New pictures are up!!
Emma shocked both of us tonight when she said "who who" when Dave asked her what an owl says! He looked over at me and asked me when she learned that. I have no idea! The only thing I can think of is when we were hiking this weekend and we saw what we thought was a great horned owl take off in the distance, I made some comment like "Owls say 'who who'" and that was it. I guess it stuck!
Since I mentioned hiking, that is what we did on Sunday. Dave wanted to go fishing so we headed over to the West Boulder Meadows. Dave forgot that the meadows were at the end of a 3 mile hike! We had the back pack for Emma with us so we went for it. We were in prime bear country so I carried the bear spray and Dave packed a pistol just in case (unloaded, with clip handy). We did not see any bears though, and that surprised Dave! He thought we would at least see one or two black bears from a distance. Emma did pretty good. Started getting a little cranky half way to the meadows so we let her down and she walked about 1/4 mile, maybe a little less. We finally made it there and Dave went off to fish while Emma and I relaxed. On the way back she ended up falling asleep in the pack. We made it out of there just before a big thunderstorm hit (maybe 15-20 mins later). We saw it from a distance and ended up driving through it on the way home.
Today Emma and I drove up to Clyde Park to her friend Lyom's house to play. It is so much fun to watch them together. Emma ended up playing on his slide and because it was wet from recent rains, she was drenched by the time she finished. He sat there and just laughed at her!
NEW PICTURES ARE UP!!!! There are of pictures Emma playing on the bank of the Yellowstone River, pictures of our hike to West Boulder Meadows (6 miles round trip!!), pictures of the storm that followed our hike, and misc of Emma. Hope you enjoy! Click here for the pictures!
Since I mentioned hiking, that is what we did on Sunday. Dave wanted to go fishing so we headed over to the West Boulder Meadows. Dave forgot that the meadows were at the end of a 3 mile hike! We had the back pack for Emma with us so we went for it. We were in prime bear country so I carried the bear spray and Dave packed a pistol just in case (unloaded, with clip handy). We did not see any bears though, and that surprised Dave! He thought we would at least see one or two black bears from a distance. Emma did pretty good. Started getting a little cranky half way to the meadows so we let her down and she walked about 1/4 mile, maybe a little less. We finally made it there and Dave went off to fish while Emma and I relaxed. On the way back she ended up falling asleep in the pack. We made it out of there just before a big thunderstorm hit (maybe 15-20 mins later). We saw it from a distance and ended up driving through it on the way home.
Today Emma and I drove up to Clyde Park to her friend Lyom's house to play. It is so much fun to watch them together. Emma ended up playing on his slide and because it was wet from recent rains, she was drenched by the time she finished. He sat there and just laughed at her!
NEW PICTURES ARE UP!!!! There are of pictures Emma playing on the bank of the Yellowstone River, pictures of our hike to West Boulder Meadows (6 miles round trip!!), pictures of the storm that followed our hike, and misc of Emma. Hope you enjoy! Click here for the pictures!
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