Tag: At the Park

Girls Grand Expotition 2012… Day Five: A Bit of Local Sight Seeing

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After a more relaxing day in Bozeman, we hit the road for a bit of sight seeing. Auntie Jillian had to stay home and work, so this time it was just the girls, Auntie Kelli and myself. So we took to the road again, but this time not as far…
our journey would take us to our first stop, Virginia City. a historic mining and boom town.
the day was very smokey because of multiple fires within Montana and Idaho but that didn’t stop us!
when we arrived we stopped to enjoy some of the old buildings. Abby quickly found the toy shop.
many of the old buildings have been renovated and used for diners, antique shops, and ice cream parlors.
Virginia City Historical marker. Virginia City was one of Montana’s largest mining and boom towns.
Abby stops to admire many of the old fashion tin toys in what used to be a toy  and general shop.
after walking for a little while, we stopped for some ice cream.
the plane to split a cone failed and in the end, Abby had strawberry and Ellie ate mommies mint chip.
i stole a few spoonfuls when Ellie wasn’t looking. boy was it yummy!
“Look mommy, I stole your ice cream! Its Mint n Chip… your favorite!”

“This ice cream is gooooooood.”

after ice cream we walked a bit more and discovered a few fun buildings.
in a sweet moment, I found Abby and Ellie walking hand in hand talking about the yummy ice cream.
i tried hard but explaining why the buildings look the way they do to a four year old is tough.
Abby thought it was weird that no one fixed the buildings.

While I only had a few bites, this ice cream was truly amazing. I cant wait to go back soon.

Walking hand in hand, talking about their yummt ice cream and admiring all of the nick knacks in the store windows.

An antique wash basin that was once used by families during the height of mining in Virginia City.

“Mommy these buildings are old and look bad. Why doesn’t someone come and fix them?”

pretty soon we packed up the car and headed back towards Bozeman.
on the way we took a few back roads that led to Three Forks.
we stopped in Three Forks to show Auntie Kelli the Sacajawea Hotel.
the Sacajawea Hotel is a part of my family history.
my great great grandparents were the first proprietors.
after stopping in Three Forks we took a slight detour and went to Headwaters State Park.
at Headwaters State Park, Kelli had the chance to see the headwaters of the Missouri River.
Pure joy playing on the tire swing.

Abby was thoroughly enjoying the “obstacle course”

we eventually said goodbye to the headwaters and made out way home.
my allergies had turned into a cold and I was starting to feel crummy with a horrible headache to boot.
once home, Ellie and I laid down to rest while Abby headed to the park with Grandpa Jerry.
from what I can tell Abby and Grandpa Jerry had a lot of fun together.
After a busy day out and about it was dinner and bed time for all. We had to pack smaller bags because tomorrow, we head off to Yellowstone for three days! I cannot wait to share more of favorite place with Kelli and enjoy what I can. I need to sleep but I know this stupid cold and my excitement might keep me awake. Oh well, on to another fun adventure!

Tuesday in the Park

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Today after Abby’s dance class we met with my dear friend Lisa and her adorable little man Chase at the park. It was so great to catch up with them and see just how much he has grown!
The day was warm so we didn’t stay out long, but the girls had a chance to play. Abby loved playing with Chase almost as much as she loves going down the slides. Chase also did a great job and is the most calm and patient baby I have met.  He must take after his mama! He was about an hour past his usual nap time and I didn’t hear him cry or fuss about it. Instead he sat and played with mom and his favorite ball.
After an hour or so the heat won and chased us away when the slides became too hot to go down.  Its still April, right? Not sure where the heat came from but it put a damper on the fun we were trying to have. SO, we packed up our kiddos in the car and headed home. It was a wonderful day despite the heat and I hope we can make this something we do more often.

Let’s Go Fly A Kite!

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Today was spent running errands and catching up before the weekend, which we were dreading.  Then again, does anyone really like ending the weekend and going back to work? The girls were pretty good and patient during our trips to Target and Costco, so when we finished we decided to take them to the park to play and hopefully fly their new kites.
It was a busy afternoon at the park. When we arrived it took driving around for about 15 minutes before we found a parking space. The girls were antsy by the time we piled out of the car, but they now had a chance to play and run it out. Boy did they! Abby and Ellie were up and down the slides, climbing everywhere they could and hanging around on the monkey bars which Shaun and I have realized they are really good at!

Before we knew it an hour had passed and much to our surprise the wind started to pick up. So we said goodbye to the playground and headed out into the field to try our luck at getting the kites into the air. Several weekends ago Shaun bought kites for the girls. Abby, being on a Star Wars kick chose one with Yoda on it and Ellie chose one with Winnie the Pooh. They were happy to help us get ready, although sometimes helping leads to more frustration but we understood the excitement.

Pretty soon the kites were up in the air and the girls took control. Ellie took over like she was a pro and even did a great job keeping the kite in the air on several occasions when the wind become a bit inconsistent. Abby did amazing as well but I think she liked watching Shaun do all of the work rather then do it herself. That’s okay… whatever made her happy.

Pretty soon the sun was setting, the wind was beginning to blow a bit too hard and the girls were hungry so we headed home. Abby couldn’t stop talking about her afternoon in the park and flying kites high up in the sky. She talked about it up until the moment she fell asleep, which after a busy afternoon was pretty fast. I love having moments with the girls that are special, all moments with them are special, but its the ones that they talk about for weeks after that stick with you a bit more.

14 Months and a Day at the Park to Celebrate…

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Ellie is 14 months old today! Its very hard to believe but she is. Two months really have passed since her first birthday! Ellie is growing by leaps and bounds and we are really starting to see her personaility. Ellie loves to be with her sister; following her, playing with her and mimicking her. At the same time Ellie is becoming very independent. Abby is going to have to watch out because Ellie is learning to stand up for herself and hold her ground. I see a lot of time outs and separation in our future.

Ellie has four of her bottom teeth now and it looks as though her top front teeth are trying to make their way out of those very red and swollen gums. It makes for a grumpy girl at times, but usually she is happy and usually wears a smile. Ellie is really starting to talk, more then just her babbling. So far we have heard her say the following things (or so we think)…

Uh Oh
Mama
Dada
Nana
Bubble
Gog aka Dog
Guck aka Duck

The rest of the time she talks in words we cant understand, but we still have long funny conversations with her. Ellie is also singing. While she doesn’t have the words she is pretty good with the tune. Its hard to believe how fast she is growing.

A Day at the Park

As a little celebration, I decided to head to the park with the girls. The weather was finally cool (less then 85 degrees out) and a nice cool breeze was blowing. Of course, Abby was excited about this. We packed snacks for a picnic and headed out.


The girls stayed for nearly 3 and a half hours, spending most of their time in the grass and in the sandbox. Abby made several new friends in the sandbox and worked very hard to make a sandcastle. She used some rocks to decorate the sides as well as a cap from my water and then put a stick and a leaf at the top to act as a flag. She was very proud of it and protective too. Ellie, who used to hate the feeling of sand on her, got used to it and once she did she dig right in. She sat there forever using her shovel to put sand in her bucket.







Abby and Ellie played well together too, which always makes me happy. Abby tried to show Ellie how to make a sandcastle, but Ellie was content with shoveling sand. The girls really did not want to leave but it was obvious that they needed a rest. Abby fought me tooth and nail but once we were on the road, heading home, Abby and Ellie quickly passed out. Once again, it was a great day at the park. Happy 14 Months Ellie!

A Saturday at the Park

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Today was another lazy Saturday at the park. We got there early to beat the heat, but luckily there is always a nice cool breeze blowing here. Abby and Ellie had a blast and of course they were tuckered out by the time we left. I love lazy days at the park, although sometimes I wish when I said lazy days at the park it meant the same thing it does to my parents… Yellowstone! Oh well, I wouldn’t trade in these moments for anything. And, for once I don’t have a lot to say. Just enjoy the pictures!

Mommy-Daughter Date Day!

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Today Abby and I had a mommy-daughter date day! It was our very first since Ellie was born and I think it was something long overdue!

To start I took a very hungry Abby to lunch. We headed to Red Robin where Abby and I had lots to talk about, like Disneyland, books, the park and lots more. Abby even made a little friend while we were there. She even decided to sit in the booth with us! Her mommy didn’t even try to stop her, I love it when parents watch out for their children like that! Abby had a corn dog for lunch and I have to say, this might just be a new favorite.

After lunch we headed to the library. Without Ellie with us we could take our time and really enjoy the library experience. We went through all the shelves of books and found some new ones as well as a few favorites. We sat down on the soft couches and read together for a bit. After reading a few books we headed over to look at the fish in the large aquarium that connects the children’s wing to the main library. Guess what… We Found Nemo! From there we found a few books for mommy and then headed over to check our books out. The library now has a self check out section, so Abby got to help scan the books and make sure they were demagnetized.

After the library we headed to the park and played for a bit. Abby bounced around from one jungle gym to the next, over to the seesaw, to the swings and then back to the jungle gym. It was a quiet day and most of the kids at the park were hanging out in the play areas for bigger kids. Its ok, Abby has a great imagination and ran everywhere making up games as she went along.

Before long Abby was exhausted. So we left the park and stopped for a drink; it was a pretty warm day. On the way back to the valley to pick up Ellie, Abby passed out and took what I would assume was a very good nap. She was snoring! Nothing like a great ending to a great day, and it was so wonderful to have some one on one time with my punkin!

Park Time!

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Yesterday we finally had a cool enough day to head to the park. FINALLY! It was a gorgeous day too. We headed to one of our favorite parks. The day was sunny but warm with a beautiful breeze. It was wonderful! Our day went a little something like this…

Abby gave me her face to say, please mom… can we go? I said yes of course!

When we got to the park, we set our stuff down and headed for the sandbox. I took Ellie’s shoes off and as usual, she did not like the feel of the sand on her feet.

Abby, who didnt want me to take pictures, headed to play in the sandbox with a small group of kids and help build sandcastles. Abby was hard at work. Making sandcastles can be serious business!

Ellie was content playing on the foam floor and the small toddler jungle gym. Its easy to stay entertained when you are 13 months old.

After the sandbox, Abby wanted to hop onto the swings for a bit. Ellie wasn’t too sure about them but that’s OK, Abby had a blast and even worked on pumping her legs so that she could move the swing herself.!

After the swings we headed to our spot under the tree and had a lovely little picnic, complete with blueberries, bananas, grapes, pretzels, tangerines and nectarines. Yummy!

As we sat for lunch, Ellie started to chase the birds. Boy did she love those birds, but they always ran away from her!

After our little picnic it was back to playing! Now for a bit of time on the perfectly sized play area for toddlers and preschoolers!

With a lot of time spent running around the play area, we headed to the swings. This time Ellie got into her swing without a moments hesitation. Once we got swinging, she loved it! I think she loves the swings even more then Abby does, if that’s even possible. This time in, Abby got the hang of it and was able to pump her legs and swing on her own! Although, she still wanted mommy to push her.

After a long time spent on the swings we called it a day. We packed up our items and headed home. The fun of the park continued at home and even kept the girls from napping. I thought all the fun and fresh air would have made them nap even longer but alas, I was wrong.

It was such a wonderful day at the park! I hope the heat stays away so we can go every day!

A Relaxing Saturday… Just What We Needed!

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There isnt much to say about our relaxing Saturday, other then we needed it. After the time spent in the hospital and all of the worry that surrounded Ellie and of course how all of this would effect Abby, left us feeling a bit stressed and worn out. So when we felt it was ok to do so, we got out of the house and headed for the park. The day was perfect, in the high 70’s, sunny and a cool breeze coming in from the Pacific. Thanks to Erika and Harrison’s birthday party we now have a great new park to go to.

When we got there Abby wanted to head directly to the swings and there she stayed for nearly 45 minutes. Shaun was finally able to get her to move on, but it took some persuasion. From there she ran around the toddler sized play area, hit the slide a few times, and had herself a wonderful time. She even had a little friend to play with, until that child started pushing her and her parents where nowhere to be found to prevent it. Who leaves their child unattended at a busy park?!(I wont get myself started on that one) Abby had a wonderful time and Ellie slept peacefully in the stroller.








After a few hours at the park, Shaun thought that we should take off and head down to the beach. Of course, I agreed! It was a perfect day. We didnt stay long, but Abby enjoyed playing in the sand and chasing the seagulls. Ellie, of course, was asleep or hungry and fussy during her first trip to the beach. But thats ok… we still enjoyed our time. I love that I was able to snap some great pictures too.








Precious Moments

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I have to admit that before we had Abby, I didn’t always look at the “less eventful” moments as being some of the most precious moments. Of course, the day I met Shaun, the day I married him and the day Abby was born are forever precious to me. However, there are the smaller moments in life that are just as wonderful and just as precious. Like our trips to the park for example.

Abby and I love to go to the park when we can steal a moment. Its such a great way to get out, get some fresh air, spend some mommy/Abby time together and give Abby the chance to really stretch her legs. So yesterday we made sure to take the time and go. We hopped into the car and headed to Conejo Creek Park behind the Thousand Oaks Library, one of my favorites. We hit the swings first, which made Abby so happy. She loves the swings and I am sure the pictures I have prove that. We also tried out the baby slide for the first time and that was a hit. She loved it so much that when it was time to go, Abby had a bit of a meltdown. Oh well, after a snack and picking out a few books at the library… it was as though the meltdown never happened.

The thing I cherish most about our trips out to the park are Abby’s giggles and laughs when she is truly happy and having fun. That giggle and her smile melt my heart and make my day. These are moments I will cherish for eternity.





A Moment at the Park

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On our way home from work, Abby and I stopped at my favorite park to swing and play. Abby loves the swings. Luckily the light was just perfect and I was able to snap a few great pictures of Abby having fun on her swing. OH, and the mark on her forehead… one of her first major injuries from walking. Yes folks, walking can be dangerous especially when you are just learning.