Tag: Ellie

Christmas Vacation In Montana… A Trip to the Museum and the Last Night of 2011

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Its the last day of 2011! Can you believe it?! Where did the year go? Instead of dwelling on how quickly the year passed we decided to take the girls and head on over with my parents and sister to the Museum of the Rockies. The girls and I visited the museum back in May when we were in town for Jillian’s graduation and they had a great exhibit on frogs. This time there were two exhibits, both of which were very interesting.

The first was a photo gallery of music legends taken from the works of many famous photographers and photo journalists. All of the adults found it to be very interesting but the girls didn’t share our sentiments. The second was called “Mayan Gold” and it displayed artifacts found in a Mayan burial site in Panama. For those who are thinking it, no nothing was mentioned regarding the “Mayan Prophecy or Doomsday theories” as it was completely irrelevant to the site. Instead it was able to give the public some insight on how the Mayan culture viewed death, burial and the afterlife. Their ability to work with gold, other precious metals and gemstones was impressive. Once again the adults really seemed to enjoy it but the girls, BORED TO DEATH!


After trying to enjoy the first two exhibits as best we could, we headed to some spots that the girls would enjoy. The girls had the chance to play and build with some Lincoln Logs as well as see Abby’s favorite spot, the Dinosaurs!


After enjoying the Dinosaurs we took the girls to the place we knew Abby was waiting for, The Yellowstone Trail which is a play area for children that teaches all about Yellowstone and the outdoors. The girls had a blast! Ellie enjoyed the toddler section, rolling and jumping around on the mats that are meant to look like the Lower Yellowstone falls. She found a few favorite toys as well and made a couple of friends. Abby took off and did a bit of fishing and watching through binoculars at the fire lookout. She even started to get a little bossy with the other kids, collecting all of the binoculars and keeping several little boys from taking them. She told them it was time to clean up and they couldn’t have them. Gee, where did she get that from? It took one of the little boys telling Grandpa Jerry that she wasn’t sharing before giving them back. Oh Abby…



Before we knew it the museum was closing and it was time for us to head back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We still had a whole night a head of us and the New Year to ring in. Now it was time for the girls to take a nap and Shaun and I to rest. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV, talking with family and eating our traditional Chinese food.



Its getting close to midnight and the girls are still going! Shaun and I are ready for bed but I think the girls are on their second or third wind. I hope they can make it to midnight and then pass out as soon as we get into the car!

Christmas Vacation In Montana… Christmas, Birthdays and a Little White Surprise

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As our trip continues, so does the fun and excitement. The next morning was spent at Grandma and Grandpa’s again. We started everything off with a tradition I remember as a little girl, German Pancake brunch. After brunch the girls dug in to another round of presents. Santa made another stop! Abby and Ellie had a ton to open and boy did they enjoy it. By this point, Ellie had gift opening down to a science. Well, as much of a science as a 17 month old can have. Boy are these girls lucky. Santa brought them a lot of neat toys and clothes!






After all of the presents were opened we took some time again to relax and enjoy the afternoon. It also gave us time to let our yummy brunch digest. The girls watched some TV and napped for a bit, while Shaun and I spent time talking and catching up with my parents. As evening approached we made ourselves presentable and headed out to Three Forks for a lovely dinner at the Sacajawea Inn. Dinner was a belated birthday gift to Shaun and boy was it tasty! Shaun was even honored with a birthday dessert. Luckily he was spared the singing and official embarrassment that comes with a birthday dinner. Dont worry Shaun, there are plenty more birthdays down the road for us to embarrass you.







As we left Three Forks the weather began to change. First it was raining, then a bit of slush, which then turned into grapple, and then finally turned into snow as we reached city limits in Bozeman. Abby was finally going to get some snow!

Abby fell asleep during the car ride back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, but she was pleasantly surprised to wake up to all of that white stuff falling from the sky. She was dressed and ready to play within minutes and once outside, she jumped right in… literally. Out of nowhere she fell backwards into the snow and started making snow angels. By the time I came back out to see her, she was having Shaun push into the snow instead of falling on her own. Abby threw a few snowballs and because the snow was falling so fast and in large flakes, she helped daddy write her name in the middle of the street. Then to end the night, Abby helped Grandpa build a snowman. It wasn’t a complete snowman, due in part to the stickiness of the snow and the fact that it was pulling up grass as they rolled it, but Abby loved it.



Lucky for us the snow finally fell and Abby got her wish! She had so much fun that she was asleep the minute our car started rolling back to the condo. What a wonderful end to the day.

Christmas Vacation In Montana… The First Three Days

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If you know how far California is from Montana, then you know it takes at least a day and a half to get there by car with two children under the age of four. It was an adventurous trip with an unlikely run in with a local from Dillon Montana. Needless to say we were happy to arrive in Bozeman safe, sound and somewhat sane. After settling into our condo rental we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Taylor’s house for dinner and a chance to catch up. As you can tell, dinner was yummy.



After dinner and a few laps around my parents house the girls were finally ready to go to sleep, which means Shaun and I were well past that point. The following morning we slept in as best we could and then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa’s to hang out. Shaun and I had the chance to sneak off for a bit to spend a few hours to ourselves too! The girls had the chance to open Christmas gifts from Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Great Grandma Prueter and we had an amazing dinner at Santa Fe Red’s, a Mexican Restaurant in Bozeman.







It was a casual day but that’s how vacations are supposed to be. Shaun and I had time to ourselves, the girls had time with family and we had time to relax. The only thing missing was snow. Yup… not a single flake in the air or on the ground. Its been an unusually warm winter in Montana so far. I am now doing a snow dance so that Abby can play in the snow she keeps talking on and on about. Fingers crossed!

Christmas Day 2011

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Merry Christmas everyone! It was a wonderful Christmas in the Wharton house full of presents, love and yummy treats. Santa came to our house and the girls were certainly excited to see all of the goodies underneath our tree. Santa also left a lot in our sttockings, which were “hung by the TV with care”. We don’t have a fireplace, so this was the next best place to put them.

Abby was excited to open presents at first but then I think became a little overwhelmed by it all. We have to remember that she is only three and while she understands a lot there is still plenty that she doesn’t understand. But, she was very thrilled with the Sleeping Beauty Doll and the Leap Pad Explorer that Santa brought. Ellie enjoyed it all and really got the hang of opening presents, so much so that I think she liked opening them more then playing with the actual present itself.







After presents we ate a bit of the brunch Daddy made, cleaned up the aftermath of present opening and headed over to Grandpa and Nana’s house for Christmas dinner and a few more presents. Fiona’s father, Neal joined us for dinner as well. It was very nice to see him again and catch up! It was his first time meeting Ellie and Abby has grown by leaps and bounds since we saw him last.



Dinner was fantastic! Nana Fiona made the most amazing creamed corn I have ever had! Everything else was delicious too, from the green bean casserole to the cauliflower with cheese and the very tasty ham. After dinner we opened presents while we waited to make room for a yummy dessert. Abby and Ellie were given a princess kitchen by Grandpa, Nana and Uncle James and shopping carts for each of them from Aunt Brittany. I think those items were the hit of the day!

When presents had been opened and our tummies found enough room for a little bit more to eat, we enjoyed a lovely cake from Portos Bakery thanks to Aunt Brittany. The rest of the evening was spent visiting, enjoying presents and taking in as much as we could before Christmas passed us by. Once it had, the next items on our list was to get ready for our trip to Montana. So Merry Christmas everyone and here is to Montana!

Cute Christmas Memories

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After I put the girls to bed tonight I sat in our room to wrap some presents and start packing for our trip. The girls were still chattering away and you could tell the excitement of Christmas was getting to them. Jack was outside on the back patio and started to bark at one thing or another. From the girls room I hear Abby say…

” Ellie did you hear that? It must be Santa! Jack is barking at Santa! Quick go to sleep!”

I could not help but giggle. What a cutie! I love that this is the first year that Abby is really getting the idea of Christmas and Santa Claus. It’s still a bit overwhelming for her at times, but she is excited for it and hasn’t stopped talking about Santa, trees, lights and presents since I decorated the house back in November. Boy will I cherish these moments! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve in 2011… The Relaxing Whartons

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Christmas came upon us fast again. It was Thanksgiving and then before I knew it… it was Christmas Eve! Even though I felt ahead of the game several weeks before Christmas, I still felt rushed once it was here. Luckily our Christmas Eve was quiet and relaxed. Grandma Zoe came over to spend the evening with us eating a lovely dinner and opening lots of presents. The girls were very blessed by Santa and Grandma Zoe. From adorable Peppa Pig toys and clothes from Europe to books and art items the girls have a lot of new and lovely things.

Because we are heading to Montana in just a few days, we decided to keep dinner simple and ordered and pre-made meal from Marie Calendars. I have to say… pretty tasty for a dinner that came out of a giant box! I liked it a lot and it was pretty mess free.









After wonderful food, lots of gifts and time spent together with Grandma the girls headed off to bed. Before snuggling in for the night Shaun and I checked NORAD to see where Santa was. At that moment he was in Northwest Territories, Canada! Not too far from California! So, we rushed them quickly to bed so that Santa wouldn’t miss our house. The excitement kept them up for a bit, but eventually they fell asleep.


Once the girls were out, the tree was turned back on and filled with gifts from Santa and Mommy and Daddy. I went to bed excited by the idea that in the morning the girls, especially Abby, would wake up excited to see what was under the tree! One of the many joys of being a mom of young children. Merry Christmas everyone!

One Last Time… Disneyland with Grandma Zoe!

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I am sure I will get a few jokes about the amount of time we spend at Disneyland, but oh well! We love the Magic Kingdom! Yesterday we headed to Disneyland but this time Grandma Zoe came with. Grandma has not been to Disneyland since Shaun was a kid, so this was pretty exciting as a lot has changed at Disneyland since then!

We arrived in the afternoon ready to have a lot of fun. Abby was very excited! We walked around Main Street, giving Grandma the chance to take everything in and enjoy all of the Christmas decorations. After a walk through the castle, we stopped into the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to get the two little princesses their proper tiaras. Once they were adorned with their new royal head decorations we wheeled on over to Big Thunder Ranch to get a picture with Santa Clause.





I was worried about the picture with Santa, knowing how children freak out when they see a fat man with a face full of hair but the girls were great! Abby sat right on his lap and when he asked what she wanted for Christmas she was eager to tell him… “A Sleeping Beauty Doll”. Ellie didn’t cry and seemed okay with Santa, but you could tell she planned on keeping an eye on this guy.

When we finished with pictures we headed back to Fantasyland. Abby is now tall enough to ride a few roller coasters and it was time for her to give one a try. She has been asking for a few months now but we needed to wait for a time when Daddy could go. If she became scared or overwhelmed we knew Daddy was the best person for her to ride with. But, she didn’t get scared at all! As the ride first started she screamed just like she hears other people do and when we got to the top she put her arms up! She even got to see the Abominable Snow Man!


After a Disneyland first for Abby, we headed over to California Adventure for more rides! After The Little Mermaid, almost all of the rides in a Bugs Land, and Monsters Inc. we made our way to the Disneyland Hotel for a very special dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen! Abby has never been before and we knew she would enjoy having dinner and seeing a lot of the Disney characters, which we did. Goofy, Pluto, Snow White, Chip and Dale, Baloo, and Minnie Mouse all came by and took pictures with both of the girls. Dinner was yummy and I am sure Abby appreciated being at a place where getting out of your chair during dinner to dance and play is actually encouraged! Ellie was a little apprehensive of most of the characters but when it came to Minnie, she was very excited and had no problem giving her a big kiss on the nose.





After dinner, we headed back into the park but decided to take the Monorail over. This was Abby and Ellie’s first ride on the monorail and they loved it. Mommy and Daddy, however, had a ton of fun getting on and off. What a hassle! For those of you with double strollers, don’t take the monorail! Apparently, California State Law requires that all strollers be completely folded up in order to ride the monorail. Most double strollers dont fold up easily, especially when loaded with diaper bags, food and all the crud you drag with you to a day at Disneyland. I am sure plenty of people where laughing at us as they watched us get on and off, but I know Shaun and I were not. Oh well, the girls enjoyed the ride and that’s all that matters.

When we arrived back into the park, we headed off for a few more rides. We made sure to get on Its A Small World because Ellie loves this one and Grandma Zoe has never seen it all done up for the holidays. From there we found a few more rides to go on and then slowly made our way back to the car. The girls were passed out in the stoller and ready to head to bed. Abby went with Grandma to have a slumber party at her house and fun was had by all. It was the perfecting ending to our last trip to Disneyland in 2011! Until next year!

Christmas Time Is Here

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Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is in the air! This week I pulled out the Christmas bins and decorated the house. Today Shaun pulled out our tree (yes its fake and no I am not thrilled about it) and set it up to decorate. The girls were very excited about the tree, especially Abby. I have to say I am very excited this year because Abby is now at that age where she is starting to understand the idea of Christmas and of course, Santa! She asks all the time about Santa and now every morning when she wakes up she asks if its Christmas. Its cute now, but lets hope it doesn’t wear out its cute factor too soon. I love that she is so excited and even though Ellie doesnt understand yet, the excitement is infectious. Ellie squealed when she saw the tree and all the lights.
I have to say, Christmas is even better with small children around. I love seeing their faces light up when they see things or you talk about Santa and Christmas day. I truly enjoy experiencing the magic of the season through the eyes, of my children. What a blessing it has been! So in that spirit Welcome to the Christmas Season and enjoy the beauty this time of year brings!

Ellie is 17 Months!

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Ellie is 17 months today and still refuses to stop growing! I wish I could keep her little forever but unfortunately that just not how life works. Despite my wish to keep her at a certain age, she grows and changes every day. She is starting to talk even more and put sentences together. I have a feeling that once she is really talking, I wont be able to get her to stop.

Ellie is now obsessed with cheese, to the point that when I cut her off we have full blown meltdowns. I do remember this phase with Abby as well. Ellie also loves blocks. She can sit for hours putting things together with her blocks and then taking them apart. Maybe we have an architect or an engineer in our future? I guess we will see! Ellie also follows Abby around everywhere and wants to do whatever she is doing. As a big sister I know this can get to be a bit much, but for the most part they are very loving to one another and Ellie is learning to do a lot because of her big sister and she is learning it fast too! Time flies and continues to march on. I look forward to the changes another month will bring.

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Thanksgiving 2011

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There isn’t much I can say about Thanksgiving that cant be told by our pictures. We had a wonderful relaxed day. This year we decided to do the traditional feast instead of the BBQ we did last year. Shaun’s turkey came out amazing! It was extremely tasty and very moist. No dry turkey in our house! Grandma Zoe came over and spent a few days with us, hanging out and watching the girls. After dinner we decided to brave the crowds and do a little Black Friday shopping at midnight. Don’t worry, it wasn’t us involved in the crazy pepper spraying at the Wal-Mart just down the street from us. Our patience and casual approach to our Black Friday shopping paid off. We were able to go out and find some great deals, like my Dirt Devil Stick Vac for only $10! We also have a new LED HD TV downstairs that we love so far. It was a steal too but I will keep the price of that to myself. 🙂 Happy early Christmas to us!







Bridal Shower and Hockey… Huh?

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Today was a busy day but a fun one! This afternoon I attended a bridal shower for my dear friend Jackie Wessely. Her shower was a wonderful tea party theme and Cameo (another dear friend of mine) did an amazing job as host and planner. She did it all eight months pregnant too! I had a lovely time and it was great to catch up with friends and meet a few new people too!

After the shower I rushed home and got myself and the house ready for the Kings game. Our friends Erika, Byron and Harrison were coming over to watch with us, which really means they came over to talk and have fun while the kids played and the game would be the background. It was! Abby had a special date to the mall with Daddy while I was at the shower which meant she came home with a few new things. Abby was nice and decided Harrison needed something too, so she gave him a cool Lightening McQueen car. They had a blast playing it! Also, lots of credit to Byron for finding the smallest piece on a toy I have ever seen that is crucial to keeping a tire on. How you found it I will never know!

Abby, Harrison and Ellie had a great time playing, having snacks, and occasionally watching the game. Shaun and I had a wonderful time cathing up with our good friends and enjoying the company of other adults. To top it all off the Kings won too! A perfect night and fun was had by all!
Erika’s cupcakes were very yummy… as always!

Taking a small break to watch the game. Chasing a boy around the house is tiring work!

This is what happens when it gets too quiet in the other room. It’s veggies dip art!