Click Here for an article posted by the National Baseball Conference (NBC) regarding the win. Congrats again and we cannot wait to see you when you get home! Abby says, “Can we see Uncle James now?” See you soon and enjoy the win!
The main reason I miss Montana is my family. I miss being near them and in a way I am jealous that they live in such an amazing place. I love the mountains and could move there in a heartbeat. Yes, that includes living there during the winter.
One of the things I love about being in the mountains is the late summer thunderstorms. I have so many wonderful memories of sitting with my dad while we were on vacation in Provo or Yellowstone or anywhere in the mountains for that matter, watching the lightening and listening to the thunder as storms rolled in. They are some of the best and most cherished moments.
Just this past week, a fantastic thunderstorm rolled through the Gallatin Valley. My dad, the wonderful photographer that he is, captured some beautiful images as the storm came in. When I saw them, I knew I needed to include them on our blog. Oh how my heart aches for weather like this and the mountains of Montana. At least through these wonderful photographs I can enjoy them.
While I may not be there with him, watching the ligtening and listening to the thunder, its like we are once again enjoying those storms together, as we did when I was a little girl. Thanks Dad!
Today we took Grandma Zoe for a surprise birthday trip. What is the surprise you say? Well, we took her to see Mary Poppins The Musical down in Costa Mesa! Not only was this a surprise to Grandma Zoe, it was a great surprise to Abby. Mary Poppins is her favorite movie and the first and only movie that she ever watched all the way through (and still does to this day)
Our drive down to Costa Mesa was done in record time so we stopped at South Coast Plaza for some lunch. When we finished we headed on over to the theater. Abby got her own souvenir book which she patiently looked through as we waited for the show to begin.
Abby overlooking the stage and what was a fun filled and magical journey with Mary Poppins.
Look at my Marry Poppins purse Mommy! It looks just like her bag!
The name on the wall says it all!
Such a beautiful theater complex.
Before we go, Say Cheese with Mary Poppins!
Such a fun day, Say Cheese one more time!
When the show was over and Abby said hello to everyone on her way out, telling them about all the characters she was treated to a few souvenirs. Grandma Zoe got her a small umbrella and a purse that looks just like Mary Poppins carpet bag. Daddy and I got her a beautiful snow globe and even Ellie got a little something too, despite not being there with us. The day was great and I am so glad that at the age of 2 years 10 months Abby was able to sit and enjoy her first Broadway Show. What a wonderful day!
You travel to California to visit family and there is a college graduation to celebrate, so where do you go? Disneyland of course! My parents planned a surprise trip to Disneyland for Jillian’s graduation present which included a friend. Luckily she was able to twist Drisana’s arm to join her on a fun filled day. But the best part… we were invited to come along too! Because of the surprise, Shaun could not come with us and we missed him very much. Im sure he missed being with us as well.
The day had a few unexpected surprises. The first was the heat. Yes, we knew it would be a day in the low 80’s in Anaheim which wasn’t a problem but it was the humidity that nearly melted all of us. By the time we arrived at 9am the heat was intense. Oh, well… it didn’t stop our day.
Our first stop was California Adventure and The Little Mermaid. Lucky for us the park had just opened so we walked right on. Abby loved it so much that she asked to ride it again! And of course mommy couldn’t say no, so we did! Next on the list was Toy Story Midway Mania. On our way to ride Toy Story , we ran into none other then the mouse himself! Abby was super excited to see Mickey Mouse and wanted a picture with him, so much so that she tried to cut in front of everyone. Luckily we were able to hold Abby back and get her to wait her turn.
After our photo session with Mickey Mouse, we headed to Toy Story. Abby was already starting to lose steam and it was only 11am! Luckily Auntie Jillian was there to cuddle and rest up with before getting onto Toy Story. After a fun filled, 3D experience and a fun water mister/fan that Grandpa bought, Abby perked right up.
Sitting down with our water misters and fans, Jillian and Drisana took off to ride California Screamin’. As we waited two of Abby’s favorite characters made an appearance… Buzz and Woody. Buzz had to leave but Abby did get him to give her a high five. Woody stuck around though and she had the chance to take a picture with him as well as talk to Woody. Im not sure what she talked about, but she was certainly cute about it.
After the excitement of Woody we left California Adventure and headed over to Disneyland. Jillian’s one request for the day was lunch at Blue Bayou and lucky for her they had a reservation available for a large party. Everyone seemed very happy to be inside, in the dark where it was nice and cool with endless glasses of water. Both of the girls enjoyed their yummy Mac N Cheese and Ellie loved her hat. Argh Matey!
Once our bellies were stuffed with yummy food we thought it would be a good idea to go on Pirates of the Caribbean. I mean, we were right there and its a great ride that allows you to just sit, relax and let your food digest a bit. Abby has been on Pirates a few times but does not remember and obviously this was Ellie’s first time. Both of them enjoyed it. Ellie even fell asleep in Grandpa’s arms. Abby loved the drops and even tried to put her hands up for both of them. Sometimes its hard to tell if she likes something while its going on, but once we were off the ride she couldn’t stop talking about it.
After Pirates we headed over to the Haunted Mansion. Ellie stayed behind with Grandma and Grandpa Taylor after falling back to sleep in her stroller. Abby was excited to go on, but you could tell there was a bit of hesitation. The section of the ride in the elevator bothered her a bit, mostly because people were screaming but she survived and enjoyed the rest of the ride. After the Mansion it was off to Winnie the Pooh and then Jillian and Drisana decided they wanted to ride Splash Mountain. While they waited in line, we headed over to Big Thunder Ranch to see all the barnyard animals. Abby got to meet all of the goats, a cow and a donkey! What excitement. All the while Ellie slept.
Once the ranch started to close up we found a nice shady spot to enjoy and decided it was time for Abby to take a much needed nap. It took some effort but she finally passed out. When Jillian and Drisana finished at Splash Mountain, they met up with us and we took advantage of the fact that both girls were sleeping soundly. So Jillian, Drisana, Grandpa and myself headed over to Big Thunder. The wait was quick and we were on in no time. It has been years since I have been on a ride at Disneyland with my dad, so it was certainly special to sit next to him on Big Thunder. We had a blast and we could even see Grandma sitting with Abby and Ellie on one of the last big turns. Luckily she saw us too!
After our spin on Big Thunder, we made the decision to head over to Matterhorn and ride that while the girls were still asleep. On our way were trapped in the usual parade crowd. Luckily we found a decent spot to stop and watch, since we were stuck and Abby woke up just in time to see some of her favorite characters like Mickey, Minnie, Tiana, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Rapunzel and last but certainly not least, Mary Poppins. It was worth the delay, especially to watch Abby’s little face.
After the parade we hopped onto Matterhorn and then headed for a bite to eat. With full tummies we made our way back to our lockers to change shoes and clothes for the night. On our way back into the park we were able to find ourselves a nice place to watch the fireworks right on Main Street. Abby enjoyed them, when she wasn’t dazed and resting her head on Grandpa’s shoulder. She did perk up when she saw Tinker Bell and Dumbo flying. After the fireworks we took off to ride the Finding Nemo Submarines. This time Grandpa stayed behind with Ellie, who had fallen asleep again and Grandma rode with us. I think this, out of all the rides, was by far Abby’s favorite. When we got off the ride Abby couldn’t stop talking about Nemo and Dory and all of their friends.
When we were done with Nemo, we decided to throw in the towel and while Jillian and Drisana headed over to Indiana Jones and a few others, we wandered through the stores and made our way to the end of Main Street. We couldn’t leave without a few souvenirs! Once all of the shopping was done and we had literally closed up with the park, we made our way to our cars and headed home. We were tired and weary travelers, but I know we had all had fun. It is, after all, Disneyland.
Its Ellie’s First Birthday and its time to party! It was actually a small celebration with close family and friends but fun was had by all. Ellie seemed a little overwhelmed by all of the people in her house, but she warmed up eventually. Shaun and I had planned to have people enjoy our patio as well as the house, but unfortunately the day turned out to be a scorcher! Nearly 100 degrees! We still BBQed, but most of the party stayed inside where the AC was going full blast. Thank goodness we kept things small otherwise no one would have fit in the house!
It is very obvious that there is a lot of love for our girls. Ellie was given a lot for her birthday, including a handmade hat from Jackie Escobar. Her hat matched her birthday dress perfectly and Ellie looked adorable in it.
Birthday cake time was a blast. Ellie wore her birthday hat, well… just for a moment. When the cake was first brought out, Ellie went straight for the candles and of course looked around at us like we were nuts for singing. We werent that bad! But once the candles were blown out it didnt take long for Ellie’s fingers to find her way to the cake. Once she realized that it was ok to tough the cake, she was all over it. It didnt take long before the cake was demolished and all over Ellie. Abby, Emily and Harrison helped a little too and snuck a taste when they could.
After cake was done, it was time for presents. Once again it was obvious how much Ellie is loved. She recieved a lot of beautiful things from clothes to toys and a few cute dolls. Ellie played a lot and loved her presents, even though she had no interest in them as we opened them. She was more interested in a puzzle that Abby had received from Grandma Zoe. Boy, was she great at that puzzle!
While it was a hot day and a small party we all had a wonderful time. My parents made it all the way from Montana and had the chance to see some people they had not seen in quite some time. Friends and family talked, laughed and had a wonderful time. It was yet another successful birthday party!
This weekend we decided to start a small garden on our porch, nothing big since we dont have a lot od space but enough for us to enjoy and even use. We bought a bougainvillea, a pumpkin plant and herbs that we can hopefully grow and use in the kitchen. Abby loved helping daddy transfer the plants into their pots, although I have to say she had more fun playing in the dirt then anything else. After all of the planting festivities we headed to the pool to cool off and enjoy the rest of the day. I love lazy weekends and creating our very own garden.
Shaun and Abby add dirt to the pot for our herb garden.
Little Abby hand prints in the dirt. Love these memories.
Shaun and Abby place the first of five herb plants. This one would be our Oregano, yummy!
Our mini porch garden! A bougainvillea and our herb pot filled with basil, oregano, thyme, dill and chives. I see a lot of yummy and well seasoned food in our future.
Ellie is showing off her new bathing suit and some excited smiles for the pool. Love my little fishy.
After a long swim, its always nice to snuggle up into your towel and just hang out.
Its tired smiles for Ellie after a nice long swim.Memorial Day Weekend was a quiet and relaxing one. After all of the travel and events in April and May, it was nice to finally have a weekend that involved very little. The girls, Shaun and myself ran a few errands, took a few drives and on Sunday headed to the pool for a nice swim. The weather has still been a bit cool, but that doesn’t stop our little fishies from jumping in. Luckily the pools are heated too.
This was the first time we had gone up to the community pool at our house and it was very nice! There is a small wading pool for kids, which allowed Abby and Ellie the chance to splash and walk around. Abby even tried to swim on her own and practice her kicking. She also had fun splashing daddy as best she can.
After a bit of time, Abby convinced Shaun to take her into the big pool. She loved it the first moment she splashed in and Shaun had his hands full. They bounced all over the pool, kicking, splashing, learning to swim. It was hard to pull Abby out of the pool.
Ellie had a great time too. After a long month of being terrified of the water for some unknown reason, I was able to ease Ellie into the pool. Once she was used to it, I couldnt stop her from splashing around. Ellie was now a fishy too!
The Memorial Day weekend wasn’t all that eventful, but we had a great time. Nothing like spending time in the pool and relaxing with my family.
Leaving a favorite place is always hard to do, especially when its my parents and sister. Saying our goodbyes was difficult and of course I pulled away from their house with a heavy heart and many tears in my eyes, but I had to go.
I decided our last route Montana would be through Gallatin canyon. It was a beautiful warm morning and based on the height of the river, you could tell the rising heat had started some major Spring melt off. We then hit Yellowstone Park boundary one last time, eyes peeled to see once last bear, wolf, coyote or fox. Aside from bison we didn’t see much else.
We stayed in Salt Lake City that night and after circling Point of the Mountain a few times, because my phone navigation couldn’t find the hotel, I gave up and used my own instincts. They were correct and once we settled into the hotel we went for dinner and then hit the hay.
The following day we drove from Salt Lake City to St. George. It was a short drive so I wasn’t complaining. What made up for that was the weather. Between Salt Lake City and St. George, which is only about a 4 hour drive, we encountered a multitude if weather. Everything from rain, thunder, lightning and wind, to hail, sleet, snow and sunshine. Pretty impressive for May!
We stopped that night and stayed with Great Grandma Taylor(my grandma). Once again the girls and I had the chance to visit with family and enjoy a relaxing day. It was truly the perfect final visit of our trip. The next morning we woke up early and hit the road, hoping to beat some of the heat across the desert. On our way out of town we stopped to “visit” Great Grandpa Taylor (my grandpa). I had the chance to introduce Abby and Ellie to him and I know he was there watching and listening.
It was hard to explain to Abby what we were doing exactly and of course the concept of someone passing away, but there was definitively a calm about her. She was listening to me and seemed interested. It made my heart sore. Sometimes I feel as though we don’t give children enough credit and we dont realize that they know and understand more then we think they do. No matter what, it was the perfect end to a wonderful trip.
Running around, wrapped in her blankie and adorned with a wand and tiara, Abby was put through the rigors of princess training, hosted by her Auntie Jillian. This kept Abby busy for a good hour and was probably one of the funniest things I have seen her do. Auntie Jillian showed her how to walk like a princess, wave like a princess, toss her hair like a princess and of course curtsy like a princess. Abby had a blast and it was a perfect last night with family. Ah the memories we make!
Today we headed over to Anaconda to visit with Great Grandma Prueter, Aunt Diane and Uncle Barry. It was a quick but relaxed visit, giving us time to just talk and enjoy family before heading back home. Great Grandma Prueter (my grandma), was excited to spent a bit more time with us and I know the girls and I felt the same way. Abby and Ellie had the chance to “bond” with Sasha the Cat, but after a bit she took off for a nice cozy spot in the house. Sasha is a bit of a skittish kitty so the fact she hung out as long is did around little kids was impressive.
Abby talks to Sasha and tells her “Dont be scared Sasha, you cant be scared!”
It was nice to once again have four generations of family together at once. I hated to leave but I enjoyed the time we had. The drive there and back was also wonderful, taking back roads as opposed to the highway. It was our last chance to see and enjoy Montana and family… and we did.
Yup… today was trip number three for the Wharton girls to Yellowstone since we have been here. One might say I have a problem, but I think its better to say that its a love for such a wonderful place. Its just what I do.
After a disaster of a breakfast at the Pop Stand, something I would have never expected from this wonderful little diner, we headed out to Yellowstone with what looked to be great weather and hopeful to see many animals. After a stop in Mammoth we made our way out to Lamar Valley and what did we find. A cute little black bear! Well he is cute from the car but I respect what this animal can do, especially when just waking up from a winter’s nap and looking for food. We watched him eat and play and scratch himself for quite some time before continuing on our way. But, we were happy to see a bear so early into our trip.
After our black bear sighting, we didnt see much else in the way of animals in Lamar. The drive was beautiful though and between this trip and our last a lot of snow had melted. I could even see the grass and wildflowers starting to grow. On our return trip back to Mammoth, we stopped at Undine Falls for a few pictures. Its a spot we usually pass on our trips and one I haven’t stopped at in quite some time, so I thought it would be a nice change of pace. Abby enjoyed it and had a bit of time to explore with Grandpa Jerry too.
From there we headed down the west side of the park, over to Canyon for a stop to look in the shops and then headed out to Hayden Valley. The road from Canyon, through Hayden Valley over to East Entrance, South Entrance and over Craigs Pass to Old Faithful had opened just yesterday so I was excited to take this route. We had packed sandwiches and snacks for the day and decided that we would stop along the Yellowstone River to eat a late lunch. Once again, Abby had the chance to picnic in the back of Grandma and Grandpa’s car and she had a blast! When lunch was finished Grandpa Jerry walked along the large pull out with Abby, letting her stop to play in the snow that was still piled pretty high. Abby loves the snow and tries to take any chance she can to play in it.
As we were stopped and watching birds along the Yellowstone, two American White Pelicans landed in a small tributary near us. They moved away from us a few times but after following them around we watched them swim along, doing a synchronized water ballet. The two are a mating pair and the horn on their bills only appear during mating season. The Pelicans were so beautiful to watch we probably could have stayed there all afternoon. However, a Blue Heron didnt seem to like having them around and after about 10 minutes they took off to another spot along the Yellowstone, out of the sight of people.
Watching the Pelicans lulled us into a a relaxed state, but Yellowstone has a way of doing that to you. It was time to move on and see some more. We headed through Hayden Valley down to Yellowstone Lake. Despite the warmth and beauty of the day, it was obvious that Yellowstone Lake was still frozen over, but it was a beautiful and impressive sight to see.
As the day started to fade we headed over Craigs Pass, past Old Faithful and back towards Mammoth. On our trip from Madison to Norris we came across a small clearing. Standing in it was a small fox, whose coat was close to finishing its turn from white winter to red. Its hard to spot a fox due to the fact that they are extremely shy animals but we were able to stop and snap a few pictures before he or she disappeared into the tree line. Jillian, who looks to find a fox as hard as I look for wolves, had the chance to see another fox in Yellowstone. Along that same stretch of road, we came across another bison caravan of females with their young. One of the calves still looked to be be very small and probably only a dew days old. It was still wobbly on its legs and had to stop often to lay down, but mom was patient and protective.
After all that had been seen that day, we left Yellowstone for the last time feeling happy. Its no wonder this place in the world is my happy place. Everytime I leave Yellowstone, I know I leave a piece of my heart there but I find it again when I return. Goodbye for now Yellowstone! We will be back again soon!
Today the weather finally changed and for the first time since being in Bozeman… I saw the sun! I knew this was a sign to get out of the house, so we did! Jillian, Grandpa, Abby, Ellie and I headed to the Museum of the Rockies for a day of adventure and exploration. Abby loves dinosaurs so I thought this would be a great place for her to go. As a bonus, they also had a frog exhibit! On our way in, we stopped for a quick picture with “Big Mike”, the resident T-Rex. Abby was in a bit of a bad mood at this point, but I think we got a good picture regardless.
Abby loved the frog exhibit and hasn’t stopped talking about it all day. I dont think I have seen so many frogs in one place! There were definitely a few that I didn’t love the look of, but at least they are behind glass. Most looked like what you would expect from a bull frog or a poison dart frog, but a few had me baffled. Several looked like big blobs while another looked a bit like a monkey!
After we pryed Abby away from the frog exhibit we wondered through an area dedicated to the history of Bozeman and Montana. Abby loved the old fashion fire trucks and of course the faux store front that replicated a gas station/home one might have seen in Montana in the 1920’s. After that we made our way over to Abby’s favorite spot, the Dinosaurs! Even though it was mostly fossils, she still loved them. I think Abby honestly thought she was in an episode of Dino Dan. I think her dinosaur face says it all.
As the adults tired of dinosaurs, we once again pulled Abby and Ellie away and headed to another exhibit that was recommended by Jillian. She had been to the Explore Yellowstone exhibit on a field trip with one of her classes for student teaching and had told me it was pretty neat. Well, Jillian was right! The exhibit was basically a place for kids to play and learn about the outdoors as well as the ecosystem of Yellowstone. Abby had the chance to dress up like a fire fighter, do some fishing, make a few geysers erupt, bounce around in an eagles nest and keep watch in a fire lookout.
I thought nothing would be more fun than dinosaurs and frogs, but I think Explore Yellowstone had them all beat. Abby did not want to leave but luckily she was hungry enough to be pulled away with the idea of lunch. She hasnt stopped talking about her trip to the “seum” and I have a feeling she will continue to talk about it months from now. I cant wait to take her back when Shaun is with us.
Our Journey Through Whatever Life throws our way
Our Journey Through Whatever Life throws our way
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Our Journey Through Whatever Life throws our way
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I am a pediatric surgery travel nurse, amateur photographer, and aspiring travel blogger, who hiked from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2017! Visiting all 59 National Parks before my 35th birthday!
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