Tag: Montana

Christmas Vacation In Montana… Cookies and Mommy/Daddy Time

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Our first day away, Shaun and I took advantage of being child free. What did we do? Slept in of course! Its not something we get to do often, if ever so it was really nice have some extra sleep. Our day was pretty simple. Once we were up and out of the house we drove around town and then headed out to a little place called The Coffee Pot. Its a small little cafe and pottery studio. The pottery they make on site is beautiful, so much so that I wanted to take everything home. Unfortunately their pieces were a bit on the expensive side, so I had to leave most of what they made there.



On the plus side I did get to enjoy one thing they are famous for besides pottery, their biscuits and gravy. Before I say anything else, I want to state for the record that I have never been a huge fan of biscuits and gravy. It never really appealed to me and the few times I had tried them I wasn’t impressed. I now realized its because I have never had anything that was good enough or worthy of eating. Until today. Shaun, who is very hard to impress when it comes to good food told me they were the best he had ever had after he took his first bite. I knew I had to at least try them and I am so glad I did. WOW… I cant describe them, but it was amazing. So bad for me but worth it.


After our yummy little excursion we headed to the one place I had a feeling we would end up going to… Yellowstone! Shaun was able to get a last minute reservation at our favorite hotel in Gardiner so we headed out. After we arrived and settled into our room, we drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs for dinner and it was amazing. Perfect weather, perfect food and all of it inside one of the places on earth that makes me very very happy.

While we were away that day the girls had a blast. Abby and Auntie Jillian made cookies and luckily Grandpa Jerry caught a few great pictures for us! Jillian says Abby was an excellent helper, especially when it came time to clean up the beater!





Our first day away was a huge success! The girls had a great time and Shaun and I had the chance to relax and enjoy each other, a wonderful city and head out to one of my happy places.

Christmas Vacation in Montana…. Happy New Year and Happy 18 Months to Ellie!

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Happy New Year! Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012! The girls both made it to midnight and rang in the New Year with all of us. I cant believe it, but then again these girls would stay up all night if they could. They are experts at the “do anything you can to stay awake” tactic. Also, not only is it the start to a new year but a milestone for Ellie. Once we hit midnight Ellie turns 18 months! She is now only six months away from turning two! Like I have said before, where does all the time go? Happy 18 months to you Ellie!

After we celebrated the passing of the old and bringing in the new, we packed up the girls into the car and headed back to the condo. We ended up taking a drive around town in order to get them to fall asleep and that was quite the adventure. Main Street and the Downtown area of Bozeman was crawling with party-goers and plenty of guys and girls who needed a few extra hands to help them home. Oh how I do not miss those days…then again, I don’t think I ever celebrated like that on New Year’s Eve.





In the morning we gathered together with Great Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Great Grandma Prueter for our traditional Eggs Benedict Brunch. We were missing two other important people from this lovely tradition, one we have done since I was old enough to remember it, but I ate some Eggs Benedict in their honor. Missed you David and Mike!




The remainder of the day we visited with family, watched some hockey and football and relaxed (something that vacation is all about). The girls have grown a lot since our last visit, so we decided to take another picture with the four generations of Prueter family girls. Its amazing to have these photos. I feel blessed that my girls have had the chance to meet and get to know their Great Grandmas.

Shaun and I left that evening and the girls stayed behind with Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie Jillian. We had decided that during our time in Montana we would take a few days for the two us and give the girls some one on one time with their Aunt and Grandparents. We didnt know exactly what we wanted to do but we were excited to have some time alone.

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!

One of Many Reasons I Will Always Miss Montana

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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!

Traveling Home

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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.

Princess Training!

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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!



A Lazy Day in Anaconda

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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.

A Third and Final Visit to Yellowstone for the Win!

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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!

Adventures at The Museum of the Rockies

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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.

Yellowstone… A Second Trip

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Yup we did it again! Everyone had the day off, so what do we do? We head to Yellowstone! I know it might seem obsessive to some, but this is my happy place and if the chance to go is given, I take it.

Today was going to be yet another gloomy spring day, but we didnt let that stop us. We were up bright and early, ready to take on the day. We stopped for breakfast at a popular spot in Livingston called the Pop Stand. It was a super yummy breakfast and because it was a Tuesday, quiet too!

Once we arrived in Yellowstone we stopped in Mammoth to change diapers and use the restroom. While it was cloudy, it certainly didn’t look like rain would be falling anytime soon. I think we were hoping for a beautiful sunny day, but the gray of the day made for some great photography.


As usual, we left Mammoth and headed for Lamar. Only a few roads in the park were open at this point, so we are a bit limited in where we can go. Another road is set to open Friday. I am hoping to come back then too but we shall see. Today Lamar wasn’t as active as it usually is. No wolves or bears were within sight of the naked eye. They were out there though, you just had to use a spotting scope to see them.

The Bison were out in force though. The large bulls in their small secluded groups as well as the cows with their babies. One of the males had a little hitchhiker on his back but he didn’t seem to care. As we continued on we came across a group of females with their little ones. Two of the little ones seemed to be happy playing with one another, running, jumping and practicing their fighting. It was a cute sight to see and they had a very captivated audience in us and many other park visitors.





Despite the lack of animals on our trip out through Lamar, it was beautiful. We turned around at our usual spot, Trout Lake, and headed back to Mammoth for some lunch. As we approached Tower Junction and the bridge over the Yellowstone River, we found a lot of people stopped taking pictures. There just along the roadside were a ram and ewe Big Horn Sheep. Both had been eating a lunch of their own and were now just hanging out, posing for pictures.



After our goat encounter we headed back to Mammoth for some lunch. The grill there was finally open and Abby and Ellie were happy to stop for some noodles and hot dogs. It is amazing how lunch can bring cranky kids out of their funk and back to the land of happiness. I think it did the same for mommy too. The girls were adorable and the one thing that put a smile on my face was watching them hold hands. Abby and Ellie sat there holding hands for a good ten minutes as they ate and watched all of the interesting people come in and out of the grill.




After a yummy lunch we headed into the general store to check out some souveniers for the girls as well as a few snacks for the road. You cant leave and not have a t shirt or something to remember your trip by! The clouds began to part a bit but didn’t go away as we continued our travel. The rest of our trip through Yellowstone was enjoyed with very few stops, but we didnt mind. We were in beautiful country and sometimes you just cant take pictures of everything! It was yet another great day in Yellowstone!