Sunday, June 17, 2012

Bring on Summer!

Well, school is finally done and summer is in full swing.  I haven't updated in awhile, so this one is a long one.  We've been a busy little crew. :)

Gabi attended preschool this year and loved it.  She is already missing her teachers and friends and can't wait to start Pre-K in the fall. She received straight "As" on her "report card."  We couldn't ask for a better student.  Here are some pictures from her Spring Program at school.



We have been thankful to be getting outside more...riding bikes, going for walks, and playing on the swingset.
They think it is fun to ride double on the tricycle.

Gabi, Rocky (doesn't he look pumped!), and our new cherry tree. :)


We have been super busy landscaping...I will try to update the wyomingishome.blogspot.com blog tomorrow with some pictures.

Maya is patting down the rocks as Joe lays them.  She is a good little helper.
Gabi resting up on a rock on top of the mesa.
Two girls and their dog.

Our dog, Jackson, has been pretty sick for a couple months.  He has pulmonary fibrosis (the lining of his lungs is hardening).  He has a really hard time breathing and pants a lot.  It wasn't very long ago when he was accompanying us on 5-6 mile runs (and even longer than that when he was much younger!)  Other than his lungs, he is very healthy, so he gets frustrated that he can't go with us on runs and walks anymore.  There isn't anything that we can do to help, so we know the time is coming when we will have to let him go.  We're giving him prednisone to help a little bit, feeding him lots of treats and yummy food, letting him roam and walk with us when he feels like it, and giving him a whole lot of lovin'.  I'm really hoping he lasts through the summer, so we can spend as much time with him as possible.  He has been the best dog ever and it has been very hard on all of us.

Our sweet dog, Jackson


We've been able to get together with several sets of friends over the past couple of weeks.  Here is a picture of our girls playing with Avery and Beau, a set of 3 year old twins that belong to Travis & Karyn.  Joe and Travis went to high school together, then we all lived in Austin together, then Denver together, and now Buffalo together.   The kids had a great time!




The library in Buffalo has a really fun reading program for the kids.  Gabi got her face painted last week at story time!  This was her first time and she thought it was so cool!  "Rainbow" is her favorite color, so of course this was the design she picked.




Joe ran the Big Horn Wild & Scenic 50 Mile Trail Race this year.  He did a great job finishing 9th overall with a time of 9 hours and 27 minutes.  We were all able to go up and watch him finish yesterday.  Here is the cheering crew at the finish line:

Amanda, Tangi & Greg (Joe's buddy from work and his wife), Joyce, and all the kids. 
The cutie in front is Gavin (Greg & Tangi's son).
A very tired Joe almost to the finish line. 
The kids were super excited to see him and we are all very proud!!

Today, for Fathers Day, we went up to the cabin with Dave & Joyce, Don & Phyllis, and Amanda and her kiddos.  We enjoyed a scavenger hunt, a yummy steak dinner, and lots of play time.

Maya and Marco in their canoe. 
They have been playing well together a lot more recently, so that is fun to see.
Milan, our niece.  Isn't she so cute?!
Gabi & Gio playing by in the pond.
Gabi dipping her feet in.
























We also made a trip to Billings a couple of weeks ago for Gabi's 1 year heart check-up with the pediatric cardiologist.  Her heart still looks great and the chance of any long-term damage from the Kawasaki Disease is very, very low.  Yay!!  We are so thankful for her good health.

Maya had her 3 year old check-up a couple of weeks ago as well.  She was 34 pounds (85th %ile) and 36.5 inches (25th %ile).  Looks like so far she didn't get Joe's height or weight genes. ;)

I also had to make a trip to the doctor...an Ear, Nose, Troat doctor in Sheridan.  I was pushing a wheelbarrow full of rocks, tripped, and fell foward hitting my neck on the wheelbarrow.  I ended up bruising my larnyx.  I couldn't talk for a few days and still haven't gotten my voice completely back.  It still sounds hoarse and I have trouble talking in long sentences and forming some words.  The doctor is hoping that I don't develop any scar tissue that could lead to long-term voice loss.  I go in on the 26th, so I guess we'll see then.

Thanks for checking in on us and sorry for the long post.  My goal is to post shorter ones more often this summer.  Lots of love!  Joe, Tara, Gabi & Maya

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