Fun in Iowa...

From Denver, we headed East towards Iowa to spend a short week with my Mom and Dad.  We stopped in Lincoln at my Auntie Virginia's house for a BBQ lunch.  It was great to see her, my Uncle Gary, cousin Allie, and Grandma Dorothy!

Aunt Virginia and Maya

Uncle Gary & Gabi...they had a blast playing together and I'm sure he slept for days afterwards! :)

Gabi & Auntie Virginia

We reached my parents' house on Saturday evening...just in time for dinner!  My parents always feed us like kings when we're there!  The girls had fun playing in the sprinkler, going to the park, and playing Uno inside...it was super hot and humid!

Gabi loved catching fire flies...we don't have lightning bugs in Wyoming.

Gabi did lots of sparklers.  Maya tried them, but she didn't like it.

Maya riding my old horse "Blaze."

 On Tuesday, we went to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines.  Even though it was hot, we enjoyed seeing all the animals.

Gabi feeding a giraffe

Maya high-fiving the lion

The really enjoyed riding the train through the zoo.

Maya and Grammy Mary on the train.

Daddy & Gabi on the train.

We made our first trip to an urgent care clinic for stitches while we were in Des Moines.  Maya was running into my parents' walk-through closet and must have been looking behind her because she smacked the edge of the open door and cut her forehead.  It bled a ton and she was pretty shaken up.  The cut was about an inch long and fairly deep.  She was quite a trooper and didn't even cry as they were stiching her up.  She has 4 stiches in all and will get them out on Monday.  You can see them at the very top of her forehead in the train picture above.

We were thankful to be in Iowa over the 4th of July because we were able to see two excellent fireworks shows (all of the fireworks in Wyoming were cancelled because it is so dry).  We packed a picnic dinner on the 3rd and headed down to the Iowa State Capitol lawn to attend the Yankee Doodle Pops concert and fireworks show.  Different jazz bands played for awhile and then the Des Moines Symphony played ending with a fireworks show set to their music.  It was really fun! 

Iowa State Capitol building...the girls thought the gold dome was super cool!

A view of the stage...they set the fireworks off behind the stage.

Urbandale has a huge parade on the 4th of July.  We watched the parade for almost 2 hours and it wasn't even done when we left!  The girls scored big time with the candy!


Watching the parade

We were all able to view Urbandale's fireworks show from my parents' house and it was even over a full moon!  Here is a picture of Gabi doing even more sparklers.  I need to work with my camera a bit to be able to shoot fireworks.  I got this photo of Gabi with a sparkler by leaving the shutter open a while...it turned out kinda neat!



Gabi's big news is that she can ride a big bike with NO training wheels!!  She has had a balance bike for about a year and has been doing so well on it, that we all decided it was time for a real bike.  Since she already had the balancing part down, Joe worked with her for less than an hour on how to do the pedals and steer the bigger frame and then she had it!  We didn't even have to put the training wheels on!  She is so excited about it and we're glad she was able to learn on the level concrete sidewalks in Urbandale and not the hilly gravel roads around here!  She rode it all the way to Joyce's house and back today and did great on the gravel roads too!

Joe getting her going!

"Look Mom! I can do it!"  She had a big smile on her face the whole time!



Maya's legs are still a little too short for the balance bike, but she cruises right along on her scooter!



Phew!  That's all for now!  I promise to update the wyomingishome.blogspot.com blog this weekend with pictures of our landscaping.  Thanks for checking in on us.  Tara

Trip to Denver

Last Wednesday, we headed to Denver for a couple of days...Joe needed to visit the Golden office for his work and the girls and I tagged along to see some good old friends!

We stayed with Char & Jason and their two little girls.  On Friday morning, we took them to The Splash for some water fun.  They all had a great time!



Morgan, Quinn, Gabi & Maya on the way to the pool.

Gabi loves the slides...we went down the two giant slides together.

Maya & Morgan...they had a blast together (Morgan is only 9 months older than Maya)  The girls had a sleepover one of the nights and I went in to find Gabi sound asleep and Morgan and Maya giggling their hearts out!  So cute!

Sisters Forever!

 We were also able to visit a couple of old neighbors in Golden, Angie & Melissa.  The girls don't even remember our old house in Golden...can't believe its already been a year and a half since we moved away.  On Thursday night, we had dinner with our friends Karianne & Justin, who are teachers in the Phillipines and home in Colorado for the summer.  It was great to catch up with them!  We had a picnic in a great park with Donna, Angie, Kristine, and Char along with their kiddos.  For some reason I didn't take any pictures, but it was great to see them and catch up!  Of course, we visited the Golden KL&A office a couple of times where the girls had a blast playing with Amy, the company's accountant!  She is super fun and even gave them piggy back rides through the office (much to the dismay of a couple of engineers who were on conference calls...hee hee hee!)  We also were able to see Teresa, Aric, Octavia, and Peyton.  Gabi & Octavia had a blast together.  It was a quick trip, but I'm so glad that we were able to catch up with lots of great friends!

Octavia & Gabi playing the piano.

Lots of love,
Tara

Haircuts

During our recent trip to Denver, I took the girls to the Aveda salon where I used to get my haircut.   For the most part, I have always cut their hair and it was starting to show. ;-)  They definitely needed a real hair cut.

Gabi & I had been talking for some time about getting her hair cut much shorter (it was really long before.)  She wanted it cut as short as Auntie Manda's hair (she recently cut off quite a bit).  We explained this to the stylist and she chopped it off.  When she was done, Gabi said, "shorter!!"  So, the stylist cut it off to her chin and shaped it so it was even shorter in the back.  I was really nervous that Gabi wouldn't like it after it was all done, but she LOVES it.  I really like it too...and it is so much easier to brush out!

Getting ready to cut it off!

Maya received a hair cut as well.  This was her first time to a real beauty salon!  She just had it all trimmed up and shaped a little.  She was very serious and sat very still the entire time!

The best part about Maya's hair cut is that her stylist had to straighten it before he cut it!  It took him over 20 minutes to blow dry it straight!!  Seeing Maya was straight hair was very funny (and cute).  It didn't stay straight for very long. :)

I got my hair cut too, but it wasn't nearly as dramatic or fun. :)

Lots of love,
Tara

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

The Birthday Girl!

Maya turned 3 years old on Saturday!  She was so excited about it and enjoyed all of the attention, friends, family, cake, and presents!  Since Milan and Marco have their birthdays close to Maya's, we decided to have a triple birthday party today!  We had originally planned to have it at the park, but since the weather decided not to cooperate, we had it at our house instead.  It was very loud, but I think the kids had fun anyways!



"Happy Birthday to you!"  She always gets a little bashful when all the attention is on her.

Yummmm.....cake!

The 3 birthday kiddos!

Amanda made cakes for all 3 birthday kids that they got to pick out themselves!  Maya picked Strawberry Shortcake and the cake turned out so cute!  Maya loved it!

Milan's butterfly

Marco's airplane

Three kids opening presents at the same time was a little crazy. 

Add caption

On Saturday, Maya opened her presents from us and Grammy Mary and Papa Gary.  They sent her a princess dress which she hasn't taken off for nearly two days.

 Gabi picked out a My Little Pony Train Set to give to Maya.

 I decided to start interviewing the kids on their birthdays to see how their tastes/favorites change as they grow up.  Here are the results from Maya's interview:

MAYA (5/26/2012 – 3 YEARS OLD)

1.  What is your favorite color? PURPLE & PINK

2. What is your favorite toy? DOLL

3. What is your favorite fruit? WATERMELON

4. What is your favorite tv show? CAILLOU

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? MAC & CHEESE

6. What is your favorite outfit? BUTTERFLY DRESS

7. What is your favorite game? UNO (she is an awesome Uno player!)

8. What is your favorite snack? CRACKERS

9. What is your favorite animal? GIRAFFES

10. What is your favorite song? LULLABIES

11. What is your favorite book? A FLY WENT BY

12. Who is your best friend? DADDY

13. What is your favorite cereal? HEART-SHAPED CHERRIOS

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? RAKE WITH MOMMY (HA!)

15. What is your favorite drink? APPLE JUICE

16. What is your favorite holiday? EASTER (‘CAUSE I GET TO WEAR A PRETTY DRESS)

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? BLANKIE

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? EGGS

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? PIZZA

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A MOM

This is what happens when we brush out Maya's hair. :)

Maya still loves to color and do puzzles.  She is really good at writing her name and tracing all the letters and following mazes.  Her dancing cracks us up...very dramatic and so much like a ballerina with curtsies, bows, and ta-das!  Gabi and her have been playing pretend more lately which is fun to see...Gabi likes to play house, school, and naptime (still haven't figured that last one out).  Maya received a cash register for her birthday from Dave & Joyce, so I bet playing store is in their near future as well.

I have 4 days of school left!  The girls and I are excited for sweet summertime.

Love to you all,
Joe, Tara, Gabi & Maya

Hall Ranch Branding 2012

Today was branding day on the Hall Ranch.  We could not have asked for a more beautiful day.  I was given a little taste of summer since I took this morning off.  I'll be done with school on May 31st....28 total days left....not that I'm counting. :)  It really has been a great year, but I'm ready to spend some quality time at home with the girls.  Enjoy the pics!

The picture below looked vaguely familiar.  I took one of them in the same spot last year (see underneath).  What a difference a year makes!

4 Cousins....2012

4 cousins...2011  What a difference a year makes! 

Our little cowgirl!  She loves her pink hat (and her pink boots that match!)