The Day That Changed Moment By Moment

Saturday, July 10, 2010 – Park City, Utah

We woke Saturday morning to find that one of the mama’s had been up all night with the flu. Poor thing! Never fun but especially when you’re not home.

We didn’t have any firm plans for the daytime Saturday so most of us decided to head to a local outlet center. We loaded into a variety of vehicles and mama’s with a spare set of hands to push a stroller brought the sick mama’s little one with us. We started at a Croc’s store and by the time we left there it was evident that the nasty flu bug was beginning to spread. 2 little girlies, Ree and Maisie were feeling queasy so after a quick stop at a Carter’s store we regrouped and a couple of the mama’s headed back to the house with their kiddos. Hannah and I drove M3 and her girls back to the house then went back to the outlets. I’ll be honest and say that part of my thoughts was with our upcoming flights home in a couple of days, as much fresh air as possible was a good thing. Hannah and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together browsing in stores and sitting in the fresh air enjoying one of mommy’s favourite treats, a pretzel. Mmmm! Hannah is becoming a quick fan too!

As nap time approached Hannah and I returned to the house. We were so thankful to hear that Ree and Maisie were still only feeling queasy and the first mama who had the bug was on the mend and that nobody else was feeling badly. Unfortunately that didn’t last for long and within a couple of hours Maisie took a turn for the worse and another mama and daughter had taken to feeling queasy. Oh no!

We had all been excited to attend a bloggy bash being hosted by Laurel and her family but our numbers were quickly waning. As the minutes ticked by, who was attending the bash changed over and over. We were taking some food to the dinner and that food changed vehicles 3 different times as people fell victim to the flu and people had to change their plans about going to the bash. :o( In the end it was Lisa and Tate, Hannah and I that were able to attend from our group of 6 families.

Hannah and I hit the road almost an hour later than we`d originally planned and unfortunately soon after we hit the main highway we ground to a halt. They were doing a lot of construction on the highway and it took us an hour and a half to go through what locals call the `canyon.` The scenery was beautiful but I truly wish it had not taken us so long to travel about 2-3 miles. Heh…traffic jams seem to be the theme of our trip this year.

Hannah and I met up with Lisa and Tate at their home and the followed them to Laurel`s. We arrived more the 2 hours late and most families were leaving which is sad but we couldn't blame them as it was time to get their kiddos to bed. We were happy that Laurel, Kim and Circe were able to stay and we enjoyed a wonderful couple of hours with them! I will forever be grateful to God for all the amazing friends He has introduced me to through this blog! SO thankful!!

Thank you Laurel for hosting such a great bash. I`m only sorry our group was so small and that we were so late. Hopefully we`ll have another Utah bloggy bash in the future and we can have a get-together `do-over`! I know that those who had to stay back at the house did so with sad hearts as they truly wanted to be at your bash.

Here`s a pic of the kiddos that we grabbed just before getting in the car and heading back to the house in Park City.

May I take a moment to say how amazing my little dolly is in the car? This trip her patience truly was tested in that she spent numerous unplanned hours in her car seat and then sometimes went directly on to long flights from there. She’s a travelling champion! There are times that I pop in a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD into the player but there are many times that she just entertains herself, we ‘talk’ or, we sing fun little action songs. She is AMAZING and I love her like crazy!!!

Her travelling spirit was even more appreciated when my turn with the flu bug came just as we landed in Buffalo. Thankfully I was one who only got the queasy stomach version but it made for a rough 4 hour drive home from the airport. We stopped at friend’s place on the way home and she supplied me with some Pepto and a bag of milk for Hannah which I was so thankful for. I was feeling so weak that I just don’t think I’d have been able to go in to a store to buy milk for Hannah. When we got home Hannah seemed to sense mommy needed some extra lovings and she was awesome as always. I unpacked the bare essentials, got us both ready for bed and did what any good mommy would do – turned Treehouse on TV. Hannah had slept a lot on the final flight home as well as in the car so combine that with the time difference her little body was on and I thought it might be a long night. I quickly fell asleep and she watched Treehouse from her crib beside my bed. I was surprised when within half an hour she called out to me, I turned off the TV and we both fell into an exhausted 10 1/2 hour sleep! I felt better in the morning and back to normal by the evening. Thankfully Hannah has completely avoided the bug. Phew!!

The flu is never welcome but I tell you, when you in a house with 6 mamas and 8 kiddos, it’s especially rough. Thanks Lisa for totally disinfecting the entire house Saturday night!! Greatly appreciated by all!

I’m Sure That Kernel Was Just an Oversight!

Hannah tried corn on the cob for the first time last night and you can see that it was a huge hit! In the past I’ve cut the corn off the cob and she showed me last night that she’s more than ready to enjoy it just as it is.

Looks like more corn will be on our dinner plates this summer.

Let the Fun Begin!!

Friday, July 9, 2010 - Park City, Utah

We woke to a beautiful sunny day and our options were endless! The kiddos had been wonderful together on Thursday and played so well, especially when you think that many of them had never met or only met one another when they were toddlers.

As I got ready for the day Hannah had fun playing in the closet on the clothes bar that was just the right height for her to have fun.

Hannah and Solomon sharing a moment early in the day.

Oh yah, I know we're gonna hear about this from some of our local friends! What can I say? She's keeping her options open!!

M3 and I headed to a local park with 5 of the kiddos while a couple of mom's picked up some groceries for the house. Hannah enjoying her favourite thing at the park – the swing!

She’s in good company. Her friends Ree (l) and Ro also enjoy the swings and they’ve totally mastered swinging all by themselves without even needing pushes!

Lauren (l), Maisie (back) and Hannah taking a break from the sun as it was hot, hot, hot!

Just a couple of cute pics of my sweet baby girl.

The park was great and the scenery around it breath-taking! Nothing but mountains. Oooo, I lurve me some mountains!! It was a busy place too with many families playing which always warms my heart.

On a side note, talking of families makes me think of a funny thing happened on our flight to Salt Lake. I was chatting with the lady beside me (surprise, surprise!) and asked her where home was. She said that she was from SLC and had been away visiting 4 of her grandchildren. During the course of our conversation I found out that she had 39 grandchildren and number 40 was due later this year! Oh yes, we were headed to Salk Lake for sure!! :o)

After lunch we decided to head to Park City Mountain Resort to take in some of the rides available there. Oh what fun we had! Hannah was too little to ride the ski lifts up to the slide rides so while she napped in her stroller with the other moms watching her, I took Ree on the slide ride.

What fun! It was quite a long ride up the mountain and we were happy to share the time with Donna and Lauren (l), Tiffany and Eliza (r).

Lisa and Maisie, M3 and Ro.

After the slide ride 6 of us rode a neat roller coaster style ride. So cool!

M3 and Ree; Lisa and Maisie; Me and Ro

View Full Album

If you check out Lisa’s blog here, she has some really neat videos of their rides down the mountain.

For supper our entire group of 14 headed to a local Mexican Restaurant. I’m sure some diners cringed when they saw our group walk in but the kiddos were great and we enjoyed a fun dinner together.

And finally this picture just makes me giggle! We had the girls dressed in matching shirts and wanted to get a picture of them together. By this point in the day Hannah had tired of her piggy's so had removed them. Cuteness abounds whenever our 3 sweeties are together!!

So thankful for a great day shared with wonderful friends!!

Hannah's Favourite Toy

I purchased this toy for Hannah years ago based on the recommendation of a friend. (Thanks Bonnie!) It is still hands down her favourite toy to play with and mommy enjoys it too!

I like how this video shows how Hannah's language is exploding and how vocal she is these days.



I still have a number of posts from our vacation that I need to put together but when I took this video earlier today I wanted to share it with you.

Utah Bloggy Reunion Trip!

In the fall of 2007 I was privileged to join a great group of bloggy gals who were meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. Thursday Hannah and I flew to SLC with M3 and her girls and we’ve enjoyed a great, adventurous weekend together with these wonderful gals and their adorable kiddos. (l to r) Donna, Lisa W, me, Lisa S, Tiffany and M3.

Here’s just the kiddos. (l to r, youngest to oldest) Hannah, Solomon (our one brave little man!), Tate, Lauren, Eliza, Maisie, Ree and Ro.

My computer is giving me grief posting in the mountains so I’m going to wimp out and direct you towards M3 and Lisa S blogs as they’ve both done a great job at getting posts up. I was able to attend a BBQ with some local bloggers last night and sadly due to the flu hitting our house here, the only ‘foreigner’ able to go with Lisa W, so will post about that soon.

It’s been a wonderful weekend (well, except for the flu bug!) and all too quickly is drawing to a close. Hannah and I move on to our next friend Tawni’s house for a couple of days and then will head home mid-week. What a great trip we’re having and so thankful for this time I’m spending with my amazing baby girl and our wonderful friends too!

A Monumental Day

Today marks 8 months and 7 days that Hannah and I have been together!  Why is that such am important amount of time you ask?  Well, as of today Hannah and I have been together longer in her precious little life than we have been apart.  When she was placed in my arms on November 2, 2009, she was 8 months 6 days old. 

Each and every day I thank the Lord for the amazing blessing of my daughter Hannah XiaoFen!  My heart is so full of love for her that I’m sure at times it is going to burst!!!

Together forever my sweet baby girl!  Together forever!!! 

 

Technorati Tags: Forever Family Day,Milestones,Mother and Daughter

Hannah’s First Amusement Park

(Sorry for the lack of posting everyone. Hannah and I are still enjoying our road trip and are currently visiting her grandparents in northern Ontario. Hope to get beck to more regular posting next week. C&H)
A couple of times when I’ve visited M3 and her family we’ve spent time at Gilroy Gardens. M3’s friend Maggie joined us and we were off. I’ve always wondered what it would be like when Hannah was with me and today I found out. My baby girl did not disappoint and she had FUN!
Gilroy Gardens is an amusement park designed for children up to about 8 years old with lots of little rides for them to enjoy while wandering around beautifully landscaped paths that offer plenty of shade on hot sunny days. Today we had sun, shade, beautiful scents wafting from the gardens and…fun, fun, fun!!
Our ride adventure began as we boarded the antique cars. It was Hannah’s first ride and she thought it was great!



We enjoyed a bunch of rides including the ferris wheel,

monorail,



train

and hot air balloons.

By now Hannah was feeling pretty confident and ready to go on some of the rides by herself. I can admit to being totally surprised at her independence and willingness to venture onto these rides by herself at just 16 months of age. Trust me, mommy made sure the seatbelt on each ride was good and tight!

By far Hannah’s favourite ride of the day were the little goldfish. She rode it 3 times in a row and then still cried when I took her off. Next time sweetie, next time.

The perfect ride to end the day was the merry-go-round.


I had imagined this day for years and it was so much better than I ever thought! Hannah has an adventurous side to her and I can tell that she’ll be lots of fun at amusement parks!
We loaded back into the van and the girls were all sleeping shortly after we left the parking lot.
It’s a good thing they napped too as any day of fun ends with ice cream/frozen yogurt! M3 found a new taste treat at a place called Yogurtland. Mmmm! We went with Maggie this evening and then called her the following night when we wanted to go a second time only to hear her snicker on the other end of the phone, admitting that she’d already been there with her mother earlier that day! If you have a Yogurtland near you it’s worth checking it out.

A Quiet Day of Play

Tuesday we decided to kick back a bit and enjoy a day of play at home. We woke late and were treated to a quick visit from Wela and M3’s SIL Jane. I was so excited to meet Jane as I’ve heard about her for years and felt like I already knew her! Thanks for popping over Jane. It was a treat to meet you!! As Wela and Jane headed home Hannah looks at me and said, ‘Wela!’ So sweet! We quickly called her cell and left her a message of Hannah saying her name. She and Wela got along like a house on fire and Hannah loved to dance with her. It was their thing! We love you Wela and BobBob!! See you next time.

After they left we continued to laze around in our pj’s until after lunch and just enjoyed being together. M3 was busy with laundry and packing for our upcoming Utah trip and I caught up on some laundry too.

Ro and Ree taking swimming lessons Tuesday afternoon so we donned our bathing suits and headed off to the pool. Once again they amazed us by swimming lap after lap of the pool! I kept saying to M3, ‘They’re just 4 right???’ Hannah napped by the pool and then she and I went for a swim with the girls when their lessons were over. Another one of her new words this trip is, ‘pool!’

Hannah and I were able to Skype with her Nana and Papa in the evening which was a treat for both of us! Travel is wonderful but it sure is nice to have a touch from home too. The best of both worlds!

The evening was spent with more play and packing. I love to watch my little girl emerging as we’re spending more time here. In this pic I turned around and she had climbed up onto one of the girl’s little stools and you can see how proud of herself she is! I have a little stool at home and it looks like we might begin using it much earlier than I’d ever thought. *sniff!*

At first she was stuck to me like glue and now she’ll even go so far as to venture into the back yard alone with the big girls to play with the sand table or sidewalk chalk. I cannot say enough about how amazing Ro and Ree are with her! So gentle, loving and caring while playing with her and it warms this mommy’s heart!!

I wanted to capture these shots too of Hannah playing with some of her favourite toys at Auntie M3’s. She pulled (rather than pushed) this baby stroller around all week.

She also found this adorable little gingerbread apron in a drawer in the kitchen and would bring it to me to put on her. So sweet! Hey K1 – Wonder if they might have something like these on Etsy? LOL!!

Ahhhh, lazy, sunny days of summer….perfect!

The Real 4th of July!

After the busyness of Saturday we took our time getting rolling on Sunday morning.  We hung out upstairs where M3 taught me how to use Windows Live Writer.  Oh man, I’m a convert!  At the same time Tuba Dad was downstairs whipping up a batch of deeelicious blueberry pancakes.  Mmm!

After brekkie we donned our bathing suits and headed to the pool.  We all had a great time but for the girls it was extra special as daddy was there to play with them, toss them in the air and watch his little fish swim.  Ro and Ree are amazing swimmers now!

Hannah has done really well with the time change, waking between 6 and 7 each morning.  Our trips to the pool have been just before her naps and once again yesterday she snoozed on my shoulder as soon as we got out of the water.

 

Later in the day M3 and I decided to take the girls shopping but by the time we got to the mall this was what the back of the van looked like.  3 sleeping sweeties! 

M3 and I tagged teamed and took turns going into the stores.  Once the girls woke up we enjoyed a delicious supper at PF Changs.

I’m not sure what overcame me but I asked M3 if she wanted to go purse shopping.  I think I was looking for a challenge!  After our last purse shopping experience you’d have thought it was the last thing I’d want to do but we gave it a whirl anyway.  The store was closing in only 20 mins and would you believe M3 actually bought a purse?  It’s looking like she might keep it too which could be a new record for her. 

We got home in time to enjoy some neighbourhood fireworks from their front porch and then settle for the night.  We’d done so much celebrating yesterday that it wasn’t until we were eating supper that we remembered today was the actual 4th of July.

We hope you had a great day celebrating with your family whatever you did.