neigh

here are some photos from the Wyoming State Winter Fair this afternoon. we went for the barrel racing, but they were (seemingly) running behind and so we didn't see a ton of action. but the kids were happy either way and enjoyed seeing the horses and riders. and playing in the dirt too, of course. the fourth of july rodeo is going to be alot of fun this summer, seeing as how these two like to watch the horses!

welcoming baby oliver!

alert and awake at one week old!

sylvi isn't sure what to do with him.

isa explaining to emily how the bouncy seat works.

welcome little one!

this morning we had a really special treat-- we got to go meet baby oliver! this cute little dude belongs to emily and latane and we were thrilled to be able to stop by and see him for the first time. isa was really excited about seeing such a tiny baby but sylvi seemed a little apathetic about the whole thing! they both thoroughly enjoyed checking out his all of his cool new toys though.

congrats to emily and latane on a healthy, happy, and really stinkin' cute baby boy! if his alertness at one week old is any indication, he'll have no problem keeping up with the girls in the future :)

saturday stroll

ah yes, it's officially mud season here. or atleast slushy dirty ice season. last week's big snow is melting away (yay!) and giving a certain preschooler lots of puddle stomping opportunities. good thing we got a new pair of rain boots that fit recently, as isa's feet have grown almost two sizes over the winter!

today was feeling a little slow and cranky, so we thought it would be the perfect afternoon for a walk around town. sylvi was content to hang in the chariot, as long as she could see what isa was up to in the puddles and slush piles. all this melt off and 40F degree sun means spring just might be around the corner afterall. YAY!

one more thing...

for the sake of all things cute, how about a little sisterly snuggling.

digging out

we've spent the first half of the week digging out around here, literally and figuratively speaking. daddy was out of town for 5 days, we got a couple feet of snow, isa has a wicked cough, sylvi has teeth coming in, and mommy has had a stomach virus since monday. so this little blog post might just be the most productive thing we get done today. and that's fine by me! as for now... back to the couch!

speaking of true form...

in true form

charlotte turns three!

we had the honor or celebrating our buddy charlotte's third birthday yesterday evening! there were balloons and presents and cupcakes and several very tired little ones by the end of the party. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE!

Pinedale Aquatic Center

on the way home from the Tetons, we decided to take the southern route (down and around the Winds, instead of up and over) through Pinedale. we usually hit up the pool in Jackson on the way back, but the hours aren't the best for traveling, so we thought we'd do something different this time-- and we are so glad we did! we had heard the new Pinedale Aquatic Center was nice, but we had no idea how nice! it's awesome! it's actually a complete rec. center with basketball courts, an indoor track, a climbing wall, a "leisure pool", competitive pool, childcare, and more. all in little bitty ole Pinedale too. go figure. there were only a few other people there, so there was no crowd to contend with, which is one of my least favorite parts of the Jackson pool.

this pool is really, really impressive. for starters, it's big and warm and spotlessly clean. and it uses very little chlorine, thanks to a high tech UV water purifying system. we could tell the difference too-- we didn't stink like chlorine all day and the girls' sensitive skin wasn't red and dry or bothered by it. the facilities are awesome as well, with private family locker rooms (brilliant!) and lots of nice details like a soft, textured pool bottom that doesn't hurt little feet. the pool itself, as you can see, is huge! there is a big slide, a little slide (inside the submarine), a "lazy river", lots of open shallow playspace, various water features/fountains/sprayers, and a hot tub. we literally could have stayed here all day long. and are already making plans to head back again.

as you can imagine, the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves and we were lucky to get out of there without either of them shedding tears! sylvi was exhausted enough to sleep almost the entire way home and isa was as mellow as could be for the ride.

p.s. the pics i put up don't show the entire leisure pool-- it's alot bigger, and extends back and to the left of the frame quite a ways ;)

roadtrippin'

ahhhh, the great american family roadtrip! thank god for the great american minivan! the girls did really, really well on the way over friday. (fortunately?) sylvi didn't take a morning nap before we left, so she was already asleep in her carseat before we left lander! and she continued to sleep until we got to Moran Junction (that's about 2.5hrs!) which was fabulous for all involved. this meant that isa and i got to spend lots of quality time in the backseat-- there were many a picture colored, alphabet games played, sticker pages made, shapes cut, and books read, with the occasional sesame street video thrown in. all in all, it was a great ride over and we're hoping that the way back tomorrow goes half as smooth. speaking of which, we are taking a bit of a detour on the return trip to check out the new aquatic center in pinedale. we've found that swimming is always a good way to ensure sleepy kids for a long car ride!

first trip to the ski hill (in pictures)!

little miss "too cool for school".

up the magic carpet they go.

checking her bindings.

the cheering section.

teton canyon

howdy from the tetons! here are a few pictures from yesterday's adventure in teton canyon, over on the idaho side (which is where we are hanging out). we didn't have much luck finding a cross country set up for mommy, so the plans changed a little. instead of doing much skiing, there was alot of sled pulling and moose-hunting. ok, isa and phil skiied around and looked for moose tracks (they found a ton!) while mommy and sylvi roamed around with the sled. it was fun, even without the skis, and the girls enjoyed themselves. we've also been spoiled with warm, sunny, blue sky days-- even better!

we actually just got back from Targhee and are all lounging around and/or napping before we head out for a Valentine's Day/Anniversary dinner out the Royal Wolf. as soon as we have a spare moment (i.e. when we get home tomorrow?) we will load more pictures. rest assured there will be plenty of pics from isa's first trip on the magic carpet included!