Where did our summer go?

Chasing bubbles.

Large bubble chasing Heidi.

ooooh, bubbles!

aaaah, I'm getting wet!

"I love driving daddy's truck."

Heidi helping daddy back up the truck.

Sunflowers are now taller than Heidi.

Chair I painted. Heidi's hat and boots look good on it.

Heidi ready for church. "mommy, I found you're shoes!"

I can not believe that this summer is nearly over. We got our first freeze warning for last night and now it's about 80 degrees outside. Strange weather. Yesturday felt very autumn-ish.

Lately I have been biking often to get myself and Heidi outside for some exercise. I have been riding bike a few miles in the morning to the park by the zoo and then we usually ride bike in the evening around the neighborhood. My legs are starting to hurt and feel jello-like but it's good exercise and I feel better each morning. Heidi had so much fun at the park today. She was having fun when mommy was chasing her all around. We even found another fun water fountain and we got a little wet. Someone also put some soap in the fountain last night, so there were soap suds all over and Heidi had a blast with them! Look at the huge fountain with all the bubbles! Oh my!

Heidi is also learning some more as always. She loves to twirl in circles and she loves to make monkey sounds. "ah ah ah ah ah." She also loves to think everything is an "uh oh!" She will throw something on the floor and then put the palm of her hands out, pucker her lips, and say "uh oh." Another saying she likes to do is "ouch, or owie." If she falls done, she sometimes looks at her hands and says "owie."

Trying to keep up.

My kitchen is re-arranged daily. And I find tupperware all over. I also finally found victoria's string toy in with my baking items in a drawer of easy access.

"come kitty, kitty."

Hear I come down the slide!

I can't believe how fast Heidi is catching onto things. I'm not sure who she got this from (daddy) but she is in the habit of picking her nose now. We try to catch her when she's doing it, but over the weekend she must have been digging hard. Brian brought Heidi inside and said she has a bloody nose. My heart dropped thinking she fell and hit her nose really hard. But he said she was picking at it. (Heidi just scratched her nostril a little bit in the inside.)

Do you know how hard it is to clean a bloody nose of a one year old? It was tough because she is in the "don't touch me" stage and let me do my own thing. But there are still many times she just wants mommy to hold her, which is nice also.

I really need to write down more often in her book of when I hear her say a new word. Lately I have heard Blankie, cup, kitty, and fishy (pronounced "ishy"). For christmas, I may get a big goldfish for her or for her second birthday. She loves to look at them each time we pass the fish tanks at walmart. The other day it sounded like she was telling Victoria, "come kitty." Because Victoria went downstairs to eat her food and Heidi was looking downstairs and yelling at the cat. She was even doing what I have showed her. I tell her to pat her hand on her leg to help the kitty come. It was the cutest thing ever. And of course I didn't have the camera to determine if that's what she was really saying. Darn.

It's been fun to see Heidi explore and learn. Sometimes it's scary for me I guess as a new mom of where she goes and what she does. Like this weekend she wanted to lay down in the tub and splash with her feet. It scared me a little I guess and I didn't know what she was doing so I just had to let her do what she wanted and see where she was going with it. It turned out to be fun and she was having a blast. Even when she got her face a little in the water, it was no big deal. So we are both learning from each other and it's so much fun to think about what she will show me the next day.

Pool talk.

Hiccups won't stop her talking.

Heidi being a stinker.

4th of July week.

Heidi joined daddy for a nap while on his lunch break.

Learning her balance on a hill at the park. She was determined to conquer it!

Relaxing by the cool breeze of the falls.Heidi loves to play with our shoes. I can never find a pair now. They get scattered.

Loving the bubbles.

Daddy's badge....check. Kitty....check. Sippy cup.....check. Ready for work.

Soooo BIG!

Helping daddy in the yard.

Helping mommy in the garden.

Heidi loves to put on my necklace's and show them off. I'm not sure where all my jewelry is now.

"Sorry Mommy, this is the remains of your pepper plant that I sat on."

Victoria and Heidi playing outside.

Playing with the woodchips under the apple tree.

Helping sort rocks.

Good day of hard work ends in lots of smiles. :)

Peek a Boo!

Oooohhh, so sweet.

Having a picnic along the greenbelt during I.F festival.

Walking with daddy.

Looking at the minnows swimming below.

Heidi likes to stretch her feet and put them up on her stroller.

Nap time.

Day in Jackson Hole.

We had a wonderful weekend full of festivities. We stayed in town for the Idaho Falls fireworks on Saturday. Everything took place a day earlier since the holiday this year fell on a Sunday. We started our day along the Greenbelt for some music entertainment and car show. Of course there were plenty of food and craft vendors also. Heidi had so much fun seeing so many dogs being walked and seeing the kids play. We let her loose along the park and she was having a blast! Heidi got a late afternoon nap in while out walking and then Brian and I found a nice spot under a oak tree to let Heidi sleep and we could rest as well. Once we all got a nice rest, we went back to the house and had some friends come over for drinks and snacks until the big fireworks show. Heidi got to be home and run the new yard and have fun with her playset.

We got a great spot just near where the fireworks were shooting off and Heidi loved every moment. She didn't mind the large bangs either. Brian covered her ears once in awhile when we thought it was to loud but, Heidi pulled his hands off of her head because she wanted to hear and see everything. Once the fireworks ended, she was ready for a nap and we had to wait at least a hour for traffic to clear so we could get home. So, Heidi and I relaxed in the lobby of the hotel I worked at and she fell asleep on the couch.

On sunday we decided to take a afternoon trip to Jackson Hole since Heidi hasn't been there yet and the city was doing their fireworks show on the 4th. Heidi had some more fun and we just relaxed in town and let Heidi run in the park and she got to pet the horse's that pull the covered wagon around town. We didn't ride it because she was stuck in a car and just wanted to run. No sitting down for this little one! The fireworks show was very nice and the city had the fireworks shoot off by the mountain where the ski lifts are. I loved to hear the really loud shells burst and then the echo of them from the mountains. It was pretty cool.

So now monday has come and we are doing nothing. Today is a relaxing day and we will probably relax at home and play in the yard a bit. Busy weekend but alot of fun!

Always staying busy.

Heidi got her feet stuck in the mud.

"Grrrr, I'm a dinasaur and I'm going to stomp on you!"

I didn't know Heidi grabbed a Mello Yello out of the fridge when I had it open. Then I turned around and she was pretending to drink it and giggling. I told her to give it to daddy and she started to hand it over then ran off with it again. Look out daddy!

Heidi loves her new bench we picked up at the farmer's market.

Heidi loves the upside down game.

Heidi loves Maggie but it takes awhile for Heidi to warm up to her.

The only one allowed to sit on the Mustang.

Walking on grandpa seeberg's path.

Taking a day out on the town in Idaho Falls. We found a cute little bridge to cross.

Heidi loved the huge rock fountain. We even got a little wet.

Uncle Eric showing Heidi some dance moves.

I finally have a moment to sit down and post an update. We have been so busy this month. Our trip to Michigan was fantastic and I can't wait to go back. It's so beautiful there and Heidi had so much fun at the beach. I am so proud of Heidi and how well she pulled through the full two weeks of her vacation with family. Heidi had a lot of 'first's' during our vacation. She had her first plane ride, first boat ride with grandpa & grandma gross, first pool experience, first wedding, and first beach experience. So much to update in her baby book from one vacation.

After our vacation was ending in Michigan, Brian and I flew back home to Idaho while Heidi stayed with grandpa & grandma Gross for a little longer and Heidi went back to Bismarck with them. Then the following weekend Brian and I drove to Bismarck to pick up Heidi and attend a family reunion and Mandan's annual Buggies N' Blues. Heidi had a blast with her cousins and she loves to watch videos of them on the computer. She just giggles each time she see's them. Heidi had a great time dancing at the reunion and had so much fun visiting with everyone. She also had a wonderful time driving grandpa gross' Mustang. She liked to honk the horn and play with the steering wheel.

As soon as we finally arrived home in Idaho from our two week's of vacation, we continued working on our yard. Heidi loves to be outside and sometimes it's hard to get her to come into the house to get out of the sun for a little bit and to eat. She can get so mad. This week we have been scrambling to get our yard leveled out to put some sod in. We are so tired of eating dust in our backyard and we really would like Heidi to enjoy our yard as much as she can this summer. It would be great to get the backyard done before next weekend for the 4th of July weekend. We put in a neat little bon-fire spot and I have a garden going. Heidi helps me throw the weeds away and put rocks into her wagon. She's such a little helper. But most of the time she just likes to play in any mud she can find and throw it on mommy.