Life has been fun. We had a wonderful trip to Yellowstone! We were on animal watch the entire trip, and we crossed off almost all of the critters on our list. To name a few, we saw Bison, black bears, marmots, elk, deer, and even the elusive moose! O.k., so we only could see half the moose at a time, but it still counts! The only animals on our checklist that completely eluded us were the wolf and the grizzly bear. I guess that just gives us a reason to return!
Besides the wildlife, we enjoyed viewing all of the geological splendor of Yellowstone as well. We were able to see several geysers erupt. We also peered into the beautiful pools created by underground springs. They were very colorful due to the thermophiles (microscopic critters) and algae that thrived in the warm waters. Emerald greens and sapphire blues were accompanied by rusty browns and brilliant oranges. It was quite a sight. At Mammoth Springs, these pools have formed terraces that flow down the side of the mountain, creating a stunning display of water, mineral deposits, and color! Finally, we were able to view the mud pots...areas where gases bubbled under huge puddles of mud. The rhythmic motion of the mud pots was hypnotizing!
We enjoyed a good amount of hiking; although Ethan needed to go on his own EPIC JOURNEY! He decided to take a 14 mile hike into the unknown, walking from the upper end of the park to the town of Gardiner, MO where our hotel was located. I was not exceptionally pleased by his decision to go it alone, but I know better than to argue with him about such things! He had a wonderful journey, but says he is not likely to do a wilderness hike alone again. Something about the trail being washed out and spending a long time searching for the trail while surrounded by animal bones and wondering if his bones would be added to the collection. I guess he learned his lesson without needing my nagging!
We also were able to enjoy several Bison Traffic Jams...instances in which a herd of bison were crossing the street and blocking traffic. Although the bison were cute and cuddly looking, especially the little babies, you couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they decided to charge the car! Needless to say, there were many warnings throughout the park regarding "Bison Goring".
Next, we headed to Grand Tetons National Park. The mountains there are truly majestic. We spent our day there walking around Jenny Lake...O.K., we did cheat a little bit and take a ferry across a section of the lake for fun. Of course, my dear husband needed to be more energetic about things, so he ran around the lack while we walked. This is why we needed to cheat a bit with the boat ride! It was a beautiful 5 mile hike. Halfie must have enjoyed it because he was happily kicking me for a large part of the hike! Either that or he was trying to tell me to sit down and relax!
The day after returning from our trip, I began my first day as summer school principal. To sum up, I have been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! There was a problem with our lunch schedule, so we had to modify that on the first day. A boy tripped over the pavement and broke his collar bone on the first day as well. Luckily, his parents aren't the "Sue Happy" type! As the week continued, things began to settle down, and a groove has been reached. This week has been much smoother, thus far. I can't believe that we are almost halfway through the Summer School term!
Halfie and I are doing great. He has been a little kickboxer of late! It seems that he spends most of the day kicking me! Oh well, it's more exciting to have an active baby than to have one that doesn't seem to move a lot, I guess!
I have had a lot of "Pregnancy Myth" questions lately, so here is the low down:
- I have not had any cravings to speak of. In fact, I find that my appetite has been very small due to my shrinking stomach area.
- I don't feel like my stomach is carrying in a particular way, even knowing that we are having a boy.
- I haven't had much in the way of "side effects". Still no sickness. I did have a bout of heartburn several weeks ago, but once was enough...I am taking all necessary precautions to avoid that happening again!
- I am not having baby dreams, yet.
- Yes, I do get tired more easily, but I fight that tooth and nail!
Last weekend was 4th of July! As usual, we went to my parents' house to celebrate! The pool was refreshing, the food was spectacular, and the fireworks were amazing. We had a great time seeing the family and relaxing. I especially enjoyed the relaxing after transitioning from our trip to Yellowstone to my first week of summer school!
We also started our baby registry at Babies R Us. This was an experience! Thank goodness we had my sister, Kristen's, wonderful guidance through the process. She and Stephen are donating a lot of goodies to Halfie's cause, so we are very lucky. On top of that, she gave us all kinds of helpful insider hints on what to get and what to wait on. We spent 2 1/2 hours putting together our registry, but it would have taken a lot longer had Kristen not been there! My mom was also in on the act and provided us with many helpful tips! Plus, in true mom fashion, she photographed the entire experience!
After our adventure to Babies R Us, we were able to get dinner with Ethan's mom. It was nice to see her, since we haven't been able to get together with her in a long time.
Hopefully, this week will continue to move on smoothly. I have my next doctor's appt. on Thursday, so I will post in new news then. I will also add some pictures from our trip!
Have a great week, and don't forget the most important holiday in the world is just a few days away...MY BIRTHDAY! YEAH!
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