magic rocks

I've often wondered how much more magical life would be if I could just see it through Annabelle's eyes. Her ability to actually consume every blink of the eye is enviable. She takes it all in, swallows it whole, loves every speck of dirt, cherishes each rock. She thrills at the spotting of a critter and wonders just why she can't give every single person, animal, and plant a love, usually in the form of a head bump. And why not really? 

I wish I could keep the experience that age doles out, but still maintain the naivety of childhood, that beautiful, simple belief that the world is good and amazing and mine for the taking. One rock at a time.

Photos taken in Jackson Hole. And yes she slammed her forehead into concrete not an hour before this rock hunting expedition. Poor clutzy thing. Too bad she inherited her grace from me and not her father...

the cure

The cure for this face?

This blanket. 

 When she was born, her grandma made her four blankets:

two pink, one purple, and one white, 

which she came home in.

 Of course, instead of choosing the blankets 

that might hide the dirt,

she chose the white one.

 It's her best friend,

and it cures all sadness. 

  And really, it was once white. Really.

shoosh

Belle and I made the trip down to St. George to visit Grandma and some aunties. Unfortunately, when we arrived, Annabelle's nose started running. And then it started sprinting. And then there were those couple of nights where we didn't sleep. And then there were the boogers. And the barf. Pretty much we've had enough boogers and barf to go around. 

However, she finally seems to be on the up and up (of course when we're just about to leave), and she's been busy corralling shoes: "Shoosh!!" She found a BOX FULL in my sister's closet which sort of sent her into a shoe-induced coma. Then she found my mom's closet, featuring shelves of shoes just at her reach. It's like heaven really. Before, she had managed to somewhat get flip flops or tennis shoes on her bitty feet. But with the discovery of these closets, she's mastered the heels. 

Um, I was just wondering where my baby went? Weird.

the facts

The facts are these:

1. We (mostly Jess) took thousands of photos in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

2. No really. Over 180 GB.

3. Wading through these photos takes time and patience.

4. When I was born, I was born with a patience deficiency. It's true. This is why I gave up my early aspirations to be a photographer.

5. The editing of words is so much quicker than the editing of photos folks. Comma here, slashed word there. Done.

6. Jess is a very patient man, both when it comes to putting up with his wife and when it comes to shuffling through thousands of photos.

7. So far, he's gotten through a good bulk of the Grand Teton National Park photos.

8. I could wait for him to get through everything, but then that would mean I suddenly acquired an ability to be patient.

9. And that would be lying.

10. So what follows is a "little" taste of the Tetons. For the sake of patience.

Oh, and we were there too:

Like I said. A few pictures.

belle in a backpack

The day before we left for Yellowstone, we decided we needed a hiking backpack to stow our littlest traveler in. After checking a few fancy ones out at REI (and their shiny price tags to match), we turned to what is fast becoming our favorite way to shop: KSL.com Classfieds - where people go to sell and buy used junk and/or treasures. With the ability to peruse used items by merely clicking and scrolling, it's like a thrift shop on steroids. We ended up with this beauty.

 And let's just say it was worth every last penny of its used price tag.

Although she initially had a major tantrum when we first attempted to slide her into her temporary holding cell, when she realized she got to ride around with Daddy, she was pretty content to just chill:

Except for when she wasn't:

But for the most part, she loved "hiking" around Yellowstone. And giving Daddy "head bumps" (she doesn't give kisses, just bumps) at will:

And she thought the geysers smelled AWESOME:

And lets give some props to the photographer who was not only using a telephoto lens, but also balancing said lens with a bouncing babe in tow.

All in all, a total success.

{And a minor overload of photos. You're welcome Grandma. :) }