Transition to Toddlerhood

Okay, Tatum is two and a third, so she is a toddler.  She wears 2T clothes, but she is still in diapers.  But the transition I am referring to here is from a baby crib to a big girl bed.  Yes, that's right, Tatum now sleeps in a big girl bed.  And yes, this is the best pic I could get given the excitement of the new bed and the delay time on my camera.  But you get the point.

Montana Magic

My dad, known to the grand kids as pop-pop, moved to Montana some five years ago to start a new life in this part of the country where the bad lands meet the prairie.  Rich with American lore and ancient dinosaur artifacts, Glendive is a small town in Eastern Montana where you can  find the Yellowstone River.  We declined visiting pop-pop until Tatum was two and she could really enjoy the thrills of life in Montana.  And by thrills I am referring to a small heard long-haired Scottish highland cows, twelve horses, two ducks and two geese, a barn cat, Rhino-rides (a four-wheel drive golf cart), and spectacular hiking trails that my dad's land offers: two square miles of beauty with the Yellowstone aligning the property at the western edge.

 

 

We greatly enjoyed the trip far away from the city and into the wildness of Montana, land of the big sky.  And a big sky indeed.  Tatum in particular was taken by the expanse the Montana sky offered.  At night she would ask to see the moon which was visible outside our large bedroom window.  I kept thinking to myself where am I raising this kid where she is now repeating and requesting to see the sky before going to bed.  "I want to see sky.  I want to see sky.  I see the moon!" 

It was a special five day vacation filled with horse back rides, hiking, sleeping, and relaxing.  And Tatum can't wait to visit again.

It's a GIRL

The ultrasound is in and we have the great news of sharing that we are having another little girl come January.  We feel so blessed that she is growing strong and healthy.  She is already letting her presence be known by moving and kicking in my tummy.  On Tuesday we'll be 20 weeks along - half way to delivery date - and it leaves me in wonder and disbelief how quickly this pregnancy is passing.  Unlike my pregnancy with Tatum (aka then Belly Bean), my days are already filled with the love of a child who is growing more beautiful, personable, and intelligent everyday.  So it is easy to be distracted away from the miracle in my tummy (aka Tummy Nut) and be fully engaged with the toddler before me.  Oh, I pray for the days to go slow so I can enjoy all these passing precious moments that make up life.  Wow, what a wonderful ride this is...

Cowgirl in Training

"Giddy up horsey!" and "Yee haw!" are the common cries of a two-year old cowgirl who loves riding horses.

In a few weeks we leave to visit Pop Pop (my dad) in eastern Montana where the prairie meets the Bad Lands.  Pop Pop has lived in Montana for over five years now, finally completed building his house (ever nail folks, except the tile on the roof), and has a handful of ranch animals including, yes, HORSES.  To prep Tatum for life on the ranch and for the sheer fun of it, we took advantage of our kid friendly city of Los Angeles and headed down to Griffith Park for pony rides.  It's the best $3 bucks you'll ever spend!

We started out where Tatum felt most comfortable, the walking ring.  As you can see from the pics, horses are led around a ring in a very controlled, safe ring.  Tatum selected the largest pony available and was right at home sitting in the saddle.

 

After getting her chaps broken in, she was ready for the large ring.  Here kids are divided by age and weight.  The younger the child, the smaller the pony, and the slower the ride.  Kids are strapped into the saddle, the pony are given a slap on the rear, and then they're off around the large loop for two enjoyable walks around.  The older kids are given the thrill (or terror) of trotting along.  We're a few years and pounds away from that experience, thankfully!

Beach Babes

Summer heat is on here in Southern California.  Granted my East Coast family has been suffering through 100 degree temperatures for a while now, but we had a cool and breezy June and July that prevented any weekend trips to beach.  But finally, now that we are at the August and nearing the end of Summer, the heat has finally hit.  So Tatum and I packed our beach bag, put on bathing suits, and headed to Malibu this past weekend.  This is why we live in LA people, if you are ever wondering - for day trips to Malibu!