Anger Management

In this video, Miss Squiggles demonstrates her strategy for dealing with life’s rainstorms.  She goes through increasing stages of frustration until she starts to lose her temper; fortunately, she regains control and retreats to her happy place.  Kind of.

Squatter.

We finally figured out why Miss Squiggles isn’t gaining any weight.

In which I am named Alpha Mom of the Year

I am pretty much the most on-top-of-my-life working mother that I know.  For example,

• I’m continually exceeding expectations at work (read: after five years, people still ask Erin who that “blonde girl” is)
• I have a year’s worth of menus and recipes planned and organized in a fun, color-coordinated file system (read: we sometimes eat cheerios for dinner, right off the floor where they have been sitting since breakfast and/or lunch)
• I have weeks worth of laundry washed, ironed, and folded (read: irons terrify me, and we have  resorted at times to taking our laundry to the dry cleaners just to be washed… did you know they did that?)
• My house is spotless – no clutter, dirt, fingerprints on glass, or sticky residues on furniture due to toddler activities (read: sigh….)
• I am always on top of appointments, meetings, deadlines, and all manner of other responsibilities (read:  is today Sunday or Monday or Tuesday?  Crap!  – am I supposed to be in a meeting???)
• I’m on the board of several important community organizations (read: I sometimes wave to the neighbors, who wave back and then ask each other who that blonde girl is)
• All this and never a tear or complaint. 

One of my awesome alpha-mom attributes is my ability to get everything done that I want to, and way ahead of schedule.  For example, here are the awesome family pictures that I wanted to post TODAY, RIGHT NOW.  Nevermind that Cami took them a year ago and the baby has tripled in size since then.  I wanted a year to pass before I shared them with the world.  It’s all according to plan.  Hmph.

Don’t worry – none of us has changed that much except that I’m much skinnier, much taller, and much younger looking.

Where the dear and the antelope play

Since we were in the neighborhood, we spent a day in Yellowstone.  My dad is somewhat notorious for telling us that we’re going to go on a short “walk” or “stroll” that’s “just a couple blocks,” when really he means, “a lengthy excursion that will make you regret every single peanut-butter-covered, fudge-dipped, chocolate chip granola bar that you’ve ever eaten, ever.”  This particular hike was to Lone Star Geyser. 

Luckily, the scenery was spectacular, so my mom and I forgave him (we always do) for underselling the exertion factor.  “A stroll in the park,” he said.

Ha.

Miss Squiggles spent the first hour waving ecstatically to all the trees in sight, which (as you might imagine) became exhausting.

My dad carried the baby on the return trip, likely due to my inability to walk another step with thirty extra pounds peaking over my shoulder.

I begged my parents to drive past Hayden Valley to see these little fellas:

The valley is spectacular even without the thousands of bison grazing by the wayside.

We had a picnic by the river.  Don’t let the picture fool you.  Squiggles was mad that I picked her up for a picture… she was happily in the midst of returning every rock in Yellowstone to this river.

We timed our visit to West Thumb Geyser Basin to coincide with dusk… the prettiest time to visit this area, which is nestled right by Yellowstone Lake.  I love how the steam from the geysers creates a mystical effect while the sun is setting (not captured on camera… you must go there yourself to understand).  It is so beautiful and quiet and peaceful and other-world-ly.

Far away from trouble and worry

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free
~Tom Petty

Today I introduced Squiggles to my mountains.  We took an eight-mile hike to White Pine Lake.  If you haven’t been there, shame on you.

A very old, borrowed baby backpack (thank you Family Jones) transformed me into Squiggles’ personal transportation device.

And of course my parents wouldn’t dream of letting anybody have mountain fun without them…

The trail meanders through several meadows, replete with vibrant wildflowers during peak summer weeks.

Squiggles has always loved being outside, but today she reached new levels of exuberance.  She laughed frequently and tried to point out every single flower and tree (quite a task, but she’s very tenacious).  She spent almost the entire hike leaning to her far right so that she could see over my shoulder and didn’t seem to notice that this asymmetrical configuration became slightly uncomfortable for her beast of burden…

She also played peak-a-boo with grandma and grandpa, and danced while we sang songs along the trail.

The lake was stunning, as usual.

We had a picnic lunch by the lake, where I tried to get the baby to smile sweetly for the camera.  No luck, as usual.

Grandma made the baby laugh by throwing rocks into the lake.

Grandpa refilled our water bottles with his new filter.  Best water on earth.

Just as I was fondly remembering how I used to walk out on this log when I was young,

Grandpa snatched my baby and took her for a close-up of the lake.

So I found some flowers to amuse me.

It was a perfect day.

The hills are alive

Today we rode through Franklin Basin, even though it’s not Sunday.  The meadows were astonishing – wildflowers everywhere.  I closed my eyes and imagined that this is where I actually married Tim, with bare feet and a bouquet of asters, bluebells, paintbrush, and sage.

The road through the basin goes on for miles and miles, connecting many other mountain paths. 

Our chariot:

Squiggles may look like she was only interested in her donut, but she giggled and said, “Oh!” every five seconds.  She loved it.  I let her ride on my lap up front (shhhh… don’t tell) since we were the only vehicle on the road and traveling slowly so that I could savor the deliciousness of the scented summer air.  I like to call this look, “Just stepped out of a jeep.”

The tour guides (today and on a thousand finity Sundays past):

We walked around, and pondered our smallness in the universe (or maybe she wanted another donut):

Grandpa and Squiggles found a raging river – luckily there was a bridge for safe crossing.

They crossed it approximately seventy to eighty times.  Grandpa is good like that.  He even let her dip her toes in, which is why her shoes are now drenched.

Then they threw rocks in the river. 

She enjoyed the freedom.

Squiggles let out a joyous, “Oh!   Baaaaaaa!” and giggled uncontrollably when we encountered this road block:

There were thousands of sheep in this particular meadow.  My dad said the locals call them mountain maggots, but I enjoyed the pastoral-ness of it all.

Mostly I enjoyed the flowers.  I like flowers.

The whole ride, I kept thinking, “I wish Tim could see this.”  I miss you <sniff>.