Wednesday, August 17, 2011

June, July, and Wyoming trip!

Kingzlee and Kori enjoying the lake though it was a cold weekend in early June

The second weekend of June, we went to Valentine to watch Connie run the sandhills half (I obviously couldn't run this year). Justin golfed the new course up there with friends and Kingzlee had fun riding the go carts at Hultine's campground

Connie's fan club and the flowers her boys picked her from the ditch

My belly at 14 weeks-Kingzlee's belly at 2 and 3/4 years of age!

One rainy day in June, Kingzlee and I went to get manis and pedis

Kingzlee, Mimi, and I went to North Platte for the Miss Rodeo Nebraska style show while Daddy was away on business. After the show, she went up on stage and started to model herself! We are in trouble....

She loved the rodeo queens!

Daddy brought home a turtle he found on the road near Rolla, Kansas. We named it Rolla then let it go. We do, however, still have 'Bob' the tiny paint turtle Kingzlee, Mimi and I found while walking one day

Over Father's Day weekend, I went to Dallas to shop for baby items and hang out with my sister Kristi. I only get away about 2 nights a year and know that soon it will be next to impossible to ever get away. Further, my sister and I HATE Father's Day weekend-makes us miss Dad so much and June 16th is the anniversary of his death so we try to go somewhere together and ignore the weekend. We had a great time doing NOTHING except sitting by the pool and enjoying nice meals! Of course, I missed Kingzlee while I was away, but Justin did a great job of sending me a lot of photos.

Justin and Kingzlee went to his parents home for Father's Day. Kingzlee and Grandma Pam made cupcakes

Looks like Kingzlee decorated both the cupcakes and herself while she was there!


The end of June was the high school rodeo finals. Justin took Sarge in and Kingzlee had a good time riding him.

Our little cowgirl!

We attended an event at Prairie Loft where she had her face painted. She chose Hello Kitty!

At the end of June, we headed out for a 'Tour D'Wyoming'-10 days across the wild prairie! We started in Greeley where we saw 'Aunt' Sue, Coffmans, and Justin saw customers. Then we headed to Jackson Hole-here is Kingzlee our first night in Jackson

Here go my iphone photos acting all strange-turn your head and you will see Kingzlee in front of the antlers on the square in Jackson

Our hotel was on a creek so Kingzlee had fun fishing though she didn't have any luck!



She is getting so good at eating with chopsticks!

This child's memory amazes me. While shopping in Jackson-whenever we would go in a store that we had been in while visiting in January, she would say "Mommy, we were in this store before and Kitty (Kristin) was with us!"



After 3 nights in Jackson, we headed toward Cody via Yellowstone. I believe we were in Yellowstone for 3 hours which is long enough for me. We had to take a photo by the sign with all of the other tourists and the mosquitoes almost carried us away!

We stopped for a picnic at a lake in Yellowstone. Justin thought it was great. Between the mosquitoes, bees, and 'beware of bears' signs-I did not think it was so great!!!

We finally made it to Cody where we met up with Thomas, Inga, and Peter from Germany. They rented a motor home and spent 3 weeks in the Yellowstone area. Hulk Hogan was in the lobby at the same time we took these photos-not exactly who I thought I would run into in Cody, Wyoming?

We headed over to the Cody Stampede because our friends had never been to a rodeo. For $10, Kingzlee was able to 'ride' Hollywood the bull. She thought it was fun! He was HUGE!

Kingzlee cheering during the rodeo


After walking around Cody for a while the following day, we headed to the Buffalo area where we met up with Justin's parents and the Leuders family. We ate at a great restaurant in the Big Horns.

Kingzlee and Jack enjoying their chocolate cake

Kingzlee fell in love with Thomas while we were in Germany and then fell in love with him all over again after he brought her the real gummy bears!

Grandpa Jack fell in love with Thomas after he gave Jack a bottle of scotch!

The chef at the restaurant splits his time between South Beach in the winter and Buffalo in the summer. He was quite a character!

Kingzlee and the youngest member of the Leuders family-Easton

After checking out of the old whore house (no joke) that Justin had us staying in and moving into a normal hotel (The Hampton Inn felt like the Four Seasons after that experience)-Justin, Kingzlee and I spent a beautiful and relaxing afternoon at the Big Horn Polo club-it was so much fun!!!! Kingzlee and Justin are stomping divots

SO beautiful

'Tailgating' at the polo match

We spent Fourth of July fishing with Grandpa Jack. Kingzlee had a fish the first time she cast her new little pole but it got away!

She was excited to see Grandpa Jack catch a fish but was very worried about the blood on its mouth!

Thomas is quite the character-Kingzlee got a laugh out of him wearing her jeans on his head!

We went back to the big horn polo club for their fireworks display. It was an amazing display and I think every resident of Wyoming attended! Shirley gave Kingzlee a sparkler which she loved though she was not sure of the big fireworks display at first!

This is such a long post, I don't want your neck to get stiff, so turn it the other way and you can see Kingzlee in front of a memorial bronze to Chris LeDoux.

After we left Buffalo, we spent the night at Ft Robinson (lets just say Justin is never booking the hotels again after a night in a whore house and a night on an old military base!). The next day, we happned to be driving through Hyannis where a friend's parents just happened to have some 5-H puppies for sale so we just happened to stop and I conned Justin into letting us bring one home. Meet Sage!

After 10 days (and 7 different 'hotels') we were finished with our Wyoming tour. We had a great time but then we looked forward to spending some time at the lake! Here is Kingzlee and Aunt Marci tubing.

Kingzlee loves going over to Thelan's cabin where they spoil her-Chris even let her paint his nails!

My belly is growing! Here I am at 19 weeks and my cousin, Michelle, at 21 weeks, and Kingzlee at 2 and 11/12ths years old!

I don't get to tube with her this summer so I get to be the driver with Daddy tubes. I am not sure that the orange life jacket would actually keep him afloat if needed?


The end of July marked a HUGE Mommy moment. Kingzlee went to a 'camp' at the Children's museum. I dropped her off for 2 hours each morning M-F. It was hard for both of us the first day but after that she had no problem with me leaving and I was so productive-I cant believe what can be accomplished in an hour and a half at home alone!

Showing off one of her projects. She had so much fun that I signed her up for camp the following week as well! It was perfect because it was during the heat wave so she had some indoor entertainment each day!

Kingzlee has really shown a love for her horses this summer.  I am jealous that Daddy gets to ride with her and I don't! Every single day I hear "Mommy, can we go lead the little horses today? Mommy, can I ride Sarge tonight??"

This photo is blurry because it was so hot outside that my camera steamed over! Here is the only photo we have of Bob the turtle. Bob is no longer with us as Kingzlee and Justin let him out to run one day and forgot him! I didn't shed any tears as I wasnt a lover of Bob-with horses, longhorns, mini donkeys, mini horses, a dog, and a puppy, caring for Bob (which was easy) about put me over the edge! In Kingzlee's other hand is a catepillar. She found a colony of them living on my parsley and loved them! They are no longer around now but the toads around here seem to be really fat-I think I know where they went!?!?!?

The end of July marked the Adams County Fair. We went to the carnival one evening and rode every ride she could ride and of course had to pay to ride the horses!

I love this photo of Kingzlee and Collin Hermes. I can see this happening in the future with a real motorized toy (four wheeler, etc).

Sage gets a lot of love....


We went out the the horse show at the fair where Kingzlee conned Chance Mignery into letting her ride. On the last day of the fair, she went to the 4-H auction with Justin. It makes me too sad to watch those kids loading their animals on the truck as it heads to the slaughter house! Though with money in hand, I am not sure the kids feel too bad! I said something later in the day about her seeing the cows and she told me "they are not cows Mom, they are steers!"

We found the face painting lady again at the fair!

Enjoying a beautiful evening on the deck. Pretty soon Sage will be too big for Kingzlee to hold! Notice the frisbee's and toys-there is really no such thing as a relaxing evening on the deck with one busy almost three year old, a puppy, and a dog that wants to play fetch constantly!

She loves "light-en-ing" bugs and always talks Daddy or Mimi into catching them for her!

Posing with her animals in the background

Daddy found a dead locust which she enjoyed playing with - such an adventurous little lady!