Lana + Two = FUN

On Saturday our girl turned two! She started the day by dragging her balloons and running though the house singing, "Happy day to you! Happy day to you!" And what a happy day it was!

Cousins, cupcakes, dancing and presents. What two-year old wouldn't love that? (click on collage to see pictures larger)

 

Some Lynden family were even able to make the trip across the state for the occasion, making the day extra special. It was great for us grown-ups to catch up with family we don't see often enough and Lana couldn't be happier than when she's included in whatever the big girls are doing (and kudos to the cousins who lovingly include her).

Lana's second year was definitely full of changes. She learned to walk and talk and (sort-of) tell knock-knock jokes. She's shown that she likes pink, sparkles, farm animals and pretending to take pictures while saying "cheeeeeese!" Her favorite songs are, "round and round" (Wheels on the Bus), "sing moon!" (Goodnight Moon), "sleepy bear" (a silly song I just made up one day) and "mommy Jesus" (I still haven't figured out what this song is, any ideas????). Through it all she is a delight and joy and I can only imagine what we have to look forward to in year three.

Only Three More Sleeps!

Then we will celebrate my baby girl's second birthday!

 

(Being only 24 months and all, Lana hasn't yet developed the reasoning and thought processes involved in getting excited for an event more than 20 minutes away so I've been getting excited for her, ya know, in case you couldn't tell.)

Outfished!

Since we've been married, Dan and I have made the Memorial Weekend at Henry's Lake Fishing Trip a pretty-much annual tradition. We happily embarked on the adventure as recent newlyweds and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. You can read about our first trip here (and yes, that picture was on our Christmas card that year). We skipped the next year because I was very, VERY pregnant and it would have been unwise to travel so far from home. However, the following year we had a great time at the cabin. You can read about it here. The important thing to remember about last year's trip is that I definitely caught the biggest fish of the trip. This has been an annoying thorn in the flesh to my subtle-yet-competitive husband.
Well Dan, you can relax, this trip you definitely outfished me, and here's the proof:

 

No only is his fish much larger, he caught three to my one.

Dan, my dad, my Grandpa Cy and I loaded up in the boat Saturday morning. It was the first day of fishing season on Henry's Lake and despite snow and low temperatures earlier in the week, we weren't about to miss fishing. I dunno if it was the cold or if our lures weren't all that attractive, but the fishing was tough. After a couple hours I had one on the line, but it got off on the reel-in. I sort-of redeemed myself by bringing in another, this time all the way to the cooler. It was a relief to finally get one in the boat. More time went by and we were all getting good and frustrated. My dad and grandpa were getting cold, but then the fun started. Within about 30-40 minutes, Dan caught three fish. It seemed like he would just get his pole in the water, and BAM! another hit. One of those fish came in at about 3.5 pounds, much larger than the measly 2-pounder I brought in.

Here's a picture of the whole family with the fish. No, Lana didn't go out on the boat with us (that'll have to wait a few years), but she did think the fish were pretty neat.

 

What do you think? Should we use this for our Christmas card this year?

Yellowstone National Park: A True American Treasure

One of the really neat things about our Memorial Weekend Fishing Trip tradition is the opportunity we have to visit Yellowstone National Park. My Grandpa Cy's cabin is less than 30 minutes from the west entrance, so there really is no excuse not to visit. Other years when we've gone sight-seeing, we've stopped at Old Faithful and walked around some of the sulfur pots. This time, with the cold and a nearly two-year old, we opted for different sights.

This time of the year, spring is usually well on it's way to making a home at Yellowstone, but this year it was apparent that winter is not letting go without a fight. It was cold and impaired any attempts of hiking, but oh so very beautiful.

 

We always are lucky enough to see bison and this year was no exception. We saw quite a few baby bison too. Once Lana got a good look at these enormous creatures, she couldn't get enough. She would get so excited and shout, "See bison! Hi bison!" Or she would be sad when we wouldn't see any for a while. "Where bison go? Want bison!"

 

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is certainly not to be missed. I had only seen it in the summertime and the different season sure gave me a new perspective. The waterfall is incredible. Here I tried to get Dan and Lana with the waterfall in the background. My husband and daughter look good, but this picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of the waterfall.

 

Here's a better one. Views like this are what postcards are made of. We actually braved the cold and walked out to a spot called Artist Point, which is appropriately named and certainly the best place to photograph the waterfall and the roaring river beneath.

 

Stay tuned for more about our day fishing. Alas, this year I got out-fished by Dan! I'll post the pictures to prove it.