Around the Hotel Terra In Jackson Hole

Remember this letter to daddy last year while my husband was at his company's Annual Mtg? Well daddy made sure that we all got to go with him this year and make it so that the kids wouldn't miss him. Isn't he the best daddy ever! So needless to say we tagged along up to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone and enjoyed the benefits of tagging along. Granted not all things were provided but a place to sleep and a chance to get away and see something new was. So we gladly and gratefully accepted such a trip. I will need to break up these posts into categories since there are so many pictures and well I want to do this trip justice. So we begin with around the Hotel.

Here is the view as you drive into Teton Village where the hotel is.

This was what you saw as you first entered the lobby of the Hotel. I loved it!
Don't you love that they always provide paper and pens at the hotel? Then if you're lucky it will have a picture watermarked onto it. Then if you are even luckier your daughter will use her artistic abilities and draw faces on said watermark. She says this one was Pop Pop.
She said this one was her.
OK note to all Hotels. From now on you are all required to have a pool like this one. Please included the jets on the side with a seat for parents to sit on and keep heated. Make sure that it is large enough that the kids can swim and have fun while parents can feel like they get a massage while enjoying the jets. Really my kids and I loved this pool. My son enjoyed it so much he would fall asleep while laying back on the headrest of his life jacket. So I held him and my daughter played with the other kids that came with their dad to Annual Mtg.
This is right before he fell asleep. I tried to get out with him and he would wake up. So instead I enjoyed sitting at a jet and he enjoyed the warm water and being cuddled by mommy.
Just in case you think that this was all play for the family. Here are some pictures I took of my husbands meeting. This is his boss starting the meeting.
My husband is in this picture I promise. Ten points if you can spot him though. Here's a hint all you see is his head and back.
Isn't this great giant green cotton balls to clean the moose's antlers. Really I thought this was a nice touch to the room.
Here are the rock hard beds. Did I mention this is an Eco-friendly Hotel and totally organic. What they fail to mention in the brochure is they made these beds from some rock they found in the mountains. It truly was an earthy experience. Seriously they were your typical bed just a very stiff mattress. The common complaint among those there for the meeting. At least they had a heated jetted pool for you to get rid of the morning aches. OK all better. :)
They had a very fun playground for the kiddos to play at. My kids also loved coming here to play.
The grounds on the Hotel/Village were stunning. They had flowers, a pond, fire pits, and little stream, and lots of grass to run around on. And lots of photo opts for what I consider the cutest kids in the world.
They also had shops galore just there for you to shop at and waste your touring dollars. Here we found an ice cream shop and the kids enjoyed their ice cream.

Sewing Project

So here is a pig that I made for my neighbors daughter. I was very happy it turned out. So excuse my indulgence, but I wanted to share.

Grandma Great

My husbands Grandma passed away last month and her funeral was the first Saturday of this month. She was a wonderful woman who tried really hard to feel like she could connect with others. The Chiropractor had stories of how she would tell him that they were related through this relative and she would tell him stories of this ancestor. She would talk to me about her visits to PA because she knew my family came from there. She would show off the artwork that her grandsons did that she proudly displayed on her walls. As well as tell stories of when some of them were little that made her laugh because she loved them and liked remembering them as little boys. She was proud of them and their accomplishments. Although I am not sure if she ever straight out said it to anyone particularly. She would regularly tell everyone else about what her children and grandchildren were up to. I believe it gave her a sense of belonging and pride. She loved her family. She always made me feel welcomed and I was grateful to know that she loved me as well. She also loved being Grandma Great and was excited every time she saw the great grandchildren and loved to be loved by the children. Here are a few pictures of her graveside service and our little family. She will be dearly missed not just by us but by all those who knew her.

KIDS

So here he is falling asleep while eating his lunch. It always amazes me how kids can do this.

She loves to do puzzles and here she is posing next to her puzzle that she did with a little help. She for the most part figured out the middle while daddy and I helped with the all blue water part.

Making Green Beans

So we do Bountiful Baskets and one week we got a bag of fresh green beans. So for Sunday dinner we decided that we would cook them up as the vegetable. Yes when I said we I totally meant me and the mouse in my pocket. But nobody in my family disagreed with me either. In fact my daughter was more than happy to help out. She did really well at getting the ends off and breaking them in half.

First Days

Her first days of this school year. She is in dance, talking time(speech therapy), and preschool. She started her dance class in August and Talking Time started the last day of August. Then Preschool started just a couple weeks ago. I figured that I should just do it all at once though so as not to feel repetitive. She cracks me up these days. It is next to impossible to get just a nice smile when I take a picture anymore. She always has to make a face of sing while I am taking her picture. I love this little girl. She is so independent these days. She tries to push me out the door. As for me I have a hard time just leaving her at dance since I don't have to go and Preschool she totally forgot me the minute she walked through the door. Talking Time is time that I get to go with her and not have to leave her. But I do have to leave my son. I feel torn by this new stage we are in. She was supposed to be my little girl forever. So here you go and a sneak peek at her first dance class.

Dance

sneak peek

Talking Time
Preschool Orientation
First official day of Preschool

17 months old

Ok so he is closer to 17 1/2 months now. But I realized that I hadn't updated this kind of stuff in a while. I can't believe how much he has grown. He is so busy and gets into EVERYTHING. I truly was spoiled with my daughter. He keeps me on my toes in a whole new way. He is my little guy. He follows me around into every room that I am in. And we are finally at the stage where he will just cuddle and snuggle with me. I am no longer food to him and so I am enjoying this new relationship that I am beginning to build with him.
Eating some cantaloupe.

One day he grabbed a book and chilled out in this chair. He looked so intent as if he was really reading this little book of his.