AND BEARS ..... Oh my!

Yellowstone Bear World is literally down the street from Rexburg, 15 minutes.. tops. I have never been. It is definitely an overpriced experience, but a good fun outing. I never believed that their were actually bears at the park... but there are!! Over 50. It is impossible not to see one. Kirsten came up to visit for a couple of days while I was in Rexburg and we took Madison to see what this tourist trap was all about.

Madi was a little leery of the bear

We first took the loop and saw some wildlife. We saw elk, bison, wolves, mountain goats, and of course bears!

We saw the cutest baby bear cubs, fed some ducks, and walked through a petting zoo with all types of farm animals. Madison's favorite part was by far feeding the ducks and the gift shop. Good thing we didn't pay to let her in, she liked everything that you can do anywhere.

Hermana Abilee Manner

We just got back from a trip to Rexburg for the past two weeks. We sent off my family's 4th missionary. (2nd missionary that is out serving right now)  Hermana Abilee Manner left for the Argentina MTC and will serve in Argentina. We love our Aunt Abilee and are so grateful for the opportunity we had to live in Provo at the same time as her during her first semester at BYU. This girl is amazing.

We love and miss Aunt Abilee. We can't wait to hear updates and stories. We hope her emails are better then the Elder's in my family.

Madison ~ 18 months

Madison - 18 months

I haven't normally done little update posts on Madi's age as she has grown. To me, it is pretty self explanatory to see how she is progressing from the photos of us going through life, doing our normal everyday things. However, as Madison has approached 18 months and now has moved a little beyond, she is starting to spring up into a little kid all of a sudden!. It is amazing to see them progress and it seemed before this point it was a little slow. All of sudden she is learning words quickly, signs as soon as I show them to her, and is becoming more physically confident at jumping, marching, running, and basically any little finger play that I show her. 

Madison's hair is coming in very light blonde at the moment. It is so nice and thick and even has a little curl. She has big blue eyes and a lot of teeth that she will never show me. (Taking pictures of an 18 month old is hard, she refuses to look at me, she cannot be bothered) She has a big pop belly, but skinny little long legs. (Not a lot of baby fat on those thighs). She loves to point to all her body parts and knows, head, shoulders, knees, toes, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. We even add in cheeks, chin, belly, and booty.

Worriedly pointing at the little plane above.

She makes this face A LOT. She gets 'stoked' about everything and this is how she reacts. 

This girl loves to sing! She can be so mad, but as long as we start singing she will get excited and do whatever action is associated with the song. Currently she loves 'Wheels on the Bus' and 'Popcorn Popping'. Her likes tend to go with the season and what her mom can come up with on the spot. She loves our weekly music time. She gets so excited when she sees her designated sitting blanket and will plop herself down. She loves rhythm sticks, animal masks, jumping and marching around the room, and any song with actions. Good thing her mom is obsessed with kid's music. 

This girl is obsessed with balls. She loves to throw and catch. 

Another worried look because of an overhead plane

She is quite the impressive jumper. She easily gets both feet off  on solid ground and has learned to hold her own on the trampoline at Grandma Manner's house.

We love this little girl at our house. Her Dad is crazy about her and can't imagine another kid cooler. We are having another little girl to add to the family at the end of September. I am so excited for Madi to have a little friend. 

This little one goes to nursery like a champ, (doesn't even bother to look back.) We love our little ornery, spunky, smart, opinionated little Madison!