FUN week/TONS of pics/GREAT day! (Part II)

Here is "Part II" - Today

We had such a wonderful day...we just have to share...

We had a fun morning playing and then when it was time for morning nap, we hopped in the car. We had things to do, places to go, people to see! So, the first news of the day is that Hope has been on her first geocaching hunt. I don't know if you could say that she has officially been geocaching because she fell asleep in the car right away, but she was "along for the ride." We had two new e-mails this morning of new caches in Baldwin, so we thought we'd hit them on our way out of town. That makes #252 & #253 for us. FUN!

To finish morning nap, we drove to Woodbury and finally saw our friends Wendy, Larry, & Hannah. They have been so patient waiting to see us since we've been home. We had such a great day with them. Hope LOVED Hannah. It is so fun to see Hope meet new friends! We met for a quick lunch before heading to the house where the girls played for a while. Hannah was very gracious with sharing her toys. Then they swam for a bit until we got back in the car to drive to the zoo. Hope's first trip to the zoo was awesome. You should have seen her trying to talk to the spider monkeys. They were very active and she was captivated! It was so warm out today! The thermometer on the car said 104 as we drove to the zoo, but hey...after southern China in June, we can handle a little heat, right? :) It was so fun. We've missed our friends. Thanks for a great day guys!
(too many single photos - slide show needed for this one)

NOW - big news!

Hope went potty on the toilet! OK here is the story...We've been periodically trying to hold Hope over the toilet because her foster Mom said that she could use the potty or a diaper. In China, potty training starts very early with the use of split pants. Please ask us if you'd like more detail than that. :) Anyway, so far we've not had success. But tonight we tried and nothing...until she to in the tub. HA HA HA - nice little floating thing in the water. :) OUT she came quickly and back over the potty. SUCCESS! YEA - squatting on the toilet seat (as in squatty potties in China) she did it! Hopefully we can keep it up. We're so proud!

Then, Hope had the best bath she's ever had. She and Dad played and played. It was hilarious! I was unpacking/repacking the diaper bag for tomorrow and I just kept hearing this hysterical laughter coming from the bathroom. We have video we can show but would prefer not to post it here. Just ask. She thought it was so fun to bend down, get very wet, and then pop up and splash all over Ron. She was so cute! Here are a couple of shots...imagine the giggles.



Here she is post bath, all clean and winding down.


And finally, here is the best highlight of all...Ron put Hope to bed tonight for the first time. After getting ready with pj's, etc., I said "goodnight" and Ron and Hope took Ella out. When they came back, I was in the shower - convenient, huh...nope, just well-planned parenting. ;) So, Ron and Hope made her bottle, read stories, and rocked together. I have goosebumps and tears in my eyes just thinking of it. Talk about one proud Daddy tonight! This was huge!!!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Night - B,R, & H

FUN week/TONS of pics/GREAT day! (Part I)

Here are a bunch of shots from the week. Ron took a few days off and we've been having some great family time. We're still working on some bonding with Mom & Dad and attachment things (I know it's a long process), so it has been wonderful to have Ron home. (Also, remember that you can click on the photos to see them larger.)

BUBBLES! Hope didn't offer too many smiles on this night. She was just trying to figure it all out.





Mom's favorite shot -

We've been trying out carriers since the stroller isn't always convenient where we hike. We'd love to have one. I think Hope is in agreement! We'll try to pay attention at garage sales for the rest of the summer and see if something pops up.


We were out for a drive the other day and looked back...at this (they do reach the mouth by the way) -
"MMM, look at these."


...and then this -


On a side note, Ron said that he thinks he's becomming more and more like his father everyday. He is now enjoying 45mph drives through the country on quiet afternoons. I think that a growing family changes a lot of things. :)

We finally decided to try Ella in the back seat with Hope. They both did great. I was afraid that Hope was going to get "kissed" like crazy, but during the short drive over to Grandma & Grandpa's she quickly took control of the situation.



When we got to Grandma & Grandpa's they had BOOKS!!! This girl is serious about reading. Well, maybe not the reading part so much yet, but she loves books. Just look at her delight. It was fun for me to look through the bin and remember some of the books that I used to recite, too.




4th of July Watermelon and Clean-Up Crew





On Saturday we drove south to Nugget Lake county park where we like to camp. I grew up camping there a bit, and Ron and I have since enjoyed or two there as well. We drove through the campground to show Hope the sights (and to use the flush toilets) before we drove down to the lake and playground. We found a shady spot for a picnic and had a fun time playing. Hope was getting a bit frustrated trying to get her car through the grass. Just leave it to her creative Daddy to come to the rescue.




So there you have it. You've been updated about most of our week. Please scroll up and read on to find out about all the other remarkable things Hope did today.

1st Steps

I just wanted to let everyone know some very exciting news from the Heutmaker home. Hope took her first steps last night! She let go of Mom and walked about 4 steps to Dad. We're not really trying to push her into walking, but she's getting stronger everyday. She didn't take any steps on her own today, but we know she can and she'll do it again when she's ready.

Just a short report tonight. Thought you'd like to know.

Since Friday

On Friday, Hope and I spent our first full day running around together since we've been home. We took care of some errends in Woodbury, had lunch together, and then went for an oil change in Hudson.
Hope enjoying her first Pei Wei meal -


Before going home, we met Daddy after work in Hudson at the new "castle" park. Thanks for the tip Lexi! We had a great time and Hope loved it. Most of the time when we're trying for pictures Hope is pretty reflective and not very quick to smile. We have to use all our best tricks for some of the photos we get. Well, on this afternoon, Hope's smile was glowing. We will for sure have to return to this park! Check her out with her Daddy! (YES Andy, here's Ron)

Saturday afternoon we went to the start and the end of the annual Holmgren/Miller Independence Day bash. What a fun party. We were unable to stay for the duration because we had plans with other friends for dinner, but we were able to stop at the beginning, and again for the fireworks on our way home. Here is Hope chillin' in her ride for the night (we may have to check into one of these - she looks so tired in these pictures, but really, Hope thought this car was the hot ticket.) Also, here we are watching Hope's first fireworks. She wasn't phased by the loud sounds at all - and even clapped and chattered with the bright beautiful lights a couple of times. In spite of her closed eyes, I love the pic of all of us looking up. We thought maybe the fireworks this week would be a bit scary for Hope, but we may have to re-think our plans for the 4th.

So, as I said, we didn't stay for the whole party. We left and met our friends Andy, Betsy, Maria, Elizabeth, and Anna for dinner. Anna came home from China with Hope so they already share a special bond. We had so much fun with their family when we traveled and we were very excited to see them again. Here are some shots of all the girls. Thank you so much for the yummy burgers guys. We can't wait to see you again soon!

Also - here is area a couple shots of Hope's cute patriotic outfit from Aunt Tami and Uncle Brian. Thanks for keeping our daughter in such high fashion...though her daddy isn't too crazy about the tummy showing. ;)






Here is how Hope spent her morning getting ready for church. I know she read and enjoyed every one of those books. She didn't just pull them off the shelf for fun. Not our daughter. She wouldn't do that. :) "OK - so I'm busted. But, I'm still cute. How 'bout readin' me a story, Mom?"





Once she was dressed...here is how sweet she looked this morning. This is the dress that Hope wore in China on her adoption day, June 5. We all wore red, white, and blue that day. I thought I'd better get her in this dress again one more time before she outgrows it. "Why Mom? Why more pictures this morning?" "Because you're just so darn cute, Hope".

The final excitement of the weekend was that Hope was introduced to more of her family. She got to meet Great Grandma Heutmaker and cousins Jen, Greg & Alexa! Let me just say that Hope adores meeting other children so she was pretty excited to see Alexa come along and I think they could have strolled around the yard forever. Hope also thought that Alexa and her Daddy were pretty funny when they were wrestling. I think I cought a small glimpse of our future there.

We had a great weekend! Have a great week everyone.

C-Ya

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(Disclaimer...
I'm not sure what the layout of this post is going to look like. Hope is probably going to be awake in a half hour for a bottle and then I just have to go to bed. So if it is messy and there are photos everywhere...sorry. I'll look at it tomorrow during nap time.)