Constant Beginnings

My Mom and I have returned from our week long trip to Arizona where we spent precious time shopping, bonding, laughing, scrubbing and scrubbing some more. Their new house is LOVELY. She is thrilled and so excited to be close to her brothers as well as within a short driving distance to pretty much any shopping experience or restaurant she wishes to enjoy ;) I am happy that she's happy and looking forward to enjoying the new house with my family as well. We scrubbed every nook and cranny, got the grout on her tile floors from black to a beigy red and hung blinds in every stinkin window. It was a job! My hands hurt, my knees are nasty, but it looks lovely and again, she is thrilled. I talked to Claire and Mya everyday. Claire had a countdown going and talked on and on about all the fun she was having with Papa. He did a great job, not that I had any doubt. I was simply worried because I know how exhausting our adorable children can be ;) He took them to our farm where they rode in th...

I often go back and forth about what I want the world to know or see about my family. I try to monitor and post only pictures/information that I feel is not invading the privacy of my children. I also am able to monitor what people read and what pictures they choose to click on to view extra close as well as how people access the site. As a result, I've decided to go private and stay that way--at least for a while ;) I have been in AZ for the past week helping my Mom getting the new house ready to go. I didn't even bring my camera, but I have some things I'll be sharing once we return. It has been a great, forced break from my vacation ;) I was very sad about leaving my kiddos, but my Dad is doing a great job and they are loving every minute of fun their having. Mya can hardly manage to tear herself away from their dog, Molly, to say "hi" to me. Claire is counting down the days until I return, but told me all about their visit to the flooded city of Minot (and e...

Dearest Claire, You are officially 4 years old today, but in all honesty, I can't quite bring myself to look beyond that baby girl I hold close to my heart. Words cannot describe or accurately express the love I've felt for the past 4 years and the excitement that coexists as I think about your future. You are such a bright ray of sunshine. Not always full of happiness, but always full of fire. You have a such a spark that I simply hope never fades. You are timid towards new situations, but once acclimated, you approach with gusto! I love that about you. "Go hard or go home" seems very appropriate for you. Claire, you are a kind to others, loving towards your family and friends and such a smartie. I couldn't be more pleased with the amount of skills you've learned this year. You have been the beginning steps of learning to read! My little girl, READING! I long for the day when I catch you reading to Mya. Such a sweet vision...

Saturday was filled with hiking. It was a beautiful hike filled with rushing water, and gorgeous views of the mountains. I had never carried a child on my back (I did carry Mya on my front when she was only days old up a mountain), so it was a challenging experience. I was tuckered out. The river was full and rushing due to the large amount of snowfall Montana received this year. The runoff has been causing flooding all across Montana and North Dakota. Although capable of such damage, it was lovely to see and hear. Fun, fun, fun day. Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We spent the day at the lake on Friday. It was beautiful weatherwise and thankfully, there wasn't alot of traffic on the water. Claire and Mya loved the water. They both went in immediately at the shoreline, but needed a bit of encouragement when we were at the middle of the lake. All the kids went tubing. I even water skiied and managed to actually get up! Amazing. It was tough and I am sore days later. A boat is definitely on my future want list. The kids LOVED it! Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We spent the day yesterday around Red Lodge, where we ventured up to the Pass. This is an area atop the mountains between Montana and Wyoming that is filled with snow 12 months per year. Just last month there was well over 6 feet of snow, whereas yesterday, we found one area with 5 feet and lots and lots of grass. It was strange having a snowball fight in shorts. Mya couldn't quite figure out what the deal was with the snow. She touched it, tasted it and touched it some more. We enjoyed the drive, and stopped along the way to take in the beautiful view. On the return trip, we enjoyed lunch in Red Lodge and took in a few of the cute shops to break up the drive. Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We arrived in Billings a few days ago. Jess and Nate worked the first day, so the kids and I did some shopping and passed the time with painting fun and a run through the sprinkler. Claire and Mya wanted nothing to do with the sprinkler, but Ava and Olivia were great sports. They enjoyed cooling off from the intense heat. Claire and Mya filled frisbees full of landscaping rocks. Hmmm.... Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our 4th was also marked by a lantern release. It was quite a learning experience as the wind was present, making it a feat to get the lanterns off the ground as well as off the roofs. With an open flame underneath, it was a somewhat dangerous, stomach churning task; however, very memorable. They were rather lovely to watch floating off into the night sky. Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We spent the fourth in Bismarck with my parents, my sister Lauren, Lisa, Phil and their kiddos, Ava, Luke and Olivia. It was a great time, taking in the parade, art in the park, eating great food, shopping, swimming, and of course, fireworks. Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our trip to ND has been enjoyable thus far. We had a good flight schedule and managed to land nearly 24 hours later only having encountered one MAJOR meltdown despite alot of lost sleep. We were all excited to see my parents when we landed and I was especially excited to hit my favorite shopping destination--Target. Ahhh, Target. How I've missed you! I walked out of there with some flip flops for the girls (It is very challenging finding decently priced children's shoes overseas. I typically order them, but knowing I was returning to the states, I held off.), and an outfit for each. Our next few days are kind of a blur. We didn't experience jetlag per say. We all have managed to adjust rather quickly to the time change, but are still catching up on our missed sleep with long naps whenever we can manage. I squeezed in a dentist appointment, we took in a trip to the park, opened & played with my birthday presents (I had a WONDERFUL birthday--thank you Chris!), mowed my ...