God Bless America

July 15, 2013Leave a comment

There are few things that feel as patriotic as the 4th of July in Montana. There are purple mountains majesty, amber waves of, well grass, but still and all the cowboy hats too. Hubbard’s always puts on a cookout that screams holiday and Mike has a fireworks show that is second only to professional displays. Watching the kiddos run around in their red, white and blue is really the best.

Aunts Sarah and Nancy. Auggie is a big fan.

Thank goodness we had a professional taking our picture. Vern (his real name is Eric. However the summer he worked at the ranch there were too many Erics so they started calling him Vern. Why? Because he’s just such a Vern) literally took 40 pictures and there were only FOUR where A) everyone is looking B) Peter’s eyes are open C) everyone is smiling and or not crying. I’ve realized also that Augg has inherited PW’s squint and head tilt.

Seriously. Look at those eyes.

Again, the cuteness.

Cousin Madi, Sienna and Baylor with Madi’s patriotic press on nails.

Pig roast! It always tastes delicious, I just don’t like knowing what my dinner’s face looked like so I make Peter get me a plate.

This was the first year that B did sparklers and I didn’t have a heart attack. We were spelling out her name.

It really is Big Sky Country

There were friends and friends of friends at the lodge for dinner and they thought that the sparklers were the fireworks. They about lost their minds when they saw Mike’s AMAZING firework display. Peter is always the fireman at the docking station. I’ve asked him not to tell me what happens down there because I never like hearing about how he almost lost an eye or a finger or is now deaf. Baylor always watches with her hands over her ears and I was anxious to see what Augg thought. Thankfully he loved them – and by that I mean he didn’t scream so it goes down as a win in my book. Fireworks? Check!

I Love a Parade

July 11, 2013Leave a comment

PW does not, however, which is why he’s not in any of these pictures. He claims that he doesn’t enjoy it, but I think the fact that he has a heart attack every time Baylor runs into the street to get candy has something to do with it. Which is why he goes fishing when we go the Livingston Parade.

I, on the other hand, LOVE the parade. I love the rodeo queens. I love the Costco “float” where they throw out rolls of toilet paper. I love the totally random groups of people that roll down the street and call themselves a float. I love the man who drives his truck through with a sign saying that he’s been in the parade for the last 65 consecutive years. I love that you can sit on the sidewalk outside of a bar and legally drink. It’s all around good fun.

The Noni with Ms.B and me with Augg.

Ready to get started!

Love the rodeo queens. Actually, I think was a queen wannabe…

In my defense – it was empty and I didn’t know he was chewing on it…

Baylor, Zoe and Siena trolling for candy

The big man enjoying the wagon to himself

Cowgirl Up

July 9, 2013July 9, 2013Leave a comment

Ms. B has been dying to ride horse since taking the Mini Horse Hands class last summer at the zoo. When we went down to feed the horses some carrots, she began begging us to let her ride. Thankfully, Uncle Mike agreed to take both B and cousin Zoe for a spin around the corral.

The Barn Bar

Big man trying out a saddle

Star, Cahl and Seabass (my favorite)

Auggie was unexpectedly not a fan of the horses. He literally shuddered when he pet them. Hopefully it’s only a temporary reaction.

Ready to ride!

Can’t stand the cuteness

As long as he was not actually touching the horse, he was happy

Ring Around the Rosie

This picture summarizes the whole trip for Baylor. She was loving her independence and cousins to pal around with!

Wild Montana Skies

July 8, 2013Leave a comment

The summer vacations continue! We landed safely (and on time thankyouverymuch Allegiant)last night and as I loaded up the pictures today, I realized how bummed I am to be back in the desert. MT has a little piece of our hearts and it gets harder and harder to leave.

This marked Auggie’s first real trip and plane ride. It went….ok. Not amazing but not horrible either. There was a fair amount of crying before and after takeoff but I think the temperature was to blame. Temperature you ask? Yes, it was 117 degrees while walking across and standing in line on the tarmac and then at least 102 on the plane. Peter bought a little battery operated fan and I totally made fun of him…until we were sitting on the plane. Yes PW, you were right. The fan was a fantastic idea. Pun intended.

Someone did really like taking off.

Eventually we got to this. I got to eat my Mike and Ikes AND read my book. The return flight? Not picture worthy…

This girl? Is amazing.

The worst part about traveling to the ranch is that once you land after the 2 hour flight, you have a two hour drive. It’s rough when you’re an adult. It’s murder when you’re a baby and just. want. to. crawl. We finally pulled in and turned the banshees loose in the grass. After a little unpacking when the sun was finally setting around 11pm, we sat on the deck in rocking chairs. I was holding Auggie and my brain was buzzing. And much like a loud noise stops you in your tracks, the dead silence hit me like a train. I suddenly was able to take a breath and realize that we had made it. We were in one piece and not in too bad of shape. So there we sat, breathing in the cool air listening to the soft squeak of the rocking chairs and letting vacation begin.

Dinner and a Show

July 3, 2013June 30, 2013Leave a comment

This is the face of a kid that is only satisfied eating his dinner if his mother is making a fool of herself by singing to him while he eats. His favorites are The Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald had a Farm and Holla Back Girl (for when he’s eating bananas). He also enjoys when his mother is getting really frustrated but trying to stay calm by singing a new verse of The Wheels on the Bus about how the mommies are getting off the bus to go have margaritas.

It’s My Kinda Town…

July 1, 2013June 30, 2013Leave a comment

When we saw friends Karen and Patrick in January, Patrick issued PW a put up or shut up on a visit to Chicago. Patrick has been living there for nearly the last decade and Peter is always saying we need to go. You can only make your wife cheer for the Cubs for so long before you actually have to take her to see a game. (side note: I’ve now been to two more major league baseball parks than Peter. Which kills him. )

So, we booked tickets, PMac and Karen’s guest room, and dropped the kiddos at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The party started at the airport when we decided we had time for margaritas (plural) before our plane ride. Patrick and Karen had planned a full weekend of baseball, great meals, a little sight seeing and a lot of fun. It kind of went like this: arrive, drink, drink, eat, drink, sleep, eat, drink, drink, baseball, driiiiink, eat, drink, eaaaaaat, drink, drink, sleep, repeat. It was, in a word, fantastic.

Game #1, Cubs v Astros. Bleacher seats.

We actually believed that it was going to miss us. We were wrong.

Three hour rain delay felt much shorter with the assistance of many many beer vendors. And a batting helmet full of nachos. No really. Like an actual sized batting helmet. With nachos.

How do I know our friends are professionals? They brought their own ponchos. $0.69 v $10.

Watching the mechanics of rolling back the tarp was so cool.

I love the ingenuity of the people that own the buildings across the street from Wrigley. They remodeled the rooftops with bleachers. Genius.

The ivy. Properly trimmed to keep jerks like me from picking it.

After the game, we headed home to change and then back out to The Loop for dinner at The Girl and the Goat. Reservations in June were booking for August…thank goodness Karen is a smart thinker and booked our reservations in February! It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Tapas with amazing ambiance, good wine, great servers, no time to take pictures because we were too busy eating a drinking. But I did manage to snap a picture of the Chicago River from the cab – so pretty.

Saturday brought sunny skies and game #2 – or as PW called them “the really good seats”. We were in the 6th row behind home plate. I’ve rarely seen Peter as excited and happy as he was for the pregame, game and post game.

Panorama of our view

Post game bar crawl. Happy camper.

Our last stop of the night was Red Ivy – an all encompassing Chicago sports bar. We caught game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals and it was a blast. Everyone in the bar was electrified – it would have been hard not to cheer for the Blackhawks.

Duh duh du duh duh du da da da duh duh!!

(Chealsea Dagger. Look it up)

Check out that mullet.

We went home tired, a little hung over but oddly well rested. It was the break from parenting that we very much needed whether we knew it or not. Getting to laugh with old friends, swear, sleep in, drink at will and have conversations that were only inturupted by more food, drinks or funny comments was amazing. Big hugs and thanks to Patrick and Karen for being the most amazing hosts! Can’t wait to see you in the desert in July and for the big day in 2014!!

Power Play

June 26, 20131 Comment

June marked the first of the “summer” power bills for us. It’s that time of year when our bill goes from being manageable to being a car payment (literally). I choke every time I open that email.

Last month I went to our power company’s website and found their service plan section. They list a bunch of options where you can minimize your use during full peak hours (9am to 9pm), super peak (7pm – noon), etc. We picked the super peak – basically we don’t use the washer, dryer, dishwasher or oven from noon to 7pm Monday through Friday. And we keep the air turned to 81 (which when it’s 112, feels pretty awesome). You can use those things if you need to, but you pay a higher rate during those peak times and a lower one during off peak.

The first week was a bit of a challenge to remember that the laundry had to get done first thing in the morning and to stay on it so it was done by noon. And we are a 8-10 load a week kind of house. Once I got the hang of the timing, it was great. First of all it got all the laundry done before nap time so I could fold without someone pulling it all off the table (his name rhymes with doggie…). Second, it was a good excuse to not throw in a load but save it up so I had a full load rather than a half load of clothes.

We just got our first bill today and I squinted as I opened the email…drum roll please….we saved $181.83!! I was a little shocked at how big the savings were. But it’s a great incentive to keep going and see if we can keep it up. We may be sweaty, but really, who isn’t at this time of year? But we’ll be rich! Or at least not poor!

Happy Anniversary!

June 24, 2013June 24, 20131 Comment

I love the song Hey. Ho. from the Lumineers (Baylor calls it the song where “they yell a lot”). When they say “she’d be standing next to me” it always gets me – there’s something so powerful knowing that the person you love is standing next to you.

Today PW and I are celebrating our 8th anniversary and all I kept thinking about were the places and times we’ve stood next to each other…

He stood next to me at our high school graduation

He stood next to me all through college

He stood next to me at our college graduation

He stood next to me on an alter and said “I do”

He stood next to me when we moved 3,000 miles to DC

He stood next to me when I cried desperately homesick

He stood next to me when he graduated from law school

He stood next to me when we drove from Phoenix to DC twice and DC to Phoenix twice

He stood next to me when Baylor was born

He ~~stood next to me~~ held me up when Mame died

He stood next to me when Auggie was born

He stood next to me through countless hard times, millions of good times, struggles, triumphs…he’s always there with a smile, a hug, a voice of reason and a shoulder to lean on.

So here is to the last 8 years and at least 88 more, Peter!

June 20, 20131 Comment

I always worry that I’m not doing enough for the kids. Not reading enough. Not playing enough. Not being patient enough. And that I’m going to give them permanent issues because they are sharing a room. Worry worry worry. You want the best for your kids so you work to give them the moon…but sometimes the moon isn’t totally necessary.

When my sister was in kindergarten, she was sent to the nurse for a bump or bruise. She came home from school that day enamored by the fact that the nurse had “made” ice. She begged my mom to ask the nurse for the recipe. Perplexed, my mom agreed. She realized later that the nurse used ice-cube trays – we had an ice maker so Ali had never seen a tray before.

My niece Madi used to beg my step sister to please turn on the “normal” radio in the car coming home from school. Her friends didn’t have satellite radio so she wanted to listen to the free radio that her friends were listening to.

The other night while getting Baylor out of the tub, she told me how she had been in the bathroom at a friend’s house recently and how she thought they had a HUGE window in the bathroom. But when she pulled back the curtain, she found it was actually the bathtub. Better yet, the bathtub HAD A SHOWER IN IT!! The look of pure joy on her face over the idea of a bathtub and shower together was priceless. This as I’m pulling her out of the claw foot tub that took weeks to get, was installed incorrectly, had to be removed and then put back into place and cost a small fortune…if I had only known she would have been more impressed by a tub shower.

The moral that I need to remember is this: no matter what the gift is, the box is most likely going to be more fun. And that’s a good thing. They are going to enjoy the fact that Baylor used to climb into Auggie’s crib in the morning to play and that they used to wake each other up in the middle of the night. They will laugh about how they put stickers all over each other behind me as I scrambled to get a few things done in the office (hell, they do that now).

At the very least, this will all be good things to talk about at therapy some day. So I’ve got that going for me. Which is nice.

Motherly Love

June 17, 2013June 16, 2013Leave a comment

It’s my own fault really. I was encouraging her by buying her the stationary…nothing like a homemade birthday card! And this is also what I get when I don’t “Mason proof” prior to that little hurricane’s arrival. He apparently needed to sign the card too – alll over.

The Goon Room

A little of everything and nothing, all in one blog

Tag: motherhood