Hello Spring

Yesterday was the first day of spring. We spent it at the dog park with the Pug Club. As is typical for MT in spring, it was blustery and cold with the Hellgate wind funneling through the canyon and chilling us to the bone. The prize of the day, though, was seeing the bald eagle perched up on a telephone pole. Equally fun was watching the people as they realized what it was. They'd be walking along and suddenly notice someone else looking up or taking pictures and then they'd stop and look up and scan around to see what was so interesting. Then they'd see him and point and get all excited. Very neat.

So happy spring everyone. Can't wait for some sunshine and warmth.

Happy New Year! 2011

It's a bitterly cold start to the New Year. But we're warm and cozy in our little house, and who could ask for more than that? I'm not big on resolutions, but I've started journaling again. I hope I'll be able to keep it up. It's not blog journaling. It's real paper to pen journaling. All my family history research has led me to see that I need to leave a hard copy of life in the 21st century behind for posterity. So I have begun.
Besides journaling this year I have one other new habit I'd like to foster. We have a family history center in town. I want to utilize it to its fullest in my research. So I'm searching the online catalog and printing out the necessary micro film numbers and next week, I'll make a trip down to the center to order films and see what new genealogical information I can dig up.

Happy New Year to all. May it be blessed with good fortune and overflowing with happiness.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours

The tree that looks best in the dark

Stockings hung by the front door with care

Allison 

Sarah

Brittney

Alex

Brittney and Victor

Christmas Time again

Last year we had a houseful of little people to do all the fun Christmasy stuff with. This year its not quite so busy and frantic and a little bit subdued. It's all good. It is what it is. We have a Charlie Brown tree leaning askew in the living room, we've baked until we couldn't bake anymore and the gifts are slowly trickling into the hiding
places in and around the house. We are keeping it small this year. Saving our pennies and not going too far overboard. It'll be different and it'll be just fine. I've got a few crafty projects going and that always makes me feel good. Happy Christmas to all.

Labor Day 2010

In typical MT fashion, we went from warm and sunny to cool and rainy to winter in the course of two days.

Dani came the cabin with Alex, Allison and me. Mom and Dad met us there and we had a lovely weekend of playing in the "river", hiking to the meadow, listening to the musical stylings of Alex on guitar and hunkering down against the cold.

Grace, Logan, Molly and Kevin came up for the day on Saturday. Kevin went hunting, until a freak hail storm rolled through. Grace and Dani had a wonderful time playing together.
Grace had trouble remembering Dani's name, so just called her "my friend" all day. They're so cute together.

It was quiet, restful and relaxing....well, as much as could be expected with a three year old and three pugs along.

Buddha enjoyed his first visit to the cabin and christened every tree and bush in sight. Chloe and Zoey snarffled around and had a wonderful time frolicking in the grass.

All in all a good time was had.

Genealogy

My new passion. I've been working on my family genealogy for several weeks now. Have made lots of progress only to realize how much more there is to find. I've read as many books as I can get my hands on, to familiarize myself with HOW to find what I need to find. It's all seems a bit overwhelming, until you break it down into bite sized pieces. And may I just say, Ancestry.com is my new guilty pleasure. What a treasure trove of information with more and more added almost daily! Am currently wondering how/if I should develope a family history blog. I need another blog like I need a hole in my head. Will chew on that idea a while longer.

Lazy

Can't understand why I haven't blogged in almost a year. What's been going on? Well, we finished up 2009 with Katie, David and the kids in Missoula for Christmas. Such a treat to have them around for a couple of weeks. Thommy, Alex and I went to Seattle/Oak Harbor for spring break. Had a nice overnight at Katie's house then hit the big city for some good food, the Muse concert and a bit of sightseeing. It was quick and super fun. Now it's summer time again and its flying by.

Sarah is in N.C. working for the Lost Colony Theater and having the summer of her life. Living right on the beach with a bunch of creative souls and just enjoying every minute.

Katie is getting ready to send David off to Afghanistan for the third time. Not enjoying the thought of that at all. Allison is packing to leave for Conrad for a month-long job with Erynn Flaherty's dad. She'll work and live with them and I think is pretty dang excited to go. Brittney is living at home again, working at Rosauer's and filling out college paperwork. Yeah! Alex is working with me every day and hanging out with friends or playing his guitar afternoons and evenings. I really want to do something fun with him, but working every day is cramping my style. We're planning to be at the cabin for Labor Day weekend. Can't wait for that.

Allison and I rode the Hiawatha again in June. Gorgeous day and super fun ride.

I've had some reenacting adventures over the past year and just finished up Daly Days last weekend. Super fun, again. I'm loving every minute of it.

Pug club is going gang busters. We have over 50 pugs in memebership. We've got Pet Fest and Homecoming parade on our events calendar. Should be lots of fun.

Mainly life is the same old same old with some fun and adventure thrown in the mix. My goal now is to blog at least a few times a year, if not more often. We'll see if that works out for me.

Goodbye Summer

September. Actually September 11. 8 years since the attacks in NYC and WA DC. 8 years. Seems like yesterday. We were watching Disney channel. Alex was 4. Mom called and said turn on the news. And there I sat, in stunned disbelief watching the tape loop over and over again. Watching the second tower fall, then watching it all again and again and again. Alex said "why does that building keep falling down?" Time to turn it off and try to sort out all the emotions that were swirling around in my head. What the hell was happening? What next? Where? When? Katie, Sarah, Allison and Brittney were all at school. As far as I knew they were safe. Then the Pentagon, then the plane crash in Pennsylvania. It was all too much. It was all too scary. Then days passed and slowly and with time, life returned to some sort of normal. Now here we are 8 years later.

We've had a fairly good summer, all considered. Alex did break his collar bone right after school got out then he ran into a bar and cut his forehead requiring 13 stitches. But that was the extent of the drama for the summer. Not perfect, but not horrible either. Thom consented to TWO mini vacations. One weekend at the cabin and the other a weekend in Yellowstone. We camped in Mom and Dad's new 5th wheel and had a wonderful time. Allison, Sarah, Alex and I took a 15 mile bike ride on the Hiawatha trail and had a BLAST. Allison and I took a hike to Morrell Falls. 5 miles round trip. We've hosted Pug club nearly every Sunday this summer and count 13 pugs as members. So fun to see them all running around playing and having a great time. I've also enjoyed getting to know their owners. We hosted the 3rd annual neighborhood ice cream social and had some new neighbors to meet. Nice to catch up with everyone and have a laugh or two. So, all in all, a good summer. School is back in session, and the routine is in place. I miss the carefree days of summer but do like a nice routine.
Bittersweet.

Chloe and Buddha

This is tiny Miss Chloe and huge Buddha on the deck, sunbathing.

We often find them like this. Sitting close together or lying on the deck chair right beside each other. It's so cute. We always thought Chloe was too big, and then we met Buddha.

Where does the time go?

How can it be that my last post was in MARCH? It's now May.

We've been on several bike rides with Chloe in the basket. She does better and better each time. We're going to the dog park today for the second official PUG CLUB meetup. She'll ride along and make her royal entrance.

We've acquired a new pug. He came to us with the name King but is now Buddha. He is the most gigantic pug we've ever seen. He must be 40 pounds. He'll come to the pug club by car. No one is daft enough to try to cram him into a basket.

Spring has finally arrived. Just in time for summer. The weather this weekend is perfectly gorgeous and we had a light show and bit of rain last night. Couldn't ask for more.

Not much more news than that. Life is pretty simple and that's the way I like it.

Going for a Bike Ride

A Visit with the babies

They are here at last. They'll be here for about 10 days. The living room is cluttered with toys and diaper bags. We've had a sleep over already and have two more planned. There is a belated 2nd birthday party on Saturday and the great grandparents are coming. The rest of the relatives live here in town and all will be together for Dora the Explorer cake and ice cream. We cram a lot of fun into a small space of time. But we are so lucky to be able to get together several times a year for a visit. More pics and fun to follow. It's busy here and I have to do things in snatches for now.

Red Wave Marching Band

25 Years and Grandma Nell's Birthday

Wow, 25 years. One Quarter of a century. How does that happen? We've had so many different chapters in our married life. Lived in so many different places and met so many people along the way. We don't really talk in sentences anymore. A word or phrase and the messege is delivered and received. I think that right now we're spending too much time together. Everything is just a little annoying. A little too much. But all in all, its still good.

No big plans to commemorate this momentous marital event. No time for that. Maybe we'll go out to dinner on Sunday. Maybe we'll put on our pajamas at 7:30 and drink wine and watch TV. Don't know. It really doesn't matter. We've never really been big for the parties.

We got married on Grandma Nell's birthday. There was a scheduling glitch with the JP who married us and we had to push it back one day. But it was a good day, all the same.

Grandma would be 97 today. She passed in 2000. That also seems like it was just yesterday. I can still hear her voice. I can still smell the glade air freshener in her house. She's as alive to me today as she was the last time I sat and visited with her.

This is a rare photo of Grandma just relaxed and smiling. She usually would make some silly face at the camera and then gripe that she never took a good picture. I loved to snap shots of her when she wasn't aware I was doing it. I remember one time following her around with a video camera and she'd ask "is that thing on" to which I'd innocently say "NO".

I miss her. Everyday. Happy Birthday Nellie.

Cutie Patooties

Just got new photos of the peanuts and had to share.

Ricky is getting so big and he's facial expressions have changed from just a couple of weeks ago.

Dani is too busy for her own good and bunged up her hand in a fall. But she'll be fine and life goes on. Can't wait to see them in a few weeks.

Snuggly, huggly babies

This is as good as it gets. We had a safe trip there and back and I got to snuggle these two til they wouldn't let me snuggle them any more. There is no store bought gift that can replace this time together. Seeing them, hearing them, squeezing them and even clean up after them. This was a most Merry Post Christmas. Dani is a chunk. She's as solid as a rock and busier than the busiest bee. She loves to sit on your lap at the computer and look at photos of herself. She likes to push her baby doll around in the stroller or carry her by the leg. Note to self: work on those parenting skills. She doesn't always like to take a nap or go to bed and will amuse herself in her room for "hours" before finally falling asleep. She loves to hold her baby brother but will suddenly push him away when she's done. She's feisty and funny and a joy to behold.

Richard is just perfectly perfect. He sleeps and eats and is so relaxed and calm. He looks around with a quizzical expression but rarely cries or fusses. He's gaining and growing and doing everything he's supposed to be doing at the ripe old age of two weeks. I could just hold him for hours and hours.

I miss them already but they are planning to come out the end of Feb., so I'll hold that thought. In the mean time I need to finish Dani's second year book and start on Ricky's first. I think of the several hundred photos I took, I should find a "few" to work with.

Road Report

Normally a caption stating where and when would be in order. Not so on this trip. This was the view most of the way there and back. The only difference would be that sometimes it was pitch dark.

So very glad to be home.

Snugs and Hugs

No pics to post. Just a note to say, I'm snugging and hugging babies.
Be back in a day or two.

Post Holiday Hangover

Day 26

Today was spent in traditional post Christmas stupor. We slept in, laid around, ate left overs, played with our new stuff and did nothing much of anything. I did make my way next door to visit the next door relatives. My aunt and uncle and their kids and grandkids were all in similar mode. At 3:30pm most of them were still in pjs and my aunt offered me lunch....at 3:30pm. We sat around the table and munched on goodies and chatted and caught up and had a generally pleasant time. I came home with treats that we don't need, but whatever. tis the season. Right?

Happy Holidays

Day 25

...from our house to yours.....

We all reach a time in our childrens' lives where we just take what we can get. Today we are at just such a juncture. All four (current residents) in one place at one time and all looking in the same general direction. PRINT.

I think I would have better luck trying to wrangle cock roaches.

Merry Christmas