The Canales family came for a visit

We had a great visit with Carl, Julie and Jack this weekend. They drove up from Denver on Thursday night and we got to play around all day Friday and Saturday. We took it easy on Friday and had a picnic lunch in the park. The weather was great and the boys got so dirty digging in the sand. They were covered in sunscreen and dirt....of course they loved it! We headed home for a bath and naptime, and then out to a nice dinner. It was also the weekend the carnival was in town. After dinner, we walked around the carnival to take in the lights and music. The kids were amazed at the rides and the lights. They had a few rides that did not have height requirements and were made for the toddlers. Jack and Emmett rode in cars and then took a helicopter ride. Emmett loved the car at first and then we think he lost track of Luke while the ride was spinning around. They had to stop the ride so he could get off. He really loved the helicopter ride, but I think it was cause Daddy was riding in the back of the helicopter with him. We shared a funnel cake and headed for home. On Saturday, we decided to head up to Pahaska Teepee for lunch and a short ride(basically we drove to the east entrance of Yellowstone). We only saw one lone buffalo. Kind of a bummer. We talked the animals up to the kids. I KNOW! It's not a zoo........ Emmett and Jack loved playing with the bear statue and running around in the grass, so it wasn't a total loss. We enjoyed a nice lunch and went back to Cody. The kiddos only napped about 20-30 mins on the ride home and then played hard outside for another 4 hours. Needless to say, they ate dinner and soon after went to bed. Julie, Carl, Luke and I feasted on steaks and lived up the quiet time. Julie and I, being the bumps on the log, aka the pregnant ladies, were asleep by 10pm. Sunday morning was a biscuits and gravy extravaganza with pancakes for the kids. Then off to Denver went the Canales family. Emmett had such a great time playing with Jack. Only a few meltdowns over the Cars, but otherwise they had a ball. Can't wait to hear what Julie and Carl are having: boy or girl. They find out next week. Stay tuned!

Bill Cody Ranch

Luke, Emmett and I went to the summer opening of the Bill Cody Ranch. It is a beautiful ranch and lots of great food and drink to be had. They had a fun life size Connect Four for the kids to play with. Emmett loved it, mostly to run circles around, but who cares, it kept him busy for awhile. He also loved the horses. It was nice to get out and be a part of something different. I think Emmett agreed!

The park is officially open!

Mom, Chrissy and Ken came up for a quick weekend trip to visit and we spent the whole time in Yellowstone. It was great weather, which wasn't what I expected(hence, we all packed for cooler weather!). We really got to see the majority of the park on Saturday and then stayed the night at Mammoth Hot Springs. The next morning we got going early to head out of the park and have lunch in Cooke City. This is the part of the trip where we got to see all of the wildlife. Luke hates when I say "where are all the moose?" or "How come I haven't seen a bear?". His reply is "Remember honey, this is not a zoo!!!!". Whatever. We got to see (up close mind you) a grizzly, a moose in the far distance, a few coyotes(darn wolves!), and millions of elk and buffalo. It was a great trip that was over way too quickly.

We also celebrated Mother's Day and Chrissy's and Mom's Birthdays while they were here. I made a very "healthy" Chocolate cake with an almond cheesecake layer, topped with a super chocolately frosting over the whole thing!

Mother's day 2009

We had a wonderful mother's day weekend. It started with Emmett's and my trip to Billings on Friday. He had an ear check up with his surgeon. Everything is looking great and nothing to worry about. We shopped and got me a few new shirts to make it thru the summer. It occured to me that all of my maternity clothes end in the March cold season. It's going to be very warm in June and July! I hope what I purchased will last thru the next few months.

On Saturday morning we packed up and headed into town for the first annual Yellowstone Opener 5K run/walk, benefiting our local chamber. Emmett rode on Luke's back in the pack, and I carried Jolene in the front(I sure got a lot of sympathetic looks and comments that morning!). It was a gorgeous day and we started out on the 3.2 mile walk. Sunscreen!! We had to make a stop at the car to apply to Emmett's neck and face. This put us at the end of the pack, which we expected to finish there anyway! The first mile of the race had us climbing an enormous hill leading up to the golf course. I was sure that Luke was going to have to get the car and pick up Emmett and I at the top. But once we got to the top and kept moving, things were great. We had a very nice walk and didn't finish in last place!(we wound up passing an elderly lady and her friend.)

This morning for Mother's Day, I got to lay in bed and watch TV for a bit- sans child! Then I got up and did a few loads of laundry, made omelets and we ran a few errands before having a picnic lunch at the park. It was a lovely way to spend the day. Luke and I got to sit on a park bench in the sunshine and watch Emmett run away his energy for what turned out to be a great 3 hour naptime for us later! Luke made me dinner and cleaned up the dishes afterward. His chicken parm is really good and such a treat to not have to cook dinner or worry about the dishes! Thanks Honey! So here's to all of you great Mom's out there. Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Potty training a potty mouth!

Potty training is basically going to happen when it happens. He asks occasionally to use the potty and then just plays with his parts. Oh well. Now on to the potty mouth part. Emmett and Luke were sitting at the counter coloring and drawing on scrap paper. Emmett broke his crayon and says " Damn it! Son of a Bitch!", clear as day. At least he knows how to use it in the right tone and uses them correctly. We get points for that right?! I guess when I drop things and stub my toes, he really is listening.

Note to self: our child is a mocking bird and watch your language!

Luke and Emmett got outside to enjoy the day and hit a few balls. Here are a few of those great moments.