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.

Big Boy Potty

Emmett has pee'd in the big boy potty! He told me he had to go potty (I, of course, did not believe him) and off to the potty we went. Pants down, diaper off and we had pee-pee in the potty! I thought my jaw was going to fall out of my head. Emmett was so incredibly proud of himself and was so happy when he told daddy as he walked in the door from work. We of course called the grandparents for more reinforcing praise. Now, I don't doubt that we have a long road ahead of us, but it's a start, right?!

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit.

Deb and Mark just left to head back to Colorado Springs. We had a wonderful visit this past week. As usual, we tried new recipes and drank a bit of wine(myself included! It was alcohol free wine, but who cares.) Emmett has been really great in restaurants lately so we braved a nice dinner and really enjoyed ourselves. Emmett sure loved having someone other than Mom to drag around. I believe the favorite saying of the weekend was " Play (name an activity) ? OK C'mon in!" and you would get taken to his room and made to sit down where ever he pointed.

I had a girly Saturday planned with my friend Courtney in Red Lodge, so Luke and the grandparents took Emmett to the Arbor Day celebration in town. It wasn't very fun I guess, but they brought back three trees and three bushes to plant in the yard. Yea, free landscaping! We certainly did not have very nice weather while they were here in town. It was dreary and off and on snow/rain mix. Still no improvement since they've left......

Deb and I tried our best at cards each night, but seemed to have the same luck we always do...losing. I can't even blame the wine since I don't consume any, the boys just seem to get better cards than we do. I think we won 2 out of 6 games. Oh well, we'll get 'em next time Deb!