July 4th 2011

Lita laying on my lap while Randy fishes and the kids swim

On Monday July 4th, we finished packing up our trailer and headed down the road for a family summer vacation. We had done just enough RV traveling in the past to know that we really enjoyed it. We spent our first night at Holland Lake in the Swan Valley. It is a place I remember going to once as a little girl. It was a beautiful setting for the evening...
We did have some unwanted visitors... the mosquitoes! Luckily I remembered the citronella spray and that helped a lot.
After supper, we took a little walk along the lake. Then we spent the rest of our evening together around the campfire...
The next morning we packed up and headed on down the road. We really hope to go back to this beautiful lake someday though.

To be continued...

Alison

Away

I've been away for a while.

We've all been away for a while.

In fact, this is the longest outing we've ever taken since we've been a family.

It's been wonderful. It's been rich. It's been epic.

It's been all of the above.

Tonight I find myself struggling with the fact that tomorrow we will return to r.e.a.l. life.

I'm going to miss every minute and every mile, every special place, and every special face we've left behind us,

I'm going to miss the adventures each new day brought,

I'm going to miss the map in one hand because the GPS didn't always know the way; and I'm going to miss the camera in my other hand.

But most of all I'm going to miss the 24/7 time spent with my family, all 5/6th's of them.

Many pictures and posts to come...

Tours Yruly,
Alison

June Days!

*thanks for this sling that you made for us Auntie Melinda! It makes me really happy!*

"HELLO" from Montana! Hope you're not blinded by our white skin but it has only recently turned warmer here. We are still keeping our jackets nearby but... have enjoyed a few days of short sleeves too! The snow still lays heavy in the mountains and the rivers and streams are running high. But other than that, all is well here in the North county and we are having a wonderful "summer"! Here is a little of what we've been up to these days...

The day school got out we headed out of town in our trailer for our annual fellowship convention. They were special days. We were able to take a few pictures while there but mostly remember the days, not by pictures, but by what was written on our hearts. I hope I will always remember these special things and can recall them to mind as my year unfolds.

Here are some robin eggs found by the wood pile. A black bear and a momma deer and fawn were also spotted but no picture to prove it...

It was so fun to see some cousins and have a little time together. Lane, Morgan and Logan are so much fun!

Troy and Colter! We are excited to go to Troy's house later this summer!..

After convention, cousin Elaine came home with us for the night! It was so fun to hear her play her Sarangi from Napal. What a beautiful, full sound it made...

Popcorn and visit together around the table before we all headed to bed. We were all SO tired...

For the next week and a half, our days fell into routine of laundry, cleaning, popsicles, chores, learning, library, riding bikes, jumping, and sleeping...lots of sleeping-for Lita anyway. Here is Lita sleeping in her bassinet one morning. I wonder how much longer she will be able to fit in it...

She looks like she just wants to climb right out of that Bumbo and help her brother!

Using the swing, the one that I thought I would never use again! This swing has been such a great thing to have around...
Lucky us! We got to head to another Convention! Here we are in our "home away from home" at an RV park near the great divide on our way east. Grandma and Grandpa stayed right next to us too...


How tranquil to see elk grazing in the meadow nearby...
Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures from our days but we enjoyed them very much and we got to see lots more cousins including Tyler, Boyd and Monte. It was also special to see Grandpa Clarence too. Our days were full of good things!

Back at home our routines continued. Weeding the garden was added to the chore list and I'm happy to say that the entire garden got weeded this week! What a beautiful site, and the kids are a few dollars richer too...

More playing and the majority of it takes place on the trampoline these days! Maya and Kyla...

and Abby (neighbors grand-daughter) and Colter...

The peonies are finally blooming. Don't you love how they tickle your nose when you bury your face in their lush, scented, pink petals?..

This is a quick update and pictures seem to say it best.
Hope you all have a wonderful July!

All for now,
Alison

I'd Pick U

It's hard to believe she is 4 months old already... and well on her way to 5 months. Nothing is safe anymore as she swipes and grabs for things. The other day she just about knocked an entire pitcher of water on me at the supper table. I'm having to be more careful...

I took these pictures today. She refused to look at me so I found this little flower and stuck it between her toes. I think it could have kept her busy for a long time. :)

It's finally warm enough to get out our summer clothes! YAY! We are having so much fun dressing Lita in all her cute summer outfits. Thanks Darcie and family for the cute outfit she has on in these pictures! It's a delight!!!

More June pictures to come...
Alison

Father's Day 2011

"'Son,' he said, 'I had hoped you wouldn't run into anything like this till you were older, but maybe it's just as well. There are only two kinds of men in this world: Honest men and dishonest men. There are black men and white men and yellow men and red men, but nothing counts except whether they're honest men or dishonest men.

'Some men work almost entirely with their brains; some almost entirely with their hands; though most of us have to use both. But we all fall into one of the two classes - honest and dishonest.

'Any man who says the world owes him a living is dishonest. The same God that made you and me made this earth. And He planned it so that it would yield every single thing that the people on it need. But He was careful to plan it so that it would only yield up its wealth in exchange for the labor of man. Any man who tries to share in that wealth without contributing the work of his brain or his hands is dishonest.

'Son, this is a long sermon for a boy of your age, but I want so much for you to be an honest man that I had to explain it to you.'

I wish I knew how Father was able to say things so as to make you remember every word of it. If I could remember everything the way I remember the things Father told me, maybe I could be as smart a man as he was."

-excerpt from Little Britches: Father And I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

Alison

Nest Egg

Thank you for all your comments! Your greetings and thoughts mean so much! :)

Here are some thoughts that have been laid as eggs in the nest of my heart. I hope I can bring them to life in my days ahead...

-So easy to waste time and so hard to spend time. Time is our currency.
-The secret to success is success in secret.
-Experiences don't have to be "the end of us". Instead they can be "the making of us".
-No pride, no problem.

keep encouraged,
Alison

Multitasking And More

Here is a quick post of what we've been up to the last couple weeks. Below Kyla is helping Randy plant the garden. I think this is the corn planting. We all got in on the planting Memorial Day morning and then we went fishing in the afternoon. We've still been having hard frosts in the mornings so we're glad nothing was up yet...

One evening the kids got a ride around the yard on the neighbors horses...

I congratulate myself at times for being able to multitask especially now that I have a new little one to care for. I see that my 2 daughters are also good at multitasking. Here is Kyla holding Lita and playing the piano. Love this...

And Maya holding her little sister as she does a worksheet in school Colter's math book (now that he's done with it). Love this too...

There has been a lot of end of school stuff going on lately. Below is a picture of Colter singing in a little program in his classroom. They sang all the songs they learned through the year and read a little paper they wrote about what they are thankful for. Colter was thankful for lots of things (Melita, his kusins (cousins), mom, dad, dog, cat, hows (house), car, pikup (pickup), nabrs (neighbors), yard, and last but not least, his (other) sisters. :) Here is Colter singing...
Kyla's class went on a fishing field trip. Maya and I came during lunch time and got to see her pull in a little cutthroat. Here she is pulling it in. She didn't stop for lunch at all, as I discovered when I was making her lunch the next day and saw her untouched lunch from the day before. This girl loves to fish...

Maya's class had the neat experience of hatching eggs in their classroom this last month! The little chicks just hatched last week so here is a picture of Maya holding one of the chicks. Can't believe "my baby" is almost done with her first year of school!

We've also enjoyed preps the last 3 weekends. It's something we look forward to all year long. We were so excited to have some company stay with us this last weekend. Sandy...

...and Teresa both stayed with us Saturday night. The kids sure enjoyed having them and so did we! We're excited to see them again tomorrow...

Here is a project I did last week. Try not to be too jealous of our new bench cushions. heehee! This was Randy's idea to use a retired memory foam mattress and make cushions out of it. And what did I do with the leftover material? Make bags of course...

So tomorrow is the last day of school and the first day of summer vacation. It is also the first day of a new year for us! It is a day we always look forward to so much! Right now I realize I'm really multi-tasking as I make cookies and hold a baby at the same time. I'm also updating my blog while washing, ironing and packing clothes, etc., etc...

As I sit here and think back, I remember I was just realizing at this time last year that I was going to be a Mommy again! What a year!!! I wonder what the next year will bring.

Hope all are well and we look forward to seeing many of you these next few weeks!

Love from,
Alison and family

Three Months Old!

She's nearly 4 months old now so thought I better get these 3 month old pictures posted before they are completely outdated!

Have a great weekend everyone,
Alison

More Melita

So many people have commented on how much Melita looks like her Daddy. I like this picture (above) of the two of them.

I see how much she resembles her Daddy when she smiles. When they smile, their whole face smiles- especially their eyes :) This is one of the first things I noticed about Randy when I first met him!

Colter wanted me to take a picture of her with these pajamas on her because they were a gift from his teacher. I love how these pictures show so well what she looks like most of the time when she's awake...
Sometimes in the evening, after the other kids are in bed, Randy and I sit with Melita on the loveseat and just talk and play with her. I think we are both enjoying her more than ever because we both realize how fast she is changing. She often distracts me from my daily duties!


We do have a few other things going on right now... only 10 more days of school, field trips, programs, summer planning, preps and convention coming-YAY! Oh, and Mondays the big planting day!

My thoughts have also been with so many around the world these days. So many have lost so much. So many lives have been lost as well. I am so thankful for each day I have been given but realize that my life could change at any time. It is a reminder to me to use my time wisely.

Just this for now,
Alison

Such A Sleepy Girl

I think I mentioned before how much Melita likes to be cuddled and fall asleep in our arms. Well, it hasn't changed much. I think most babies are like that! Here are some of my favorite pictures of her sleeping. In the picture below, Colter asked if he could hold her so I could finish breakfast one morning. He sat down and rocked her and pretty soon she was asleep. He was SO pleased. :)



I must record some more about Melita's now so I can remember it for later...

Since about 2 months old she has been sleeping through the night. I usually nurse her around 10 o'clock and swaddle her and put her to bed in the bassinet in our room. In the morning when Randy gets up at around 6 o'clock he gets her and gives her to me in bed. I nurse her and she goes back to sleep on my pillow until later in the morning. Only once and a while does she break her routine but more than ever I realize what a lucky Mom I am!

She has never taken a wa-wa so we finally gave up on trying to give her one. She doesn't suck any fingers or blankets either... or should I say YET!

She takes long naps throughout the day and is always SO happy when she wakes up.

She still doesn't like her car seat but is getting more used to it finally. She just won't sleep in it very often!

She is enjoying her baths more and more and smiles often when she is having one.

When I tell her we are going to go and get Maya from school she smiles and starts kicking her feet. I think it's just because I'm talking to her but sometimes I wonder... The same thing happens when I tell her we are going to go get Kyla and Colter. *BIG smile*

She is able to sit in her Bumbo more and more and is starting to look at and respond to toys. Sometimes she even makes a swipe for them.

Her smiles and "talking" is more and bigger these days! So precious!

I have some more pictures to share of her and some 3 month pictures to come. Just this for now.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Alison

Piano Recital-May 2011

Colter and Kyla with thier piano teacher, Mrs. J.

They were a little nervous and the video isn't great but here is the kids playing their second set of songs for the evening. Thought you might enjoy it Grandma and Grandpa, since your weren't in town for the event! ;)

Hugsfromus,
Alison

Forgotten Yeast Fix!

my "forgotten yeast fix" cinnamon rolls without one large pan that already got eaten

Yes, the yeast is slightly important when you are making bread. Since I have been making very large batches of bread, I have forgotten to add the yeast to my dough twice! The first time I did it, I cried bitter tears because I thought of all that flour (almost 13 cups), and honey (3/4 cup), and all the rest that I would have to throw away!!! After I dried my tears, I did a quick search on google to see if I could fix my mess. I couldn't believe it! The dough COULD be saved!!! It just meant I would have to make cinnamon rolls with it instead of bread loaves.

So the second time I forgot yeast I did the same thing again and skipped the tears... who can argue with putting cinnamon rolls in the freezer!

Head on over here to Country Kitchen Recipes to see what I did!

I gotta stop doing this,
Alison