Thursday, April 30, 2009

My Montana

No I'm not talking about owning the state I live in, while I like it her I am far from ready to claim it as mine. I am talking about my Pontiac Montana, that has taken us on many trips and travelled like a champ the whole way. However, its name is very deceiving. See a Montana in Montana is not keeping up with the job. Today is day number 2 that I got stuck in the driveway on the way to the bus stop. The kids had to jump out and run the whole way with me trailing behind with Luke. Both days they have made it to the bus, today barely. I'm sure she felt bad for them and she waited patiently because she saw them high tailing it that way. Yesterday Ben had to come home from work and get me unstuck, so I took him out to lunch afterward. I can't say I didn't enjoy the extra time with him. Today, I am hoping for the sun to poke out and warm it up a little to help it melt a little and then a shovel and I will get to work. I love my vehicle, but today I am not feeling the love from it. Hopefully I will be able to dig it out enough to plow through to get to the semi-plowed road, but I won't try until at least 10 maybe 11 so for now I am going to finish the laundry. I stayed up until midnight last night getting the majority of it done and I don't want to fall off the power curve. I'm almost on track with laundry after our trip and getting sick. No more "mom (or Bridget) where is my underwear" I seem to be the only one capable of looking through a clean basket of laundry that isn't folded, however I also am the only one that folds. The kids are getting better folding and help when forced, Ben hates folding and I don't know if he'd fold even if I were gone for several weeks, he'd live out of piles (but they'd be clean, he does wash and dry.)
It's thankful Thursday in some parts of the blogosphere, so I will say how thankful I am that we own two reliable vehicles (in spite of the current predicament). I'm thankful for enough clothes to keep us warm (even though Beau and Anna are both prone to wearing waders to school even though Ben and I protest.) I'm thankful for this beautiful family we have that even when we're stuck in the snow, things are breaking, laundry is piling up, they are all still smiling and loving each other. I'm thankful for legos, my children have been in legoland for days now playing happily all together (most of the time.) Thankyou heavenly Father for providing these things and so much more to our lives, I am so grateful.
God Bless,

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sick of Things

I am sick of being sick. Ben and I have been passing things back and forth for weeks now and I am tired of it. He was sick last week, I am sick this week. Thankfully it is at opposite times so we can pick up eachother's slack, but we are both fed up.
I am sick of the snow, it is snowing again. We are in a winter storm warning 3 inches to 3 feet, hmm nice forecasting. The news last night called it a freak winter storm, well since it isn't winter anymore spring storm would be more appropriate, and freak is no where in describing weather here. The weather here does what it wants when it wants, there is no rhyme or reason for it.
I am sick of muddy paw prints on my floors, but thankfully water and soap washes them right up, good thing we went with wood.
Well really that is all I am sick of, so it isn't too much. We'll see what the weather does, for now it is snowing big wet flakes. The kind of snow we never see up here but that I am used to from Michigan. Beau didn't want to go to school today because the weather was just ridiculous, but I made him go anyway. Anna never complains.
Anna had a dentist appointment yesterday, her teeth looked great and she behaved great. Her 6 year old molars are getting ready to pop through on top, hopefully that happens easily. She isn't 6 yet and they are coming in a lot earlier than Beau's did. She hasn't lost any teeth yet, and I prefer she doesn't for at least a few more months. School is going great for both of them. Beau is excelling at almost everything. Anna has really learned the basics of reading and is starting to enjoy it and getting better at it every day.
Luke is his own imagination station. Last night before he went to bed he told me he would dream of marshmallows and chocolate. He was disappointed this morning to tell me he had no dreams. The color of his skin is yellow, he will eat anything if you let him add a few sprinkles, and he loves his pets.
So the title of this post really isn't matching life because life is really good, there are just a few minor irritations bothering me today.
God Bless,

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Luke Looking for the Animals

I'm updating my blog, spring is almost here even though it is snowing today, so my background is changed and I will change my header soon.
For now, I am going to share a sill story of Luke at the museum. They had a tree house exhibit and in one area there were motion sensors to step on to make the noise of the animal on the picture. Luke did it forever. Then he stopped and started crawling around, he was looking through the slats for the animals. He still believes they were under there and he just couldn't see them. He started to get upset about it so we moved on to something else, but I had a really good laugh watching him.






Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Want to See Prayer...

Head over to My Charming Kids, today is wear orange for Stellan day. He is having heart surgery right now, a procedure rarely ever performed on infants. The world is holding him up in prayer, the story of God at work in his life and lives all around the country is powerful. To think that so many people can pray for one child, if we could harness it all and the world could come together to pray for all unborn children and all children and need think of the future we would be creating, children raised in prayer, will pray, and God's love will prevail. If you see orange today, pray for Stellan and his family, and if you see any other color pray for the life of a child born or unborn because one prayer can make a difference.
May the peace of Christ be with you today.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Bitterroot River

My favorite day was Friday. We spent all day outdoors. I sat by the river's edge for hours and enjoyed the scenery and watching the kids play and explore. It was a perfect day. Here are some of the pictures from the day.
















My Birthday Cake




Since we were travelling yesterday, we didn't have a birthday cake for me. Luke has asked more than five times today when we were making my cake. I didn't really want a cake, but also didn't want to let the kids down so I compromised. I went and got an angel food cake and some strawberries and vanilla ice cream. It was simple and delicious and we feasted. The kids sang "Happy Birthday" again just for good measure, I didn't even prompt them. We enjoyed the cake and ice cream and now they are outside running around. I will work on getting the pictures straight tomorrow.

Home Again, Home Again, Safe at Last....




...or something like that. We are home. We got home yesterday evening. I was able to let the kids play outside while I talked on the phone for the rest of the evening. That was my birthday present to myself. I talked for a long time to my very best friend in the world and then I just wanted to cry because I can't run to her rescue when her kids are sick and her husband's gone. It royally sucks to live so far away, but such is life. I also talked to most of my family and received all my birthday greetings, and it was a lovely day despite the fact Ben forgot it was my birthday until ten in the morning. He had a card already, but when the day finally arrived, it slipped his mind. I love him anyway. He tries so hard and sometime I know he will come through big time, for now I love him just the way he is. I mean just check out some of the pictures of him in the pool with the kids, who can't love a man that plays with your kids like that. We had an almost 6 hour trip home, I drove the first three, and I had to make a pitstop at a beautiful river/campsite and take a short nap. Ben wasn't feeling great, but he sat outside with the kids so I could close my eyes. He did drive the last trek from Great Falls home so I didn't drive the whole way. I didn't get to shop yesterday, but I'd run up to Missoula the day before and hit a few stores at the mall. The kids were smitten with the pretzels and begged for them all day yesterday. The things they don't know about, it is fun when you get to see them experience it for the first time. Anna helped me shop for a new shirt to match my skirt, she was very particular, and the boys groaned the whole time. Anna got new sandals for the summer and a new t-shirt. Beau got 2 new t-shirts, he was very picky about what they said. Luke got nothing, so sorry, although he was a great sport and stayed in the stroller for almost the whole trip.
Ben is running a fever today hopefully it isn't strep, but we will keep a close eye on it. Luke has been way off track and had several tantrums that almost put me over the edge, but I think we are through the worst of it. Beau and Anna jumped right back into the swing of things, walking to the bus stop this morning and both having great days at school. Anna's class had three chicks hatch, Sunshine, Ducky and Stripey, she got to hold Sunshine today. Beau is studying insects and got to have a meal worm on his desk today (I tried not to gag as he shared about it.)
The kids also received a large box from Memere full of fantastic treasures, books, and I don't even know what else because we haven't made it to the bottom of it yet. There was a great book on backyard bugs that Beau is thrilled to take to school this week for their series on insects. Thank you Memere. Auntie Kara threw some stuff in their too, Luke has enjoyed those immensely and I've had to help him find his ball more than ten times already, thank you. I haven't really seen everything, the kids just keep going in for more when they are ready for something new, but even they haven't made it to the bottom yet.
It has been a full day and I feel like I have gotten very little done, but at least the blog is updated and there are plenty of pictures down below for you to enjoy. You may have to click older posts to catch all the pictures.
Enjoy!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Snow to Sunburn

We have made it out of Bozeman and onto Hamilton via Missoula. We had a great morning Thursday at the Museum of the Rockies with Ben and then we were on the road for a few hours. Missoula proved to be the most traffic we've seen in Montana in the last year and it slowed us up a little bit. We made it to Hamilton in time for Ben to sign in for his Knights of Colulmbus meeting and grab a quick dinner at A&W, yuck! It was the first fast food we've had and the last. Dropped Ben off at his social, the kids and I swam and showered and went to pick up Ben. Thursday finally over Friday was a great day. Ben was gone at his meeting all day and the kids and I made the most of the beautiful weather. It was over 60 degrees and sunny. We found a great playground and we went to the river where we threw rocks and enjoyed the sand. Well the kids enjoyed the sand. We got back in time to get Ben chill out and then go to dinner and to bed. Everyone was extremely wore out by the day spent outside in the sun. I also had a sunburn on my chest and neck, very unexpectedly. Today I am not sure what our plans are to be, but we have already been swimming and now there is some very loud activity going on in the background of a make-believe game. It is going to take me hours to download all the great pictures we've taken.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Museum of the Rockies






We journeyed out of the hotel room today. I am finally able to swallow without the feeling of thousands of swords stabbing me, just dull pain. I think my fever has subsided, I've noticed it would come back when I was most stressed dealing with the kids, but this morning it seemed even in the worse times with the kids my body didn't shut down.
We went to the Museum of the Rockies. After following Mapquest directions through construction, we finally got there. On the way we found a great bread place that made sandwiches and I required the kids to eat a healthy lunch. They were delicious and filling and I haven't been begged once for a snack. We started in the dinosaur exhibit, where Luke was scared, but Beau was fascinated. They had a whole area set up for the kids with hands-on exhibits about pulleys and gears, we were there for a long time. All in all it was a great museum and the kids had a lot of fun. We ended in the Planetarium where we watched Hubble Vision, Beau was again fascinated, Luke and Anna loved the beginning with the stars and then Luke promptly fell asleep. I did too but not quite as promptly, by the end Anna said she was bored but relaxed. The day was great, now we are back waiting for Ben to plan our evening. It will include some swimming and maybe some schoolwork. Maybe some naps are necessary from the noise of discontent around me.
Pictures for the last several posts will be added soon. I just haven't felt like working that hard yet.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Swimming Fun

Updated with photos.






I still have a fever and am feeling junky in general, but we are managing to have some fun. After lunch with daddy, we ran to Target to find water rings, there were no arm floaties so Beau settled for some rockets that you dive for. I didn't think he'd be able to do it, but in normal Beau fashion he proved me wrong. They all had a significantly wonderful time even though for the first time in Mommyhood I didn't get in the water, I just feel too terrible to even tolerate the slightest varying temperatures of the water. Anna floated in her tube and got out of it for all of 23 seconds because she could touch the bottom, but when the water made her lose her balance the slightest little bit her fear took over and back in her tube she got. Luke never got off the steps, but he had a lot of fun just like that. Beau jumped and dove and cannon balled until he ran out of steam and then he sat in the hottub until I made them get out because of red cheeks. It was fun and they are looking forward to more. I am looking forward to a nap when Ben gets back.

Easter, Strep and Bozeman

UPDATED with pictures.





We had a very nice Easter Sunday, mass was perfect (except we allowed candy before hand so we had to reign in a couple boys). Then we went to great friends for dinner and fellowship, fabulous. I was feeling slightly under the weather but nothing significant. Then Sunday night I went for a slight irritable feeling to I feel horrible rather quickly. By Monday morning I felt horrible and on top of feeling horrible we were supposed to leave for a week away in Bozeman and Missoula at 1 p.m. Before 9 I decided I needed to see a doctor, my throat hurt and nothing was breaking my fever. So with three kids in tow we packed the van, ran all the errands in town before and week away and went to the doctor, where I found out I had strep (which I expected at this point). Then off to Wal-mart for the marathon wait for my antibiotic. By 4 we were on the road to pick up Ben at work and continue south. My throat has never hurt so much in life I don't want to eat or drink or talk or breath. I am not sleeping because the pain wakes me up and my body aches incessantly. But nevertheless we are going to have fun here because the kids won't have it any other way. I promise to get Easter pictures loaded in the next day or two when I feel like existing in this world again. Oh it is snowing here in Bozeman too, I didn't pack any winter jackets and forgot Luke's jacket all together, I was a little bit out of it yesterday while packing. They are lucky they have underwear.
God Bless,