Happy 4th of July

Over the 4th of July weekend Robbie went to Stevensville to work for the week so I was with Taylor and Gynn Gynn Friday and Saturday. More about their visit later...but on Sunday I had the baby all day at home before we went to a 4th of July party at the Ross' house. I spent all morning leisurely playing with Katie Rose until I realized I needed to get ready and make a rice salad which included going to the grocery store and go to the liquor store. Yes, that's right. I took the baby into a liquor store by myself on the 4th of July. I felt like mother of the year. There were 2 bottles I was contemplating and when K Ro put the entire bottle neck of one in her mouth, the choice was made. At least she looked cute. And she's a big girl now that gets to ride in the cart. She loved it and yes, I disinfected it.

Baby Buzzkill

Let me preface this by saying I adore my baby and love her so so so so much. But in certain circles she is affectionately known as "Baby Buzzkill." We use this title when we talk about planning something that would be alot more fun or at least alot more convenient without an infant in tow. You know, things like canoeing, camping, staying out late partying, going to a play, going out to dinner, etc. It's not that we can't get a babysitter now and then or that we hate taking her along but it's a different kind of outing when she goes and it always ends early.

So as some of you may know we just returned from a 10 day trip to Mobile. Robbie, Katie Rose, and I all went and she was truly an amazing, well behaved baby for nearly the entire time except for the first night we wanted to go out. We arrived on Friday and Saturday night we went downtown (without the baby) to Taylor and Tyndal's dance recital while Mom kept the baby. After the recital Robbie, Shelly, and I went to Hopjack's on Dauphin Street to have some food and beers. I had just finished my 3rd microbrew which contains a higher alcohol content than regular beer and was feeling pretty good when Mom called. Mom said, "Oh Lee, I'm sure the baby is alright but she's been crying for nearly 45 minutes and I can't seem to calm her down!" Baby Buzzkill strikes!! I assured Mom that she was fine and probably just needed to cry and let go of the stress of travelling and being in a new place. Mom didn't sound so sure and said she would call me back in 20 minutes if she was still crying.

Now I knew that BB was ok but being her mommy, my radar was up and I lost all prior concentration on the delicious beers and food. I kept waiting for the phone to ring and it never did. I waited and waited and waited and then started sending text messages and trying to call Mom to make sure she was ok. All the fun and energy I had put into the evening was totally gone and I couldn't think of anything else besides how she was doing and whether or not I needed to go home immediately. We went to Grand Central - an hold haunt where apparently my membership card from 2003 is no longer valid and I had to pay cover and get a new card! - had one drink but at that point I knew I had to leave. The buzz was over and dead. We walked to the car where I could still hear music coming from the bar. I contemplated staying but after a few minutes of sitting in the car with sad faces, we went home.

The next day Mom and I were talking about the evening and why she was crying like she was. Mom said, "You and Ross never did that! I never got a call from the babysitter." I replied, "That's because she had the sense not to."

More from the vacation later....

Katie Rose Gets Excited for Dinner

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30th Birthday Photos

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The Big 3-0!!

On April 23rd I turned 30. Shelly said she believes her 30s will be her most fabulous decade and I think I'm going to adopt that idea as well. Why not? Mom says her 30s were really great too so I feel like I have alot to look forward to. I also feel like I am on the young end of things again. It's kind of like when I was in 8th grade and I felt very cool in middle-school only to be demoted back to lower class status as a freshman. I'm a freshman to the 3rd decade of my life. I'm the youngest of all the 30 year olds out there and no longer the oldest of the 20 somethings.


In the last 10 years I:

Moved across the country (from Montana to Alabama)
Went back to college
Met the man I would marry
Graduated from college
Moved back across the country (from Alabama to Montana)
Got my first job out of college
Married the man I met
Bought a house
Had a baby


It's amazing how such monumental events can be so simply stated. I feel like I could spend days discussing each event and what it meant and what all happened before, during, and after each phase. And what do I do with all of this now? Tough question. The last 10 years have been incredible. Incredibly hard. Incredibly fun. Incredibly challenging with all the changes that occurred. I feel like I spent the last 10 years choosing cards and being dealt cards and now it's time to play my hand...until the next card swap. Remember that game called Life where you spin the wheel, go along the course, and hope to end the game with lots of money, a house, and a station wagon full of pink or blue pegs? We played that game with some friends not too long ago and now there's no clear path on the game board. There are so many different routes to choose and you can keep spinning in the same route over and over again if you want to. And all of your income and expenses are tracked on a debit card that you swipe through a machine. I digress... But all of this is to say that I am about 1/3 through the game of life and feel like I'm just starting and that feels good!

In honor of my 30th birthday I planned and threw myself a big party. The plans changed several times before a final location was chosen. 25 of my closest friends and I went to Rio Sabina's and then to the Belgrade Lounge on Saturday the 24th. Rio Sabina's was NOT ready at the reserved time and it was over an hour before we were seated. I expressed my frustration, got free drinks, and didn't let it bother me at all. I don't know how many cosmopolitans I drank but it was plenty - too much, actually but not so much that I got sick. At the Lounge we danced, the band sang happy birthday, and we ate the most delicious birthday cake I had made for myself. Thank you to all of my friends who celebrated with us. It was a memorable birthday. Thank you to Arnold and Vickie for coming over to keep K-Ro. That was a wonderful gift.

For the Love of Adorable Dresses...

Here is my truth - My real girl and the reality of where I live. For all the love of adorable smocked dresses, pictured below is how things really are. Katie Rose got her first Carharts from Pop. We picked them up at Muroch's on Monday. He got her one pair to wear this fall and another to grow into. He is very proud and can't wait to have her on the tractor with him mowing the flax. These pictures were taken with my phone so that's why they're not as clear.

Mom, a friend of hers, and I had a conversation about what kind of dog we might be. Mom's friend referred to herself as a poodle. Mom referred to me as a poodle wannabe, but I disagreed. I thought of myself as a labrador - much less high maintenance, fun, adventurous, dingy but trainable. But I didn't want to commit to being all Labrador because most labs I know smell bad at times and are too easily amused. I decided I was a labradoodle embracing the best of both worlds. I like getting my hair and nails done so I can look good on the hunting trip. Miss Katie Rose will most likely be a labradoodle as well. Below is her still in her Carharts with a lace trimmed bonnet.

This sweet email was a response on this post from my sweet friend Elizabeth (Dorlon) Floyd:

"i think you're right. you are a labradoodle... although, you kind of remind me of bear [her cockapoo]. she's such a love. loves to snuggle... loves to get dirty...she jumps in any puddle she sees loves getting her hair blown dry... loves boys... and she's not afraid to wear a bow in her hair. love you, leelee lizard"

I Heart Ebay

So my latest passion besides HATING the snow in April is looking at all the adorable kids' clothes for sale on EBay. Ohh my gosh. Clothes! Tons of them! Some of them inexpensive! Some not so much! The clothes I'm talking about are the adorable smocked outfits, bubble outfits, bishop dresses, day gowns, bonnets, etc that are unheard of here in the high north cold country. One I've been eyeing in particular is a bubble suit with little crabs smocked around the collar. It's so cute I could die and how fitting for our little crab! Meredith had to rescue me from the abyss that is E-Bay the other day and wouldn't get off the phone with me until I promised her I had signed out. It had to be bad for Meredith to insist I stop. She loves shopping for her girls. Readers please do not take this as a plea for more baby clothes...unless you just want to. When I see Katie Rose in a little dress of mine or a bubble outfit or the dress pictured below, happiness bubbles inside of me and I can't stop smiling with absolute delight at my precious girl. I was looking at her closet the other day thinking to myself, "I want a boy one day. I do. But gosh I hate to not have another girl and have to put such darling clothes into storage! It would seem a waste!" So you might be wondering how many kids I want and the answer might be 3. For all the trials, hits and misses, lost sleep, agony at times, and the millions of outfits she'll never wear, I can't fathom the thought of not doing this again.

And speaking of crabs, I actually think KRo is getting less and less crabby. Perhaps she's just excited about finding her toes. She's good at grabbing those little piggies quickly too. She's also making some new sounds lately which include a high pitched ongoing screechy squall. I've experimented with telling her "NO!" but that's not as much fun. I usually find it so adorable and funny that I just laugh instead. Ben and Meredith's baby Emma would make a high pitched screech/squawk when she wanted attention. Ben and Meredith didn't find it nearly as funny as I did. I laughed every time she did it. I'm laughing now just thinking about it. They said I would get my turn and it wouldn't be as funny but they are wrong. But we're only on day 4 of this new hilarious expression.