Saturday, July 31, 2010

Back in the Saddle again!


After years of not riding (it's probably been at least 4 years) I convinced myself to get my lazy butt off the couch, brush the dust of my mountain bike, and hit the trails. I headed to the spoke shop here in Billings, MT, for a map of the local trails, then headed to the Zimmerman trail park. It was so much fun. I almost forgot how much MORE fun it is to ride on trails instead of in town. It's a completely different experience. I'm hooked all over again.




This wasn't exactly the first sign i wanted to see on my first trip out with my bike. I hate snakes, and I for sure didn't want to run into one out on the trail.


I can't wait to hit the trails again. It feels great to hit the trails and the view from the rims was not that shabby either

Thursday, July 29, 2010

hockey, spray park and a baby

Tuesday night was drop-in hockey, and Ethan couldn't wait to go. Lucky for us, he has grown, but since he was so small to begin with, his gear is actually starting to fit. He might actually outgrow something besides skates by the end of the season.  :)
It's so warm outside, the inside the rink feels great. Elliott had fun watching Ethan skate, but he really wanted to get out there too.
Considering I didn't get around to (I forgot) sharpening Ethan's skates, and he was pretty much skating on spoons, he did well. Not near as much falling as I was expecting, and he had a great time. He even worked so hard, the stench was right back in all of his gear when he was done, and I felt like a total rookie when I stuck my hand inside his helmet that was dripping with sweat. Ewww.
Yesterday morning, Erica invited us to join her and her friend at the spray park. It was the perfect day for it. Not too hot, and the kids had a blast.

At first Carson was not impressed, but Ethan and Elliott jumped right in. Elliott wasn't actually spraying Carson here, but Carson thought so. :)
I love how the water looks in this picture.
Ethan tried to help Elliott get wet, but he had bad aim.
Then Elliott got brave and tried it himself. It worked.
Carson thought that digging in the mud was much more fun.
Ethan loved this thing, and his aim got really good.
At the end, Carson was ok playing with the water as long as it wasn't spraying right on him, and Ethan and Elliott had a friendly battle with the water guns.
The water park was exhausting, and both boys were very easy to put down for a rest. Even I got a little nap in. :)

After dinner, I went to see Freedom and Maddox. It was his feeding time, so we got to hold him while they filled his belly. He is off of oxygen and breathing on his own. He is on a feeding tube until he learns to suck a bottle better, but he had his first try at that yesterday afternoon and did great. He is getting stronger everyday. It was so great to see him and hold him. He opened his eyes for us, so I hurried and got a picture, and so did Freedom.
Clearly we were boring him.
And after his belly was full, he zonked out. Freedom wrapped him back up, and we said goodnight.
Hockey again tonight. Guess I better get in gear so I have time to get skates sharpened today.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

relaxed, then crazy, then relaxed

Saturday started out pretty relaxed. The boys and I went to the sports store and Ethan got geared up for soccer season. This will be his first, and he can hardly wait. Elliott was certain that Ethan bought the soccer ball for him though. He carried it out of the store, and held onto it all the way home, then cried when he had to share with Ethan. You would think he's an only child! But, they had a blast playing in the backyard with it.
Ethan already thinks he is pro, and impressed me with some dribbling and passing.
Later, I got news that my cousin Jaryn and his girlfriend, Freedom, were getting ready to have their baby. Erica and Andrew said the boys could come over and hang out with them so that I could go to the hospital. Thanks guys! Jaryn and I played Farkle while we waited, and Freedom rested.
After a few hours of waiting and no progression, I went to pick up the kids. Jason was coming home soon, and if they needed me, he could stay with the kids. Good thing he wasn't late. I got a text from Jaryn that said to "get there" just as Jason was parking in the driveway. Whew! So I hurried down to the hospital. He gave them a little scare and Freedom ended up with a c-section (poor girl). He is early, so he's in the NICU, but breathing on his own and doing awesome!

Welcome to the world, Maddox Quade!
I got to go with Jaryn to meet him. Freedom was still trying to wear off her numbing medicine. He is the most precious 4lbs I have ever seen.
And after he wasn't scared anymore, Jaryn was the proudest Daddy!
Today was a lot more laid back. Thank goodness. Jason was off, so we hung around the house, then we grilled dinner. This was our first time using our new grill, and MAN, was it good! Jason can definitely hold his own with a grill.
YUM! Corn-on-the-cob, steaks with grilled peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and hotdogs for the kids.
And then came my favorite part of today. Elliott and his stick horse. Ethan taught him how to gallop. It's the cutest thing!
All in all, a great weekend.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

can't get enough!

I just love this kid and his hair! Jason thought we should spike it all the way down the back today, so we did. Love it!

Monday, July 19, 2010

monday.

Today Grandma Mac and Aunt Mert headed back to Texas. Before they left, we all (except Jason) slept in, then Aunt Mert took the boys on a walk and we went to breakfast. After we got back home, we took a couple pictures of the kids with Grandma Mac and Aunt Mert. They aren't award winning, but they are important. We don't get to see Aunt Mert very often.
When Granddad passed away, I realized how important it is for me to take pictures of the kids with people. I had the very last picture of Granddad. It was him with both boys only days after Elliott was born. So now I take pictures of them with everyone. You never know if it might be the last time we see them, and I want the boys to know they were loved by a lot of people. And they definitely love their Grandma Mac.
Tonight we re-did Ethan's hair. The pink was fading fast, but not quite fast enough, so it looked like I was a slacker. I love that he is patient enough for me to do all the proper steps and make the color look awesome! We had to bleach it out, then he wanted to use blue and green. He even sits still for me to blow dry heat onto it so it will be brighter. I think it's so ridiculous that the school won't allow "unnatural" colored hair, but it gives us a reason to go all out in the summer.  :)
It's way brighter than this, so I will have to get some pictures of it outside tomorrow.
Ethan's friend, Cael, couldn't wait for Ethan to get back from Arizona, but when he did, Cael was on a vacation of his own for 2 weeks! Yesterday, Cael got back, and they have been inseparable since. They stand on the corner and wait for the other to come outside so they can ask to play together. They always have so much fun, and today they talked us into Cael staying the night on Friday. They can hardly wait.

Have a great week.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

cute pics

Nothing exciting going on at all today, but I have these pictures I couldn't resist sharing.

First, Ethan washing the windows on the suburban. What a big helper.
Then this morning, after a big french toast breakfast, the boys cuddled up on the couch with their daddy. They just couldn't get close enough.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

a good weekend

I know I have said it before, but MAN! I have some great friends! Last night, Ethan had the Big Sky State Games (BSSG) opening ceremony. I was excited to go, but not so excited to go with Elliott. He isn't really interested in much except getting into things and being in trouble. Erica (she is amazing by the way) said that Elliott could come over and hang out with her and Carson. This is after she invited the boys and I over for pizza for dinner.

Ethan and I had a great time at the ceremony, but I forgot my camera and had to steal this picture from one of the other moms (thanks Karen).
The boys have been staying up late since that is the best time of the day. The weather is perfect in the evenings. So they have also been sleeping in (I don't mind). Ethan was sleeping on the couch this morning. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he tried to find the remote, but fell asleep too fast. He was coming out to watch Saturday Morning Cartoons.  :)
After Jason headed for work, and the boys and I all got up from our afternoon rest, I cut up a watermelon for a snack. Yum! It was perfect. Looks like we won't be having anymore kids though. After all, there are only two ends to the watermelon. I remember being little and eating the end of the watermelon. It's still my favorite, so I made the boys share today, and I had one too.
Not sure why, but this kills me every time. Elliott thinks that this is how you say "cheese!" for a picture.
Again.........."CHEESE!"  LOL
I took the boys to the park for a while tonight, then we had dinner, and they ran around the house and tore it up. They played with everything. It's so nice that they are playing together and entertaining each other now. That is really the ONLY reason to have 2 kids, and unfortunately it takes a while for it to happen.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Friday, July 16, 2010

a special request

Today, after Elliott's daily request to spike his hair (at 20 months old, he wants his hair done, this cracks me up).......
Ethan wanted his done too. Only he wanted his in horns. This isn't the first time we have done it like this, but it looks awesome in pink! :)
Summer hair is so much fun!
Ethan is walking in the Big Sky State Games parade tonight as a participant. He played ice hockey in April for it. I am kind of disappointed that they don't get the ice up soon enough for hockey to be included with the regular schedule. I am ready for the nice cool rink, and some awesome hockey games. Believe me, I know it was only 2 months ago I couldn't wait for the ice to be gone and hockey to be over. Funny how that works though.

Have a great weekend.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

catching up

Having Grandma Mac and Aunt Mert here for the weekend was so fun. We didn't do much, but we did do a lot of eating and chatting. Just when Elliott started warming up to Aunt Mert, they left. I hate that we are missing "Wyo Rodeo" this year, but we have fun stuff planned for the weekend, so maybe that will make up for it.

Jason was off on Sunday and Monday. We had a great time together. Sunday we hung out with the boys all day. Ethan had been missing his dad, so it was perfect.

Elliott cannot get enough of his big brother! It doesn't matter what they are doing.
Monday, Ethan started his summer sports camp for the week. I was kind of worried he would be shy and scared to go, but as soon as his group leader said "hi" to him, he ran over and didn't even tell me good-bye. When we picked him up, he said he had a great time, got to play lots of different sports, and he can't wait till they have carnival day on Thursday.

Life is good. So, so good.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

he's home!

Elliott and I picked up Ethan and Grandma Mac at the airport this morning. I have yet to get a hug and told "hi". Ethan went straight for Elliott. I guess he missed his little brother. :) That makes up for me not getting a hug. After stopping for breakfast, we came home and Ethan and Elliott were running nonstop. They ran outside, they ran inside, they played catch they played baseball, and they played chase. They were wearing me out. I loved seeing them enjoy each other.

While Elliott was napping, Ethan and I went outside for some Mommy and Me time. He had to show me his basketball skills, and I must say, he's not too bad. His hair was horrendous though! I cut it before I left AZ, and it has just grown out since then. YIKES! I couldn't stand it, and decided that I would do his hair while everyone else rested.
Ethan's hair is all trimmed back to a nice neat mohawk, and we colored it neon pink. Like really neon. I think it might glow in the dark. We all dig it though, and like Jason said, "now we shouldn't get any comments about our boys' haircuts." LOL

After all the naps were over, I took the boys across the street to play at the park. Ethan was racing Elliott and to be fair, he ran backward. What a nice big brother huh?
Elliott had to show Ethan all his new tricks he learned.
And Ethan had to test out all the equipment and make sure he still had it.
Look how red Elliott's cheeks are. I'm telling ya, they were nonstop!
I had to take this. Man I missed this kid. Isn't he just the coolest?
Then we played some basketball. We tried to play a game of around the world, but Elliott was too busy and in the way. It's ok though, we had a great time.
And because we can't get enough of playing at the park, we came home and got Jason, then rode our bikes to a different park for a while.

Jason and I took Elliott yesterday, and saw these monkey bars. Those circles spin when you hang on them. We both thought immediately, Ethan HAS to try those!

So tonight, Ethan got on them and rocked them, just like we knew he would. We are kind of competitive like that, and we know our kid is awesome at pretty much everything he tries.
Even Elliott was testing out his awesomeness tonight, and I was pleased to see he is very much like his big brother.
Check out the hair! OMG SO COOL!
Elliott even took the hard way up to the slide. And......... he rocked it.
Ethan and Jason raced around the playground. Ethan knew Jason was winning, so he totally cut through the middle and cheated. The kid cracks me up.
Jason had to try the monkey bars too. It's not as easy as it looks.
And of course, Elliott couldn't be left out.
I showed Elliott how to roll down the hill. It made me nauseous and Elliott hated having the grass on him. Oh well, we tried.
These kids wear us out! Where in the world does all that energy come from?

All in all, a great first day back for Ethan. Everyone is so excited for him to be home.

 Aunt Mert will fly in tomorrow from Texas. I'm excited to see her. It's been forever since we spent time together, and she really hasn't spent any time with the boys, ever.