Too Much Fun!!!

Well, we had such a great time with Karrie and Madison this past week. We're really going to miss them, but we're headed to their house in just a few weeks, so I guess we can hold out until then! Saturday we spent all day in Hyattville and Natalie caught a big trout. She was so proud and had no problem gobbling him up for dinner tonight. We then headed to Powell to help Grandpa Chauncey dock his lambs Sunday, and I called up Lauren and Blake to see if they wanted to "meet half way" and visit a bit. It was a great time. Just a bit windy, but otherwise fun. Here are some pictures...


Nattie with her prize trout...she is such her daddy's girl! Maybe Beckett will like to go to horse shows with me...he he he

I just thought this little guy was so cute...right before I grabed him for his docking!

Here's part of the crew: Great-Grandpa Chauncey, Kyle, Grandpa Guy and Aunt Karrie

A shot of most of the herd...

Blake and Beckett hanging out to watch the action. Brune and I got to help for the first bit, then the kiddos were done being outside in the wind. It was so fun to see Blake and Beckett play together since they're only a month apart. By the way, since Beckett has been dubbed "Spike" we all got a good laugh realizing since his middle name is Lee he's now Spike Lee.

Momma holding a lamb for Nattie to pet. She just loves being out in the thick of things and will be a good hand in a few years.

Here's little Blake getting her first look at a lamb up close and personal...I don't think she was very impressed!

We're headed out to help some other friends brand tomorrow (well, I think I'm on kid duty, so I won't be much help this time). I love spring! I really do look forward to these yearly traditions. We hope you all had a fun weekend and are looking forward to a fabulous week. Hugs to all.

Welcome Spring

Well, we've had a fun last two weeks. Last weekend Kyle had some training in Casper, so Beckett and I went down with him while Natalie played with Aunt Karrie, Cousin Madison and Grandpa Guy for the weekend. We left Thursday night after a jewelry show I did, which was really fun. We had a great time in Casper and got to get some shopping done...the children's store is fantastic! I went a little crazy but found some wonderful deals. We also got to visit a bit with Kyle's friend Kelly and our friends Curt and Diane who have the twin boys about Beckett's age. It was a ton of fun, even though it rained and/or snowed the whole time! We got back and have had a week of really great weather in the 70's, then woke up to a spring snow shower this morning. I guess we really need the moisture, it just stinks to get used to being outside then be cooped up again.

We did get our first round of branding done Wednesday in the fine weather, and Beckett sat on a horse for the first time. He was really good and liked it, so I guess we have another natural! Great-grandma Phyllis kept all 3 kids in the house while we were out with the cows, and all went well. There were no major injuries out in the corral, Jill did not get branded on the face, and I only got kicked twice, so it was a success!

Grandpa and his boys...Buford and Beckett. Aunt Karrie got everyone started calling Beckett "Spike" for a nickname because his hair sticks straight up most of the time! It's pretty cute. Natalie and Madison have been calling him that for the last 2 days.

Here are the girls and JJ and Buford. The two colts got to move cows all by themselves this week...with relatively no issues.

And here is Grandma Jill with her three babes. The girls do have a bit of a power struggle sometimes with the "this is mine...no this is mine!" game, but they really play well together and Madison loves to talk to Beckett. It's been so much fun having them here!!! We would love for it to become permanent...he he he.

We are celebrating Madison's and my birthdays this weekend with the family, and Kyle and I get to go on a date tonight! My friend Cassidy has a birthday 2 days after mine, so our hubbies are taking us on a double date to the great lodge in Shell tonight. I can't wait to get another taste of their sesame salmon. 31 doesn't feel a bit different than 30, and I just count our blessings every day that another year has come and gone without any major hardships. Thanks to everyone for the fun birthday wishes and calls, and we hope you have a great weekend. Hugs to all.

"Savor the moments that are warm and special and giggly." ~Sammy Davis Jr.

Easter Blessings

We had a beautiful Easter day here! What a blessing. Natalie was so excited to see that the Easter Bunny came by last night and left her a funny movie and lots of "fishin' stuff" (a tackle box with all the necessities)! We then headed to Hyattville for church and egg hunt, then a great dinner at Grandma Jill's. There were so many kids visiting in church today, so it was a lot of fun to see all the kids play together. I tried my hand at a buttermilk custard pie, and so far no one is complaining of stomach pains. Guy said we would call it "the wonder pie" since it was an experiment, then it got upgraded to a "wonderful pie." We hope everyone had a beautiful holiday with family and friends like we did. Here are a few pictures...

Cooper and Carter Cox (yes, twins) were in town and came to church. The boys had fun playing together on the lawn. They are exactly one month younger than Beckett, and all three can pretty much sit up by themselves now!

Here is our family picture...isn't the top of Beckett's head beautiful?

Here is the little man checking out the pretty eggs...

This was the first year Natalie was really excited about the egg hunt. She got about 10 in her basket then just sat down to enjoy the loot!

Nana Brooks sent her the most adorable Easter dress this week. It has cute little embroidered butterlies and flowers on it.

Have a great week and enjoy the nice weather!!!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter week to everyone! It has been so beautiful here this week, but it's getting a little windy and nasty right this very minute, so we'll see how long it lasts. Kyle got home last night from another stint in North Dakota, and we are so glad he's home! It's certainly not easy when he's gone so much, but we're just thankful he has a good job right now. While he was gone we had several play dates and went to the park, and Grandma Jill got to come over one morning and play for a bit (thank you!). Last night I took the kids to a Christian Women's dinner at the community center where they have free child care for a few hours while women from all walks of life have a catered dinner and enjoy public speakers. I had heard about it before, but last night two of my close friends were speakers, so it was a great excuse to go. Mandy talked about her women's self defense classes (which are so cool, by the way) and Amanda gave her personal testimony about how she came to know God in her life through trials and tribulations. They both did a FABULOUS job, and I am so glad I went. Amanda, what you wrote was beautiful and I am so proud that you had the courage to share it with everyone. You should write more often! In addition to our new found book club, maybe we should start a writing group...??? At any rate, it was a fun night out, and Beckett did fine in the nursery for two whole hours! OK, I confess I had friends walk by the window to see if he was screaming or not, but he did just fine.

We are working hard on Cowboy Carnival events now, with the big day being May 24th. Hopefully it won't rain for 5 days before hand this year, but we'll see what's in store for us! Maybe some of you out-of-towners can make it to Hayttville for the weekend?

We will head to Hyattville this weekend for Easter fun and dinner, including Uncle Nick visiting from out of town! I'm going to try and take Beckett to the sunrise service this year and meet up with Kyle and Natalie at the later service, but that plan could of course change at any moment! He's now seven months old and growing like a weed...and still teething hard!!! This poor boy has had it rough, but some on the bottom have got to poke through any day now! We're going on a road trip to Colorado at the beginning of May for Kyle's cousin's graduationand a family reunion of sorts, and I'm excited to stop in a HUGE gently-used clothing store for kids in Casper on the way. Beckett is barely fitting into his PJ's and is almost too long for his 9-12 month onesies! He's just the opposite of Natalie in how fast he's growing. He gets cuter every day, though. This afternoon Kyle and Nattie went fishing and he got to hang out with me and cook dinner for youth group tonight. It's amazing how different it is with just one kid in the house when you're used to more! Anyway, here are a few pictures from this week...


Beckett (7 months) loves his baby food much more than the bottle now!

"Feed me, Momma!"

And here is Natalie showing off the bunny mask Grammie sent for Easter (thanks for the great package!!!). We hope you are all happy and healthy and have a great Easter Weekend!

"Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see." ~William Newton Clarke