May in Wyoming...

One of Erik's favorite May activities is a weekend excursion to Yellowstone to see wildlife. Last year we took Elisa and Sadie and had a wonderful, warm weekend. We stayed in the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and had a fantastic two days of sunshine. Elisa's favorite memory was visiting Old Faithful and eating ice cream after the geyser had spewed. This year... I wasn't feeling up to two days of car travel with my precious two-month old peanut, especially since this year's forecast included snow, and the plan was to camp (yup, outdoors) with Erik's mom and dad. Instead, I packed a bag of warm clothes and gear for my brave oldest and sent her along with her daddy. They had a great weekend together... and, sure enough, Elisa remembered the ice cream and suggested a stop to "see the big geyser and eat an ice cream cone."

Sadie stayed home for a special weekend with Mommy and Raina. We made pizza together, snuggled with stories, played with friends, and attended a baby shower together. She got to sleep with me in my bed, and she is still convinced she had the "more fun" weekend. :)

Bison and calf

Bundled up!

On Daddy's lap

With Grandma and Grandpa in the snow





Sadie, loving her baby sister

Because I am not very consistent about updating my blog, I always feel like I end up writing a Christmas-letter style note.... you know, little snippets of life condensed into a few succinct and upbeat paragraphs. :) If I were better at updating, you would get to read more of the funny day-to-day stories... but I'm not, and I forget the funny stories by the time I sit down to write!


Raina is almost three months old. She weighed 11 lb 14 oz at her two month check-up (75th percentile.) She is a sweet smiley girl. Se sleeps great -- she takes two 2-3 hour naps early in the day, then usually an hour late in the afternoon and half an hour catnap before bed. She sleeps 8-9 hours at night (from about 7:30 - 3:30) and goes back to sleep quickly after her early morning feed. I dropped her 10 PM dream feed because it wasn't actually prolonging her nighttime sleep hours. She is easy-going, but she also has a touchy temperament that means she does much better at home that being out and about. I try to get the bigger girls on one outing a week, but we do well just staying close to home and enjoying our wonderful backyard and quiet dirt road.

Sewing lessons! I try to have "creative time" each morning while Raina sleeps... sometimes coloring, or painting, or dancing, sometimes baking.... this week we tried some hand-stitching on scraps from Raina's nursery.


Tea party! Yup, I let them eat chocolate chip cookies and drink tea with milk and sugar... at 10:00 in the morning.

Last night we hosted 64 people for a going away party for some good friends.... it was supposed to be in the yard, but rain meant that we picnicked in our house! 33 kids under 12 (most were under about 7) ate sloppy joes on blankets and ran around like crazy. I wish I had thought to take pictures.

Looking forward to summer and sunshine!

Simple Treasures

Here are a few pictures. We are enjoying simple, steady days fill of small treasures... Raina is napping well, now, and the bigger girls are benefiting from a bit more mommy time. We created a school room in our office and that has made preschool a little more exciting as opposed to just doing it at the kitchen table. Wet, dreary days have finally given way to sunshine and there a few shoots coming up from the perennial beds. We planted our greenhouse (thanks again for watering it daily, Sera!). Erik and I figured out a workable schedule for both of us to run and have devotions on alternating mornings. It feels quiet and routine and joy-filled. We are blessed.




Raina - I love the time at night when I wake her to nurse her just before I go to sleep. She is so sleepy and sweet and soft. I finally had Erik capture it on camera.

Three sweet daughters

Daddy and his little munchkin

School Days

Our cozy little studying nook