2nd Birthday pictures

For those of you who couldn't join us for the fun, here are some pictures from the big birthday yesterday. Reese loved all of her presents and her birthday cake. See for yourself...
A pre birthday party lunch of lasagna














Doesn't everyone light birthday cakes with a blow torch?
Chowing down on my cake
More please!



Asher likes eating the wrapping paper

Happy 2nd birthday Reese!

Dear Reese,

Happy Birthday! I can't believe it's been 2 years since you changed our lives completely. Here are some memorable things on your 2nd birthday:

• The biggest change in your short life was the addition of your brother Asher this year. For the most part, you are very sweet with him. You call him "little guy" and have started to share your toys with him. When he was first born, you cried every time he did. But you have since learned to ignore his cries when you have something more important to occupy you.
• You are not only walking but running now. You love to play outside, go for bike rides, swing and go down the slide.
• You still love reading books. You have now memorized many of them (e.g., Good Night Rhode Island) and "read" them yourself.
• You are enthralled with the bears video that Aunt Jane got you for your birthday last year. You now request the Bears a few times a day and even sing along to the peanut butter song.
• You are still a great eater. You will eat pretty much anything although sometimes you are still too excited about eating to chew. You now request Buffalo Wild Wings (emphasis on the Wild) because you know that we go there after softball games.
• You have an amazing vocabulary. You talk really well for your age and will repeat just about anything anyone says or you hear on TV. This can be good and bad, Mom and Dad have learned. Just about the only word you can't say is elevator (you still call it alligator). The kids at daycare think it's fun to teach you words like hippopotamus.
• You are very sweet. We've taught you please and thank you but the cutest is when I tell you "Thank you Reese" and you say "You're welcome, Mommy." It melts my heart every time.
• You like to sing. You can sing Mary had a little Lamb, Rock-a-bye Baby, Twinkle, Twinkle and a few others. The funniest is when you sing 5 Silly Monkeys and you change your voice to the "mean doctor" voice: "No more monkeys jumping on the bed." You LOVE American Idol and got mad when Daddy couldn't find it on EVERY night.
• You now sleep in your own bed in your own room. Quite an accomplishment for all of us. Your bed is actually our old king size mattress laying on the ground of the spare bedroom. Probably the biggest toddler bed you've ever seen :) You can brag about that to your friends.
• You started daycare in June and you absolutely love it. When you first started every morning you'd wake up and say "Daycare?" (even Saturdays). You love your teachers and the friends you've made there.
• We are now living in Helena. We've been renting a condo across the street from Aunt Jennifer while Daddy builds our new house. You love seeing your cousins so much. Mommy is still flying somewhere (right now it's mostly Salt Lake City) every week but you do a good job of keeping Daddy and Asher company during the week.

It's been another amazing year and you are definitely not a baby anymore. You will certainly throw a tantrum now and then (as all 2 year olds do) but most of the time you are a sweet, funny and wonderful little girl. You make us smile all day every day and we are so lucky to have you and your brother in our lives.

Happy birthday Reese!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Night at the park

The kids and I are home alone this weekend while CK is in South Dakota with his family. CK's grandmother, Lois, passed away this week. She was a pretty special lady and we are thinking of her family and happy she is now at peace.

Although CK does this all the time, it's pretty rare that I have the kids all to myself. Luckily, they have been great. Thursday night Asher slept all night. When my alarm went off at 6 I thought I must've been dreaming but there he was, still fast asleep in his crib. Last night wasn't too bad, either. Just one wake-up call for a bottle at 3:30. Hopefully CK is using his time away to catch up on some much-deserved sleep himself.

Here is Asher trying carrots last night for the first time.
After dinner the three of us went to the park. We pretty much closed it down, I had to drag Reese out of there as it was getting dark :) We all had a great time.




Reese found a slide she could do all by herself and so round and round she went.

I think she might have gone down 50 times :) All I've heard all morning: "Should we go to the park Mommy?"

Braces Down

The concrete has been poured for the entire 1st floor and now the braces are off... 74 yards of concrete to fill the walls and one hectic day of work - thanks dad for all the help. below is a picture of the shop as you would see driving up the lower road to the house.

Here is a picture of the front of the house, the "missing" block is the location of the front door in the 2nd floor level - a deck and some backfill will make entering the house much easier.
Here is a view from the "backyard area - the center wall divides the shop (left) and the basement portion of the house (right). In the next few weeks I should have the first floor constructed.
Here is a picture of the house from the south (note the sleeping giant on the right horizon)

Weekend pictures

It's fun to wear Mommy's shoes
Playing peek a boo
Reading in bed with my brother