Eva's first month went by so fast. She is filling out, and she likes to eat at least every two hours. That means mommy doesn't get a lot done, but we don't mind because this time will pass too quickly.
^ Sleeping peacefully, as long as she is being held.
^ She just loves my mom. I do too, and she is my indispensable helper.
^ This is my sweet future sister Annie.
^ And this is our growing family!On July 7, we had the privilege of attending Tom's cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful setting with a gorgeous view of the Bridger's and a creek running through it.
We got to see some great old friends, and Eva got to meet her Nanna and Papa and Auntie and Uncle for the first time.
It is great to be back home in Montana so we can enjoy occasions like these!
This photo isn't the best, but it represents a good memory. We were on our way to Montana (for good this time), and Eva was so relieved to be out of her car seat, which she would barely tolerate. (She does much better with it now). We had stopped at a hotel in Butte after a drive that took nearly twice as long as normal. Sarah and Eva were so cute visiting on the bed and enjoying a break.
***post edit: Sorry, there was a problem with the photos. Fixed!
Our last week in Utah was spent saying many special goodbyes. One afternoon we met these dear friends at the park for a picnic.
Charlet and I had fun being preggos together and comparing notes. These little critters were born only 2 weeks apart. I wish they could play together when they are older, but hopefully we will still get to see them once in a while! Miss you already!
^ Nicholas and Eva
Here is Eva sporting her adorable red, white, and blue plaid dress (Thanks, Jordan and Erin!). So patriotic. I should take a photo of her in her car seat now so you can see how much she has grown!
By the way, if you gave us a baby gift for Eva, you haven't received a thank you note. Yet. I have big plans to get announcements and thank you notes out one of these days and I haven't even started. Nor have I unpacked the boxes that contain the supplies to make them. But I have good intentions! I'm sure they will arrive in your mailbox before she goes to Kindergarten.
In the meantime, thank you all for your generosity. Love ya!
My card reader just blinked "CARD FULL". And then it said "REPLACE BATTERY BACK". Not a good combination when there is a new baby in the house. There were photos like this one from when Eva was only a week old. That means I have a lot of catching up to do!
^ Notice the blue glow under Eva's blanket—evidence of the Photo therapy light treatment for her jaundice. It was a relatively painless experience this time thanks to a blanket style that we could use while holding her (instead of a bed style like we had when Abby was a baby.)No, really, I know some of you are anxious to see photos of our new old house and life on the farm so you can better picture how crazy a couple of city geeks like us look in the midst of it. I promise they will come soon.
Until then, this blog is going to be dedicated to baby bragging. With that, here are a couple more photos from the first week Eva was home with us.
^ Note the adorable Hanna Andersson polka dot jammies. Love these. Thanks, Paula!
This is one of Eva's sweetest times of day. I was sitting here enjoying her sweet contentment and little smiles when I finally decided to get up and get the camera. This is the only photo I got though. Because every time I get the camera she gets this look on her face like "that's lookin' a little sketchy. Can you get that thing outta my face?"
And sure enough, the next photo looked like this:
She's saying, "Let's get on with this business so I can go back to sleep".
Wait a minute. That's my line!
Did I mention it was 4 AM?
...and we're gonna catch a BIG one!
Greetings from Montana! We have been here for nearly a week so I should squeeze in an update. The settling in part is proving to be a challenge amidst busy summer farming schedules and adjusting to life with a newborn, so it looks like the process is going to take awhile. I promise to start posting more often as soon as I can get me feet under me. There is much to share!
So far mosquitos and moths top the list of My Least Favorite Things about Living in Montana. I can't go far without my can of Off or a Bounce dryer sheet (who knew? Jury is still out on whether or not it works well enough). And Tom and I are a sight as we declare war on the moths every night. We turn the light on in the kitchen to draw them to one room, then I hold the vacuum and Tom mans the hose as we suck up as many as we can find.
Fortunately my list of Things I Love about Living in Montana is much longer. At the top is sharing meals with my parents and seeing extended family more often. Between a church convention and cousin Kristi's beautiful wedding, it's been like a family reunion!
We've had plenty of adventures so far. One night a big storm knocked out our power for an evening so we cooked dinner in my parents motor home. That night I tended to Eva by candlelight, and we were sure glad to have our power back on the next morning.
I also made my first major grocery stock-up trip to Great Falls. I was so glad to have my mom along to help me because as it was, it took about twice as long as we planned on with 3 kids in tow. I want to know how anyone manages to accomplish anything with more than 3 kids. Spill it. What's your secret?
Eva is doing great, although I'm looking forward to days when she doesn't wake up every 2 hours at night. Nanna came yesterday and took the older girls to Bozeman for a week, so we will have 2 less to keep track of.
Tonight we have a big dinner with family and I made red velvet cake from scratch to celebrate Mom's birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday Mom! It's so fun to have time to bake and to celebrate with you!
Happy 4th everyone!!! Let us know how you are celebrating.
Yesterday I went to the office one last time to say goodbyes and introduce baby Eva. It is a bit surreal to say goodbye to a job I've held for 10 years. (I can only imagine what it would be like to retire from a job after 30 years as some do!)
The day was bittersweet and I will miss the great friendships and amazing talent that I had the privilege of working with everyday. Goodbye, and I will miss you all! Keep in touch.
Sent from my iPhone
Blogging from my phone seems like a great way to stay awake at 3:00 AM when I'm up with a newborn. I might not make a lot of sense and I might fat finger a few words...
Today we headed home to Montana--for good this time. We started off after Eva's doctor appointment (she has regained her birthweight of 7 lbs. 11 oz. and looks great)! Tonight we are in Butte enjoying the comfort at the Comfort Inn. Eva was delighted, as she expressed like only a newborn can, to be rid of her carseat for the day. We normally would have reached the farm after spending 11 hours on the road, but we were happy with the progress we made and are glad to only have what would usually be about a 4 hour trip ahead of us tomorrow. It might only take us 8. :) Traveling with a 2 week old is for the birds. My mom and Sarah are with me, and Tom and Abby follow us up tomorrow (or later today, that is, at this point). Soooo glad to have my Mom's help. You're the best, Mom!
See you home on the range!
Sent from my iPhone
^ Not loving her first bath . . .
^ Meeting sister for the first time
We have a healthy baby girl! Eva Grace was born at 12:25 today, June 11th. 7 lbs., 11 oz., 19 inches long. (We are pronouncing her name ee- va with a long e.) I went in this morning to be induced but was well into labor on my own before we got there. More photos later!
Sent from my iPhone
No, not baby news. (Psych!) Hopefully that news will come in just a few days.
This may be old news to some of you, but now that both of our employers know, it is nice to finally be able to be open about our plans here on the blog. I haven’t been the best blogger over the past 9 months, largely due to the fact that most of our news centered around plans we needed to keep to ourselves for awhile as they developed.
We are planning to move HOME—to the place we both still consider home even after living in Utah for 10 years—MONTANA! It was an idea percolating in the back of our minds for a couple of years, but since we have had a great life in Utah, there seemed to be no reason to rush the decision. THEN, we got pregnant. It was the first event in a series of events that made it obvious to us that it was God’s plan to lead us in that direction.
Our plans are to move to my family farm in Fort Benton. My parents could use some extra hands, plus, when they are ready to retire they would like to see their years of hard work stay within the family, so it is a great opportunity. Yes, it is a major career change for both of us, but we both feel like it is a different pace of life that will be so good for our family. And the best part is being closer to both of our families!
We will be moving into my Grandpa’s home that is filled with memories of both my Grandpa and Grandma. Grandpa reached a point this fall where it was just too much house for him on his own, and we appreciate all the efforts of my parents and other family to get it ready for us to live in.
So, we have sold our lovely home of 5 years and are living with a dear, kind and generous friend from my work while we wait for the baby to arrive. Soon after, we will head north, for good! We look forward to keeping you up-to-date on our adventures!
Until then, we have many goodbyes to say to the wonderful people we have come to know here in Utah. We will miss you all!
The lovely and talented Darla took some belly shots for me recently, and she mixed in other shots of whole family. It was impossible to choose just a few favorites to post here, so please be sure click over to her blog to see more from our shoot and more of her fabulous work! Oh, and leave me a comment to tell me which is your favorite! (I can't decide!)
. . . to obsess about a diaper bag, when there are much more important things in life to worry about. But alas, it is a major baby necessity. I posted my dilemma on Facebook and the answers were too mixed to be helpful. (Yeah, I know I should listen to you, Mom. Moms are always right. You almost have me convinced, too, but then I keep seeing myself with this other bag casually slung over my shoulder . . .)
So, now I'm going to reveal the bags in question and poll my blogging friends.
Would you buy the one on sale (the brand I've been eyeing, but an older model at 1/2 price!), or the one you really love (same brand, but the "premium" model), not on sale, which roughly translates to 4 times (gulp) as much as the other one?
Believe me, I have justifcation. I mean, if I carry this thing every day for 2 years, the cost per wear is merely pennies. Okay, cents. And this is my 3rd baby, so I know how much I rely on a good quality diaper bag. And people spend crazy money on designer purses all the time. This is going to double as my purse for the next 2 years. And . . . alright, enough.
Here are the diaper bags in question, in no particular order. Which one do you like? #1 or #2? (Don't cheat and look up the prices!)
I do actually already have one of these bags in my possession. But I also have a receipt, and I'm not above using it!
As Tom and I browsed through the photos the kids took at Easter brunch, we were highly entertained by one particular nephew.
This isn't the first time he has hammed it up for the camera. I looked back through my archives and found many such photos. Here are just a few. He has food on his face in almost every single photo I have of him.
Dawson, you rock!
We dressed in our Easter finery for a lovely Easter brunch at the Gallatin Gateway Inn.
You know how the kids always finish eating first? (Perhaps because the adults are too busy taking pictures of their food.) Well, they begged to use the camera while the rest of us finished eating. And you know what? That turned out to be a grand idea because in the end, the best photos came from them.
Family: you can find more photos and order prints here.