Weekend Fun!

We had a great weekend this last weekend.  I just love Fall!  It's such a beautiful time of year, and we live in a truly spectacular place.  I'm always amazed by the beauty we are surrounded by.  We got a chance to enjoy some of that beauty, as well as spend some time hanging around town taking in the events of our community.

Friday night we went to the art walk.  If you've spent any time reading my blog, you know I love the art walk.  It's one of my very favorite events that Bozeman holds in the summer and early fall, and there's even a special winter one in December.  The shops downtown open their doors later than usual and invite artists from the area to display their work.  There's usually wine and appetizers as well.  It's a fun event and I just love spending the evening walking around downtown. 

We have found that the art walk is a little more challenging with two kids, but of course, that hasn't stopped us. Surprisingly, both the kids were excellent on Friday, and we were able to enjoy the entire evening with very little whining or crying or chasing down the sidewalk.  Both Doug and I were pleasantly surprised with how well they did.  It was a super fun night!

 

Saturday, we made a day trip to Big Sky to go for a hike.  We really love spending time in Big Sky, and we always have a good time when we go there.  Poor Drew must have gotten a little car sick on the winding roads up to the mountain because he puked in the car on the way there.  It was quite messy, and we were not overly prepared for such an event, so we scrambled to get it cleaned up, and probably lost one of Avery's blankets to the cause, but we managed to rally and continue on to our hike.

 

We started at Moonlight Basin ski area and did a hike called Ulery's Lake Loop.  It was beautiful and not too challenging of a hike.  The destination was a lake that had an amazing view of Lone Mountain as its backdrop.  So pretty!  The kids did great, and we even let Drew hike out the last little bit so he could feel like he did some hiking too.  It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful place to spend the afternoon.

 

 

 

 

Saturday night, we attempted to have dinner with friends. We were doing okay, and then Avery started screaming and we couldn't get her calmed down.  We ended up having to leave dinner early, which wasn't great.  We've never been forced to do that before, so it was kind of disappointing for us.  We always try to do as much as we can with these kids, and sometimes it backfires.  I'm sure Avery was over it for the day, and was super tired.  Unfortunately, that happens, and although it's likely a product of us trying to fit too much in, we'd rather have a few hiccups from pushing it too hard than not doing anything at all.  Luckily, our friends were very understanding.  They have a baby coming in November, so we may return the favor in the coming months when they have a new little one!

 

After our dinner disaster, we decided to go for a quick walk to get some fresh air and have every one cool off a little.  Drew rode his bike and we walked.  We didn't make it very far before Drew started to melt down, so we hurried home and put him to bed.  He insisted on sleeping in his Bobcat jersey, and as his dad says, when it's September and the boy requests to wear his jersey to bed, he wears his jersey to bed!  Haha!

 

 

Sunday, we started the day with a family run.  Then we got groceries and had lunch at home.  The kids went down for a nap and Doug went for a long bike ride.  He is participating in the Xterra National Championship this weekend, so he's trying to get some long bike rides and runs in before the race.  He's a little banged up and I think he will be glad to have all of this training over with! 

 

Overall, it was a great weekend.  We always try to pack the fun in when we're all together, and I think we accomplished that.  I'm excited for more fun Fall weekends to come!

Introducing Avery!

Avery Leigh was born June 21, 2015 (Father's Day!) weighing in at 6 lbs. 11 oz. and 19 inches long.  We loved her the moment we met her, and we're so happy that she's a part of our family!

Avery has been a good baby.  We've had a few struggles with her eating, but in the last couple weeks, things have seemed to turn around and she's a much happier, super smiley baby.  She's sleeping great too, which always helps a momma out!

Drew has been a great big brother.  I thought he might go through a jealous stage, but he has welcomed her with open arms from day one, and he truly loves her.  It's the sweetest thing to see your children interact.  Lots of times I will catch him talking to her, telling her about himself, asking her questions, or showing her his new favorite toy.  He's so thoughtful and kind, and I couldn't be more proud of the little boy he has become.

Drew it now a little over two and is about as fun as they come.  He makes me laugh every day with his little personality.  He's got some charisma I tell you!  He started talking really early and is already holding in depth conversations with us.  It's been so fun to have him be able to communicate and he's definitely a talker.  In fact, you might say he never shuts up! But boy, they say that kids just keep getting to be more and more fun as they age, and it's definitely true.  I love this stage we're in!

Life is great! We're busier than ever, but it's a fun busy and full of so much love. 

I'm Back!!

Well, it's been some time.  Quite a few things have changed around here, mainly the addition of a new family member!  Avery Leigh Neil was born June 21, 2015, and we are so excited to have her as a part of our little family!  She's about as sweet as they come, and Drew is more than pleased with being a big brother!

 

Since I've been gone, I've realized just how much I enjoyed blogging and what fun it was to look back on all that we have done.  It's a great way to keep an online "baby book" to document what's going on in our lives.  I miss having a place to share with all of you, and I miss being able to look back at all the fun we've had.

I can't do a daily post as my free time has all but diminished with two kids now, but I'm going to try to get back in the swing of things with at least one to two posts a week.  Mostly family related stuff as that's the majority of what I do all day every day, but I'll try to work some other stuff in too.  Bear with me, but even though it's a lot of work, I really think I will look back on this blog and be happy that I did it.

So, hello again! Thanks for coming around!

High Five for Friday!

It's Friday folks!  It's been a great week and I'm looking forward to the weekend.  This will be the first weekend in four weeks that we haven't had a football game on Saturday (although there is an away game that we will be watching later on Saturday night).  We're going to have so much time we're not going to know what to do with ourselves!

We had a good week, even though it was a little rainy and cold.  We made the best of it and even managed to have so me fun.  Here's a roundup of the top five:

1. Doug took a course on Tuesday night from five until eleven, so Tuesday was a mom and Drew day.  We ran some errands, spent some time roaming the mall, and met Doug for lunch so that Drew would get to at least see him that day.  It was the first time I'd really ever spent any time at the mall with Drew, and it turned out to be pretty dang fun.  He walked around like a big boy and held my hand the entire time.  He was so well behaved and did exactly what I asked him to.  Did I mention he held my hand the ENTIRE time?!  How fun is that?!  He rode the rides and we checked out a life size cardboard cutout of Champ (Montana State's mascot).  We didn't do any shopping, but that's not what we were there for.  It was fun and I could see myself taking him there to walk around this winter when the weather is bad and we still want to get out of the house.
   
2. This week I decided to start making arm knit scarves again.  I tried out a new color blocking style and I really like it.  The scarf I made turned out perfectly and it gave me so many more ideas for more scarves to make.  It's such a fun, easy little project and I really enjoy doing it.
   
3. Wednesday night, Doug took Drew to the cyclocross races, so I had the house to myself for about half an hour.  Not a lot of time, and I didn't really do much besides pick up toys and clean the kitchen, but it was nice to have a minor break and I think Doug and Drew enjoyed their "man time."
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Thursday night was date night and we went to Copper for dinner.  The food was delicious and we had a great time.  We even went for a short walk down Main Street after dinner and Drew held my hand the entire time.  It was a little chilly so it was a short walk, but fun nonetheless!
   
5. Drew was super sweet this week and we had so much fun.  He's really starting to be a good listener and I love that he knows exactly what I'm saying all the time.  Now, we just need him to start talking back!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

As many of you know, my grandpa had unexpected surgery last week.  He's doing well, but it was an intense procedure and the recover period is lengthy.  Drew and I are going back to Rapid next week to visit with him and also see the rest of my family.  We're excited to make the trip back and excited to see my grandpa and Drew's great grandpa.  As always, prayers for his speedy recovery are much appreciated!

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be back in a couple weeks!

Crockpot to the Rescue!

As many of you know, September was the month of home football games for us.  We had one every Saturday during the month of September, which is a little out of the ordinary, but ended up being pretty good.  For the most part, we had great weather, and honestly, it's a pretty fun way to spend a Saturday.

The hard part is dinner on Saturday night.  Inevitably, the games wear me out and the last thing I feel like doing when I get home is coming up with something for dinner, let alone making it.  Being outside in the elements, whether it's hot or cold, sunny or cloudy, really takes it out of me and all I really want to do when I get home from the game is relax.

This year, I found the perfect solution.....the trusty crockpot.  Every Saturday before the game, I would start something in the crockpot that would be ready when we got home.  It worked out perfectly.  I would throw it together in the morning and then when the game was over, we'd be ready to eat!  Perfect!

We had Mexican chicken chili, spicy sausage and potato soup, chicken tortilla soup, and jambalaya.  All of the recipes are from Mix and Match Mama, who I adore.  She has the easiest, quickest recipes that I've ever found, and honestly, I haven't made a bad one yet.  All four of these were winners.  Doug really liked the chicken tortilla soup and I really enjoyed the Mexican chicken chili.  You can't go wrong with any of them really!

It's been a great tradition and one that I see myself carrying on throughout football season. It's been so nice to come home to dinner with no effort after a long game.  Have I mentioned how much I love the crockpot?! It's the perfect time of year for them and it doesn't get any easier than a good crockpot meal!  Yumm!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

We had a fun, yet rainy weekend last weekend.  My mom, sister, and brother-in-law came to visit, and let's just say the weather was less than stellar.

Friday night, Doug, Drew, and I met my family in Livingston on their way to Bozeman to check out a new brewery there.  The boys had some beer and the girls played with Drew!  From the brewery, my mom took Drew back to our house so that he could go to bed and Doug, my sister, brother-in-law, and I went to downtown Bozeman for dinner. We were a touch early so we got a quick drink at Plonk and then made our way to Open Range for dinner.  Open Range was wonderful again!  They have awesome food.

Saturday morning, the boys were going to go for a bike ride, but unfortunately it was pouring rain.  They decided to skip it so we all stayed home, playing with Drew and hoping that the weather would turn around for the football game that afternoon.

Come game time, the weather was a little better.  At least it wasn't downpouring.  It was a little windy and a little chilly, but that was better than heavy rain.  We enjoyed the game and the Cats won, so that's always a good thing!

After the game, we came home and had dinner.  I had started the crockpot before I left that morning so it was waiting for us when we got home.  It sure was nice to not have to worry about dinner after a long game.

The boys went out Saturday night, but the girls stayed in with Drew.  We were tired and cold and thought a night at home sounded more fun than going out in the crummy weather again!

Sunday morning, my family left early.  I think they were in a hurry to get out of the miserable weather and make their way home.  It's too bad the weather didn't cooperate more so we could have done more fun activities, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes.  Hopefully it will be better next time around!