August Adventures

August has once again come and gone and the start of a new school year is here. At least for the kids and teachers, but not for me. Nope, I've taken on the title of homemaker and full time mom, which I don't mind one bit. I'm so happy to have a husband that wants me to stay home and take care of our girl. I would hate to ship her off to a babysitter and miss all of her big firsts. She is just too much fun, but I will miss the paycheck.

The first weekend of the month, we had our 3rd wedding of the year. That Sunday, Jason, Katelyn and I packed our friends, Jon, Sheila and Micah into our car for a drive into Crandall and Cooke City, Montana. The guys were hoping to fish but it was a wet day. They did catch some small trout. Katelyn had someone to look at as we drove. Sheila and Micah were behind her. Both babies were so good on their first trip up to Cooke City.

August 15th, we were invited down to CWAM for a get together with Rhonda & Andy Engle. They both were on staff when Jason and I were there. Rhonda was in Jason's school and was my room mate when I was on staff. They brought their two kids, Payton and Kaycee. Payton is just a hoot. He has a thing about different people taking him to the bathroom. He looked at Jason and puts his hands out matter of factly and says "You could take me to the bathroom." You can't help but laugh. He did it later to another friend and said, "Hey funny guy, you could take me to the bathroom." They wanted to visit the "ghost town" of Kirwin, so 3 vehicles of trucks packed to the gills with people and kids made the treck Saturday morning.

Joshua and his mom Heidi, went for the first time.
It was sooooooo cold. Probably in the single digits in Celsius and 45 F. We weren't up there very long before we headed back to the base.

That following week, Myself and a friend cleaned a new construction house, the house Jason has been working on since April. Since I couldn't get a babysitter, because Katelyn can't eat without her mommy, she had to come along. I didn't know how I was going to do it but I managed very well actually. She was a very good girl and would sit in her carrier all morning. Once she started fussing, into the baby bjorn front carrier she went and she would be lulled to sleep by the motions I was making cleaning. In the afternoons, I laid her on the new, soft carpet, once it was installed and she would coo and talk to whoever was around or just to herself. This was the first time she was starting to talk which was so exciting to see. She was so content. I didn't get a picture of her in the empty house like i should have. It was so cute to see her on her back looking up at the fireplace, just talking away. She also started to pick up her rattles and hold them and bring them to her mouth. What fun she is already.

This last Saturday, we were invited to join in on a garage sale. I didn't think we had much to get rid of since Jason is so good about going through and getting rid of stuff we don't use. Well, it turns out we had more than I thought. I also went around and found books I haven't read but were taking up space and such stuff. We ended up making just over $200! Katelyn at her first garage sale. The boys sitting on the merchandise between customers. Getting desprite to sell the futon! We use the "Baby selling tactic".

Anybody need a futon?

Micah helps mommy keep track of the money. You would be surprised at how many people asked if the kids were for sale. They definitly brought the crowds in off the street. They pulled their weight in making the garage sale a success. So that afternoon, we headed to Billings and stopped off at the hunting store Cabelas and spent some of our proceeds.

Uncovered Memories 2

6 yrs ago I made a little slide show for our wedding , of pictures from our youth. The comparisons were quite funny. But what I had wanted to find were baby pictures from Jason to compare to Katelyn. So now you can be the judge and see who she looks like more, mom or dad?
Daddy


Katelyn


Mommy

I think mommy wins, but that's just me.

Uncovered Memories

Going through our safe the other day, I uncovered some discs of pictures that haven't been seen in a while. Having a new computer can read them unlocked some memories from 6 & 7 yrs ago. My how the time flies. Little Nikki Baumann and Melody Nicholson bringing in the flags at the 1st Annual Meeteetse Labor Day Stick Horse Rodeo. Trying to keep everyone lined up. Dana Beiler will love this picture of her cowboy with Old bowlegger Andy Engle.
Nothing like a cowboy baptism in the horse trough.

Eddy from Brazil, leading cowboys in prayer at the Cody Nite Rodeo.
The place where it all began. This was our picture in our wedding invite, so many years ago.

Sometimes I wish we could go back to the good old days, and yet, someday I'll wish I could go back to where I am right now.

Summer Weddings

We have had a busy summer of weddings. If we've been invited to a wedding, it's usually someone from Manitoba getting married and we just can't get to all of them. This summer we've had 3 here in Cody. Last night we were invited to the wedding of Rob and Candiss Hill. I didn't take many pics because I was holding Katelyn during the wedding and then it got a little dark at the outdoor reception but here are a few of what I did take.
The Newlyweds The cake table after the cake had already been cut.
The house as we drove away at 11pm.

I just couldn't resist dressing her up in this frilly crinoline dress. She was adorable and such a good girl. Our friends that we sat with, were so impressed at how quiet she was and so wide awake at 10:30pm. I couldn't ask for a better girl. She is still sleeping right now and it's 11am, Sunday morning! I guess I'll have to wake her soon so she'll sleep tonight.

June 6th we were invited to the wedding of Jake and Amber Tuten. We had Amber in our church youth group when Jason and I were leaders almost 6 yrs ago! She is the daughter of our friends, Quin and Tracy.

May 9th we had the wedding of Brett and Angie Williams. Brett was our DTS leader when Jason and I were at Cowboys With A Mission. This wedding was a great reason for a CWAM reunion. A lot of people were able to make it and we took the opportunity for a group shot, with kids and spouses of people that have been through the ministry and have known Brett or Angie. This is a great example of how many people we can touch in our lives and the spiderweb that goes on from there.

As far as we know, these are all of the wedding we will have this year. Most of our friends are married and now it's time for babies. There are a lot of babies due at the end of this year. Bring on the baby gifts.

3 Months!

Where has the time gone? I still don't feel like a mom, but this is my girl, and what a little dolly!!!

What have we been up to? Well, last Wednesday my doorbell rang and who is standing there? My dad and my mom was in their new SUV! They thought they would take a road trip for their 30th anniversary. What they really wanted to see was their granddaughter. They stayed till Saturday and I think they had a good time. We went to the county fair here in town, and did a little sight seeing. Mom also hit her favorite craft store in Cody and walked away with a new knitting project for Katelyn.

Tuesday night was a special night in Meeteetse at the Cowboys with A Mission base. We had some members of the Thunder School from Nashville, Tennessee stop in on their tour of the west. Our friend, Scott MacLeod, runs the school of worship in Nashville. They contacted Jason for him to set up a place for them to stay and to minister to people in the area. Jason felt that Cody and Powell always get speakers and little Meeteetse is always forgotten. So he felt led to have them go to the Cowboys With A Mission base and minister and worship with people there.
Just as they pulled into the property, a huge rainstorm came rolling through with lots of thunder. How appropriate for the Rolling Thunder tour. It rained all night as we sang and worshipped the Lord. The music was refreshing and the prophetic words people were given were encouraging. With the volume and the echoing of the tin building we were in, I'm sure the whole valley could have heard us. Scott said that what God was doing in the natural, he was doing in the spiritual rhelm. The rain is being brought back to this land of Wyoming where we've been in a drought for years. With this physical rain, He's also going to be bringing for His refreshing "rain", a move of God for this area. Something we've been waiting for.
We finally left there at 11:30pm but we almost didn't want it to stop. They are a truly anointed group of people.

Easy Camping

We took Katelyn out on her first "camping" trip last weekend. I say "camping" trip, because it wasn't really camping. We didn't bring food we had to cook, but we did bring food. We went to the famous Dirty Annie's for some of our meals too. We slept in a one room cabin on a soft, comfortable bed. Not true camping by Wyoming standards, but so nice just the same. Our church had rented 5 cabins for 2 nights in Shell, Wyoming. The elders were needing to get a way to discuss church issues. Plans changed and they didn't need them anymore and couldn't be refunded, so they were trying to give them away to people. Jason and I took one for the two nights and other friends took others for one night. It was nice to get away. Jason could fish with the guys and I could relax in the cabin and sleep with Katelyn, who did amazing by the way. She conked out for a 4 hr nap! Must have been all the fresh air. It was so nice to sit and do nothing but talk with friends. We'll have to go up again with some more friends. The cabins weren't very expensive and nicer than some hotels we've been in.

We didn't take a lot of stuff but the truck was still full. One mid-size suitcase for 3 of us, cooler, stroller, diaper bag, dog and his bowls. Good thing we brought the truck because Jason stopped off at a garage sale and bought a few things he was actually needing for work that would have cost us a lot more money. He's learning to be Mr. Frugal, but he was born with the garage sale bug. You don't mention the word around him or you may be making a sudden, unexpected stop.
After we left Sunday morning, we drove into the Big Horn mountains, which are outside of Shell. We stopped off at the Shell Falls and did the 1/4 mile paved pathway "hike". My kind of hiking. Don't worry, I had a death grip on the handle. She wasn't going anywhere.
Behind Jason in the far distance, there is a small waterfall over his left shoulder.
With all the fresh air we had, we were all pretty tired after doing nothing. Jason wanted to nap with his girl, who was just as tired and a good little trip taker. We even stopped off for her first "taste" of A&W, one of mommy's favorites.

2 month Smiles

I love this face! This is what I get to wake up to every morning and she greets me with the biggest smiles. Especially when it's time to change the all important diaper.


I had to get some 2 month shots of my girl. She is growing so fast. I look at the pictures we do have and I wish I would have taken more new born pics. She has changed so much already.



So many faces from such a little cutie! I could just eat her up!!!!!