A Precious Gift.

Brady made this at preschool & gave it to me last week...to say the least it made me cry.  With the last few days of preschool looming I have been quite nostalgic & I could tell it made him feel really special that his gift touched me so much.  Time just goes too fast!  How can this boy be starting kindergarten this fall?  Such a special gift that I wanted to share! :)

More pictures from a fun weekend in Cody celebrating Mothers Day on the way soon!

Sweetheart.

At Liv's 3 year checkup, our pediatrician suggested we go to Great Falls to visit the pediatric cardiologist in the state to check on Liv's heart murmur.  We've known about her murmur since she was  6 months old and it's never been an issue but our doctor wanted to make sure it was fine.  The peds cardiologist comes to Bozeman once a month but he was booked until late April.  Jeff & I both felt that rather than waiting & worrying that there was something else going on, we would just take her up there & get things checked out!  I am so glad we did--everything checked out just fine.  The Dr. said she has a very LOUD heart murmur, but a very NORMAL heart murmur & that was a relief! :)  Brady got to spend the day with Nana & Papa & even got to help Papa put together a basketball hoop for their house which he LOVES.  

Here she is in the room getting ready to watch a movie while they did the echocardiogram...so cute.

They also did an ultrasound so she thought it was pretty crazy she had all these "stickers" on her chest...she's also holding a picture of her heart that she got from the echo.

Eating lunch in Great Falls

Mom sent me this picture of the boys working on the hoop!

A couple pictures off my phone of our sweetie pie

Although it was a little nerve wracking, I am so glad we got it checked out & I am so thankful for healthy children.  We are so blessed.

Catching Up...Valentines Fun :)

This is obviously embarrasing that I haven't posted these but it's been so crazy & now I finally can catch my breath! :) 

We started our morning with heart shaped pancakes with sprinkles

Kids worked on their Valentines projects while I cooked breakfast which they thought was pretty cool!

...oh boy...while I was cleaning up from breakfast & making Brady's lunch for preschool, Liv got into a bit of a mess with Mommy's makeup...it truly was all I could do to not bust out laughing while I took this picture but she was in the doghouse which is clear by her expression...:)

We made Daddy's favorite dinner that night & had a little fun with the glasses!

I know...overkill but we ended dinner with a heart shaped cake...so funny in hindsight.

Sneaking tastes...

Catching Up...Snowmobiling Trip!

Our good buddies, The Vancleeves, invited a bunch of couples for a super fun, adults-only weekend up at their cabin at Hebken Lake!  We all rented snowmobiles one day & went on a 70 mile trek through the mountains.  I hadn't snowmobiled in several years & had forgotten what a blast it is and the scenery is absolutely stunning.  We were sore for days but made many fun memories with our friends & had a great "date" weekend! :)

Ryan Elliot, Shuey & Jeff

Anna Vancleeve, myself & Gina!

We stopped at these gorgeous hot springs somewhere along the Idaho border.  It was one of the most beautiful places I've seen!

This tiny cabin had a working water wheel along the river!

Back Row: Ali, Jeff, Anna, Brandon, Melissa, Shuey, Dan & Ryan

Front Row: Cassie, Gina, Dusty, Tara, & Tyler

Hawaii 2012

In March we took both kids & met my folks on the Big Island!  We stayed at the same condo & again it was such a wonderful vacation.  It was soooo much fun to have Livvy with us this year and the kids were in heaven!  Lots and lots of awesome memories made with Nana & Papa & it was such relaxed, quality time with them.  It was truly the best vacation we've taken with the kids and we all had a total blast.  We were there for 11 days and none of us wanted to leave! :)  Here are a few of our trip highlights!

**Mega post...sorry!!**

• Liv saw the ocean for the first time!  The first morning she was a little hesitant, but after that she was totally comfortable.  She would put her water wings on and swim out and float for long periods of time just loving it.  I just love watching our kids experience these big things for the first time...it's such a blessing to be a parent & re-live it through their eyes.
• My folks took us to a spot where we rented kayaks and kayaked with wild dolphins!  At one point we were surrounded by about 20 of them swimming right by us-this was such an awesome experience!  The only bummer was I didn't have my camera! :(
• We golfed 3 times on some beautiful courses! (Thanks for babysitting, Nana!)
• Jeff & I got a date night (A perk of traveling with grandparents!)
• Livvy Kay turned 3 and had the best pool party!
• Brady snorkeled almost every day and absolutely LOVED it!!  Another one of those experiences that's so much fun to see through their eyes.  Our beach has some of the best snorkeling-very clear with lots & lots of variety of fish & coral & is perfect because it gets deeper very gradually.  To witness the shock when he first put his gear on and put his face under water & saw a whole new world under there, was pretty incredible.  Nana, Papa, Jeff and I all got to snorkel quite a bit with him--we even snorkeled with several turtles within inches of us!  It is one of the best memories I have with him so far after 5 1/2 years...so fun.
• Brady & Daddy mastered the waves again at Hapuna Beach and boogie boarded their buns off!
• The luau was the best we've seen & it blew Livvy's mind!  She had never seen anything like that and loved watching the performance, even though it freaked her out a bit! :)
• Lots & lots of virgin strawberry daiquiris & pina coladas...:)     

Bright & early at the airport!

Nana & Papa greeted us at the airport again with lei's 

A little chipping contest behind our condo on the golf course.  Nice swing, Liv!

1st day at the beach--burying Liv in the sand!

Swimming with Papa

Funny faces

Trying "hang loose!" :)

Liv's patented "pose"

I love this one...

Out for dinner & drinks!

Brady got to help light the tiki torches!

Liv's first banana split!

Our group!

Geckos were a huge hit again

Golf with Papa!

This is not where you are supposed to be on this hole but it was a cool shot...:)

Sometimes you have to play "telephone" at the table to pass the time!

Somehow the waitress found out it was going to be Liv's 3rd birthday so she got a little early bday celebration :)

My sweet girl

Sweet boy

Hapuna Beach time!

That pose again...:)

Luau!

Us girls soaking up some rays at the Hilton Waikoloa Village! :)

We were on our paddleboat taking a little tour of the lagoon!

Pure joy.

Oops!  Back to the luau--Liv got a "tattoo!"

...and Brady learned to do the fire sticks!

& they took a little hula lesson!

This could possibly go on most awkward family photos.com...guess we didn't realize the huge hawaiian guy was behind us! :)

Liv needed 2 arms around her during the show...

Nana & Papa took the kids & I on a little adventure road trip around the island after Jeff left and it was a blast!

Dad & I played golf one day after Jeff left...we were not playing very well at all so we took our golf cart around the block & caught happy hour at Tommy Bahamas for a quick drink...the play was so slow we actually caught up with where we would have ended up.  It was pretty hilarious & will be a story that is told many times...:)

I took the kids paddle boarding one day and they loved it--Brady & I even did a little whale watching while we were out there (from a distance!)

Livvy tried one of the boogie boards with a little mask in it & did some snorkeling with us one day!

Fun with the fountains one night

Rock, paper, scissors were a staple!