Spring Break with my sisters!

In Billings the kids' Spring Break is their Easter Break - it's basically just a long weekend that starts the Thursday before Easter and goes through Monday. Fortunately my sisters were on a similar schedule in Utah, and they made the drive up to Billings to spend the break with us! It was a lot of fun.

 

We took all the girls to an Easter Fair where they jumped on bounce houses, ate lots of cotton candy, and participated in a huge easter egg hunt.

We spent some time at our small-town mall - as girls usually do - but the highlight for the lil' ones was definitely the mall train. And the quarter-operated rides.

We spent an afternoon at the Reef - Billings' indoor waterpark.

Most afternoons while Scarlett was napping, Sarah and Chelsea took the girls to the park. It's only a block away, but they usually insisted on driving the car.

We also participated in the usual Easter traditions. We colored Easter eggs...

 ...and made Easter cookies.

 And here's all the beautiful girls Easter morning, with their lavender outfits from grandma!

It was a fabulous weekend, and we are excited to be closer to our cousin Madison and our Aunts in Utah! What a Happy Easter!

Billings loves Easter Egg Hunts

This season we went to no fewer than FOUR Easter Egg hunts. Of course we didn't plan it that way, but they just started popping up everywhere, so we kept huntin'!

 

First, I took Lydia and Scarlett to the Billings Zoo for the EggStravaganza while Josh was with Claire in St. Louis. It was sooo cooooold, we were miserable waiting for the activities to start. But once they did, we had a lot of fun.

 

 

After the hunt, we went through the zoo...which took all of 15 minutes. There's a bear and a tiger...and then birds and rodents. Not much to see, but to a kid it's still pretty fun. Lydia was so thrilled to see the wolf, she said "Mom! You have to get a picture of me in my wolf hat by the wolf!"

 

The following week there were two more hunts that came up, that we participated in too. First, Claire's preschool had an egg hunt. The parents "hid" the eggs in the field next to the church, then all the kids were let loose to find them. It sure didn't take long for each of them to find their 10 eggs, then start emptying the goodies into their buckets! Claire, as expected, was very good at sharing with her sister and letting her help.

 

Then later that week our neighborhood organized an Easter Egg hunt. We couldn't skip that! All the kids met at the park after school, where the Easter Bunny had put out hundreds of eggs. There were too many to "hide", so they were just laying out in the open field, and on the count of three all the kids were off to collect as many as they could!

 Finally, the Saturday before Easter there was a huge event at one of the middle schools, with massive easter egg hunts for each age group. The girls scored big. There were tens of thousands of eggs given out that day, and of course it wasn't a "hunt" at all, it was a grab-as-many-as-you-can race. But still so much fun.

Billings loves Easter egg hunts. That same day there were 7 or 8 other big hunts going on throughout the city, sponsored by different churches and organizations. And by Easter Sunday, the girls were experts at collecting eggs!

Claire's new preschool

One of the things I am always anxious about when we move somewhere new is finding decent schools for my girls. Before we moved to Billings I called a sister in the ward to ask about schools, doctors, etc., and she said a lot of moms really love Messiah Lutheran Preschool. So I called up the preschool in mid-January, and go figure - they had 1 spot open up in their Pre-K class. Claire was in! We had the same luck in Midland, getting into the last spot at First Presbyterian, and I really feel there is someone upstairs looking out for our little family through the big changes in our lives.

The church preschools in Billings are very different from the well-oiled machines of the mega-churches in Texas. The preschools here are small, only taking 2 to 4 classes depending on their size and schedules. Claire's preschool classroom is in the basement of the Lutheran church, and there are 18 kids in her class! Which seems like a lot, but there are at least 2 teachers there, and they are awesome with the kids. And as with any church preschool, Claire is learning Bible stories and gospel principles in her class too. Most importantly, she really loves her school and her new friends.

Because Claire has a summer birthday, in March they celebrated her "un-birthday". She got to wear her princess crown she decorated, we brought Wreck-It Ralph cupcakes to class, and her sister Scarlett got to come along and be in class for the day. Claire was spotlighted and was the special helper for the day, and she was soooo thrilled about it all.

Happy Un-Birthday Claire-bear!

Daddy and Claire head to St Louis

 

In March Josh and Claire went on a special weekend trip to St Louis to go visit Mimi. Our Mimi had her radiation treatment in St Louis earlier this year and was returning there for a check up. We all wanted to be there to see her again, and hope that someday soon we'll all be able to make the trip to visit. But this time it was just Josh and Claire, and they both had a blast. I am happy they had this special weekend together.

 

They spent the weekend at Zach & Lauren's home in St. Louis. Claire and her cousin Brody were best buds. And Claire got to mother her little cousin Ellie as well.

 

They did some shopping, they were spoiled with treats, and they even made a trip to the museum.

 

But mostly, they hung out at home, relaxing with Mimi and Papa, which was the best part of the whole weekend.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

 

We're always looking for new things to do around Billings on the weekends, and this weekend there was a St Patrick's Day parade and fair downtown. I never thought of St Patrick's Day as a big holiday, but it seemed like half of the city was there for the festivities. Unfortunately the street fair only took up 2 blocks, so it was crowded and the lines were long for everything - especially the food stands - but these girls were determined to get their faces painted, daddy was determined to get some tri-tip, and mommy needed some funnel cake.

 

 

 



The parade was a typical small-town parade with every city organization sponsoring a "float" - which was usually just a car or truck with lots of green decorations. But you can't have a St Pat's parade without the bagpipes.



Wait...is that a Scottish flag on his chest?!

 

Of course the kids didn't care how fancy the floats were, they just lined the streets with their plastic bags waiting for people to throw candy at them. We did, however, really like all the monster trucks that came through.

After the parade, Claire and I left to go to a friend's birthday party, and Josh stayed with Lydia and Scarlett at the street fair to get their faces painted. They were so dang cute, and I was so impressed that Scarlett stayed still long enough for all those flowers! I guess girls will be girls!

 

  

Claire-bear my Care Bear

Sisters make the best of friends.

Scarlett and Claire are now roommates, as Lydia is in her own big-girl room now. Claire has been such a sweet big sister to Scarlett, and I love that about her. Last night Scarlett woke up crying, and while I tried to ignore it hoping she'd settle, I eventually went downstairs to check on her. I walked in their room and as Scarlett was crying, Claire - half asleep - was patting her back and singing a made-up lullaby to her. It was so sweet.

She is also so very loving toward Lydia. She races to the bus stop every afternoon so that she can give Lydia a hug when she gets off the bus. Then she just lights up because her sister is home and will follow her around and play whatever she wants to play.

Claire has a special place in my heart and it's no wonder God gave her to us as the middle child. She holds us all together and we love that about her.

Family hike

There are a few hiking trails near our neighborhood and this weekend we decided to get the family outside and go exploring. We knew this trail would be easy-ish for a pregnant mom and 3 little girls because Josh took Lydia and Claire up this hill last weekend.

 

Scarlett was ecstatic. She really wanted to do the hike "by mah-self" as she kept repeating, but she was so easily distracted she was slowing us down. Once the trail steepened Josh put her on his back and she was even more excited. 

 

 

 

So now I was the slow one. I don't think I could do this hike again before April 6 unless I really wanted to go into labor. But these two were pros and made it to the top without complaining. Along the way they were collecting rocks to throw off the cliff, playing golf with sticks and pinecones, chasing rabbits, exploring the rock formations, and telling stories of bats and bears in the "caves" we saw.

 

 We had a great view from the top. And here's proof I was there too! Not too flattering, but this is how my girls see me most days :)

 

First weeks in Billings

Where to start....the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. We've been so busy trying to get unpacked and settled and the girls into their routines, and the world around us just won't slow down to let us do that. Josh has been very busy with his new job, and is usually away 2 or 3 nights a week in eastern Montana and North Dakota. As for me I finally counted how many weeks pregnant I am (34!) and figured I should probably go to a doctor soon and visit the hospital and - heck -  pick a name for this baby girl! But who has time for that? And in the midst of all this our hearts are with our families - especially our Mimi. We want to see her and talk with her and visit with her. Why can't life just slow down and let us tackle these things one at a time??

 

Anyways, enough rambling. It's been just over 2 weeks since we unloaded everything into our new home. It was great to see my swagger wagon again. It really felt like home when we first loaded up the kids and went on school runs into town.

We've really enjoyed it so far, and here are some of my "first impressions" of life in Montana.

 

Winters are pretty mild in Billings, Montana

On most days the temps are in the 30's and 40's. We've hardly had any snow, and when it does come, it melts by the afternoon and is never enough to even go sledding on. I'm not complaining though. As long as the sun is shining the girls want to play outside.

 

 

Our neighborhood rocks

Mostly because there are so many great families. Nearly every home in Ironwood has a playground in the backyard and a minivan in the garage. Our neighborhood alone fills up 2 school busses of elementary kids in the morning. And everyone is so nice - during our first week here 4 different neighbors came by to drop off treats and introduce themselves, and I already have 2 babysitters just a block away that I can call on. I love that.

 

Montana kids are...well...not Texan

On Lydia's first day at her new school she wore a sparkly skirt with leggings and black boots. I looked around and noticed that no one wears skirts - girls just wore jeans or snowpants to school with their snow boots or uggs. And there are definitely no big hairbows, or headbands, or accessories of any kind. But I realize that they really have to dress for being outside so much. In fact, when the kids get to school they aren't allowed in the building until the bell rings! They just wait outside with their friends even if its snowing and freezing. They also have 2 recesses during the day, and they will go outside regardless of the weather, unless it is below 0 degrees Farenheit - which is 32 degrees below freezing!! Of course the kids here have thick skin, and when the temps are in the 40's they won't even wear jackets - just a hoodie :)

 Everyone hunts

Billings is small - about 100,000 - but it has a Cabelas, and its always busy. It's Josh's favorite store, and possibly my girls' too. We were spending a day with Flat Stanley (sent to us by friends from Lydia's old school) and took some pictures of the animals inside. Every house we've been in so far has a few mounted antlers inside, and everyone has hunting stories to share. Josh is ready to hunt next fall, which makes me a little nervous because the big hunting is in western Montana, which is near Yellowstone, and it is full of bears. He doesn't seem scared though, because as he says "my gun is my bear spray.." Whatever.

 

 

Billings is very safe

Crime rates are low, and you can tell by how comfortable the locals are with their surroundings. For example, after school the kids are just let loose into the neighborhood, whereas in Texas the young kids weren't released until their parent was there to collect them. I've also seen a lot of kids left in cars while mom is inside for a quick errand. I am sometimes guilty of the same thing, but at least won't be reprimanded here.

 

Anyways, we are really enjoying our new home, but we're anxious for the temperatures to rise so we can go camping and hiking and fishing, and enjoy the great outdoors that are in our backyard. There is so much on our "to do" list for Montana, but first things first - we gotta get this baby girl here. April 6th is the date we've set with the Dr., but she may want to come sooner than that to see Montana ;)



Babymoon and a Birthday in San Antonio

 It's been a busy month, but with all that's been going on we were determined to go on our "babymoon" - a nice romantic trip for Josh and I before the baby comes. We briefly talked about going to New York, but at this time of year there is no better place to be than the great state of Texas. So for my birthday/babymoon we headed to San Antonio, our favorite Texas city.

It was so lovely it almost makes me angry that we are leaving this gorgeous weather. It was sunny and in the 70's the entire trip, we were hardly indoors. We walked along the riverwalk every afternoon for lunch, and came back in the evenings for a late dinner and to "people-watch" as all the night clubs opened up. I desperately wanted to feel young and pretend that we were going clubbing too, but then I look at my giant belly and realize I'm a mother of 4 and I wouldn't look very sexy trying to dance while I'm obviously knocked up.

The Riverwalk was busier than usual this weekend with graduates from the Air Force base in San Antonio. Well, we're guessing it was graduation, because a lot of them had families touring the streets with them. It made us proud to see all of these young men and women so happy and proud to be serving their country.

We have been to San Antonio many times, but haven't experienced many of the"tourist" attractions there, other than Sea World. This time we took a tour through Tousseaud's Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum. They were both a little...creepy...but definitely a unique experience.

 

(me and Beyonce, and William &Kate)

 

Josh and Lance. We still like him, even though he's a cheater ;)

Everything's bigger in Texas! For Saturday breakfast we went to Lulu's bakery for my 4 lb cinnamon roll. Since it was featured on the show Man v Food, I always want to stop there to pig out. We ate leftover cinnamon roll for most of the ride home!

 

32 years old, 3 and 1/2 kids, and 9 years of marriage. This may be our last babymoon, but we hope to take anniversary trips every January from now on. Nothin better than a weekend away with this guy :)