AHHH.... Peace at Last

Spring is officially here as of Friday and the weather the past few days has been gorgeous. We have all made it outside to play for a much needed dose of fresh air. Tater and Riley Jo were outside playing together without ANY bickering. How I have longed for this day. :)





Tater did not want to stop playing for 2 seconds so that I could take a picture of his happy grin...
this is him irritated at me for taking his picture. So much for the smile.




You gotta love the bar across her face, but truth be told, it's hiding an ugly kool-aid mustache.

With spring comes a long list of projects which I'm excited to get started. One of which is a gate in the back. The kids will be happy when we get that done.

Spring in Montana is so deceiving because when it starts to warm up, I want to get started on all of my projects. Although I still have a good month before I can start my garden. I can't start any of my other projects (yard & fence) until I get some dirt work done, and it's still way to wet to do that. UGH. So for now I'll just enjoy the warm weather and the wonderful effect it has on the kids.

Hurry up Spring!

Tater is chomping at the bit to get outside (without 5 different layers on). The weather here is starting to warm up and the snow we got last week is almost all gone. Now we have MUD and lots of it but thank goodness kids are washable. This morning Tater went out to shot his B.B. gun.



I can't believe how big my little boy is getting. He is really getting into shooting, and he has pretty good aim. I am impressed.



Our neighbor out here has a little Cricket .22 and Tater really enjoys shooting that. It is a bit smaller then his BB gun so it fits him better. That was next on the agenda. His reasoning was to shoot the BB gun to 'warm up' then call Mike to see if he could shoot the .22, BUT the wind decided to make its presence, and he decided that it was too windy. At least he got a little shooting time in and now seems to be happy.

Daddy's Girl

When Dustin has friends over, poor Riley Jo becomes the moving target. Although I must say that she puts up with it pretty well. I'm not sure if it is because she just wants to be included or she knows as soon as Matt gets home, the boys are toast!. All she has to do is give him the look and say "daddy, the boys are being mean to your baby girl."

She loves all the planning and plotting to get back at the boys. She's the first one to collect all of the lost darts/balls and she really goes after the boys.

Of course it's always nice when Dad holds them down and she really can get them.

Good Morning

What a wonderful way to start my day. The weather here has been super nice. Today it's in the mid 50's. I am ready for spring!!!

I better enjoy it while it lasts, they say snow is on the way with below freezing temperatures:(

Bittersweet

Everyone always told me to treasure every moment with my kids because they grow up so fast. It seems like that has hit me hard lately. I enjoy watching both of my kids becoming their own person, but at the same time, it's hard to let go. I love the fact that they are getting big enough to do certain things like open gates, load & empty the dishwasher, & my personal favorite... fix themselves cereal and watch cartoons on Saturday mornings so I can sleep in!!! As they get older there are so many more "challenges" that we face and I find myself saying "I can't wait till he outgrows this phase". Truth be told... it seems like the 'phases' are a test for me to help him find his own way. In the end, we usually have a stronger connection because we have learned from each other and respect each other. It's hard to believe, but my little boy isn't so little any more, and I couldn't be prouder of him.

Then there are moments like this and I realize that they're always gonna be my babies, no matter how big they get!!!

Derby Update

At the Boy Scout meeting tonight, they announced the boys who won at the race. Drumroll please..... Dustin won 2nd place for Best in Show! Way to go Tater!!!!

Pinewood Derby

Yesterday was the Pinewood Derby for the Boy Scouts. Dustin has been counting down the days for a month now. It was a new experience to all of us. Tater's car ran 2nd and 3rd on a few of the races, but wasn't quite fast enough to place for an award. He was pretty bummed about that, but still was proud of his car none the less.



He designed this car all by himself. He put a lot of work into his car to make it just right. Personally, I think it is a pretty awesome car. He should be proud of himself!!

I got a short video of his car racing, but those little cars really scoot and I wasn't able to catch much of the race except for the beginning so these pictures are all I really got.