Easter in Montana

We loaded up the truck and drove to Bozeman to spend Easter weekend with Lib's family. The day was beautiful and nothing puts me in a better mood than that drive through Yellowstone and down the Gallatin. We didn't see as many animals with the warm weather but did manage to catch a glimpse of two moose next to the river. Lib and I agree that the moment we arrive in Bozeman we feel like we are home and this day was no different.As soon as we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Brown's house we got to work coloring the eggs and eating sugar! Grandpa added an Easter coloring Egg Spinner to his arsenal this year and they managed to color them all without a crack (except the ones Lib and I did!). Eryn got to sleep up in the loft this time and the Easter bunny still found her without a hitch the next morning.

We went to church with Uncle Charlie, Aunt Candi and the boys, followed by an marathon photo session. I love dressing Eryn up for Easter, and this year she looked absolutely adorable in the light blue polka dot dress from Grandma. She loved it so much I had to literally pull it off of her. He is so irresistible in pink

Stop!! No more pictures!The Easter egg hunt is on!

Eryn, Aidan and Liam with their treasures

Lib with his mom

Just goofing around at the house

Nothing says yum like an Easy Bake Oven

I'm sure all of you ladies out there remember cooking with an Easy Bake oven, hours spent making dime sized cookies and yellow cake that always seemed to burn around the edges. I had the honor of passing down this baking tradition to my daughter.
We spent the evening mixing (and licking our fingers) stirring (more licking) pouring (licking without washing) and finally eating one yellow cake with chocolate frosting and 6 tiny cookies. The hardest part for Eryn and her cousin Isabel was the long wait while the light bulb did it's magic...for me I would say the hardest thing was choking down the bites they insisted I try.

It's off to the store tommorrow for more mix!

Eryn turns 6

It was no big surprise that my horse crazed daughter chose a pony theme for her birthday party this year. We had a great day hanging out with our new family. Eryn loves running around with all of her cousins, especially Isabel (her BFF ie. best friend forever). I love having a full house, and I definitely get to have that with Lib's big family. His family has a way of making us feel like we fit right in and I love getting to know them better every time. Both of our parents had a chance to meet each other before the wedding which was nice too. It was my first time cooking for the Brown clan, and I wasn't so worried about whether they'd like but whether I would have enough. Everything turned out great and I actually had leftovers.
Eryn ripped through her presents with lightening quick speed and spent the rest of the day on the mic singing Hannah Montana songs with Isabel. My little nephews took a turn on the dance floor while Gini and I squeezed into old high school prom dresses (yes...we did fit into them, no... there will be no pictures posted).

Nana's beautiful cake

Pin the 'horn' on the unicorn


I said a special prayer that night for Eryn, that this year is full of joy and happiness. That she continues on her way to being such an amazing girl and that she always knows how much I love her.

Three days in the sun

While Lib tries to enjoy the Bahamas without me (with lots of help from Bacardi) I have this view to enjoy from Idaho.

The view is much improved (for me at least the next day). Lib met me at the hotel door with a tropical drink in hand called Dead on Arrival, which was pretty appropriate considering how many flights it took me to get there. The next morning I laid in the sun listening to the ocean while he attended the one mandatory meeting.

Afterwards we headed into town to catch our chartered boat from some deep sea fishing. I've only fished for trout, so I was excited to try and get something really big. The first fish on the line was mine and I managed to get him all the way to the boat before we lost him. The guide had his hand on the leader and was just about to grab him with the hook when he jumped the line. It was a little disappointing but still a ton of fun. In hindsight I am almost glad we didn't get him, he would have been really small compared to the other two Mahi we caught. The chef at our hotel was able to cook the fish for our lunch the following day. We gorged ourselves on three huge platters, each cooked differently but all delicious. We ended the night at the casino where Lib taught me how to play black jack, although I'm not sure how well he taught me since we came home empty handed.

It was so nice to have sun on my skin and actually wear a few of the sundresses that were collecting dust in my closet. I would have loved another day or two, but was completely content with the time we had together. I am amazed everyday at how compatible we are and how much stinking fun we have together (and grateful he doesn't have a temper with me!).