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!).

My favorite room

Falling in love with Lib was one of the easiest things I've ever done, and we both knew very soon in our relationship that this was going to be a forever thing. Having Eryn has always seemed to complicate any relationship I've tried to have in the past, but with Lib everything was different. From the very beginning he had loved that fact I was a mom and completely supported me. The first time he meet Eryn she pretty much melted his heart and he got choked up when he had to say goodbye. They started to talk to each other every night and sometimes I would have to make her say goodnight because it was well past her bedtime.

The goodbyes....they kept getting harder and harder to do. The weeks leading up to our Valentines visit Lib was always busy and our late night talks seemed to get shorter and shorter. He told me he was working on a surprise for us so I tried not to pout too much. I can't stand waiting and tried to do everything I could to get even one tiny hint out of him. No luck. I had some guesses...an archery set up or some shelving in the house or part of the basement finished. So when we finally arrived I was shocked to see that the house, the basement, the garage, everything looked exactly the same. Since this was Eryn's first time to Idaho and our soon to be home, Lib told her he wanted to show her where her new room would be.

The last time I saw the room it was empty except for an old bed and some stuff shoved in the closet. What I saw when he opened the door this time stopped me in my tracks and made me cry. He had created the most beautiful pink horse themed room, something perfect for my daughter. Every little detail was amazing, so thoughtful and loving. There were framed horses everywhere, a pink lasso on the wall and even huge moose antlers with pink stuffing. I was overwhelmed, all I could do was throw my arms around him and cry while Eryn ran around the room exploring.

When I had finally composed myself he handed Eryn a card, which of course I had to read to her. In it he told her how much he loved us, how happy he was to have us in his life and then he told Eryn that he wanted her to be there when he asked her mom to be his wife. He got down on his knee after I read that part out loud and proposed to me in her little pink room. I know I will never forget that day. And I am pretty sure that Eryn's room will always be my favorite room in the entire house. Walking into it, all I feel is love and happiness.

Passport? What passport?

I have had a passport since I was 14 years old, I've travelled all over the world, lived in third world countries, given lectures on flying internationally and helped dozens of people travel efficiently.

And yet, here I sit on the computer watching the snow fall while I pout. I should be finishing up my second or third umbrella garnished drink wondering which bikini I will wear first after I sleep in tomorrow morning. Instead I'm back in Idaho waiting to catch tomorrow's flight out. I keep trying to squint and pretend the snow is actually a tropical white sand beach. It's not really working. All because I decided not to bring my passport with me to Seattle where I was supposed to catch a plane to the Bahamas. Of course it is marginally funny now, after I've cried more than a few times and said the f word so much that I'm afraid I won't be able to kiss my mom with this mouth anymore.

Eryn's Second First Day of School

Eryn couldn't wait to start at her new school, Harwood Elementary, and believe it or not the school was open even though there was snow on the ground. Yes, the Seattle area could use a lesson from the folks in Idaho. Eryn was the star of the show on her first day. I was a little worried she would be nervous not knowing anyone, but of course my little social butterfly was making friends before I was even out the door. The kids were all calling out her name and she was surrounded by a ring of girls all asking her different questions. I could tell from the smile on her face she was all good.


Her favorite thing of all is that fact she gets to ride the bus everyday (and I get an extra 20 minutes to myself!!). Living in a small town has some unexpected perks....like you get to call the bus driver on her personal cell phone to let them know about your child. Eryn did get 'freaked out' on the way home because the bus 'just kept driving and driving around town'. She was sure that they were lost and that they didn't know where she lived. But now she is a pro and I'm sure pretty soon she won't even want me to walk her to the bus stop.