Part 1: Keeps getting Better! Montana 2016

As I sit and type this update, we are in the air flying home from another amazing nine days in Montana.  As we taxied down the runway in Bozeman, Gracie Cakes raised the window and asked if we wanted one last look at the Rockies and then her emotions took over and she could no longer hold in the sadness as we took off.  I’m not sure what it is about MT, but it really is quite special.  We were all set to go to Hawaii this year and then all admitted that we would really just love to return to the place that brought us so much joy, laughter and memories last year.  I was a little concerned about how we would feel about it a second time around having been and done a lot last year. And mind you, Cameron is a very small town in Montana. It's about one and a half hours from Bozeman.   It’s open land, very mountainous, lots of streams and rivers, lakes, wildlife, lots of cattle ranches, no stop lights and only one store which is actually a fly shop and one small tiny steak house.  There’s no commercialism, no malls, barely cell service on a good day, super starry skies as it gets pitch black at night and true fresh air.  The first gas station is 40 miles away.  People often ask, “What do you do there if you don’t fish?”  There is lots to do.  Trust me.  We already have new things on our list we want to do and places we want to visit the next time we are there.

I have to say, we all left feeling that it was even better this year than last year.  We leave with new memories, new experiences and refreshed as a family.  Amazing!!!!!  That’s the best way to describe it. 

This year we stayed on a 2,000 acre ranch.  We loved the ranch!  The ranch is called Sun West and it was beautiful.  It’s a working ranch with horses, cows and lots of sheep.  We stayed at a home that I’ve had my eye on for a while.  It’s a sustainable "green" home built mostly of sustainable resources and it’s beautiful.  It features thick adobe-style walls that are insulated with straw bales.  There is even a “truth window” where you can see the straw.  This helps keep the house at a constant temperature.  It also features solar panels for going off grid and is situated high upon the top of a mountain.  We were treated to a thunderstorm our first day and ohhhhhhhh! the sound of rain on that tin roof was a treat!  I think Gracie is hooked.  It’s also very woodsy on the ranch and you are told by the ranch manager upon arrival to watch and be mindful of bears and other wild animals.  I’ll be honest, I was much more cautious this time.  While we didn’t have any bear up around the house, we had plenty of deer, large elk and of course ground squirrels. 

Staying in this house was a real treat.  We thoroughly enjoyed each day from sun up to sun down.    

Leaving Indiana and yes, that would be gold tinsel she is wearing in her hair.  Doesn't everyone get jazzed up to visit MT?  ha!  ha!  On a funny note, while waiting to board our plane, I go to the bathroom.  Right when I start to walk out, I hear my name being paged over the intercom.  They are telling me to come to TSA. I'm like what?  I'm convinced Matt and Lily Grace are playing a joke on me.  When I get to them, they are laughing because they too have just heard my name.  Turns out, while loading my bag, 
they broke the handle on  my suitcase.  Big surprise!  My record bag weight is 54 lbs and I was at 52 lbs this trip.  We all got a good laugh.

Arriving in Bozeman, MT

Matt gave us another major laugh on this trip.  We stopped in Bozeman on our way to the house to eat lunch.  Matt's version of parallel parking is a little questionable.  He was so far up on that curb that I nearly wet my pants laughing when I opened  my door to step out. It wasn't just the back wheel, but both the front and back wheels were way up on the curb.  Do you know, he was going to just leave it like that?  I finally convinced him that it just wasn't a good idea. Not to mention, it just looked ridiculous.

Entrance to Sun West Ranch

That's our house way up on the mountainside.  We were situated "two benches" up from the river.  

I loved the tin roof.

All the little details were beautiful and gave the house so much character.

The floors were polished concrete.  No worries, they were also heated. 

Gracie tried a couple of the beds but ended up sleeping in this one the most. 

This is the "truth window"  see the straw.

The staircase was beautiful.

I loved this kitchen and didn't mind a bit cooking in there. 

Gracie loved the upstairs and this little window that led to a little window seat.  

This is the floor in the master bath.  See the trout in the stone stream.

A view from the upstairs into the living room.

Matt and I woke to the most beautiful views from the large windows in front of the bed. 

Lily Grace was in heaven.

Eating here and looking out the windows was a real treat.

Matt and LG had an ongoing chess game.

We enjoyed relaxing in the TV/Game room late in the evenings.

On of the upstairs bedrooms with a balcony.

I loved watching the horses graze on the ranch.

Look at all those sheep.

This was our view from the dining table.

Of course...ground squirrels

Matt took this picture outside the house as she grazed.

View from the house...it's very deceiving as we were very high up on the mountain

Another view from our house

Herons visited one morning at breakfast.

We enjoyed watching the ranch dogs work the horses, sheep and cows.  They took their job quite seriously.

"Serve the Lord with gladness..." Psalm 100:2

Lily Grace has always loved church.  She loves her Catholic faith, attending Catholic school and learning about Christ.  She has always sat in mass and participated since she was a baby.  This was actually the first Sunday that she hasn't sat with Matt and me.  
Today, she served her church and more importantly God.  Going into 5th grade, LG is old enough to be an alter server for mass.  She was trained a few weeks ago and has been so excited to start serving.  Today, she did just that.  
She was thrilled and a little nervous this morning.   We were so happy and proud of her.  She served as a candle bearer today.  As the mass procession began, I won't lie, I found myself overcome with emotion at the sight of my little girl, now serving in church and sharing her love for Christ.  My prayer for her is that she continue to grow closer to God each and every day.  That her love for Jesus grow daily as well as her desire to serve Him all the days of her life. 
Peace be with you Gracie Cakes, today and always.  We love you!

In the sacristy before mass changing into her robe and sharing a laugh with Father Dave.

"Memories on the Madison" Happy Father's Day 2016

Matt has always dreamed of fly-fishing the Madison River in MT.  Last year, he got to do just that.  It was an amazing trip and we all loved every minute of it.  He fished the Madison for nine days and what made it even more of a dream come true is that he did so with his little girl.  He enjoyed the blessing of sharing that dream with her and sharing his love of fly-fishing.  
Once home from our trip, I posted pictures and one in particular ended up being a favorite among the three of us.  
This year for Father's Day, Lily Grace and I came up with an idea for a special gift and enlisted the help of friend and artist, Ashley Anthony.  She is so very talented and such a wonderful person.  I have several pieces of hers hanging in our home that I've commissioned, but this one would be a little unique.  I asked her to turn that favorite picture into a painting.  
Months went by as we waited. Boy was it hard for the two of us to keep this secret.  Lily Grace and I nearly burst with excitement when the painting arrived earlier this week.  It is beautiful, sweet and yes, perfectly special in so many ways!!!  We couldn't wait to give  it to Matt.  
Ashley was so sweet.  She names all of her paintings but let Gracie name this one.  Lily named it, "Memories on the Madison."  Gracie also wrote  a letter to Matt telling him why this picture was so special to her and why he was such a special dad.  She attached the letter along with a copy of the original photograph to the back of the painting.  As she told it to Matt, that is so when he is old and can't remember so well, he will have something to go on.  ha!  It truly is quite special.  
Matt was all smiles and has said it is the most special gift he has received.  I hope so.  He gives and blesses us each and every day, not just as a provider, but more importantly as a loving, God fearing dad and husband who would do anything for us. Thank you Matt!  We love you so very much!
After a special mass, we are enjoying the day hanging out.  Matt and Lily Grace have been held up in his office tying and reading about flies for our upcoming return to Montana and the Madison River.  
Thank you loving God for the example of unconditional and fatherly love.  Thank you for the gift of Matt who shares that with us each and every day. 

The original photograph

This beautiful treasured memory now hangs in Matt's home office.

"Memories on the Madison"  Thank you so much Ashley for allowing LG to add that special touch.  Thank you for creating such a wonderful keepsake. 

Happy Father's Day!  While the look is new, (yes, to mine and LG's delight, he is keeping the beard) he is still the same wonderful daddy he has always been!  We are so blessed by him!

These two have spent the afternoon up in Matt's office preparing for our upcoming trip back to the Madison in a few weeks. 

We are Officially Hoosiers Now!

Towards the end of the school year, Lily Grace would come home and talk about shooting hoops at recess.  She would share how many baskets she made each day, and how she didn't understand why some boys felt the need to wrestle one another for the ball to the point of rolling on the ground.  HA!  HA!  Anyway, we had been walking across the street to the school for her to shoot and decided to just get her a goal of her own.  Living in the midwest, winters are loooooonnnng and boy does it get cold.  So, the more we can do outside while the weather is nice, the better.
Matt had to make a two week business trip to Mexico but purchased the goal before he left.  Gracie thought that was the longest two weeks ever and couldn't wait for Matt to return to set the goal.  
Matt did a great job and put his engineering skills to use when it came to getting that thing up.  Why can't men just ask for help?  Never mind that he had neighbors right next door offering to help and directions suggest four people but again, why can't men just ask for help? 
We've all been having a great time shooting hoops and playing HORSE with Graciecakes.  LG even got  a new pink basketball. 
According to friends, we are now officially Hoosiers with that goal in our yard and all we need now is a barn.  

The first order of business was digging "The Hole."  Matt had to dig a hole 3 feet deep to set the pole in.

He was so happy to have that part over with.

Next came filling the hole with concrete which had to cure for at least 3 days.  That meant more waiting for Gracie

Of course Matt (aka: Mr. Safety) had his own way of making the rebar more secure and substantial in the concrete, what a mess.

While they waited out the three days they began assembling the goal in Matt's garage.  Molly and I were the supervisors.

On the fourth day, they had the goal assembled and raised the pole.  Now came the tricky part and this is when Matt went into high gear with some meg-shift engineering.  Instead having the neighbors come over to help raise the 100 lb glass backboard, he used the 4 Runner and some lift he created on top of the roof to lift the backboard which he slid on top of the car to the height needed to bolt it in.  I am happy to report I got out of having to insert the bolts and my neighbor came over and did it for me. I'm sure we were quite the site but I will give him credit and say, the neighbors were impressed. 

On Thursday night when they raised the pole, and put up the backboard, it was so chilly and very windy.  We were actually bundled up out there until around nine, but as soon as that backboard and the rim went up, that driveway saw some balls flying as the neighbors came over.

On Saturday Matt finished putting everything up. He and Gracie have been having a great time outside.  We have all enjoyed several laughs.  ( I will just say this about this picture which appears quite impressive- the great thing about this goal is that it can be lowered to 8 feet for Gracie.)  

Summer by the Pool

When we returned home from visiting family, we were excited to find our neighborhood pool finally finished and open.  Construction started last year and we have been anticipating the opening this summer.  As Gracie and I made our first visit today, we both took in how nice it was to walk just a few steps out the front door and be at our own pool.  It's beautiful and we had a great time today. I imagine many of our summer days will be spent here. 

A trip down South

Lily Grace finished school last Thursday, and we boarded a plane on Friday afternoon to visit family in both FL and AL.  We kept busy and had a good time.  Thanks to everyone for hosting us!

Our first stop was Pensacola to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

We loaded the car and headed over to the beach in Destin.  We had a wonderful time.  The weather was beautiful and the waves were big.

A lot of time was spent doing this...thanks for the boogie boards Grandma.

Gracie got some seaweed in her hair and wore it the entire day with pride.  It made her feel like a mermaid.  (which she loves)

Drizzle Castles

Matt has quite the knack for drizzle castles.  He and Gracie could sit and do this for hours.

We left FL and drove to AL where Gran and Honey took us fishing.  Boy was it hot! Too hot for the fish to bit in fact. Thanks Gran for getting everything ready.

Gracie got to hold the newest member of the family.  She was beyond excited to meet Wilder.  She even read to him and thought he was just the cutest little thing ever. Thank you Jessica and Tanner for sharing your little bundle with us.  

Lily Grace taught her sidekick Honey to play Wheel of Fortune on the iPad.  They were giving high fives, laughing and solving puzzles together.  

Last Day of 4th Grade

Today was Gracie Cakes last day of school.  She's had a wonderful and fun filled week. The week started with mass like always on Monday, but LG did the first reading and afterwards received an award for Excellence in Language Arts.  
She enjoyed two dress down days this week and field day.  Today they even had a scheduled one hour delay.  Life is good!
Today she enjoyed time with friends and it was announced that she had won the Accelerated Reader award for the most points in fourth grade, only to be topped by finding out that she was also the overall school winner K-8.  She was so excited to share the news when I picked her up.  
LG you are such a wonderful student and an amazing little girl.  Daddy and I are so very proud of all that you do and the kind, funny and talented person that you are growing into.  We love, love, love you!!!!  

Here's my fourth grader this morning before her last day of school.

Molly's all smiles because she gets her buddy for the whole summer.

And here they are this afternoon, best friends and now....Fifth Graders

These Glasses aren't just for Fashion...they're better to see you with!

A few weeks ago, Lily Grace went for her annual eye exam.  It was determined that she was a little nearsighted.  At the end of the exam, I realize what's coming.  The doctor turns to Lily Grace and me and gently says, "I would go ahead and put her in glasses."  Now mind you, she says this somewhat cautiously. I'm guessing that her tone is in an effort to break it to LG.  Little did she know, that this girl has been obsessed with fashion glasses for about a year, wearing several different styles for any and every occasion.  I on the other hand was a little caught off guard as Gracie has always had such good eyesight.  I'm also thinking to myself, wait for it, wait for it....and there it is!!!  This huge smiles comes across LG's face and she is thrilled.  

With eyes dilated, she tried on several pairs in search of the perfect pair of glasses.  That didn't happen.  It was hard for her to see and I think it was little overwhelming.  We left and went home to talk it over as a family and searched the web for ideas on what it was she was after.  With  a few key points in mind, we went back to the eye doctor the next day in search of glasses.  Now that she could see and with a few ideas, we found the perfect pair. They are quite adorable and Gracie looks as cute as a button.  

You can "see," she wears them well.  

This pair was a contender.  She loved the pink color and shape.  After a little thought, she realized that after a few months,she may get tired of seeing this color on her face.

Another possibility

Getting closer to finding the right one 

And the winner is....a little oversized tortoise frame with a light pink inside

A week later, one excited little girl went to pick up her new glasses after school.

So excited!  So adorable!!!!!  She couldn't wait to get to the car and FaceTime her daddy.  We also went straight to Vera Bradley for a cute eyeglass case.

On her first day of school with her new glasses, she asked to have her hair curled and couldn't wait to get to school and show her teacher as classmates her new look. 

I am Blessed Beyond Measure....Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  I've  had the best weekend.  Matt and Lily Grace have worked so hard to make Mother's Day so special.  They've loaded and unloaded the dishwasher, made several meals and even helped me work in the flowerbeds without complaint.  I have to be honest, it was more than just a little gardening.  We have several large beds and they were in need of some fresh mulch.  We  had a large dump truck bring us a load and the three of us spent Saturday spreading it out.  I have to say, we all enjoyed it.  It was a wonderful way to spend a Mother's Day weekend.  We laughed, worked together, enjoyed a beautiful spring day and LG even learned to drive the mower.  I can't count the number of times I stopped just to watch her and Matt together.  Those two are my everything.  We ended with much needed showers, pizza for dinner and all three of us piled into bed and watched some classic TV shows.  
Sunday morning Lily Grace surprised me with the most adorable gifts that she's been working on.  She is so thoughtful and loving and of course those kinds of gifts melt my heart.  
Matt gave me a commissioned painting from Ashley Anthony Artwork and the Good Lord continues to bless me beyond measure. 
Thank you Heavenly Father for your unconditional love.  Thank you for the gift of motherhood.  It is truly one of my greatest blessings and moves me in the biggest ways.  I'm moved to be a better version of myself and to do right by the gift that you have entrusted to me.  Thank you for the blessing of Mary.  What a wonderful model of love and faith that you have  given to guide us in our daily live as moms.  
Matt and Lily Grace, thank you!  My cup certainly does runneth over.  I feel quite guilty that I should be celebrated today for being a mom because honestly, I am the one who is honored.  I love you both so very much!  Gracie, you are the best part of me!

Gifts from Gracie: She made me a bag filled with goodies.  I got an adorable card, some recipes, one of her Georgia O'Keeffe flower drawings and some coupons.  We got the biggest laugh off some of the coupons she came up with.  Notice how Matt got included in a few.  Too cute!