The Steeley Files

Museum of the Rockies

2011-05-09T14:36:00.003-06:00

Holly, Seeley, Patrick and I went to see the frog exhibit at the Museum of the Rockies in April. It was actually really neat! They also have a lot of dinosaur exhibits (life size!) and a small Native American exhibit as well. On any given day, Patrick is either a frog or a "Criteracop" (Triceratop) and either hops and ribbits throughout the house or roars and chases the dogs through the house! He's constantly saying "Momma, that was a good museum!" So, I think we'll be going back there before the frogs leave in September.

These tiny colorful frogs are the most poisonous creature on the planet. They hold enough poison to kill 10 humans!

For Sale

2011-05-06T21:13:00.005-06:00

http://www.prumt.com/property/detail/172146/

This is an older picture of the house. The bracing on the deck posts are no longer there. I couldn't find the picture we gave to the real estate agent which is of a different view.

Potty Training...

2011-05-06T21:07:00.003-06:00

One month later....still working on it!

Look who's 3!!

2011-05-06T20:56:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Patrick's 3rd birthday at our house with a Toy Story party (naturally!)!!

Alien cupcakes!

The morning after - sitting at the craft table Grandpa Patterson made for Patrick

"Woody" & "Cowboy"

Another great birthday - thanks everyone!!

Valentine's Day crafts at Holly's House

2011-02-08T15:21:00.002-07:00

Woody & Jessie

2011-02-08T15:01:00.005-07:00

Patrick's newest obsession is Toy Story. He was Buzz Lightyear for Halloween, and if you ask him, he still is! Other days, he is Woody, Mr. Potato Head, Rex, Hamm, and even Jessie (that one freaks out Donny a little bit). He got the Buzz jammies from Grandma & Grandpa Pickles (Steeley) for Christmas.

Where have we been?!!

2011-02-08T13:54:00.005-07:00

2010 was an incredibly crazy busy, fun, educational, chaotic year for us. Patrick turned 2 in March, I started school in April (doubled up) to finally finish the degree I should have gotten in 2005, my office moved to a brand new building, Donny & I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary, and I finished my degree in December! I have lots of pictures to share, but here are some to tie you over for now. These were taken at the Virginia City Christmas Party when Santa Claus comes to visit. I thought for surely Patrick would freak out on Santa's lap like he did last year, but he just sat there. I don't think he knew what to think of this Santa (to be honest, I didn't either), but he sure had a fun time dancing with his best buddy Seeley and listening to the fiddle players.

Random pictures from April through June

2010-07-09T22:21:00.003-06:00

Hogle Zoo

2010-07-09T22:08:00.003-06:00

For Mother's Day this year we decided to get out of the cold weather and headed to Salt Lake to see my mom. We took Patrick to the Hogle Zoo where he got to see the baby elephant, the giraffes and all his other favorites (and not-so-favorites) as well as rode the choo choo and the carousel.

On our way home, we stopped at a fun playground just off the freeway in Blackfoot, ID. It must have really worn Patrick out because he literally slept the rest of the way home, which was GREAT!

Easter 2010

2010-07-09T22:01:00.002-06:00

Easter was fun this year since Patrick was old enough to dye eggs and actually look for them in his egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Pickle's house. Seeley, Holly & Les came to our house to dye eggs.

Patrick's 2nd Birthday

2010-07-09T21:52:00.003-06:00

I know this post is REALLY overdue....afterall, Patrick turned 2 three months ago, but late is better than never! Patrick had a great birthday with lots of little friends. He got a "choo choo" from us, a sandbox from his Grandma and Grandpa Patterson (Grandpa Patterson made it for him), and fun sandbox toys from Grandma and Grandpa Steeley (aka Grandma and Grandpa Pickles). Grandma J was not able to make it to this party, but came to visit a few weeks later and brought him a fun barn with lots of animals.

Washington D.C. Trip

2010-04-12T11:57:00.003-06:00

I had a conference in Washington D.C. from March 15-17th. I went with a friend of mine, Erin, who is also in Public Health in MT. We had a great time! We ate good food, visited our Senator's staff members in the Senate Building, met Senator Tester (D-MT), did a little shopping (of course!).....and oh ya, we also attended the conference!

We stayed in a really nice hotel (Dupont Hotel in Dupont Circle), but our room was tiny and the layout of the bathroom was really strange. The shower only had a 1/2 wall (seen below in the picture), so all of the water from the shower would literally flood the rest of the bathroom. In order to avoid electricution while drying our hair - we'd have to mop up all the water after every shower! Crazy.

I'm also pretty sure the hotel room was on a direct route to the fire station, because no fewer than 10 times a night were we woken up by fire trucks (sirens and all) went flying by. I'm so used to absolutely no noise (we have to create our own background noise by using humidifiers when we sleep) that I did not sleep well with all that noise in DC!

After building my own house - I have a better appreciation for the construction of buildings. This building (the Capitol) absolutely blows my mind. It is HUGE and it was built when the common conveniences of backhoes, cement trucks, etc. did not exist yet. Amazing.

Trip to Missoula

2010-03-30T21:05:00.003-06:00

We had cabin fever so we decided to head to Missoula to visit our friends Andrea and Seth and their little boy Maxsen. Patrick and Maxsen had a BLAST! They're only about 3 1/2 months apart, so watching them play together, chase each other and talk to each other was so much fun. Before we headed home we went to play at a big park with a carousel. Needless to say, when we got home Patrick was exhausted and so were his parents!

Dark Hair

2010-03-08T21:27:00.002-07:00

Most of you know by now that I dyed my hair dark for the first time ever! Although it was a fun change, I think it will be going back to blonde shortly. It has already faded a LOT and I don't want to have to dye it all the time to maintain he color. So, here is the picture for documentation that I really did it!

Random Pics from February

2010-03-08T21:09:00.003-07:00

We borrowed this sled from our friend Dayna. It is amazing and makes xc skiing with a little one SO fun!

Donny & Patrick playing on the stairs

Bengals Play-off Game

2010-01-24T19:18:00.006-07:00

Dan & Cindy Steeley, Donna & Phil Parker, Zack Steeley

Grandpa Steeley

Donny flew to Ohio to see his beloved Cincinnati Bengals play in a play-off game on January 9th. Although the Bengals lost to the New York Jets 14-24, Donny still said it was an absolute blast. It was a trip filled with lots of family time...not only did he enjoy the game with his Uncle Dan (thank you for the game ticket Dan!) and his cousin Zach, he also spent a lot of time with all of his extended family in Dayton, OH. Patrick and I were really glad he got to go watch this game in person, but we sure were excited when he came home....we missed him!! Sorry the format of this post got out of order - I tried to fix it, but I decided for the safety of my laptop I should just leave it alone. One of these days the threat to throw the laptop out the window is not going to just be a threat! ;-)
Chad "Ochocinco" coming out onto the field.

The view from their seats.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T20:08:00.007-07:00

We had a busy but great Christmas this year. We got up and opened presents from us and Santa (ok, so Donny & I actually opened presents Christmas Eve night - we're like little kids...we just can't wait!). Patrick was pretty excited about his new tool bench he got from Santa and the Mickey Mouse Choo Choo ("Mickey" is his current obsession) he got from us.

The Holiday Express "Choo Choo" that was supposed to go around our Christmas tree (we couldn't do that because Patrick liked to sit in the middle of it) was still his favorite thing. It was a sad day for him (can't say we were too sad) when it was put away for the season.
Then, Dad, Shelly, Uncle Tyler and Tyler's friend Neesha (sp?) came over that morning. We had a great time with them playing Wii (nothing like a good 2 on 2 tennis tournament to get the day going), laughing a lot and opening presents. Grandma & Grandpa Patterson gave Patrick a John Deere tractor, a tiny recliner for their house, and a John Deere tractor book.

Grandpa Patterson & Patrick have a stolen moment together. I wonder what they were talking about.

To end the day just right, Grandma J pulled into town at about 5:00. We were all so exhausted we decided to hold off on opening presents with her until the next morning. For some reason I forgot to take pictures that morning. Grandma J got us sleds, Mickey Mouse books, a Thomas the Train, and more Mickey Mouse books!!

I think it is obvious that Patrick (well, all of us for that matter) was spoiled this Christmas. We feel very blessed that were able to spend the holidays with all of our parents and that they are all such great grandparents.

Happy New Year!!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-29T20:16:00.003-07:00

We celebrated Christmas Eve at my dad & Shelly's house with our traditional Mexican dinner and songs around the bonfire. It was a lot of fun! We opened presents with Donny's parents that night because they were headed to Elko the next morning. They got Patrick a fun little laptop (so he can stop banging on mine!), some gigantic Legos (no choking hazards there), and a "Fridge DJ" - which is a fancy name for a radio that is magnetic. He loves them all of course!

It's hard to see in this picture, but Grandma and Grandpa Patterson got Patrick this adorable little recliner (we're sitting in it) so he can sit with Grandpa and watch "Mickey" (Patrick's current obsession) at their house.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-12-29T20:07:00.004-07:00

This post is a little late. My dad's birthday is on December 20th, but I still wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday and thank him for being such a great dad and grandpa!! We love you Dad!

Go Bengals!

2009-12-16T21:23:00.004-07:00

The Bengals are on their way to the play-offs, so luckily Uncle Dan & Aunt Cindy sent Patrick a new Bengals shirt to wear every Sunday. We're going to try to go to a play-off game in Cincinnati - stay tuned for more on that.

Aspiring Photographer

2009-12-16T21:09:00.003-07:00

Patrick loves to play with anything electronic. I have multiple phone numbers he has "programmed" into my cell phone, he knows the remote control practically better than we do, and he LOVES to play with the camera. So, here are some pics he has taken of himself.

Ok, so I don't think he actually took this one of himself and Daisy (in the background), but the picture cracks me up because I've seen Donny give this exact look a few times! I really didn't contribute much to this kid - he's all Daddy!

Pioneer Christmas Party

2009-12-16T20:50:00.003-07:00

We took most of these pictures for Jeff & Asha, but I thought I'd post them anyway. I think Patrick has licked the camera a few too many times, because there seems to be a haze on these pictures! We'll try to get that fixed before the next batch.

Don't we all LOVE Santa?

2009-12-07T16:50:00.005-07:00

Um, maybe not so much! Patrick loved seeing Santa from a distance, but when we got up close to him and I sat him on his lap....well, you can see what happened!

In all fairness to Patrick we had waited for almost an hour and it was exactly his nap time when it was finally our turn. Still pretty funny though!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-17T11:12:00.005-07:00

For Halloween this year we took Patrick to Salt Lake to Trick-or-Treat in my cousin's neighborhood with her kids. We had lots of fun walking the neighborhood with Greg and their nice neighbors. One little boy in front of us was dressed like Elmo and Patrick just kept pointing and saying Melmo, Melmo....I think he was a little surprised to see Elmo actually out walking around! Thanks to our cousin-in-law Greg for taking the great pictures!

Lil' Bat Patrick, Batman Max, Tinkerbell Claire, Hans Solo Will & Baby Bumblebee Kate

He's got his bucket ready for lots of candy!

Patrick's Tree

2009-09-29T15:52:00.003-06:00

Our very good friends Jeff & Asha MacDonald are moving to Ohio on Thursday. We're going to really miss them and the many fun evenings we've spent together eating, playing games & laughing. They are both fantastic artists (they did Patrick's bedroom ceiling) and I feel very fortunate to own one of Asha's paintings which she gave me for Christmas a few years ago. So, I can't tell you how excited I am that Asha GAVE us another very special painting of hers that we call "Patrick's Tree". This painting is of a fertility tree in India that people tie a string around to bring them fertility. Jeff & Asha tied a string around the tree for us when Donny & I were trying to conceive and Asha painted the tree some time afterwards. It is a beautiful painting - the oranges are SO vibrant and fantastic (this picture does not do it justice). It is hard to let them go, but we know this is a great professional opportunity for Jeff, so we're excited for them. Good luck Jeff, Asha & new baby Iyla - we'll miss you!

End of Summer

2009-09-08T19:57:00.003-06:00

Don't look now, but I think we're headed into Fall. The temperatures dramatically decreased over the weekend and the sun is setting earlier. We stayed really busy this summer enjoying all the sunshine we could get. We got 3/4 of our landscaping finished and tried to play as much as we could. It's a lot to accomplish in a 12 week Summer!

Over the last couple of months, Patrick grew his two front teeth, learned how to walk (ok, that was just last week) and learned how to say an entire vocabulary of words (momma, daddy, grandma, grandpa, Daisy, Boone, clock, tree, car, truck, food, banana....) he's such a little sponge - it amazes us the words he picks up.

Donny was able to spend 1 week in Leadville, CO the last week of August for the International Preservation Trades Workshop where he was an instructor of re-locating a log building and participated in several other preservation demonstrations. Patrick & I spent the week with Grandma J who spent lots of time bonding (babysitting) him while I was at work. It was great to see her for all of that time!

Patrick's surgery in July was a success! He has completely healed and we have witnessed him peeing several times and.....still just one hole! So, we are so grateful for that.

Sorry I haven't posted much - just busy. I'll try to do better, but in the meantime - enjoy these pics of Patrick!

Surgery.....Take 2

2009-07-24T08:35:00.004-06:00

Patrick's second surgery for hypospadias happened on July 7th at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT. We've been dreading it since the day we found out he had to have surgery again because the first surgery (specifically the recovery) was such a nightmare. I have to say it went much better this time though. He had 3 really rough nights/days of pain, but then he started to pull out of it and ever since he's been fine. Donny did witness him peeing the other night and it was one hole this time, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that is how it will stay! One thing I did learn through that whole process is to keep life in perspective. We felt awful for what Patrick had to go through, but sitting in the waiting room we realized that if this is the only thing he has to go through in life - we're quite fortunate. One family in there had twin boys around the age of 4 who were both blind and handicapped. They were both going in for surgery.
There were several other children who had life long ailments going in for surgery. So, now when I start to feel sorry for myself in anyway, shape or form - I remember those families and think about how truly fortunate we are for having a healthy happy little boy!

Super Model Photo Shoot

2009-07-24T08:28:00.004-06:00

ROAD TRIP 2009!!

2009-07-22T21:00:00.004-06:00

We've driven to Salt Lake quite a few times, but on July 2nd we left for a road trip to Elko, NV to spend 3 days with Donny's family and then onto Salt Lake for 6 days. It was so great to see all of Donny's family including two new nieces Dakota Steeley and Mya Dudley. Patrick was asleep way before the fireworks went off, but luckily we had a perfect view from our hotel room. While in Salt Lake we got to see 90% of my family at the 1st Annual GT (Grandma Tulin) Family Reunion at my cousin Rachael's house. It was a great pool party and for some reason we did not get ONE picture! So, if anyone got some cute pics from that night - please send them our way. Stay tuned for more blog posts from that trip.

Green cast

2009-07-22T20:52:00.003-06:00

Patrick's second cast for his broken arm was green and it was on for 2 weeks. It was kind of neat though because it could get completely wet and it would dry out quickly. The entire doctor's office was so impressed with Patrick because he did not even flinch when they were sawing it off. He's amazing!

Little Cowboy

2009-07-21T12:44:00.004-06:00

Aren't these pictures cute! Our friend Abi at the Montana Picture Gallery took these this weekend. He sat on the saddle very nicely for a 1 year old who is VERY busy! He still rarely smiles for the camera - just the closed mouth smile like his Grandpa Pat.

Even a dirty face is an adorable face!

2009-06-05T21:24:00.001-06:00

Mom of the Year Award....

2009-06-05T21:05:00.003-06:00

Would certainly not go to me this year! On May 26th I was holding Patrick on my lap while sitting on the couch and when I went to stand up he sort of threw himself forward and I basically dropped him on the floor. He broke his left arm just above the wrist and I felt so terrible! He was such a trouper though! I wouldn't have even known it was broken had it not been for the fact that he couldn't crawl, so Donny & I took him to Butte to have it x-rayed and put in a cast. He had that cast on for 10 days and just got it taken off today. Now he has a smaller (waterproof - yippee!) cast that he'll wear for 2 weeks. We'll post pics of the new cast soon, but enjoy these little moments in the first cast....it didn't slow him down a bit!He crawls on his elbow and his good hand but we borrowed a walker from a friend to spare his elbow a little bit. I love all of his expressions in the following pictures - he's such a happy guy....and his tongue is out all the time!

"Summer" Fun!

2009-06-05T20:51:00.004-06:00

Yes, "Summer" is in quotes because we're not quite through winter yet! Just when we thought we were in the clear - we're expecting snow again. We had a couple of great sunny weekends though and we took advantage of every minute we could. Patrick has a new swing we have hanging from our deck and Grandma Steeley found him a fun slide that on really hot days can be a waterslide. We go for lots of walks in the mountains and if I wasn't such a wimp I'd probably try mountain biking with Patrick, but seeing as how we live on top of a mountain - it just doesn't sound that fun to me! Sliding with Grandma Steeley

Loving the swing!

Lasagna is yummy!

2009-06-05T20:47:00.002-06:00

Patrick 14 months

2009-05-27T10:48:00.004-06:00

I need to take a photography class because these professional places are a fortune! We thought these turned out pretty cute though!

Random pictures!

2009-05-04T11:20:00.004-06:00

Sleeping in the car

Brunch on Easter Sunday with Grandma & Grandpa Patterson

Patrick thinks egg fritatta makes a nice skin conditioning treatment!

Patrick loves to pull his books out of his book shelf. He'll sit and "read" to himself for at least 20 minutes!

Patrick and Maxsen had fun going through all the cabinets.

"Reading" in the car.

Baby Banz!

2009-05-04T11:15:00.003-06:00

Patrick & Finn were feeling pretty good wearing their Baby Banz! If you need a gift idea for a baby shower - head to your local baby specialty shop to pick up a pair of these sunglasses. They stay on (miracle) and they're adorable!

Boone & Daisy

2009-05-04T09:59:00.006-06:00

Owning two dogs in a town with dirt roads (translation: mud) can be hard on my sanity level. I feel like we're constantly sweeiping and vacuuming to keep up with the dirt that they track in. Sometimes I feel like I am raising 3 toddlers instead of just 1! But, we love our dogs and a couple of weeks ago they were attacked by two dogs in town, and it was very hard on us to go through both emotionally and financially ($615 vet bill!). They're both fine now, but Boone's injuries were pretty extensive and Daisy had a cut eye. Anyway, it really awakened my appreciation for our dogs and the love and joy that they bring to us. Patrick loves his Boone as you can see from the pictures and Daisy & Boone both will really love Patrick as soon as he is big enough to throw the ball for them and take them on walks! Here are a few pictures of Boone's war wounds along with Boone & Patrick on the dog beds (yes, the beds have to be washed all the time now that Patrick has discovered them!).

Inside his leg

Stitches on his shoulder

Bites all over his rump

Resting on Boone

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-05-04T09:48:00.004-06:00

We had a really nice day a couple of weeks ago, and Grandma & Grandpa Steeley had us over for a BBQ and an Easter Egg Hunt. Patrick was a little too young to really understand the concept of finding the eggs and putting them in the basket, but he loved crawling around with them and crunching the eggs! I can't wait for more consistently nice days....they're just around the corner.....I hope!

Party Party Party!!

2009-03-23T10:17:00.004-06:00

For Patrick's 1st Birthday Party we invited his grandparents as well as our friends Andrea & Seth Nemitz and their baby Maxsen who is 15 months old. We had a nice dinner, opened presents and then the real fun started....the cake!! Patrick really enjoyed his cake that Grandma & Grandpa Patterson made him! He and Max had a fun bath afterwards.

Happy 1st Birthday Patrick!!!

2009-03-17T19:31:00.008-06:00

On March 18, 2008 at 5:43 AM our lives changed forever. Our beautiful baby boy Patrick was born at the Bozeman Deaconess Hospital. He has been such an amazing addition to our lives and this past year has been a blast. We love watching him grow and learning more each day. Here are a few pics from the year. We love you Patrick!! Just Born

2 Weeks Old

1 1/2 months

3 Months

6 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 1/2 Months

The Undefeated Iceholes

2009-03-17T19:22:00.003-06:00

Every February Virginia City celebrates Winter Fest and part of that is the broomball tournament. Broomball is a lot like hockey except for the fact that a soccer ball is used instead of a puck, a broom is used in the place of a hockey stick, and you're scrambling around on tennis shoes instead skates (ok, so the only comparison to hockey is that it is on the ice!). Anyway, the Virginia City Iceholes went un-defeated this year and won the tournament as well as $150. This is the 3rd year out of 5 that the Iceholes have won the tournament. Nice job Iceholes!

What have we been doing for the past 6 weeks!

2009-02-11T20:29:00.004-07:00

Boy, time has really gotten away from me lately. As part of a grant our health department received this year I've been taking these classes in Helena that are part of the Toyota LEAN business model. The class is all about "cutting out the fat" in business processes and making them more efficient. It is really interesting, but it makes my weeks all run together! Next week will be my last week. In the meantime, Donny has been working very hard in our basement. He has nearly finished hanging all the dry wall and then we'll be able to hire someone to do the taping and texturing to give Donny a well-deserved break! Hopefully the basement will be completed by spring so that we can move on to the landscaping....oh goody. What has Patrick been up to you ask? Well, besides learning to crawl he can also say "hot", "ouch", "Uh-oh", and today he said "ball"! He pats his belly, claps and waves on demand and for some reason when you say "So big" to him he puts his hand on his head instead of up over his head!

He wants YOU to come visit us this summer!

This is him taking his morning nap....oh ya, that's right - he wouldn't take a morning nap today!

On the Move...

2009-02-11T20:21:00.005-07:00

At 10 1/2 months old Patrick finally started to crawl! I knew I wasn't in a hurry for it to happen....now all we do is chase him around and baby-proof everything, but it was so exciting to see that milestone! I actually missed it because I was in Helena for work, but Donny got it on video for me - what a guy!

More sledding!

2009-02-11T19:43:00.005-07:00

We just can't get enough of Patrick's little sled. Snowing? Wind blowing? Fear Not! We have the weather shield! Most of our snow melted over the past 2 weeks with abnormally warm temperatures, but that dang groundhog said there are still 6 more weeks of winter, so we're confident more sledding is in our future.

Snow Sports

2009-01-05T18:00:00.006-07:00

On Tuesday, December 30th, my friend Erin and I took Patrick and her baby Harper for a sled (the dogs went too of course!). It was a beautiful day & we had lots of fun pulling those two cuties around!

It was so warm - we didn't have to put up Patrick's little weather shield on the sled (the yellow part on the front)

Then, on Wednesday the 31st (also known as New Year's Eve) we took the kiddos cross country skiing. We decided that since we had never skied with the babies on our backs that we should probably practice on a flatter surface. So, we skied up a road in Virginia City. On the way back it was a steady decline, so we picked up a little bit of speed and had a little more confidence. So, I'm skiing along and I hit a piece of gravel from when the road was sanded. It stopped my skis dead in their tracks. My body went forward and because of the extra weight on my back I got completely off balance. Soooo, I flew forward face first onto the road. I was in immediate panic mode that Patrick was hurt, but surprisingly he was just hangin' out waiting for Erin to get him out of the pack. So, then my attention went to all the blood that was covering the road beneath me. I thought for sure I had broken my nose and my head hurt very badly! I'm so lucky that Erin was there because she got Patrick off my back, got my skis off and got me to my feet (none of which I am convinced I could have done if I had been by myself). I'm still not sure if my nose was broken or not. It is still a little swollen and very yellow across the bridge and under my eyes. Once again...at least Patrick didn't get hurt!! I think next time we ski we'll stick with a nice fluffy field somewhere!!

Patrick's 1st Christmas!

2008-12-29T21:17:00.005-07:00

I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone - it went by so quickly this year! It was so much fun to celebrate Christmas with Patrick. He loved the tree, the lights, the Christmas Train around the tree, and the wrapping paper. The grandparents (all 5 of them) came over for Christmas Eve dinner and Patrick got to open his presents with them. He was so cute and enjoyed ripping that paper open! Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

It was fun to see Grandma J again! She sang her favorite Christmas song to Patrick and it is really too bad we didn't get it on video. He was so fascinated by her singing....and her dancing slippers!

This toy from Grandma & Grandpa Steeley even kept Daisy entertained!

Grandma & Grandpa Patterson said this horse will have to do until Patrick is big enough to ride their real horses!

Tearing the presents open was all the fun this year!

Grandma J bought Patrick this great sled and a snowsuit - can't wait to use it outside!

Santa Claus!

2008-12-12T07:36:00.003-07:00

On Saturday, December 6th, we took Patrick to our community pot luck where he got to see Santa Claus for the first time. I was afraid he'd be scared, but he was just enthralled by him instead. It was hard to get him to look away from the man with the white beard. I think I heard him asking for a few more teeth, a little more hair, and a santa sized sack full of $100 bills (oh wait, that was my wish!).

Random pictures!

2008-11-30T19:06:00.002-07:00

Just thought we'd share a few pictures from November. The month flew by and now we're headed into December and Christmas. Time flies when you're having fun and enjoying life!

I Am Thankful......

2008-11-30T18:18:00.005-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! For Patrick's 1st Thanksgiving we headed to Alder, MT (8 miles from here) to Grandpa & Grandma Patterson's House. Along with them, we were able to spend the day with Grandpa & Grandma Steeley and Uncle Tyler & Aunt Jackie. We had a yummy dinner & beautiful weather. I have so many things to be thankful for this year. The opportunity to be a mother is number one on my list, and as always I am equally thankful for a loving, supportive husband....who is also very handy, great family who love us and would do anything for us, two big goofy dogs who make me smile, friends, jobs that bring home a paycheck, a beautiful house, and heat....because it is starting to get COLD! We hope you all had a wonderful Turkey Day and you have many things to be thankful for.

Ferocious Lion or Cuddly Cub?

2008-11-03T19:48:00.004-07:00

Patrick was a lion for his first Halloween - isn't he adorable?! He got to go visit Grandma Patterson & Grandma and Grandpa Steeley and then he went trick-or-treating around Virginia City. Unfortunately he can't eat candy yet, so we had to do the dirty work for him....it would be a shame to let it go to waste!

Baby's Favorites

2008-11-03T19:29:00.005-07:00

Some of Patrick's favorite things are....the spatula and his dog Boone. He's not as interested in our dog Daisy, but then again, she's not too interested in him either. Boone always lays next to Patrick when he's on the floor or lays next to the highchair (Boone really is in these pictures - he's the two glowing eyes on the left hand side!). I think they're destined to be best buddies.

Trip to Salt Lake for Surgery

2008-11-03T19:13:00.005-07:00

On October 17, 2008, Patrick had minor surgery at Primary Children's Hospital to repair a small birth defect called Hypospadias. The surgery was 2 hours long and the recovery was quite hard on all of us, but Patrick was so brave and strong. We stayed in Salt Lake for nearly a week to be sure he was on the right track with his recovery.

Patrick got to spend lots of time with Grandma J who read stories and sang lots of songs to him.

The trip home was very long. Poor Patrick had to sit in his carseat for 7 hours (not fun when you've had surgery "down there"), so we stopped in Dillon, MT for some greasy goodness from Pizza Hut.

The Boys clean up well!

2008-11-03T19:07:00.003-07:00

It is a rare occassion that I get to see Donny without a hat on, but Stacy and Justin's wedding was just the event. The wedding was beautiful and my guys looked great!

Go Bengals!

2008-11-03T19:02:00.004-07:00

We were hoping that Patrick would bring good luck to the Bengals this season, but so far they've only won one game! Oh well, it is still fun to cheer them on with dad!

Bath & Play time

2008-09-15T21:34:00.004-06:00

There are few things I love more than to give Patrick a bath and watch him play with his toys. He's just such a happy baby! These pictures are in his lion towel after the bath and in his exersaucer, which he's getting to like more and more.

A trip to Missoula

2008-09-15T21:26:00.002-06:00

We try to visit Missoula and our friends Andrea and Seth at least once a year. This year it was over Labor Day weekend. We had a nice time BBQing with them and seeing their baby Maxsen for the first time (he's 9 months old). Next year when we visit - the boys will be old enough to really interact with each other! Poor Patrick got really carsick on the way home though. I'm afraid he gets that from his mom. :0(

Ohio State University Football!

2008-09-15T21:04:00.005-06:00

Yep, it's that time of year again for Ohio State University football games! Patrick and his daddy are all ready to go.....too bad the games are so far away! Oh well, they just check them out from the comforts of our couch.

P.S. Thank you to Donny's uncle Dan and aunt Cindy for the adorable OSU outfit for Patrick!

The Never Ending Project

2008-09-15T20:51:00.005-06:00

It's amazing to me how much work our house has been, but I am always so excited when a BIG project gets finished. Donny puts in so much hard work around our house - he's incredible! A couple of weekends ago he was able to finish the rock on the outside of the house. Here are a few pictures from that project. Great job Donny!!

Patrick at 5 months

2008-08-25T15:28:00.003-06:00

We finally took Patrick to get his picture taken by a professional! He was a little overwhelmed by how many people were trying to get him to smile, but he still did a great job. I got suckered into a package deal where we'll get about 400 pictures by the end of it, but I guess for my first time, it was to be expected! The photographer totally saw me coming! From here on out I hope to get his picture taken every three months or so....and I won't be buying the package deal!

Pool Party!

2008-08-12T13:47:00.001-06:00

While we were in Salt Lake, my cousin Rachael had a pool party at her fantastic new house. We had a great time "swimming" with the cousins. I wasn't brave enought to dunk him under the water though - maybe next time!!

First Flight!

2008-08-12T12:28:00.000-06:00

In Mid-July, Patrick and I flew to Salt Lake to visit family and friends. This was his first flight and he did so great (it was me who was very close to losing my lunch!). I should have had someone else take a picture of us together on the plane, but I was too sick to think of it. Here he is though in the terminal and on the plane. Hopefully he's off to a good start of being a world traveler!

Little Milestones

2008-08-12T12:16:00.000-06:00

Chalk it up to being first time parents, but we love to capture Patrick's little milestones. Lately he rolls over with ease (it is getting back to his back that he is working on now), falls asleep holding his toys (not sure if that is a milestone, but it was cute!), and has a big enough head to wear sunglasses now!

4th of July!

2008-08-11T16:37:00.000-06:00

For Patrick's first 4th of July, we headed to Ennis for the parade. He slept through most of it while we stood in the blazing sun, but it was still fun!

A blog is a blog is a blog

2008-08-06T15:57:00.000-06:00

After much pressure - the Steeley's have started a blog. What is a blog? Who came up with the word "blog" anyways? I suppose we shouldn't worry our little brains with such questions, but rather be happy blogs exist! What a great way to keep in touch and share pictures (especially when your mom still has dial up!). Anyway, we've joined the blog forces and hope to keep it updated. Send an email to remind if necessary - we like a little probing!