What have we been doing for the past 6 weeks!

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...

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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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!