LQOTD

Today as I was putting in my contacts Lily said "Mommy can I take my eyes off?"

Thankful :)

We pretty much had the best day ever. I am so thankful for each person you see here. :)

Cabin Fever

So....we traded the wilderness of Wyoming for the wilderness of the Talladega National Forest. We are temporarily living in this cabin in the woods on some property that Zack's parents own. It is an absolutely beautiful place to be. So peaceful. However, this wilderness is about 5 miles from Target and just about anywhere else I would want to shop or eat. Ahhhhhh. What more could you ask for? Well maybe I would ask for a few more square feet. This little gem is just over 400 square feet. Yes. But we're making it work and are thankful to have it until we can find a house of our own. And I'm sure one day I'll look back on this time and laugh. And maybe I'll be able to sneeze without everyone else around me knowing....

Sweet Home Alabama

I know-we've been here for a month already but bare with me while I retrace our steps. Zack's parents graciously (some would say in a moment of weakness) agreed to fly out to Wyoming and help us drive back. I booked the moving van which we quickly realized was too small as soon as we saw it. It said it would fit a 3 bedroom house-I guess they weren't counting on all of our junk. I had a near meltdown because I thought we were going to have to leave a lot of our things behind. But some dear friends of ours from church, Roy and Rheeda, came to the rescue and literally got 99% of our things on this truck. To say it was a long trip would be an understatement. Some might say it looked like the Beverly Hillbillies...and you would be right. However, we all made it safe and praise be to God! We are home sweet home and so grateful to be here. :)

Our Little Punkins'

 

Goodbye, Farewell

This week has been one of many goodbyes as we prepare to leave here and make the big move home. We are beyond excited to be surrounded by our families again but, there are many people and of course places that we will miss dearly. Our church has been our home away from home and a source of tremendous growth for us as a couple and as parents. We will miss it dearly! We have made some great friends here and then there is sweet little Howard and Vivian. Last night we had a goodbye dinner with them and we had a blast. Lily and Annie are sure going to miss them and they're not the only ones. Thats all I can say-I'll go cry now.  
 

Wyoming Football

While its true that football is just not as popular here as the South, we'll take what we can get! Zack and I have made it to a few of the high school games here and had just as much fun. The one we made it to a few weeks ago just happened to be Homecoming. As you can see, our view was still reminiscent of Wyoming :) During half time, this group of guys came running out of the stands in nothing but their speedos (swimming, by the way, is HUGE here) to make their mark on the festivities. The game was great and Lily had a blast. Her favorite was the cheerleaders, of course, and she loved to yell "Touchdown!" at random times.  
 

Best Friends :)

 
Last night while I was giving Lily a bath, we were talking about friends. I was telling her that Bert and Ernie are best friends-they love each other and help each other out. I mentioned how maybe she and Annie would be best friends one day. She looked up and said "Mommy YOU'RE my best friend!" I hope she always feels that way. Melt. My. Heart.

LQOTD

I need to start a "Lily Quote of the Day" post more often. She can come up with some good ones! This morning she was holding her sister and said "Mommy, Annie is soooo cute. But she has boogers..." :)

Oh My...Its Almost Time!

As October is approaching I am overwhelmed with mixed emotions about our big move back to Bama. I cannot believe it is almost here-only 3 and a half weeks! I am so very excited to get back to family and friends but at the same time am going to miss our slow, easy going time here. (The same slowness that I often complain about in the winter...) In fact, we are only still here because Zack wanted to hunt here for the last time as a resident. He gives me a daily sob story about how this is a "once in a lifetime experience." He has his sights on mule deer, antelope and an elk. He has gotten two of the three. Still waiting on the one he really wants-the elk. So while he is hunting after work and on weekends, we have been having some major girl time around here. These two girlies are so much fun and definately keep me on my toes. Lily is starting to be so witty and comes up with the funniest little sayings and questions. She copies so much of what I say its a little scary :) So, as we're winding down here we are looking forward to the future and all that it entails. And I hope it entails an elk soon so I can have my husband back.... 
 
 
 

Where's the Beef?

Well, we're not quite ready for beef but Annie is gobbling up some rice cereal! I can't believe how fast she is growing and changing. She is such a beautiful, sweet baby. At her 4 month checkup, she weighed 12 lbs 6oz. She is 2 ft tall, and she is rolling all over the place:) And she spends most of her time watching her big sister running circles around her. It won't be long until she's running with her! I better go rest now... 
 

Happy Birthday to Me!

So last week was my birthday. The last year in my 20's-an occasion to be celebrated. Zack cooked me dinner-Bobby Flay style- and it was delish. Steak with blue cheese butter, homemade fries and celery salad. And it wouldn't be a birthday without cake, chocolate that is. It was a wonderful day and I can't wait to spend many more with my sweet family. 
 

Summer :)

Yes, I have been slacking in the blog department. But here's what we've been doing: 
 
 
 

Wild Wyoming Weekend

We have been known to take a spur-of-the-moment road trip before... It starts off as "just going for a drive" and sometimes ends up an overnight excursion. We went out just to take in some scenery on Saturday morning (poor Annie was still in her jammies) and found a beautiful lake in the middle of nowhere. There is so much vast open land here and it seems that your the only one whose ever seen it before-quite an awesome sight. Once we reached some civilization (aka a gas station) we realized we were only 75 more miles away from a 'big city'. We thought-why not-and continued on the trail. We're also potty training Lily right now (for real this time). By the time we had to stop to feed the baby, and go to the potty oh about a hundred times it was late afternoon before we arrived in Casper. Then, I of course had to have a Hobby Lobby and Target fix and eat somewhere and well there you go. As our weekends here are winding down, there's still so much more to see! h 
 
 
 

Happy Birthday Lily!

Lily's birthday was technically 2 weeks ago but we had her party a little late so that my mom could be here to celebrate! She made last minute plans for a quick trip out, vowing to never miss a birthday :) Since Lily's favorite thing is anything Sesame Street, we decided to go with a cookie monster theme. He is her favorite right after Elmo-and I couldn't bring myself to have an Elmo party... My mom and I made these cute little cupcakes and a cookie cake for Lily and we had a quiet little party in the park last Sunday after church. All of her friends from church came and they had such a blast. They were all a little blue when it was all said and done...oops. She is such an incredible little thing and we're thankful to God for every day of these last two years with her. We love you Lils! 
 
 
 

Gold Rush Days

This weekend we went to South Pass City. Its a little historic town about 30 miles from here that is kept as it was in its bustling days. Butch Cassidy supposedly came through here a lot and you can tour the hotel he stayed in. As you can see 5 people actually still live there. They were having a festival this weekend called Gold Rush Days to kind of re-enact what it was like to live there. There was a old-time baseball game going on, panning for gold, horseshoes, horserides and a concert. Lily even had a blacksmith make her a nail (which Daddy held safely). It was pretty fun until a storm came through and brought the cold wind with it. One day I will learn to always bring coats with us no matter what time of year it is.... 
 
 
 

She talks :)

She's so excited to talk-she can't even blink!!

Yummmm...Apple Pie!

Every Wednesday night we cook for an older couple in town that we have grown to love. I think I have mentioned Howard and Vivian before (also known as How-a and Bibi-ent). We met them through one of Zack's friends and they are both 92 years old but as fun as people half their age. In the year that we've been doing this I have really been able to hone my cooking skills. Meaning I really had none before. (I mean unless you count cooking things from a box.) This is a southern couple from Georgia-so they know about home-cooked meals. It has been so fun to try new recipes (from scratch) and learn as I go. Of course sweet little Howard always acts like its the best thing he's ever tasted. Maybe its the humongous pitcher of sweet tea I bring every week in case all else fails. Its also a great time for Lily and now Annie to entertain-and be entertained-each week. They don't have any grandchildren so they have adopted ours;) Anyway, I have said all this to say that tonight I attempted Howard's favorite thing in the world-homemade apple pie! It smells so good. I just hope it tastes as good as it looks. Yummy! 

July 4th

There is nowhere else I'd rather be on the 4th of July than Lander, Wy. It is such a neat little patriotic town. This is definately the biggest weekend in this town. They have a 5K run, parade, rodeo (which is oldest paid rodeo in the country), and a huge fireworks show. People come from everywhere to visit during this holiday. We were gearing up for a fun-filled weekend and then...it turned cold again. Lily and Annie got to wear one of their outfits on Saturday but it got so cold on the 4th we had to go with plan B. The weather here is one thing I will never get used to. Never, have I EVER had to wear a coat on the 4th of July. Anyway, the fireworks were awesome and Lily got to stay up waaaay late to see them. She was so cute. She kept saying "I wuv you ider-works!" Haha. And everytime there was a pause in them she'd say "more please." What manners. Anyway, Sunday we went to church and then to the parade where she enjoyed dancing to all the music and gathering up lots of candy :) Annie, of course, slept through all of this. Then we went home to relax and cookout-and then eat indoors (brrr). It was a great weekend and one that we will cherish because once we move back to Al this is one time of year we're really going to miss about Wyoming.