Life out West

Halloween 2011

2011-11-30T17:52:00.001-07:00

Carter was a dinosaur this year. Unfortunately he liked wearing his costume much more before Halloween actually arrived.

The night we bought his costume. Love!

We went to the annual Zoo Boo kids party at the Pocatello Zoo, but Carter didn't feel like wearing his dino costume that day. We had a lot of fun with Grandma. Especially when that person jumped out of the coffin and scared her! I got a good laugh. :-)

Making new friends

Story time

Playing on the spider web

Grace turns 1! We all had fun at her First Birthday/Halloween party.

I think this Lion (birthday girl) has her eye on a certain older dinosaur : )

Brandon, Steph, and baby Jameson. Cute little family.

Carter took Nana and Papa trick or treating at my work. Very fun and very overwhelming. So many people. So much candy.

Adult Halloween Party - lots of fun! No candy.

Jeremy wins best costume. That is, when the category is "tightest costume" and the requirements are you have to wear your wife's clothes. So funny - love it Jer!

Cherry Springs

2011-11-30T16:14:00.001-07:00

Just to give you an idea how truly beautiful our Idaho mountains are. Especially in the fall.

October Festivities

2011-11-29T15:07:00.001-07:00

Carter and I were in the ISU Homecoming Parade on ICCU's float! It was unseasonably warm that day. We had a great time. Carter thoroughly enjoyed the salt water taffy we were supposed to be giving to the parade spectators.

Next up was the homecoming party. Carter loved the bouncy house and playing with friends!

Here is Carter playing at at the opening of a new playground in Pocatello! Our community really came together to make this playground happen. http://brooklynsplayground.org/

Carter and I at my friend Lisa's baby shower. I wish she was standing up. She is the cutest pregnant lady!!

Carter finally got a haircut from Kristi and didn't cry! Success!! This is his third cut in the salon and the first time he didn't shed a tear. : ) Kristi is the best! He is such a handsome boy.

Bend

2011-11-28T19:58:00.001-07:00

We vacationed in Bend, Oregon in September for a week. It's such a great city. Not too big, not too small. 10 breweries, a ski hill (Bachelor), and plenty of biking and hiking trails!

We attempted to camp for a few nights, but weren't very good at "tent" camping so we hoteled it for more than half of our stay.

We particularly loved that it was such a bike friendly city. We biked everywhere the first couple of days because we were so glad to be out of the truck. And because it was a beautiful place to bike around and explore, as you can see.

Deschutes Brewery

Eating out on the patio for dinner. Beautiful view of the Deschutes river.

Jason wanted to come to Bend to watch Nationals. It was pretty cool to watch. It was also nice to see Sam, Karen, and Rufus.

Sam getting ready for his race.

Carter playing with some new friends we met.

He's (I don't know who? someone) off the front!

Mt Bachelor

A pretty waterfall. I forget the name.

Fun bike ride along the river

Breweries, breweries, breweries! We visited Deschutes (well, I did and got a tour!), Boneyard, Cascade Lakes, 10 Barrel, and Silver Moon. The best food and beer was at Cascade Lakes. Boneyard was the most unique and had the best espresso/chocolate tasting beer. Deschutes was HUGE and the tour was fascinating to me. I discovered on this trip the Pacific northwest is known for its hops because they produce so many hops in the area! I am not a huge fan of hoppy beer. I like pale ale's (I know...boring) and stouts. I like some dark beers, it really just depends. I LOVE to sample them all!

Our beer purchases from boneyard. Cherry wheat and a chocolate/espresso. Mmmm.

Deschutes tour. Huge beer making machines transported to Oregon from Germany. See those big bins? hops, hops, hops!

They were bottling tons of Jubelale for the winter season

Camping! We weren't great at starting and keeping fires, cooking, or keeping clean. Camping in the back of your truck is so much work! Unloading bikes and supplies, then loading them back up during the day. What a pain!? We also got very bored at night and went to bed especially early.

Doritos kid

Getting ready for bed in the back of the truck

Our camp chef was pretty good making breakfast

We visited the High Desert Museum in Bend and it was fabulous! It was a museum and a bit of an aquarium as well. Very interesting. There were also amazing parks in Bend - SO SO nice, and the library was fun too.

Sleddin down Aspen with Dad

2011-11-26T23:44:00.001-07:00

Rollin in the snow

2011-11-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

First play day at Pebble Creek. 11/26/2011.

Bike rides

2011-08-27T13:53:00.000-06:00

Midwest Family

2011-08-23T22:50:00.002-06:00

I had to copy these excellent photos from my cousin Sarah from our trip to Chicago.

Here is my Aunt and Uncle C (we were at their home), my Dad and Step Mom Lisa, and my Aunt M and Uncle C. I love their beaming smiles. I got a kick out of listening to my Dad and his sisters talk about their childhood. Something about youngest Aunt C not getting to take dance lessons because she was the youngest (and I guess the forgotten one - tee hee). Then there was a story about my Aunt M breaking her arm and how she got all sorts of attention in the hospital. : ) There seemed to be quite a childhood rivalry between my Aunt M and my Dad. Loved the stories. Love these family members.

Here is the whole fam. Cousins Sarah and Lauren, Aunt Marilyn, cousin-in-law Josh holding his youngest Lucy, Uncle Chris, Uncle Chris, my little bro Tom, my Dad, my Step Mom Lisa, my little sis Celia, and in the front my Aunt Carrie holding Sarah and Josh's oldest Huntleigh, and me and Carter. Cousin Kevin, my little brother Jackson, and my hubby Jason couldn't make the visit. Great to visit with all of you. Miss you already!

Chicago

2011-08-23T15:19:00.001-06:00

I love Chicago in the summer! Lake Michigan (sailing and swimming), hot humid weather, downtown (the museums, navy pier, shopping, the buildings), the burbs, good food, The Cubbies, and my favorite = The Elliott's!

Love those blue eyes

At the beach just four blocks from Grandma and Grandpa's house

This young man got his first barber shop haircut full of tears and suckers. It looks great!

The dolphin show at the Shedd Aquarium overlooking Lake Michigan. Too bad Carter didn't have patience to wait for the good part. Hopefully next time.

Aunt Celia and Carter going down the slide at one of her favorite childhood parks.

The Lincoln Park Zoo

Those are real bees in the hive people!

Almost college kid, little brother and Carter's Uncle, Tom

Step Mom Lisa, little sis Celia, and little cousin Miss Huntleigh

Carter's first time on a carousel

Despite his facial expression, he really did enjoy the ride

Sweet Aunt C. The hostess and grill master.

Cousins!

The fake snake all the kids wanted to play with

Cuz Sarah from Saint Louis (thanks for coming to visit!)

More Zoo Fun

Must enjoy dippin dots from the zoo!

Burbs visit with my lovely family. My Dad, Lisa, Celia, Tom, my Dad's sisters, their husbands, some of my cousins, and their kids. It was an enjoyable evening. :-)

Dad and little cousin Lucy looking at the birdie

Uncle Chris and Uncle Chris swapping stories

Aunt and Uncle C from St. Louie (thanks for coming to visit!)

A day on the boat with Grandpa. Relaxing and feeding ducks - oh so fun!

Uncle Tom, Carter, and Aunt Celia. Shadow tickling Carter's toes.

Finally a smile on the boat. How could you not smile on this glorious bluebird day?

Grandma and Grandpa showing Carter the ant toy

Ahhh teen drivers! :-)

This little turkey did amazing on the plane rides! I was a nervous wreck traveling with him by myself!

Summer fun

Jackson, the eldest of my three younger siblings was not pictured. He was busy working and enjoying the summer. Great to see you here and there Jackson! Also not photographed was my sweet cousin Lauren from our burbs visit. How did I not get a picture of her? She was the biggest hit with all the kids. No doubt she'll be an amazing teacher!

White wedding

2011-08-23T14:11:00.000-06:00

Jason and I went to a close friends wedding in beautiful Jackson, WY at the end of August. We had a great time. The weather was gorgeous.

We followed a Man and his passenger dog into Wilson.

The lovely bride and groom.

Beautiful bride.

Let the monkey faces and silliness begin. Shelby is famous for the "Monkey Face." I couldn't get it down.

No wedding would be complete without the bride doing a handstand!

Dancing machines!

Lots of laughs

These sisters are best friends. So cute.

Shelb wanted everyone to do the monkey face : )

Best friends.

If there is a keg, people are gonna do keg stands. It doesn't matter how old you are.

The next morning we took the most beautiful bike ride with the Hess' and Azzola's.

Perfect view with my BFF. Phillips Canyon, Wilson, WY.

Jeremy, Shelby, Loren, Camille, John

Jeremy, Shelby, Loren, Camille, Jason

rest in peace

2011-08-03T20:13:00.002-06:00

This is sad. Jason's good friend Thad passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 33 on August 1st. A tragedy.

Jason and Thad were roommates back in the day and had been great friends for 10+ years. Jason and Thad were typical guy friends. They would talk a lot sometimes, especially during ski season, or when it was time to talk about dirt bikes, or most recently about mountain and road bikes. They would always pick up where they left off as if they had talked everyday for the past year, when perhaps they hadn't spoken with one another for a month or two. I also knew Thad. He was a super nice guy to talk to and always fun to be around. In fact, Jason, me, Thad, and one of my good friends spent March 27 (our anniversary) together at our favorite place to ski, Pebble Creek. It was one of the best days of skiing I've had in long time. Jason and Thad took my friend and I to a few places out of bounds we had never skied before. We had such a blast on our little adventure. The snow and weather were perfect, and the company we were in...even better. We had a joy of a time that day, and after a long, hard day of skiing, we all finished the afternoon/evening off by listening to a great band and downing some ice cold beers. Oh, and a little dancing and some great conversations.

That was the last day I saw Thad. I can't believe he is gone. Our hearts sincerely go out to his wife, daughter, and all of his family and abundance of friends he left behind. You are missed more than you probably ever could have imagined.

Hikes and Walks

2011-07-24T11:23:00.000-06:00

This is pretty much to show how cute Carter Jackson is. He dressed himself this day when we went for a nice hike up Scout Mountain.

This is Carter's buddy Caden. Aren't they both so cute?

Lastly, a random blurb. I recently looked up Carter's name in a baby book my friend had sitting out (she just had a baby) and both Carter and Jackson were under the Southern name section. That makes me laugh because could the last name Montgomery be more southern? I think not. Maybe he'll be a cowboy? We shall see.

4th of July in Challis

2011-07-04T10:19:00.001-06:00

We spent the 4th of July weekend in Challis with my sister, her husband, three boys, my Mom, and bro-in-laws family. We all had a blast. The weekend was filled with BBQ's, swimming/water fights, kids running around, a parade, and fireworks. I feel like a bad Mom admitting this, but Carter's hand got burnt with a sparkler. :-( He held the first one and did great, but then when he was given the second one he grabbed it too high, since it's kind of a hard thing to pass to another person, and got burnt. It was very sad. However, everyone was extremely worried about him and so kind. We got some tea tree oil on it right away and he was fine. Turned out the next day he had a couple of blisters on his palm. Still, note to self not to give a 2-year old a sparkler. His trust in us as parents for the word "HOT" is probably gone. Regardless, we had a great weekend.

My patriotic sis

My nephew Jakob riding in the parade

Candy! You can see their shirts are a bit wet after getting sprayed by the firetruck : )

Carter with his little flag

Go Jakob!

This is Brett's nephew Hudson. He is just 2 months younger than Carter and a little fireball. Love him!

Six Sweaty Chicks do it again!

2011-06-30T22:30:00.037-06:00

6/11/2011
I participated in the Sawtooth Relay for the second year in a row with the most awesome all girl team ever!! Can I get a woot woot? I sure do love you gals! We improved our time and had such a blast again. The goal this year was to beat the hot banana girls (once we saw how fast and in shape they were). My goal on my second leg was to beat the girl in orange with the polka-dot socks because their team looked all too prissy to be running - so no worries, I gladly passed her! Yabba dabba do!! Linda of course had no problem passing the hot banana girl going up the Galena summit. She is such a rock star.

And our (Rachel's) van was pretty much 10X more awesome this year once we picked up the paint stick thing a ma jig from the store in Stanley.

We came in 24th out of 85 teams in the women's open! Great job to all my girls - they all ran so damn fast!!

Deb was our first runner starting at 4:45am - she rocked it!

Jill was numero dos - she always kicks butt!

These two sisters are too cute - Rachel and Deb

Rachel running - she can not only run fast, but she is the only person I know that can do a cheer leading style jump while running. : )

Miriam says, "Gotta get a drink! Me hot; me tired!" Great job Miriam - you rocked it as always!

I finally got my free beer this year at the after party in the park - yes!! I didn't get any beer last year because I left my ID in my car :-( Boy, did it taste good this year!

Post Run

Pre-run

We just had to get one of us standing behind Linda as she ran up the summit!

Deb, Camille, Jill, Linda, Miriam, Rachel

The Graduates

2011-06-26T20:28:00.000-06:00

My little brother Tom and my oldest nephew Randy just graduated from high school this summer. Congrats boys. Job well done! They are both off to college in August. Tom is headed to Montreal, Canada and Randy is headed to Twin Falls, Idaho. They are both very nice young men and I am so proud. Love you both!

Tom From Lane Tech H.S. (Lisa, my Step Mom in the pic as well).

Randy from Challis H.S. (Also, in the pic, Randy's brothers are the tallest on the right and left, and the other two are Randy's cousins).

My sis, Rand, my Mom, Carter, and I

Proud Mama and Grandma

Randy and Barry

Easter

2011-06-23T23:47:00.000-06:00

Boy am I behind on posting!

Isn't he the cutest?

New dinosaur book and frog shoes!

2!

2011-06-22T21:36:00.027-06:00

He calls himself Carty and everyone around him is smitten. Happy 2nd birthday my favorite boy! You are my sunshine. You make me love being a Mama.

Morning pancakes

Morning trip to the library

My favorite pic on his birthday night.

He just goes for it when it comes to frosting!

tour de champ

2011-06-12T14:15:00.000-06:00

Carter wearing one of Jason's old bike jersey's.

friends

2011-06-09T21:41:00.000-06:00

It is so fun when your kid is old enough to play with your friends kids.

Jordyn is a bit too young to "play." But, what a cutie!

Wish We Were Back in Costa Rica

2011-03-27T23:22:00.001-06:00

Happy anniversary dear husband. Thanks for the AMAZING ski day to celebrate.

Wishing I looked a little more stylish in this pic. Not fair that you got to put on a cool hat and shades after skiing all day. Oh well.

Quick Getaway

2011-03-25T19:37:00.000-06:00

Jason and I recently had the pleasure to run to jackson hole for the weekend with my best friend and her hubby. To say it was a blast is an understatement. We had so much fun.

Carter got to stay home with Aunt Laila, Grandma, and Jakob. Carter LOVES LOVES LOVES Jakob.

Jason and I got to ski with our friend Jill, my Dad, and my little brother Jackson Saturday morning. It was great to visit with Jackson.

Jason up front, Jackson in the back skiing over to Casper I believe.

Shelb and I skiing downhill. That's right, Shelb skied downhill! She hadn't done it for 8 or 10 years (other than the bunny hill at Pebble). She did great!

The husbands. Jeremy and Jason at the top of Thunder.

Shelby wanted me to capture her action shots. Tee hee.

Beers at the base with great friends. Sometimes this is the best part!

The Elliott's in Jackson. Lisa E. arrived the next day.

The local crew. John, Ken, Jake

You can't see them, but the Miller Sister's were playing right below the Tram. They are a fun band!

We ate a yummy dinner that night with everyone at Thai Me Up.

At the Wort Hotel later. Look at that big old moose!

BFF's at towne square

I call this my paparazzi shot.

Shelb and Jer. The antler's look great all lit up!

I believe this is when Shelby was playing Justin Bieber. Jason was not enjoying it. I was having Bieber Fever!

Saturday we went downhill skiing at Teton Village and Sunday we went cross-country skiing at Taggart Lake. This was the start of the adventure.

Jeremy and Jason showing off. I don't understand how they can ski so well downhill with their heels not clicked in. Jeremy is really good at it! Jason of course was a natural too.

What a gorgeous day it was!

Here is where it got interesting. Shelby and I were thinking, "I thought we were going skiing?" Nope. We were on a hike.

Shelby is cracking up because she can't look into the camera. The sun is too bright.

The boys

We hiked and side stepped so much. I was quite annoyed at first because it wasn't super easy to climb up a side of a mountain on skinny ski's. Luckily the sun was out, I had an amazing view of the Tetons, and was in great company. So once we made it to the top, I was happy.

Finally arriving at Taggart Lake for some skiing, yay!!! Got some snow-shoers to take a group pic.

Going down.

This was the view that kept a smile on my face. Oh, and my best friend helped. We were falling every few minutes and couldn't stop laughing.

Thanks for a great weekend everyone. I love life out west.

x-country skiing

2011-03-24T18:22:00.002-06:00

I've made it cross-country skiing four times last/this year. It's very fun and such a great workout.

This was a few weekends ago on a gorgeous spring skiing day. Jason, Carter, and I went with Jason's buddy and his son. They both pulled the boys for the first time. Carter enjoyed it as long as woody and buz were by his side. Woody fell in the snow once, but not to worry, I turned around and found him not far back. :-)

Jason, Carter, Juan, and JJ

Girls weekend in Mackay, ID in January. I have so much fun on trips with my bf. We stayed at her beautiful family cabin. More sunshine and good times.

It takes a lot of us to get just one ski on.

bff's!!

Game playing at the cabin

Thanks bf for letting us stay at your beautiful home away from home!

All of us

v-day party

2011-03-22T19:55:00.000-06:00

Carter's first valentine's day party. He had a blast.

Some general Carter cuteness

Dancing

Herd of Elk on way to Jackson. Neat.

JH

2011-03-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

My Dad is the lucky recipient of a golden nugget this year. What is it you ask? A Jackson Hole/Teton Village season pass and temporary resident of Jackson, Wyoming. A Ski Bum you might say. Well, I wouldn't call him a bum. I think he may be living one his dreams. It's been a good snow year. Glad he is enjoying it.

Carter and I went to visit my Dad, his friend Ken (the JH resident), and my little sister Celia and her friend B flew in from Chicago while we there. It was great to see Cel and her friend was a very nice young lady! The trip was quite enjoyable, except Carter waking up in the middle of the night screaming for approximately 20 minutes. I don't understand why he only chooses to do this when we stay with friends or family. I swear he never makes a peep in hotels and is normally a great sleeper at home. Who knows, maybe it was his molars, or belly ache, or just up a bit too late in a foreign place.

The next day we all hit the hill, even Carter. I complained about the daycare prices, $$$ for one day, but they really took great care of him, he got to ride the Bridger Gondola, and play in the snow with new friends so I guess it was worth that experience. It was a short and fun trip. Very nice to see family, good friends, good food, cupcakes, and a little skiing. :-)

Me, Carter, Celia, Burnley. Isn't Celia so cute and Tall?!

Dad, Celia, B, Ken, Me, Carter

Carter and Grandpa John

Me and the Tetons

For John's ski guide picture resume : )

Leaving the Wrangler Ranch. Love the new hat I got him.

new words

2011-03-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

I just have to get this down so I can look back one day and remember. Carter is learning A LOT of new words everyday. I love hearing him say new words. It seems to be almost one word per day. I think for awhile I was wondering if he was behind on his speech, but I suppose I'm always worrying or thinking about something like that. When is he going to crawl? When is he going to walk? When is he going to talk? When is he going to potty train? There is always something twirling in my brain about my sweet boy.

So, the cutest thing ever is every time I walk in the door and see him, generally after I get home from work, I say in a very high voice (because I'm super excited to see him), "Hi Carter!" So, he started saying it back, in the same high voice, but he says, "Hi Carty!" It seems he is saying "ee" in the place of "er" for some words that end in er. It is so stinkin cute. So he says "Carty" and "Warty" for Carter and water. How funny! He also says dinosaurus for dinosaur. Its so cute. Shek (Shrek), Pin-cess (Princess), Pancake, owie, pee-pee, Nana, Papa, Ga-ga (Dog), Mags, Buck, kitty-kitty, Ally, down-go (downstairs), Barndee (Barney), outside, eyes, nose, hair, mouth, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and some of his abc's. Those are a few of the words I can think of that he says every day. My favorite is still, "Hi Mama." I suppose I just love hearing the word Mama. It's my favorite. Oh yeah, and every time we say, "Carter" he says ever so clearly, "WHAT?" Love it.

nye 2010

2011-02-18T17:32:00.001-07:00

Jason and I went on a quick get-a-way for one night (I think we were gone less than 24 hours) to Alta, WY.

We had a delicious dinner at Warbirds Cafe in Driggs, drank a few beers and listened to a great Irish rock band Swagger at The Trap. The next morning we got up to a very cold minus 5 degrees and took some turns at Grand Targhee.

It was a great way to bring in the New Year.

Christmas Dinner and Family Celebration

2011-02-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

December 26, 2010.
We had the whole fam damily over the day after Christmas. It was SO MUCH FUN. That about sums it up. I am apparently a woman of few words. :-)

me, mom, laila

Everyone!

The game playing begins...

If you've never played, here is what you do.

Take a BIG box and put a small neutral gift inside. Wrap as normal.

Then, take a whole roll of packing tape and cover every square inch of the wrapping paper with it. :-)

Then, have your family/friends get in a circle on the ground. Put out two oven mitts and a pair of die. Each person in the circle starts taking turns rolling the dice. When someone finally gets doubles, they get a turn at attempting to unwrap the gift using the oven mitts (as everyone around them continues to roll the dice), until the next person in the circle rolls doubles, then they steal the mitts and get their turn to try and unwrap the gift, until the next person gets doubles, etc., etc.

It went round and round and round with my masterful wrap/tape job! Oh man, is this game entertaining to watch! It gets very intense and hilarious once someone finally breaks open an edge and starts the opening process for all the players, just as the next person steals the mitts from them. At that point it is a race to get the present open.

Brett FINALLY won the Subway gift card and some lotto scratch tickets! Tee hee :-)

The great turkey carver

Cheers

The nephews (punks)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Aunt Mil and Randy

Uh-oh

Scott in a texting frenzy!

Jake loves Carter. Who doesn't???!!!

Cousins

Lai and Brett. Cute!

Christmas Morning

2011-02-11T22:18:00.001-07:00

December 25, 2010.
I'm about the world's worst (or past due anyway) blogger right now. Oh well, I don't think I have all but one follower. But, I love documenting these memories and sharing my pictures.

Jason says hi. Gary is too intrigued by my iPad.

Cousin Flo and Carter

M&M stocking stuffer. This boy has got a sweet tooth just like his Dad.

I never get enough of these blue eyes.

Jason spends so much time on the computer with school. So I decided to buy him a much more functional computer desk. He has so much more room to spread out all his books, notes, and study cards.

I bought him a kitchen in hopes he will become a better cook than Jason and I. Not really, he just couldn't stop gravitating towards the one at my friends house so I decided to get him one. Already using the microwave I see. Taking after Mom and Dad I suppose.

Thankful for another happy and healthy year. We are fortunate to have so much. We have such wonderful and amazing family and friends surrounding us. I love my life.

Christmas Day

2010-12-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

Christmas Day was grand. Carter didn't really get the opening Christmas presents, but he thoroughly enjoyed them. I baked some delicious banana bread and had the parents over to watch the C-Man open his gifts.

The best part of Christmas Day was taking Carter and the doggies up to our local ski hill, Pebble Creek, to play around and get some fresh air. Although we forgot the sled, Carter, the dogs, and Jason and I had a fun time sledding and sliding around. What a gorgeous sunny day it was!

Love these boys. Look at our magnificent ski hill in the background.

Sledding on his bum on Aspen (bunny hill). Mom up top pushing her son down the hill. He was yelling, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! It was so cute

Carter and Buck

His snow bibs are so cute. I love them. And him.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve at the Montgomery's with me, Jason, Carter, Jason's parents, Jason's brother and wife, cousin Flo, and my Mom and Scott. It was great fun and way too much delicious food.

Grandma Lanna and Carter

Papa and Carter

My Mom, me, Carter, Scott

The whole gang

The BIG new tent Carter got from Grandma and Grandpa M.

In the tent

naughty and nice

2010-12-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

This one. Oh, he is such a handful sometimes. But, man is he at a fun age too!

He did not want a camera near him this day. I was thinking of doing a naughty and nice card. You can see why. But I didn't. He is so CUTE, even when he's crying and pouting. Thanks Mel, for your patience and fruit snacks.

My favorite.

Something old, something old, something borrowed, something pink??

2010-12-20T22:54:00.002-07:00

My fabulous group of friends have a girls only Christmas party every year. This is the 14th year its been held and Shelby and I believe its the 12th year we've attended. My friends are the best. They are LOUD, silly, sassy, obnoxious, truthful, fun, full of energy, and my favorite of all H-I-Larious! This year included a theme...old dresses! Old prom dresses, old bridesmaid dresses, and oh yes, even old wedding dresses. Oh my my my my my was it ever hilarious. I opted for an old bridesmaid dress because I donated all my high school prom/dance dresses to the Goodwill a few years back. I thought the bridesmaid dress I chose was Awesome with a capital A because it was from my best friends wedding (from 2002 I believe), and it had like three or four stains on the front of it from who knows what...probably food or wine. :-) However, Jamie won best dressed because she took her old wedding dress from 17 years ago and died it pink. It was classic. And classy. What a fun night. Thankful for the best group of friends a girl could ask for.

The lovely host

From left to right: High school banquet dress, prom dress, high school dance dress, prom dress and high school hair, wedding dress (dyed pink), high school dance dress, wedding dress

And the dancing begins

We couldn't resist the classic prom photo pose

No party is complete without games. Egg cracking on your head anyone? They won "bravery" prizes!

Best friends for life!

Thanks again for such a fun evening, ladies. As always, it was such a pleasure.

Tree and cookies

2010-12-16T21:07:00.002-07:00

Carter loves the bulbs, "balls" on the tree. We tried to have him help decorate our Christmas cookies, but he only licked the frosting and ate them. Jake helped me cut the shapes of the cookies. He is a great helper.

Carter's Favorite ornament this year (besides the bulbs)

From 2008, so cute

Carter's first Christmas last year

I made this ornament last year

The angel on top of the tree

gloves

2010-11-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

He likes the snow. A lot. He'll kindly wear his snow hat now. He'll even put it back on if you take it off. Now if I could just get him to wear his mittens life would be better.

Loss

2010-11-21T20:51:00.001-07:00

There have been a few family deaths lately that make my heart heavy with sadness. I am so sad and sorry that we've lost these loved ones. Their family and friends have my deepest sympathy.

Jason's Aunt Dortha (with Carter in 2009)

My Dad's cousin-in-law Patti

My Dad's cousin Ted

Action Jackson

2010-11-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2010

That's what we used to call my little brother when he was an infant/toddler because he was a VERY active and busy little boy and always ran everywhere. I remember changing your diapers, playing with you, babysitting you one summer, you even liked me so much you invited me to visit your school one day... Now you are a grown up, in your 3rd year of college. Very proud of you little brother. Happy 21st Jackson! Drink responsibly. :-)

Pebble

2010-11-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

I cannot wait to ski on your snow dear mountain!

11-11-2010

Tautphaus Park

2010-11-01T15:57:00.002-06:00

Sometimes its nice not having childcare for a day. That means I get to take the day off work to spend with Carter!

A couple of Wednesday's ago we went to this sweet park in Idaho Falls. I can't wait to take Carter to the zoo there next year. It was already closed this time.

Halloween

2010-10-31T17:29:00.001-06:00

Halloween was fun this year. However, at 18 months Carter wasn't really into it. We went trick or treating at my Mom's work and my work on Friday, but Carter wasn't really interested. In fact, he was eating an apple at my work while trick or treating. Maybe he'll get into it next year? Then, on Saturday we went to a kids/adults Halloween party at my best friends house. It was SO fun! Carter and I had a blast playing with our friends.

I was a vampire with my department on Friday (trying to recreate my costume from 5th grade when I won best costume at school), and Super Mom on Saturday, along with my SUPER cute little Super Man.

Ben, Avery, and Carter playing

Carter and Zen

Carter thoroughly enjoyed all the sugar at the party!! :-)

Just your average day at the office for Lisa and I.

My scary co-workers and I. Isn't our Edward awesome?! He wore sparkles and everything!

Cave Falls

2010-10-27T12:11:00.001-06:00

A day trip to Cave Falls near Ashton, ID. It was very pretty and had a nice little nature trail right along the river. Jason said he caught plenty of fish in this river when he was younger.

N'Awlins

2010-10-25T11:56:00.001-06:00

I went to New Orleans recently to attend a conference for work for 4 days. I missed Carter and Jason tremendously, but also had fun. Man, N'Awlins has some TASTY food and I would designate it the city that never sleeps. I stayed in the French Quarter and it was a great location. I found out BBQ shrimp and coconut bread pudding are simply delightful. The conference was good too, got some good info, and made some good contacts. Oh, I also took a self guided tour of the State of Louisiana Supreme Courthouse. It was pretty cool.

I was disappointed I couldn't really enjoy the pool and sweet bar on the roof of my hotel. It would have been a fun place to chill with my hubby and/or girlfriends.

Fun at the conference mardi gras dinner party

My hotel

My co-worker and I. I thought this looked like something from the Roger Rabbit movie so I had to get a picture.

Hike

2010-10-23T10:05:00.001-06:00

This is the first hike Carter has taken with us on foot. He did pretty good. Got tired occasionally. He loved to stop and play in the dirt.

Ga Gogs

2010-10-22T22:44:00.000-06:00

Carter thinks the dogs in the back of the truck are hilarious. We only caught a little of it.

LOTOJA

2010-10-16T15:10:00.001-06:00

Jason's Dad, Carter's best friend, "Papa," completed his second LOTOJA bike race on September 11, 2010. This is a 206 mile bike race from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming. Gary is in his early 60's and I'm just amazed that he is in such great shape. I shouldn't be surprised, he trains all the time. He is dedicated. We went to Jackson, WY, to watch Gary finish his race. Great job Papa! We are glad you survived!

Carter waiting for Papa to finish

I think this is Gary just about to finish, but I can't be certain it wasn't one of his teammates.

That mountain in the background...my FAVORITE place to ski - Teton Village.

Mom, Carter, Grammy

wedding

2010-10-02T23:59:00.012-06:00

And finally the wedding. Very small. Sweet, simple, and beautiful.

The groom and his best man. They claim they are best friends. I don't know??? :-)

This was the FUN crew. Shawn, Brookney, Jason, Kelsey, minus Danny and Jill.

Danny's family.

boombox

2010-10-02T23:59:00.000-06:00

These are from the wedding eve. It was a fun day and night.

Carter mad at something.

Such serious conversations going on around here

Carter, Ryan, and Tate

Jill (bride), Shawn (new guy), Brookney (maid-of honor)

Almost married...

Us...

And this is where we really started having fun after the kids went to bed. We found a boom box and made Jill dance (apparently she is not a dancer). A boom box and different radio stations make for an extra fun dance party.

Brookney helping Jill with her moves

Shake it!

Jason swing dancing with Jill

This is my favorite picture. I freakin love those glasses and Jason's dance moves! Work it!

McCall-me-sometime

2010-10-02T14:16:00.000-06:00

Danny and Jill have a boat and man is it fun. We dove, swam, played, trespassed onto a floating trampoline that wasn't ours, did back flips, and wake boarded. There were some GREAT times had on the boat that week.

Danny in his awesome tuxedo shirt and the best man.

These two were pretty serious the whole time. NOT!

Seesters, Jill and Kelsey

After our trespassing on the trampoline. Man it was fun, but not nearly as bouncy as a trampoline on a ground. I was surprised.

Carter talking to Jill, giving her tips, before she wake boarded.

Sisters breaking the law. I am so disappointed in you two. Ha ha!

McCall

2010-10-02T13:51:00.001-06:00

We were lucky enough to be invited to be part of Jason's best friend, Danny, and Jill's wedding in late August at Payette Lake in McCall, ID. They rented this AMAZING house and invited us to stay and Jason got to be the best man at the wedding. How great is that?

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts. We had a blast. It was relaxing, FUN, and exactly what we needed to end a perfect summer. You two are a wonderful couple and we wish you all the best.

Love,
The Montgomery's :-)

The amazing house and the sweet sandbox that came with it. Carter obviously loved the sandbox.

2010-09-29T21:33:00.000-06:00

He is such a big boy now. Almost 18 months.

Cousins

2010-08-03T11:42:00.018-06:00

My cousin Sarah, her husband, and daughters finally came to Idaho in August. It was a great reunion after 6 years. Sarah and I used to hang out quite a bit in the summers when we were young kids, but it had been awhile since I had seen her. It was so nice see Sarah, Josh, and to finally meet their cute little girls. I only wish our visit could have been longer. I hope you guys had as much fun as we did. You all are welcome back any time, and I can't wait to come visit you and stay in your beautiful new home in St. Louis!

Its funny, all the pictures I got were at the coffee shop the morning they left. Except this first one of Hunts. She came upstairs before anyone else while I was getting ready for work. :-)

Huntleigh directing Ally somewhere?

Second cousins, or maybe first cousins once removed? Carter, Lucy, Huntleigh

Carter and Lucy

It looks like Carter is giving Huntleigh a fist bump. Or, perhaps he's trying to get some trail mix?

Katie, their very nice sitter, and Lucy. I think this is where Huntleigh started snapping photos with my camera.

Cousins reunited. Sarah and I.

Huntleigh took this of her Mom and Dad. Great job Hunts!

The two youngest cousins

Now we go back in time...

Cousins - Scott, Laila, Kevin, Sarah, Camille

Sarah, Scott (Sarah's little brother), and me

Camille and Sarah

San Diego

2010-07-30T21:15:00.003-06:00

Carter I headed to San Diego in late July for the Orzolek Family Reunion. This is Lisa's sweet sweet Polish family. These family reunions are held every two years, generally in a different city, based on the family members that are hosting it. The Granacki's from San Diego hosted it this time. Word on the street is the next one is in Chicago hosted by the Elliott's. Can I get a woot woot?!!!

The flight there was, um, hectic, to downplay it (Carter cried for about 70 minutes straight), but once we got there, we had a GREAT time. What a beautiful city and great temps!

Our first adventure was to SeaWorld. Dad, Celia, Paul, Carter and I all went. It was amazing. The whale show was fun. I only wish we had more time to spend at SeaWorld because there was SO much to see and do. Especially the Sesame Street Play of Bay. Carter was in heaven. I highly recommend this area to anyone with 1-year olds to maybe 5-year olds. Carter rode his first ride here - Elmo's flying fish! :-)

The rest of the time was spent lounging, swimming, walking around, taking a sunset boat ride, and spending time at the family reunion get-togethers, which are always a blast! Carter and I are lucky we got to go and the flight home went much more smoothly. :-)

My little brothers and sisters are growing up so fast. Celia, 15, Jackson, 20, me, Tom, 17.

Carter really loves Grandpa John.

Carter and his little buddy Brody. He was 5 months older than Carter.

Lisa and her little brother Paul.

Dad, Steve, Virginia (my Step Grandma - she is great!)

HUGE jellyfish. Biggest I've ever seen!


As Ron Burgundy would say, "You stay Classy San Diego."

Visitors

2010-07-18T19:46:00.000-06:00

Carter's Great Aunt Shirley and Uncle Tony came to town to visit Carter, oh and the rest of us. She really loves him. It is so sweet.


Aunt Shirley and Carter

Uncle Tony and Carter

Lynda (Grammy), Shirley (Lynda and Shirley are sisters), Tony, Gary (Grampy) and Carter, Jason

4th of July

2010-07-04T15:20:00.001-06:00

Jason, Carter, the dogs, and I went to Challis for the 4th of July. It was muy bueno. We had so much fun hanging out, BBQ-ing, riding 4-wheelers (Carter and Jason), taking the doggies for walks, and then having our very own fireworks show courtesy of Brett Plummer. Brett's brother and a friend were also there visiting from Salt Lake City so at the BBQ there were 8 dogs playing. They all liked each other too, it was so fun! Oh, and did I mention Jason finally got to go fishing with Brett down the Salmon River. Jason was just a LITTLE excited about it. They didn't catch anything, but had a GREAT time!

Carter's first 4th of July parade


Grocery store getting goods for the BBQ. Isn't that little shopping cart the cutest?


First time Carter roasted a marshmallow! Yum!


I was asking Jason to hand me the camera. Don't you love C's marshmallow face?


The Plummer fireworks show begins. Look at that ammo!


Carter slept so peacefully in Dad's arms during all the fireworks!

Uncle Brett, Aunt Lai, and Carter. Can you believe the background? This is what they wake up to every morning.

Jason and Brett. Do you see the wound on Brett's left leg? Jason's fault. Playing a little game of hold the bottle rocket and shoot it at the other team (Scott and Randy vs. Jake and Jason). He better not teach Carter this dumb (dangerous) game!

memorial day weekend

2010-06-30T12:52:00.005-06:00

He is so sweet

My Mom, Me, Uncle Jeff (Mom's brother), Laila, and Carter. This was the first meeting for Uncle Jeff and Carter.

Grandpa and Grandma Buzzard. So great to see them.

strawberry picking, back to my roots, beer

2010-06-18T22:58:00.000-06:00

On our way home, as we were sadly making our journey back to Idaho (I hate when vacation ends), we stopped in Hillsboro, OR to pick our very own strawberries at Groveland Acres. Well, Jason and I picked them, Carter ate them as we picked them. I think Carter was in heaven. He has a deep love for fruit. It was so fun and very affordable ($1 per pound). I wish we lived nearby so we could buy fresh (hand picked by ourselves) strawberries all the time!

Next, we hit Portland, where I was born and lived until I was around 7 years old. We drove through the downtown area (very nice) and went to the amazing Oregon zoo. Carter liked it, but Jason and I probably liked it a lot more than he did. I think he would LOVE it in another year or two.

Finally, we stopped in Hood River to grab a bite at Full Sail Brewing. Such yummy burgers, beer, and an amazing view of the Gorge. This was fun because Jason was reminiscing about a road bike race he did a few years ago up Mt. Hood. What a stud he is (but I think I remember a story about he and Sam being very weak because of food poisoning...no joke!).

creatures and what a view, what a view

2010-06-17T22:53:00.000-06:00

Cannon Beach

2010-06-17T20:00:00.003-06:00

This place is paradise. So relaxing. Beautiful sunset. We stayed a block from the beach at the Sea Breeze Court. Very cozy, clean, and WAY good prices.

Astoria, OR

2010-06-17T19:56:00.000-06:00

I really loved this town. The Astoria coffeehouse and bistro was yummy. The people were really nice. And, yes, we saw the Goonies house. Very unrecognizable to me 25 years after it was filmed. Still cool. Still one of my favorite movies.

How in the world did he sleep?

2010-06-16T23:49:00.002-06:00

This was a fun and very scenic sand dune buggy ride Carter somehow managed to sleep through! He must have loved the roar of the engine. I'd never seen sand dunes like this. It was a very fun ride. And, there were actually some HUGE hills we went down that really got our stomach's. Good times.

This was in Florence, OR. Beautiful city. I highly recommended staying at The Landmark Inn up on the hill. Totally nice and good prices.

Oregon Road Trip D4

2010-06-16T22:52:00.004-06:00

Day 4 consisted of a visit to a magnificent beach, a trip to Florence, then Newport. I love how much Carter explored and how dirty (sandy) he got.

Oregon Road Trip D3

2010-06-15T22:37:00.001-06:00

I didn't know before we left Pocatello, and Jason informed/convinced me somewhere on the road, maybe at his brothers house, that we were going clear to Northern California to see the Redwoods because we had never been there. I was like, WHAT? That is so far away. Well, I'm glad he convinced me. It was like nothing I've seen before. I am a tree hugger for sure. Ah darn, I should have got a pic hugging a tree! Why didn't I think of that at the time??

We drove from Eugene to Grants Pass, got in late, stayed the night and drove to the Redwood forest the next morning. We barely hit California, started seeing the big trees on the side of the road, staring up and up and up...simply amazed at how big and tall they were, parked when we saw a trail and started exploring. It was a very quick visit, but man was it worth driving clear to California to see! Oh yeah! I hope next time we'll stay longer in that area and explore more!

Can you even see us in this one? We are a tiny blip.

Our little rock climber

The slugs and snails were HUGE!

Beautiful creek in the middle of it all

Carter guiding me through the forest

I think this was one of our first sightings of the ocean. It was so fun to see it, we were like, "Oh!!! I think I see it!" We were like two young kids on Christmas morning at 4am. The first spotting of the ocean and the waves on HWY 101 was amazing. I LOVE the Ocean, really most bodies of water in general...lakes, creeks, rivers, oceans. It just has an amazing sound, feel, and gives off some sort of freshness on life. I dig it.

We stopped here to eww and ahhh at the gorgeous ocean. Carter was sleeping so I stayed in/near the car and Jason of course went exploring (he does this, I'll turn around and he's all of a sudden a mile away exploring). So I took a pic to show how far away he was. It was hilarious when he finally came back because he said he got in the middle of all sorts of thorny berry bushes and couldn't find a way out. He had a rash up and down his arms and legs from all the thistle. It made me giggle.

Oregon Road Trip D2

2010-06-14T19:40:00.001-06:00

We drove to a small town right next to Eugene after the McKenzie River bike ride to visit Jason's older brother, his wife, and their son. Uncle Brian got Carter a Buz Lightyear stuffed animal (he picked out all on his own). How sweet that was! Carter says, "Thank you Uncle Brian!" It was a quick, but very nice visit. Thanks for letting us stay with you guys!

Oregon Road trip

2010-06-13T11:06:00.002-06:00

Day one. We drove from Pocatello to Bend, stayed the night, then got up and headed to McKenzie River so Jason could take a 30 mile bike ride he'd been wanting to do because he heard it was amazing. Well, as you can see the scenery was AMAZING, but he said the trail was weird, he couldn't go very fast because there were so many people. I think he said he would do it again for the scenery, but not for the riding. You can see he acquired a nice little battle wound on his arm though. But, it actually wasn't as bad as it looks.
Carter and I took a nice little hike along the river while Jason was doing his thing. It was great, but we didn't see nearly the beauty Jason did. We did see a small snake. Ewww.

Sweating our way through the Sawtooths

2010-06-12T23:05:00.011-06:00

I started out my summer by running the Sawtooth Relay from Stanley to Ketchum, Idaho - 6 people on a team, 12 legs, 61.9 miles. Have you never ran a relay? Me neither! But, now I highly recommend it. It was SO much fun!! The team themes and costumes (uniforms) were so hilarious, creative, and FUN! Our all female team was called the Six Sweaty Chicks, and sweat we did. My friend Jill asked me to do it one day, it got me all pumped and I was so flattered she asked me. I hurried and signed up and paid my money before I could change my mind. I'm so glad I signed up. Seriously!

Jill was the only one of the six I knew real well, but I had such a blast with the five other ladies over the 30 hours I spent with them in the van, eating dinner the night before, in the hotel room giggling all night long prior to having to wake at 3:15 am, then in the van while one of the girls was running each leg, then screaming and shouting for our teammates at each leg exchange station, then more van rides, LAUGHING, listening to the Glee Soundtrack (so good!), then crossing the finish line together, then having some great food and time to relax in Ketchum. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what fun!

I think the relay was just about perfect mainly due to the blue skies and 60 degree temps we lucked out with. Oh, and what about the view?!?!! Look at how pretty the background in all the pictures is. How can you not enjoy running through these mountains? Again, I HIGHLY recommend this relay to anyone. I hope I am asked to be on a team again, or will form a team, or run it solo...uh, yeah right - kidding (but people do that ya know? they are clearly crazy!?!)!

Night before

Designs by Deb and Rachel - they sure did Good!!

Headlamps and reflective vests required before 6:00 am ladies!
Jill rocked it

Deb rocked it

It was just a tiny bit cold that morning. waiting at exchange 3 site

Rachel is HILARIOUS! Sporting our sweet uniforms

Run Camille Run, hurry!

Patiently waiting to start my last 6 mile run of the day

Rachel says, "Ok, Camille you can go now. I'm done, nanner nanner!"

Uh, which way do I run? Towards Ketchum? Ok.

Such a fun group of ladies (minus 2)...

So the one of the best parts of this whole race was Linda, our oldest team member, volunteered to run the HARDEST leg (elevation gain 1,331 feet, no big deal) - straight up Galena Summit (elevation 8,701 feet). Don't feel bad for Linda, she was assigned this leg because she runs a marathon like every other day and is a running machine! She was passing people left and right and had a smile on her face the whole time. You rock Linda!

We just took pictures of the view while Linda ran the hard leg. Don't worry, we asked her along the way if she wanted any water or food! ( :

Jill explaining to me how good it feels to be done for the day. She is not regretting being our starting runner at this point because you get to be the first one done!

Last exchange

Six Sweaty Chicks at the finish line in Ketchum...Linda, Jill, Camille, Deb, Miriam, Rachel. We started the relay at 4:30 that morning. What a long day!

The two legs I drew (yes, we drew our legs to try to be fair) were pretty darn easy (compared to everyone else) so I tried to run as fast as I could -I ran a total of 10.56 miles. It felt good! Our AMaZing team finished in 9 hrs 45 min 14 sec and came in 25th out of 68 teams in the Womens category! Can I get a woot woot for these fine ladies! Thanks for the opportunity and memories.

life is good

2010-06-05T22:48:00.001-06:00

Random. Here and there, and everywhere. All fun.

Carter with cousin Randy. Saddle up partner!

Our beautiful view from Upper Green at Pebble Creek.

Instead of working one Friday in March, I hit the slopes at Pebble with my best snowboarding buddy, Bobbie.

Mmmmmmmmmmm, we LOVE pizza at The Piehole!

Can you say, "App-bullllllllll?" But more importantly do you notice he is wearing a hat? Never to happen again, unfortunately.

Drivin' the shopping cart in Salmon, ID like a race car driver. brrrrm, brrrrm.

Wow, Uncle Brett must be so comfy. Carter took a nap on him for nearly two hours!

Our little boy, learning to walk. He's almost got it!

strawberry delight

2010-06-03T19:30:00.001-06:00

We've successfully grown one strawberry thus far.

Carter asks, "Uh...are there anymore?"

Randy

2010-05-26T21:10:00.004-06:00

Happy 17th birthday Randy Pandy! How is it possible that you are 17 now? And will be a senior in high school this upcoming school year? Whoa, I'm getting old! So are you!!

You are such a great kid, level headed, smart, hardworking, a great athlete, a sweet dancer (maybe you get this from me), such a joker (again, perhaps from me?), kind, loving, fun! Love you my eldest nephew. Love, Aunt C

Fun times

2010-05-09T23:57:00.001-06:00

What a fun way to spend Mom's Day...on a 5K fun run/walk with Carter, my Mom, and my Mother-in-law.

I have the best son in the whole world and am so lucky to be his Mom!

We love us some oranges, mmmmmm.

Dad

2010-05-09T20:54:00.002-06:00

Happy birthday dear Johnny boy!

Love you Dad. Wish you lived around the corner, instead of many states away. Oh well, such is life. You are the best.

Love,

I'll use your line here...The Rest of Us : )

Laila

2010-05-04T22:06:00.006-06:00

Happy birthday big sis. You are such a wonderful person. You are an amazing Mom, Wife, Daughter, and Sister.

Remember when we used to not like each other so much (do you like how I put that so nicely) when we were kids and all we did was fight? Ha ha, those were the good ole' days! Well, I'm sure glad we found a common bond and a strong friendship in our adult years.

Love you mucho!

p.s. yes this is a headstone Lai is sitting by. It is Laila's Dad's, Randy. He died when she was only 1. Very sad. He wrote what it says there. Isn't that great? Reminds me of a Beatles song or something. My sister named her first son Randy, after her Dad. Isn't that so cool?! Yes, she is the best. : )

Camille

23

2010-04-25T23:06:00.002-06:00

And I got my compost bin! Thanks Jason for that and for a great birthday! He got me a cake and put the candles on backwards...as if I were turning 23. Good one.

32

2010-04-25T22:21:00.003-06:00

Had a great dinner with the girls, then my Mom, Sis, and that side of the fam, and then with Jason's parents, Carter and I. Thanks Lai, Brett, and the boys for coming to town to celebrate. That was very sweet of you all.

Giving some BIG cheese!

Leftovers

2010-04-15T22:13:00.000-06:00

Leftover birthday cake. yum yum!

Birth - Night

2010-04-14T22:00:00.004-06:00

Well, Carter's birthday party was better than I could have imagined. Pizza, yummy cake, just a few dear family and friends. So wonderful. We had a very small party because 1) I'm not a great hostess, it stresses me out to host parties, and 2) I wanted to keep about Carter and not about having a "party." Of course I wanted to celebrate this amazing event, but we kept it low key. That's just the way we roll. The party was perfect and I think everyone had a blast. Can't believe this amazing boy of ours is 1.