Big Sky Surprise!

We didn't make our annual trip to Montana this summer because we were awaiting the arrival of our sweet Jaylie June.  We did get to see the Phillips family several times with Jaylie's birth, Thanksgiving, and an SOS to Kory's mom to help us out after the heart attack, but Kory hadn't been HOME.  Waiting all the way to July seemed like too long for us so we decided to try to make a trip up there this spring while they were calving (all the cows having babies).  Then we upped the challenge and decided to try to do it without telling Kory's parents!  We told his brother Tye that lives there and his other brother Clint whose town we would fly in to.  It was all pretty last minute, but we had a blast and we pulled it off!  

I didn't tell the boys where we were going (they're terrible secret keepers). They were pretty suspicious with all the packing going on Friday so I told them the good news that we were going to a HOTEL that night! They were totally thrilled.  We left after Kory got home from work, so it was 10:30 by the time we got to the hotel.  As if calming down to sleep in a hotel isn't hard enough, the boys were going to be sleeping in the same bed which they've never done.  After the initial freak out excitement, they settled in and did pretty good. We think they were asleep before midnight so that was pretty good! Ha! Aaaand we had a 3:30 wake up call to leave the hotel by 4 to get to the airport! 

Here we were at about 4:45 in the morning. 

We had a little breakfast once we got to our gate.  

 The early morning is kinda brutal, but with the time change and short connection time, we are in Montana by 10:15 in the morning!  yay! Travel wise, this was probably our easiest, smoothest trip yet.  The kids were troopers, they even slept on our 2nd flight (that's never happened) and Jaylie did great.  The first flight Jaylie blew out her diaper and Quinn declared he had to pee and couldn't wait so I had to do a fast diaper/clothes change for Jaylie and a potty break for Q before the seat belt light came on for landing, but other than that it was smooth sailing!  Clint, Sydni and the girls picked us up from the airport.  The kids picked up right where they left off, best of buddies.  We ate a quick lunch, Me and Sydni made a Wal Mart run and then we hit the road to drive to Lewistown.  They let us borrow their truck for the week! We got to town and Tye met us in town and we decided to drive out towards the house and then get in his pick up with him on the county road so they wouldn't see us driving up the road/driveway.  Wes happened to be at the end of the driveway  in his pick up, but we ducked down and made it past him.  We all piled out of the pick up and ended up just walking in the house where Susan was sitting at the kitchen table (she had seen Tye's pick up drive in but had no idea we were in there with him).  She was so completely shocked! Almost confused as to how in the world we were standing in her kitchen! It was such a fun surprise!  Wes was back in the shop so we all walked down the driveway to the shop.  He was busy working and never heard us or saw us coming, his back was to the door when we walked in and we were about 6 ft. from him when he finally turned around! He was floored as well!  It was really fun!  Then everyone jumped in and got to work.  

This picture was taken shortly after we got there.  They had already pulled a calf, doctored a couple, and moved a few pairs.  And to top it all off, the weather was PERFECT all week!  

Tye is being silly trying to be as tall as Kory! 

jjp and Chief sharing a slice of cheese

They had just gotten new puppies the day before we got there.  Here is Tye with Bea.

Cheif hopped on the pick up to talk a few things over with Tye. 

Me, Wes, and klp drove over to see if we saw any gophers.  They are pests so we brought the .22  Just as we were about to give up and head home, we saw a couple.  And shot a couple.  I needed proof that it was dead, so klp and Chief looked down the hole and there it was.  

Jaylie June had a blast!  

Here are the CUUUUUUTE puppies.  Murphy and Bea.  

Gram and jjp snuggling. 

A couple of Christmases ago, Wes and Susan got a Jeep Power Wheel for the grandkids to enjoy.  And enjoy they did!! This time they were old enough to drive it around all on their own.  We had it fixed so it couldn't go too fast, but they LOVED IT!  We charged it at night and the next day they drove it til the battery was dead!  They even learned to put it in reverse and push each other out when they got stuck.  It was pretty cute! 

The boys were able to go out and check cows or do whatever else needed to be done every day. They had fun and maybe kept the big boys a little company while they worked.  

I just crack up when all the cows stare at me.  So I have to take their picture. 

Alfalfa Buffet. 

Q lookin' for gophers.  Or something.  

We're thinking puppies AND nephews were driving uncle Tye CRAZY!!! haha!! 

klp went out with Chief one morning and came back like this.  Crashed in the seat.  Haha! I guess the bumpy ride lulled him to sleep.  He was literally snoring.  Ranch work wears a little boy out.  

While we were there the weather was nice and warm. One evening it got a little chilly so j had to put her hat on. 

Uncle Tye and June (thats what he calls her.  Ever since the day she was born.....eerrrrrr the day we finally named her, he has called her that.  I think its cute.)

There was a chain in the back of the Rhino and it provided hours of entertainment for the boys.  

Look closely and you'll see Kory, Tye, and Wes all in the corral.  

klp and KLP gettin' a mama where she needs to be.  

My goal this time was to actually watch a calf be born. I've seen plenty just after they were born but I wanted to see the whole shebang.  And so I did.  Tye and I sat and watched and it was the neatest thing.  Unbelievable.  

Watching him try to stand for the first time was pretty cute.  

He finally made it! 

Being there for the calving at this point in my life made it hard for me not to humanize and feel quite a kindred spirit with all these mama cows pregnant, birthing, and nursing all the babies.  Haha!  Kinda funny. I would see one walking SOOO pregnant and feel like I knew just how she felt.  Then I would see one who they would say was about ready to have hers and I would think, "I'm so glad I'm not going to be in labor tonight" and then I'd see them nurse and it would be so sweet and THEN I'd see one trying to nurse and the mom sort of nudging it away as if to say, "could you just GIVE ME A SECOND! I JUST NEED A FEW MINUTES TO MYSELF!" haha!  Yep.  I've been there.

Cooper (the dog), Gram, Chief and the Jeepsters headed over to check on the cows.  

One day Kory's Aunt Julie and Uncle Aaron were in town with their 4 kids.  We were so glad we got to see them even though they had no idea we would be in town. It was so fun to see them and their sweet sweet kids!  I decided after this that maybe kids and puppies was asking a bit much for this picture, but its cute anyways.  Isabel, Kanyon, Aiden, Quinn, Eloise, Ainsely (and Murphy and Bea) 

There were a few sick ones while we were there, so Kory and them had to try to help them.  Kinda cute Kinda sad.  

What a look from Quinn.....

This was taken right after he pointed to that pile and said, "MOM IS THIS COW POOP?????!!!!" He thought he was soooo funny! 

We got to see some of the Hills, Kochs, and Fosters, which are dear friends, but I am TERRIBLE about taking pictures of things. I always leave feeling like I have too many pictures of cows and not enough of people.  Jaylie blew out her diaper when we visited some of those people so she spent her visits in nothing but a diaper (because her mom can't remember to keep extra clothes in her bag. GET WITH IT MAMA!) 

We took this picture as we were leaving.  It was a mistake.  I was wearing yoga pants and Uggs, and I looked like I'd been hit by a train. I guess packing up kinda stressed me out.  Oh well, here we are by the sign.  

This series was pretty comical....Jaylie wasn't as amused as the boys.  

Maybe its best with no people......the stormy clouds were rolling in. 

Driving away we saw some pretty neat skies. We headed to Bozeman back to Clint and Sydni's house to hang out with them and fly out the next morning.  

And the boys crashed.....in the most uncomfortable positions ever.  

These Mountains are called The Crazies.  They were soooo pretty! 

....and I tried making my jacket into a pillow.  

Kory's brother Clint is a partner at an accounting firm so this is a super busy time for him to travel. They were so gracious to let us stay and interrupt his work!  We had so much fun and the kids loved being together! 

The Phillips Cousins: Jaylie, Sayler, Quinn, Kanyon, and Hayven (notice the pattern of MY kids ruining all the pictures....sheesh!) 

This was the next morning at the airport before we left.  We had a great week with everyone! 

The trip home was longer and more tiring.  We had a 3 1/2 hr. layover in Denver as opposed to our usual 45 min. one.  I never gave the kids their Easter treats, so I gave them to them before we left for their new fun travel toys.  Little did I know how great they would be.  

Jaylie got a Wonder Woman Little People (mostly because I knew her brothers would get a kick out of it)  She enjoyed chewing on it all day.  

We found an empty gate and spread out and pretty much took over a corner of it.  Here we are eating lunch. 

The boys Easter treat was just a book.  They were obsessed with them.  They were seriously the only think they looked at/played with all day. Over and over and over.  I was thrilled with the success! 

This is what happens when Daddy decides to try to lay down and rest his eyes for a few minutes.  He gets pounced.  

I have no pictures on the actual plane because quite honestly I couldn't mess with a camera with all we had going on.  But the kids did great.  Jaylie slept both flights on the way home and the boys were great.  We finally got to Dallas, shuttled back to our hotel, in our car and on the road to drive home.  The boys were asleep in no time.  

We didn't want them to sleep too long because we wanted them to go to bed when we got home (it was evening by the time we got to our car!)

We grabbed fast food in the car and then the boys were back to their books the rest of the way home.  Best $2.99 I've ever spent!
















I think 2 days after we left it got super cold there....we left just in time! :)  We had a great week and always love being with family!

The Grand Kanyon is 6!

March 26 was a fun day for Kanyon Luke. This was the first year that he's started to catch on to the birthday thing.  He enjoyed picking out his clothes (red shirt and jeans of course), haircuts at the barber shop, donuts next door from the barber shop, picking his lunch, dinner, and anything else we could think of, even eating outside at the picnic table despite the chilly temps.......also a good time to note that it was a good day for Quinn to learn a little bit about letting someone else have ALL the attention.  Its hard for me to fathom all that was going on this time 6 years ago, but here we are.  This boy reaches to the deepest part of my heart. 

For his birthday, we gave him a new swing.  Its important to me (and him...whether he knows it or not) to have things outside that he can do independently.  He LOVES to swing and always has so I did a little looking around for just the right swing.  This is what we got and it was a HIT!  The super bonus is that lots of kids can pile on it together! klp is blurry in the pictures because he was "flapping" like he does when he's excited....he was so happy! 

I kinda like his baby brother too...

Jaylie June joined the swing party and I had to post the series of pictures..its just too funny.  Oh dear. 

I love the look on jjp's face...

sugar for the baby sister! 

No babies were harmed in the snapping of these pictures.  

Here we are.  

I saved klp's paint paper for a couple of days and then cut out circles from them to make the banner.  

The first thing he opened was a new set of paints. He was pumped!  

He doesn't like cake, but we wanted to do one anyways.  He may not like cake but he does LOVE to paint so I made a cake that looks like his paint.  Here he is with his new paints and his paint cake.....and his version of cake....CHEETOS!  

The "party" was just us and my mom and my aunt and uncle that live in town came over for cake. It was fun and perfect for this little guy.  He loved blowing out the candles...even though Q blew out at least 4 of them before we could stop him.  haha.  

He enjoyed looking at the cake, but when he blew the candles out he looked at Q and said, "Ok Bubba you can eat my cake now. "  (blanket + thumb = mesmerized Quinn)

Back to the swing! 

Unprompted cuddles from Quinn.  Kinda cute. 

Chalk another one up for me and Mom.  We decided life would be pretty perfect if you had someone with you all the time. I was working on the cake, she was sweeping/mopping.  Jaylie woke up, I kept icing the cake, mom went and got her. I fed Jaylie, mom got bags of icing ready.....you know....you can pretty much get it all done together! It was a fun day and I'm glad she could be here with us. 

I'll end with this picture.  klp couldn't get his new paint opened fast enough.  So here he is painting by his half eaten paint cake.  

To say we are thankful for him is an understatement. Its been a year of growth and maturing for him.  He can talk and say anything he wants to and cracks us up every day with what comes out of his mouth. He can take his walker anywhere and is closer and closer to using his crutch to walk. He now really loves to walk.  He will choose to cruise along furniture or a wall instead of sitting down to scoot. He can bounce on a bed on his rear end higher than anyone you've ever seen, He can recognize probably 10-15 letters and some numbers, he is tracing better and better and dominates his iPad learning games.  His daddy and I have decided that he has the best laugh in the whole world and still is quite the people person. I have noticed that as he matures, he gets more nervous, scared, and shy.  He LOVES Peter Pan but has recently started calling Peter Pan "the green guy".  We have no clue where that came from.  He tells me if he got in trouble at school within the first 5 seconds of me asking about his day.  I can't always piece together what happened but he spills the beans pretty quickly.  He is quite bossy and takes an "adult tone" with ease when taking charge of his brother or anyone else.  He and Quinn are quite the pair and usually have a great time together.  Kanyon loves to play with "guys" and gets very carried away in whatever is happening with his guys (any action figure type toy) in his imaginary story.  His play has really developed this year and its been really fun to watch. He can take his own shirt of remember he basically only has one hand....try it sometime. He still loves being with other kids and works hard to keep up.  Its hard sometimes because physically they just get around faster than him but he is happy to tag along the best he can. We look forward to the "language barrier" lessening as he talks better and better and can converse quicker and more easily with other kids.  We are blessed to be surrounded by awesome friends with awesome kids who love Kanyon.  He eats more ketchup than anyone I know and is still a committed carnivore.  He continues to roll with the punches quite well. It seems the bigger the punch the easier he adjusts.  He does like to know what to expect and, in general, is constantly grasping for some sort of control.  For a boy like him, his world is largely controlled by other people.  We try to give him control and independence when we can and help him deal with it when he can't have that.  This year has had its struggles too but I don't really feel like talking about them right now.  The bottom line is we've learned over the last 6 years that there's always gonna be somethin' to deal with.  We "get" one thing and something else is bound to pop up.  But we've also learned that we'll get through it one way or another.  There are times that I feel like everyone around me has it so much easier than me.  I KNOW I'm not the only one and I REALLY KNOW that we have been spared so many things that many people aren't.  But the reality is that for the most part, the people I'm surrounded by don't have to deal with the things I do.  There are times I allow myself to feel sorry for myself and its almost always followed by me feeling sorry for other people......because they don't get to be KANYON'S MOM and I do.  Haha.  Really. I know thats a silly thought, but I sometimes feel like its unfair that I get to be his Mom and no one else does. It's like I'm hogging all of the greatness and I should be sharing it with someone else. I'm just so glad he calls ME mommy. All the other stuff is SOOOOO very very worth it.   Kory and I are SO. PROUD.  We loved celebrating Kanyon Luke Phillips.  We love him so so so much.

Jaylie June 7 months

March 9= Jaylie June is 7 months old! 

This has been a busy month for this little girl....and her mother.  She is BUSY BUSY BUSY! She's still not crawling, but she can squirm all over the place more and more every day.  She loves to chew on dipaers (clean ones) or books.  Neither of which I'm a real fan of, but she often finds her way to one of those things very quickly.  If you look closely in the next picture, you'll see that she got her 2nd tooth. She NEVER sits still.  Nursing her is like trying to nurse a Tasmanian Devil!   

She is still smiley smiley, but has started fussing more.  Like when I leave the room or walk by her and don't pick her up.  She's spent more time in the wrap lately so that I can keep doing what I need to do without the fussing.  I used to "wear" her in the wrap for fun, now its more out of necessity!  She's not doing as good going down for naps as she was and she's still pretty bad at night.  Great, huh?  

I'm trying to do better feeding her food.  She's had avocado, banana, sweet potatoes, and applesauce.  She still isn't all that great at it, but I'm trying to do better about letting her practice. I just forget/don't have it thawed and ready.  She cries at me like its the ultimate betrayal when I put her in her car seat.  Despite the initial crying, she's a great traveler. We drove 4 hours to Houston and 4 hours back in one day and she did great!  She's keeping me on my toes more and more...who knows what the next month holds.  

I'll end this post with an IRRESISTIBLE picture of my 7 month old!

Daffodils

My daffodils are in full bloom in my front flowerbed.  We were outside playing and I decided I should get a picture of Jaylie in front of them.  (should've moved the soaker hose from the flower bed) 

The boys were outside too, so I thought, "why not?"....then was quickly reminded THIS is why not: 

(klp has a mouth full of apples)

This is when jjp started eating grass and I knew it but didn't care because I WAS TRYING TO GET THE BOYS TO SMILE AND LOOK AT ME!!! 

Aren't my daffodils pretty?

Siblings

There's just not much better than watching your kids enjoying each other (and choosing to forget about the arguing and fussing and fighting that goes on.  Maybe I should start taking pictures of those times.)

I know I already posted one like this, but its just cute.  

What says brotherly love more than a living room duel with a shotgun and a tiny arrow shooter? 

You are witnessing a sacrifice from big brother Kanyon.  The boy loves his Lazy Boy and doesn't love to share it.  He's usually willing to share it for a little bit (read: a few seconds, maybe a minute).  Here he is sharing with a SMILE.  (sidenote: I'm realizing as I post several blogs that she wears these pj's a lot....or I only take pictures of her in these pj's)

Takin' a trip in the laundry basket

Headed to a bball game in their jerseys.  

Holding baby Jaylie.  Q had a tough time getting comfortable this time. I think it was because he wasn't willing to put his gun down.  Priorities people.  

Teamwork

I've never met 2 cooler brothers

Working on valentines

We didn't know how the timing of the boys' age/maturity would work, but it has worked out so great.  In a lot of ways, they are at about the same places. In other ways they off set each other and make a pretty good pair.  Even in their pretend play they make a good team.  Q always chooses Batman, klp-superman.  Q-Peter Pan, K-John (the brother with the glasses).   There is usually an argument when it comes to Ninja Turtles because they both want to be red, but I think they're finally grasping the beauty of imaginary play....you can BOTH be the red one.  One of my favorite things is when they're in the bath or just in playing in the same room and q will say, "Hey Kan, talk to me." Their conversations are pretty hilarious.  They have their moments of pushing each others' buttons.  Q will refuse to answer klp or will try to run to beat him to the chair (see....the chair is a major territory for klp) and klp will do the classic pest move and touch Quinn and not stop when Quinn completely overreacts and screams for him to stop.  If q could learn the power of not reacting I think we could end that pestering problem.    

They really are pretty sweet to each other most of the time and I'm so thankful for the lifetime of fun they have ahead of them.  I think its one of the greatest joys of parenting and I can't imagine how great it will be as they get older.  Assuming we keep them liking each other! :)