Halloween Costumes

I apoligize for the randomness of this post. I'm to lazy to break it into multiple different posts. So instead you are getting a variety of different events all compacted down into one confusing post, Sorry!
I spent the past week getting Halloween costumes ready for the girls. McKinley finally decided she wanted to be a cat, and I was able to make one for less than $5, YEAH! She wanted to dress up like her kitty "Scrat Plays Football."


I also worked on Annabelles Snow White Costume...no I didn't make the costume, just the bow. We got this costume for when we go to Disney World next month, I can't wait!
We went to Idaho a couple of weeks ago and were able to spend time with family...and Bretts horse. Brett was able to go riding up into Harriman for a day and loved it. He sure loves his horse. Now that its getting cold and we won't be able to go home as much I think Brett will go through horse withdrawls.
While we were in Idaho the last time we were able to see our friends the Karrens. They are our really good friends that went to Anesthesia school the same time as us. We hadn't seen them in over 2 years. We took all the kids to Blast off to play and the grown-ups were able to visit. McKinley and Levi are only a few months apart. When we left they were both almost one and now they are going on 4.


It was so much fun to see how their kids have grown, and to meet their new addition Benson. I love catching up with new friends, SOOOO FUN!
We love being close enough for our kids to be able to play with their cousins.

McKinley is always asking if she can go play with her cousins or swim with aunt Deidra What a blessing it has been to be near our family.
We've recently decided that its time to slow down on all the trips to IF and spend some time at our home. This past week we met a new family that lives down the street. They just bought a dental practice here and they have kids the same age as ours. We spent 4 of the past 7 days with them. McKinley loves playing with their daughter Eva.

They are such a wonderful family and we are so grateful to have made such wonderful friends. It sure makes moving to a new place easier when you have good friends and a great ward.
We are loving Montana and we are so excited to raise our family in such a great place. Here are some recent pics I took of our cute girls.


We hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween.

Conference Weekend

I love conference weekend, and not just because I get to enjoy church from the comfort of my own home in my pajamas...it is a nice perk though. After conference I feel like I'm on a spiritual high, and I really want to be a better person. Unfortunately by monday I've usually allowed myself to once again become consumed by my everyday life. I think I need conference once a month.
This past weekend we had our friends the Higbee's come out from Michigan. They were here interviewing at the hospital Brett just got hired at. It was soooo much fun having them here. During the day while the boys were at the hospital Maren and I got to do some shopping. It was so nice to have someone to hang out with. We've only been here a couple of weeks, so I really haven't made any friends yet. They brought their cute little son Isaac out with them and we were able to have him at our house while they were at there dinner meetings. He is sooo stinkin' cute, and the most polite little 1yr old I've ever met.
While they were out here we took them to Big Spings. Its a fun park that has a really huge spring that bubbles out of the ground and flows into the Missouri (I guess thats why they call it big springs). There is also a fish hatchery right next to it where you can feed the trout. These fish are huge. They looked pregnant, but I think they are just over fed.

On Saturday night we drove the Higbee's down to Helena. It is a really pretty little city and the drive is beautiful. While we were in Helena we ate at a restaraunt called the Staggering Ox. Apparently it was rated one of the top 20 places to eat by Maxim magazine, which actually made us kind of nervous about whether it was family appropriate. It was a fun little place to eat. They had the strangest sandwiches I'd ever seen. They hollow out these bread tubes and stick the meat, cheese, and toppings down inside.

Then you get to choose a sauce from their list, and they had some original choices. The food was pretty good and the company was great. The best part was that they let us eat in their private conference room, so we didn't have to feel guilty about our kids being disruptive.

Family Update
Annabelle has been growing up so fast. She has gotten really quick with her crawling and can even crawl up the stairs. She pulls herself up on furniture and will cruise around the room. We originally thought Annabelle was going to be our easy, mellow child; but we were very wrong. I have never seen so much attitude packed into such a small body. She definately lets us know whats on her mind. Its funny because she is such a petite little girl, but she has an attitude that is far beyond her years. I can't wait until she is a teenager.

McKinley is loving school and would go every day if we would let her. When she is at home all she wants to do is carry around her kittens. I'm amazed those cats don't run when they see her, but they will actually cry at the door for her to come out.
Brett was finally able to start working last week and he really likes all of the people he works with. It was really nice having him home for so long, but it has been a blessing to have him start working.
We are going to Idaho this weekend to see family and so that Brett can go horseback riding into Harriman park. Hope everyone had a great conference weekend, inspite of the "yucky" weather.

All Moved In

It has been awhile since I last posted anything. We are finally all moved in to our new home and we were able to get our internet set up a few days ago. This post will catch us up on everything that has happened in the past month...Warning: it will be long, with lots of pictures.
We were very eager for Brett to finish school so we could move on, but I don't think we realized how hard it would be to say goodbye to all of our Michigan friends. We had the best friend out in Michigan and we are going to miss them like crazy. I wish we could have brought all of them with us.

We had a big party with our friends the night before me and the girls left. We visited, had snacks, and we even rented a big bounce house for all of the kids. It was a really fun night.



The girls and I left for Idaho 2 weeks before Brett so that he could study for his final board exam without any interruption. We stayed with our family in Idaho and the girls were able to spend some time with their cousins.


We went to the zoo,

celebrated my dads birthday,

and spent a day swimming at Green Canyon.

Annabelle had fun with her cousin Riley. She kept giving her hugs and kisses...until Riley decided she'd had enough.

After Brett took his test, which he passed, we met him in Great Falls. We've had Brett home for the past few weeks, which made getting moved in much easier. McKinley has transitioned very well to our new home. Her new kitties have definately made the move easier.

McKinley also started preschool when we got here and she has loved it.

So far we have loved Montana, and it has been really nice having Brett at home while we get settled. We are excited about all Montana has to offer, and we are so glad that we can live closer to our families.