Friday, January 29, 2010

catching our breath

Things are moving pretty fast around here- unusual for January, but we've somehow lucked out and had the opportunity to travel like mad.
I took the girls to Arizona last week to visit my dad and sister (and other lovely extended family that I hadn't seen in way too long). Hadn't been to the desert in five years which is crazy because, although I grew up in Montana, Alli (sister- yes...we're Ellie & Alli) and I went to Arizona about four times a year...which definately makes the place feel like home. We stepped off the plane into rain...on the desert... which is one of the most wonderful smelling things you can imagine.Spent the week checking out cactus, hugging non-cactus trees, picking oranges, asking Grampa Scott what he was doing every five seconds, playing with Missoula-the-dog, feeding giraffes with aunt Allie, fighting the urge to jump in every fountain we came across, rearranging all the coasters and cat toys in the house....and MORE!Both girls traveled like pros- Aven spent her first ever flight on the plane alternating between sleeping and grinning at everyone she could make eye contact with- I swear she is the happiest kid on earth. Amelia was a little disappointed to learn that there is a difference between a pilot and a pirate, but handled the news pretty well.

Amelia has also discovered how to use my camera, so I thought I'd include a few shots from my budding Ansel Adams...
Propably won't be back until March! We're leaving at an ungodly early hour tomorrow morning for a week in Pennsylvania with Mike's lovely family, then three weeks in tropical Bonaire with my mom teaching Amelia to scuba dive...or snorkel anyway- Mike and I will be diving! Now I have to get back to packing for my entire family for two completely different climates which equals a mountain of junk on my kitchen table. I'll be throwing in my old copy of Nine Stories, in memory of J.D. Salinger who's "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" blew my little mind in high school and inspired me to write and keep on writing. See you in March, my friends!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

nature walk

something about that end of the day light that makes every picture you take turn out fabulous...or it could simply be having such a glamorous subject.

My alter-ego: 'Sherpa-Mom' with dog leash hanging over my shoulder, M&Ms in my pocket to lure Amelia a little further, and Aven strapped in her pack...I won't even tell you how much planning and time it took to get us to this point...
It all makes me so glad that I'm still living in Montana, that I'm raising my kids here.

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