Raising Montana

It's a New Year!

2012-01-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am still wondering where time is going as the months are passing by way too quickly! The month of December was filled with anticipation as Harrison counted down each day until Santa's arrival and with that, the possibility of having his very own snowboard?! He was very happy when he woke Christmas morning and found his good behavior had not gone unnoticed. The only problem was that he still was nursing a sprained MCL in his left knee (caused by a skiing accident at the very beginning of his break)...by the end of the 14 days off from school, he was able to get out and begin the new learning process of snowboarding, so far he is loving it! We are definitely starting over, beginning on Snowflake and no longer able to go all over the mountain with his Papa...he is taking it well and wants to have it "down" before venturing out onto the wide-open slopes.

Christmas Eve - wii game, Big Buck

Sweet treats for the big guy & his faithful companions!

Christmas Morning

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First day on the new board!

Snowflake - Bridger Bowl

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Upon returning to school, Harrison made a book about his most recent lesson...very proud moment!

Holiday Spirit

2011-12-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

It is finally starting to feel (somewhat) like Winter up here in MT, with a little snowfall last night and the cold temps we know sooner or later the big flakes are sure to start falling more consistently. Today we decided to go on our annual Christmas Tree hunt and went into Paradise Valley for some different scenery. It was a gorgeous day and we found a little gem in the middle of the forest.

Pat claiming our prize

I-Spy

The best one yet!

Love. Him.

2011-11-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Standing with the guns, so excited to go shoot targets!

This past month has cruised by and the date of baby #2 and having a 5 yr. old is quickly approaching. I am really trying to make these last 3 months all about Harrison (like it has ever been any other way) and to make it known just how much he is loved and cherished. He has become so excited about helping take care of his little sister once she arrives; hopefully they both are prepared for what is to come!

Trick-or-Treat

2011-10-31T21:19:00.000-06:00

Harrison patiently awaited the arrival of Halloween this year...he enjoyed trick-or-treating and mentioned a few times about what a lucky boy he was to be able to get so much chocolate candy.

This year Harrison was his beloved Wolverine.

Wolverine & the Mad-Scientist

It's a GIRL!

2011-10-18T18:14:00.000-06:00

We found out today that we are having a little girl! Honestly, I was in complete shock for about 20 min. as I had always envisioned myself as being a mother to boys. Harrison did not take the news as well as we would have hoped and after a few tears were shed, he has become to enjoy the thoughts of being her protector and fending off the boys (he can use those muscles he has been working so hard to build)...he also likes the idea that he and his papa will be in the only "boys" in their club.

Raptor Festival and First Snow...

2011-10-08T21:50:00.001-06:00

We were at Bridger Bowl today, taking in a beautiful fall day and supporting the Raptor Festival aka a reason to go to Bridger Bowl, drink beers, listen to music, let the kids run and take our season pass photos. It is raptor migration season, so we will keep our eyes peeled on the skies looking for all the wild birds traveling through the the Bridger Range. Harrison and I are getting excited about another season of skiing. Harrison has been talking about how to catch one of the elusive trolls that run around in his favorite ski run called Holy Gully. We will keep you posted.

As you can see, an awesome afternoon with a dust of snow in the hills.

H was stoked to get a face painting

A crew of rag tag kids playing.

Harrison's buddy Jake.

Kirsten with one of the new additions

And Patrick with the other new addition

A fantastic autumn day...

2011-09-25T20:42:00.001-06:00

Well, I can't imagine we will get many more of these days. Fall is here, but we were treated to 85+ degree weather for the weekend. So among other activities, a little paddle-boarding seemed like a good idea.

Randomness

2011-09-18T21:16:00.000-06:00

We are well into the new school year and thus far it has been a smooth transition. Harrison is doing well being back at school full-time and it is not until the end of the week are we hearing the "ughs" of having another day to go. The weekends are filled with playing outdoors doing as much as we can while the weather is still nice...this morning the mountains to the South of us had their tops freshly dusted with snow - which had a certain little boy very giddy with anticipation of another winter on top of Bridger Bowl, riding Holy Gully & looking for "trolls' with his Papa...(he truly takes after his father!)

The first set of photos were taken on our friends, Kate & Scott's farm in Lewistown, MT. We went for the long Labor day weekend and had such a great time.

This is Tumble Weed, he was such a sweet, old horse!

Eliza loving her horses!

This is Banjo, these two were more like dogs than horses...

Harrison had to bring his bb gun & targets, especially since we were going
to be in the middle of MT.

This little guy really is a good shot...hits a bulls-eye at lease 2:15 shots, not
too bad for a 4.5 yr. old.

Getting the aiming down - he does not want to be left behind next
year during hunting season!

Building a rock dam at the river

Pat learning to fly fish...

Our after-school ritual, hitting the track & jumps.

The last three shots were taken during Nick & Brittney's trip out to MT...
We are out at the Adam's playing in the creek.

Dog Days of Summer

2011-08-22T20:42:00.000-06:00

I love that Harrison is passionate about his biking, the temperature outside is not a deterrent for staying indoors vs going out and riding to the climbing rock or heading over to his favorite BMX track...here are a few pics from a summer morning of hitting the dirt.

Hoffman-Welu Visit

2011-08-09T20:39:00.000-06:00

Patrick's family (Greg, MJ, Mendie, Jordan, Wyatt & Sylvie) all arrived to Montana on Thursday to attend his Artist Reception at the Missoula Art Museum. It was a great night filled with lots of laughter, spirits & food. We were lucky enough to have the Welu clan for 4 days & the Hoffman's for 6...the days were full of play and nights of leisure.

They had worn each other out after a few hours of arrival...but sleep still did not come.

An evening of music under the Big Sky (that is until the rain came...and never left)

We all enjoyed a swim before the art opening...

The Missoula Art Museum

On Monday we went to Fairy Lake in the Bridger Mountain Range...no fish were caught.

Summer Time

2011-07-26T11:22:00.000-06:00

I apologize for the month long hiatus from the blog...just haven't found the time to sit down, go through pictures, etc...to get a new post up. We have been having a great vacation that has involved lots of trips across the states. Shortly after school let out Harrison and I kicked-off the summer with a trip to Wyo to see my parents and enjoy a little camping and a trip through SD to take him to Flintstone Village, Bear Country and Reptile Gardens. Harrison had a blast traveling through the Black Hills.

After arriving home for a few days, we packed back up and headed East to Iowa for a 12 day stint through the plains. While back home Harrison was able to play with his cousins (which he loved having a constant play companion), we celebrated Bumper turning 90 this August, took a personal tour w/Hoppi through the Jolly Time Popcorn Plant and enjoyed a few days of swimming at the pool. We were even able to squeeze in a quick trip to Brookings, SD to visit TiTi & JoJo and then ended with a couple days of camping with MiMi & BaBa.

We will begin with the last vacation...enjoy the many pics to follow!

Catching frogs on the ranch

4 generations of Hoffman's

Harrison with his Great Babi & Bumper

Enjoy a little Paddle Boat ride

Hoppi being goofy at the Clearwater, NE park

Dog-pile on Hoppi

grrr...

Sylvie not digging the fireworks.

"I love you, cousin!"

Break....Brookings, SD

We spent on afternoon at the Children's Museum in Brookings...amazing!

Break...Wyo/SD trip

As many of you know, Harrison loves the idea of hunting and shooting guns. While in WY we went out to close family friends where he was able to shoot his first .22 rifle & pistol...we have a true WY/MT boy on our hands!

We made a stop at Devil's Tower, too!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2011-06-16T07:27:00.000-06:00

Harrison is passionate about most activities, especially when those activities are ones that Pat enjoys, too. We recently bought H his very own climbing, body-harness. He had been patiently awaiting this purchase, so when we saw that we would have a few days where the clouds were to break in the morning (as MT has turned into the Pacific Northwest) his wish came true. Here are some photos from our quick outing to a local boulder to get some practice time in. Climb-on!

Wait, I need some chalk...

Made it, all by myself!

A little of this, a little of that

2011-06-05T20:37:00.001-06:00

Harrison is really in need of a break from school...he is anxiously awaiting the days of leisure where nothing is on the agenda but camping, traveling, playing and friends. We have not been talking up summer vacation this year as he will have to go when we are in town, but honestly, it will be good for him to have a schedule 3 days-a-week...

I always think of Harrison as being a big kid, until he stands next to a tall 5 yr-old buddy...

When I arrived to pick Harrison up on Friday, he was sitting at the table looking incredibly sad and in pain. While out playing in the sandbox, he pulled his hoodie up onto his head and dumped sand into his eye, at which point he proceeded to cheese-grate it on his eyeball. It was obvious that he had not been able to stop touching or rubbing it so by the time we arrived home his eye was very swollen. Thankfully, our neighbor is an eye doctor and after some drops, polysporin and a patch, Harrison was content and within 24 hours he was 100%!

Arrgh. Popcorn for dinner? Sure.

This weekend was gorgeous (finally) and we were able to get away to Revenue Flats where Pat was able to do some climbing...at which point Harrison insisted that it was time for us to get him the body harness we have been promising.

Yahtzee!

Wiped-out!

T-Ball

2011-05-17T20:18:00.001-06:00

This is Harrison's first season of playing T-Ball, so far we have had 2 practices and last night was the first game. He is having a blast being on the team and loves coming home from school and having to go to "practice." It is comical to watch a group of 4-5 year-olds run around trying to figure out what to do!

Ah, missed it...

Yay, Team!

Prepping for Summer

2011-05-08T20:00:00.000-06:00

We are anxiously awaiting for Summer-like weather to reach MT. We have snow in the forecast for this week but are hopeful that it will turn to rain and eventually we will have blue skies and sun! Until then, we will continue to prepare for those sunny days - Harrison decided to join Pat today and shaved his head with the newly purchased hair clippers...I am always a little disappointed as I love his locks and hope that one day he will let them get a little longer than the Winter-shagginess.

A Science Experiment

2011-05-03T22:33:00.001-06:00

Close to two months ago Harrison began learning about Volcano's and from that point on the questions have not stopped. So, naturally as an educator (of Science) I began talking about the differences in volcanoes...Strato vs. Shield, land vs. water and as an extension we conducted our first Science project: the homemade Volcano! Harrison was so happy when this day finally arrived...Saturday was construction day, then the waiting game began - 3 long agonizing days passed, where each morning he would poke at the dough and exclaim "darn it! still not dry." This afternoon upon arrival to home, it was finally dry...

The dough...look closely, there is red glitter in there!

Who knew that a bottle would work as a Magma Chamber!?

Let the waiting begin...

Step one: pour in the baking soda

Step two: add the vinegar

Wait for it...

Our project was a huge success, not only was a box of baking soda and bottle of vinegar disposed of, but it continued with more questions, what made the bubbles?? I loved explaining about the chemical reaction that was taking place and how the bubbles were a"gas" being released during the reaction...we are patiently waiting for the volcano to re dry so we can do it again!

HopHop

2011-04-24T19:52:00.000-06:00

Up here in MT we are still in Winter mode, with little (wonderful) glimpses of Spring to keep us going and to not completely go crazy by cloud-covered skies. It has been wonderful to breakout the bikes and running shoes sans winter-running gear. Even with last weeks fresh snow still holding on we enjoyed our weekend by spending the majority of it outside...playing!

Soaking up the sun

On our way to the barn to see the new kiddies

fresh from the mama

the Easter Bunny made an early appearance

"Better Than a Box of Butter"

2011-04-13T12:06:00.000-06:00

Recently (yesterday) Harrison came up with this new saying. He referred to many things last night as being "better than a box of butter," his snack, game and dinner. Along with this new saying, he created a new game to play while at school, "Young Justice." He plays the superhero role and his friend Natalie plays his mom...

an old photo of H playing Wii Boxing...I need to remember to bring out the camera.

Celebrating

2011-04-03T12:39:00.000-06:00

Harrison's birthday celebrations started on 3.26 with a bowling party. It was the first year he invited friends from school and he loved having his best buds celebrating the day with him. Grandma Jo made a special trip out to help bring in year #4...

There were 14 kids, ranging from 2 - 6.5 yrs. old...lets just say that their energy did not stop during the 2.5 hour party.

It's not a party until the Spiderman pinata is hanging from a tree. All the kids were great about taking turns and Harrison was psyched that HE was able to break Spiderman open.

The birthday treats - Chocolate w/ Chocolate Ganache frosting & Yellow Cake w/ Cloudbursts frosting...Harrison was so amped up on life, that he passed on delicious cupcakes...until the next AM they were devoured for breakfast.

The mama's with their boys!

The next morning, H took to building the best Tech-Deck skate park...EVER!

On Monday, Grandma Jo and guys went to Bridger Bowl, it happened to snow 13" that night, so the guys had a great powder day. Harrison loved showing GJ his mad skills and drinking hot chocolate in the lodge with her.

GJ left on Wednesday and in came the other set of grands to continue the party...

Can you tell he is happy to officially be 4?!

It is safe to assume that this boy was thoroughly spoiled this birthday!

Harrison has been talking since last summer how he is ready to compete in this years BMX season, so our dear friends the Lowham's, graciously gave us yet another bike. Pat did a little paint touch-up, some new bike parts and H has a new bike. He was thrilled and cannot wait to move on from his current bike which is way too small. It is still a little big, but he has to be on 20" wheels to race. We are hoping for a little 1/2" growth spurt before June...keep your fingers-crossed.

One of the 5 superhero action figures that were gifted...this one is Robin!

It's offical, HGH is 4!

2011-03-30T20:36:00.001-06:00

Harrison has been anticipating turning 4 since the beginning of February...thankfully, today was the day! And it began at 4:30AM (just like old times) shortly after he woke-up needing to go potty, it did not take long for him to realize that it was indeed a new day - which meant it was his birthday! I took the day off from work to do whatever he wanted...he chose to "lounge" pretty much all morning, watching cartoons he is never able to watch during the week.

We feel blessed to have this wonderful, loving, strong-willed boy in our lives. We know there is a great man inside of him and are enjoying every moment we have to watch him grow.

**More to come on the celebrations!

HGH

2011-03-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Harrison has taken on the role of preschooler with gusto...

He writes his name and traces the names of friends

He can count to 20 and write numbers 1-10

He is learning the beginnings of adding-on (addition)

H is currently learning about the rain forest

He enjoys being read his first chapter book, The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Still does not sleep through the night, but swears after he turns 4 he will start!...I wrote this post this past weekend, but our card reader would not work...last night, this soon to be 4-year-old put himself to sleep and slept through the night!!

2011-02-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Our weekdays are consumed with school, so we make the most out of our weekends by play days, skiing and sledding...a few pics from this weekend.

The Map

2011-02-12T08:14:00.003-07:00

I have been feeling the guilt (again) of having my son be in school 42 hours a week (ouch). It would be a perfect world if I was able to spend my days with him...but when I hear of what he is doing/working on while away from us, I know he is in good hands. He enjoys learning and is excited to report on all the 'bigger' lessons he is learning. He has his Continents song memorized and recently brought home the Map (of the World) he worked a week on to complete. The construction of the Map is done with puzzle pieces. First, he had to trace the World and then correctly place the continents to trace. Next, came the coloring and eventually, he will be doing his own labels. His coloring skills are impressive and he works diligently to not have any white-space left. Please note: he was not able to write the labels on the map, but did sign his name.

To Pieces

2011-01-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

I love this little guy to pieces...

Beautiful,

Beautiful, Beautiful,

Beautiful Boy.

...Growing...

2011-01-10T20:28:00.001-07:00

He has gone from an infant to a boy way too fast. I would prefer that he was not at the age of making the connections of mortality to the ones he cherishes most dear, but it seems with the passing of our beloved pooches, Harrison now has this capability. Tonight, it was with the thought of his Papa being hurt in a motorcycle accident and it broke his heart...good thing we do not own one of these. I prefer he stick to his games of make believe, where fighting crime and freezing the villains is the only thing you have planned for the day.

Seeing through the eyes of a child!

2010-12-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Harrison awoke at 4:45AM and it did not take him long to remember that it was Christmas morning...the anticipation of what Santa had brought him overtook his ability to fall back to sleep. So, we all followed the little man downstairs. To Harrison surprise Santa delivered exactly what he had asked for - the Bat Cave!


"I have been such a good boy, Santa knows I am big enough for this now!"


We (Pat & Harrison) have spent loads of time at World Boards (a skate & ski shop) where H loved practicing on their Vew-Do boards. He was ecstatic when he opened this gift. He practices day & night!


H was also gifted his very first Fedora..."look, it's just like my cousin Gage's, I am so lucky!"

We hope everyone is feeling as blessed as we are this holiday season!

{Merry Christmas}

2010-12-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

With staying in MT for this holiday season we started a few family traditions...for Christmas Eve we skied at Bridger Bowl, it was a beautiful blue-bird day! (Harrison was also anxious to show off his skillz to Baba & Mimi)

This is a great shot of H practicing his mad skillz of jumping!

Joys of the Holidays

2010-12-12T17:05:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was Bozeman's annual Christmas Stroll...Santa is pulled through town on a horse-drawn sleigh (hay-baled trailer), points his "magic" wand under the lights, shoots out confetti and wah-la, the lights turn on. The rest of the evening is used for strolling and eating local goods...or for us Hoffman's we head to the local restaurant for food & drinks. All we know is that it is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit!

We spent Sunday afternoon in search of our perfect Christmas Tree...

We were successful and brought home the best one to date.

The day ended with sledding and hot chocolate in the mountains!

R.I.P. Coda

2010-12-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to have close to 15 years with this sweet little girl.

She provided unconditional companionship and love...yesterday, she went to meet back up with Moksha.

Our house is quiet and missing the sounds of our favorite 4-legged friends.

Reindeer Art

2010-12-01T20:19:00.001-07:00

With the Christmas season upon us, Harrison has taken to all things Santa...this is the most recent piece of art being displayed at the Hoffman house!

Harrison produced this piece all by himself, while out at Jake's - sitting at his art table!

Buddies

2010-11-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

This was our first Thanksgiving at home in MT and I have to admit, it was so nice not having to travel in some horrible storm! We were able to stay at home and enjoy our time off. We did miss not having our families to spend time with, but nonetheless had an incredible dinner with great friends. We enjoyed lots of playing in the snow and showing our dear friends Charity & Matt (who did brave the nasty roads from CO) a great time. I am ashamed to admit, that these are the only photos I took of the holiday...bad.

Harrison & Graiden making the first trek up


Harrison's 2nd run, 1st major wreck...after this shot he went into a headstand, followed by a neck/back bend. OUCH!

Charity, working it!

Winter has Arrived

2010-11-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Even on the coldest of days (high temp of -0 with windchill,) Harrison is not deterred from a little wind or blowing snow...it was a great day for building a snow-hill with buddy Kaleb.

Here and Now

2010-11-13T20:37:00.001-07:00

I am finding it hard to realize that Harrison's 4th birthday is looming just-around-the-corner...seems like yesterday he was just learning how to walk and now he's a preschooler and loving (o.k. this may be an exaggeration, maybe enjoying is a better word)it. We no longer have protests, just questions about how many days until the weekend, where his days are full of playing superhero, rescuing others from bad guys, wrestling with his buddies. His parent-teacher conference was a few weeks ago and as teachers we loved to hear how our child is learning about the world -- starting with North and South America; recognizing quantities and matching with the #; singing so many songs - tonight we learned a new one about the skeleton and having 206 bones in our bodies...I am sure that as the years continue to pass by, he will continue to amaze us with all he does. He is such a sweet boy.

Here are a couple of photos that were snapped today while out at friends playing in the snow, as Pat worked on a 36 hr. wood firing. Harrison is so HAPPY that the snow is falling in MT.

The snow was too sticky for sledding...so Harrison opted for rolling down the hillside. He had to wear his helmet b/c he was on a "mountain" and the goggles protected his eyes from getting poked-out (something he worries about, constantly!)

Moon thinking that his assistance is needed.

Halloween! (A four-day review)

2010-10-31T21:27:00.000-06:00

This Halloween marked the year that Harrison "got" it. The celebrating began on Thursday with the party for his school. It was such a great time and Harrison loved running wild with his friends. On Friday, it was the crazy trick-or-treating downtown (thankfully, we only had to do this for 30 min).

Tonight, was a great end to Halloween...we went to the historic neighborhood that goes all-out, Harrison loved the decorations and was ~~spooked~~ startled a few times by a number of different (adult) witches. The flying demon did even get a rise out of him.

Highland Party...

An Autumn to Remember.

2010-10-24T21:21:00.000-06:00

Yellowstone River October 2010

We had a fantastic weekend of camping, and just in the knick of time. As I am typing this it is raining, with snow in the forecast. One last weekend outing before the weather changes. This has been the best Fall I can remember in Bozeman, absolutely beautiful. Paradise Valley was so many warm shades of red to yellow, along the Yellowstone. We started the weekend camping with friends, as you can see above Harrison is playing with his buddy Carl, eating smores and tending fire with Craig. Biking, playing guns, helping with the wood pile etc, etc.... He had a blast.

Below is our next evening on the Madison River with a few other Volkswagen van enthusiasts. A gathering of local strangers with a common hobby developed into friendship, climbing buddies, and in Harrison's case another little guy to hang out with and play. Lots of fun. I hope this has started a new tradition.

A 'where's waldo' photo, can you find us???

Another Day...

2010-10-11T21:17:00.000-06:00

We made our weekly trip to the climbing rock...above H is contemplating what to do with himself, in a very goofy manner?!

The safest place to be...in Papa's hands.

Sorry Peeps...

2010-10-11T09:50:00.000-06:00

I wanted to let everybody know that I have been trying to create a post (honestly), but blogger is being crazy and not allowing any pics or videos...and we have one of those!! Stay tuned and as soon as the glitch is worked out, the post will be up. xoxo

R.I.P. Moksha

2010-09-29T22:06:00.000-06:00

We had a tragic end to our day...our beloved Moksha was put-to-rest. We were lucky enough to have 12 incredible years with this pup. He loved chasing anything and everything, camping, eating, hiking, and his greatest accomplishment was becoming a "Fireman's Dog" in the past year.

Quick Trip

2010-09-20T21:10:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we made a quick-trip to WYO...Pat was going to Laramie for the Cowboy game, so Harrison and I decided to hitch a ride to G-Town. We spent the weekend hanging out with Mimi & Baba, where we did nothing, but play.

Harrison loves driving his Razor...this trip marked his being able to drive it all by himself! He was able to steer (his hands only on the wheel) why we drove through the pastures. He was quite proud.

The following are a couple of pics taken by the little man...

As I have stated previously, H has fallen for the beloved superhero, The Incredible Hulk. I found a costume and bought it as this is the ONLY thing he wants to be for Halloween...

Our Fall days are numbered up here in MT, so the boys hit the BMX track after school today, it was the perfect end to a Monday.

Whoa.

2010-09-14T20:46:00.000-06:00

Whoa...this is how I am still feeling going into our 3rd week of school...definitely time for life to s-l-o-w down! We are kinda/sorta getting settled into our new, daily routines. Having a summer break frazzled Harrison on the whole school thing. Our mornings continue to be a tad on the sad side by saving some sniffles for when we pull into the parking lot of the school,but once I am out the door he calms down in a matter of seconds. He loves the social scene and all the lessons...once at home, he sings his songs, shows off his latest masterpiece, talks of his friends...it gives me peace knowing he is learning so much while we are away from him. I am hopeful that by the end of the month he will be "o.k." with having to go to school?!

I did not think it would be possible for Harrison to love bikes more than he did, but last month we were given a Trail-a-Bike from our great friends the Lowhams! We have been using it since returning from CO and H loves this new freedom...this weekend we rode 8 miles and he did not complain, once.

some pics from tonight's ride...before riding in wind and rain for 2 miles.

The love of climbing is quickly grabbing hold of H! I see a pattern, do you?

They have been climbing here for a few months...Harrison is asking if I am getting nervous watching him...

H's favorite, jumping down!

Cold and wet, but still no complaining...he is tough [like the Incredible Hulk]!

Preschool

2010-09-02T21:15:00.001-06:00

I am not sure how or when it happened but with a BLINK of an eye our baby turned into a BIG boy. Harrison started Montessori Preschool on Wednesday and so far, so good! He loves going to a new school, with old friends...today he brought home his first paper of tracing his name! Not only is he learning new things, but so is Mama, my first lesson was less is more (in the food option area of lunch, thanks Marli!) Our mornings have been fantastic (fingers-crossed that admitting to that does not start a down-ward spiral) and the little man has been sleeping by himself for the past 10 days! A Major milestone in our house. My father came to town for the 3rd annual 10 day stay while Harrison's school(s) took their annual break...THANK YOU, Baba - we LOVE you!

Harrison being silly the night before his first day of school...

Baba, from Harrison's perspective


...and Mama

Hot-Wheels!

2010-08-24T22:02:00.000-06:00

When Harrison was 6 weeks old, we were thrown a shower in Gillette and at that shower close family friends (Deb & Barry) gave Harrison a Trek Big Wheel. At the time I never thought he would be able to ride it, but this past weekend he jumped on and has since found the love and thrill of spinning cookies and jumping over curbs. Harrison has his fathers passion for all things wheeled.

Notice the snarl on his face....this boy means business when he is perfecting tricks!

(**one good thing about still being in our condo is that there is plenty of pavement for spinning cookies!)

We're Back...

2010-08-19T16:43:00.000-06:00

So, I had to take a little hiatus from blogging...we went on a wonderful (and long) 2 week vacation. During this time we saw dear friends, met new babies, had a family reunion and ended it with the beautiful wedding of Laci & Zack. We are now busily preparing for the start of a new school year (this coming Monday) and for Harrison to start full-time Montessori Pre-School - the little guy could not be any prouder of himself. A milestone that involves doing something BIG is exactly what he craves. Speaking of milestones, Harrison can now ride the entire BMX track all by himself (with us watching him from the starting gates) and is riding a Trial-a-Bike (thanks Loham's!).

Our trip began in Lander, WY...

Archer was so good to Harrison - allowing him to tag-along every.where.he. went!

My close friend, Joy...Sebastian was born 6 weeks premie, but is bigger than H at the age of 3 mths...he is so cute!

Harrison keeping Sebastian entertained.

From Lander, we took the highways into Laramie and made a stop on top of the Snowy Mountain Range. While at UW we spent a lot of time in these beautiful mountains!

Next, we headed to the Welu's in CO...after some down-time with them we all went to Estes Park for a Hedley family reunion!

Harrison being the most uncooperative little boy!

(I was so embarrassed.)

Our trip ended in Denver with the festivities of sister-time & a marriage!

And...Summer Can Now Begin!

2010-07-29T22:45:00.000-06:00

Pat has been home for 2 weeks and we have been playing and enjoying our last few weeks of break, together. We spent 5 days in the Southwestern part of the state, in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest at Cliff & Wade Lakes. This area of MT is breathtaking, the biking, running and hiking are great as are long days on the rocky beaches. Our lives were peaceful and easy-going...exactly what was needed. Next, we are off on a 2 week vaca to CO where we will see oodles of family and simply cannot wait!!

**As the pictures show, some of us slept better than others...whoa, I am looking old.

...Harrison...

2010-07-14T19:33:00.001-06:00

This little guy has continued to grow much too fast for my liking. He is beginning to choose who he becomes and I like what I am seeing so far (I might be bias). Harrison loves being goofy, dancing, playing superhero, guns!, hunting monsters, and riding Shooty his trusty stick horse who also happens to possess the power of acting as a laser gun & a rifle...

This is Shooty...(picture was taken at his 2nd birthday)

Harrison has been obsessed with his latest Netflix arrival, Curious George and the Robot...so after putting the video into the mail, he wanted to make a recycled robot like the kids did in the movie...and that is what we did.

Laying out the loot and making a plan

The plastic bottle is the brain.

ROBOT!

The first s'more from the oven...I should have kept this a secret.

I Do, Forever!

2010-07-13T15:24:00.002-06:00

Today marks our 8th year anniversary...yesterday I reminisced about the days leading up to our wedding day. I remembered all the work that went into decorating the lodge, the fun that was had at the rehearsal and the partying at Laramie Jubilee Days and of course our ceremony on the top of a mountain. I would love to go back and relive this day; it was all so perfect. I found the poem that was read during our ceremony, by our dear friend, Joy...the words still hold true today and always....

Married Love

You and I
Have so much love,
That it burns like a fire,
In which we bake a lump of clay
Molded into a figure of you
And a figure of me.
Then we take both of them.
And break them into pieces,
And mix the pieces with water,
And mold again a figure of you
And a figure of me.
I am in your clay.
You are in my clay.
In life we share a single quilt,
In death we will share one coffin.

~ kuan tao-sheng (1263-1319)

**pictures to follow...

4th of July, Under the Big Sky!

2010-07-06T10:22:00.000-06:00

For the holiday weekend, Pat came home and we celebrated with a Rodeo & fireworks on Saturday night. On Sunday, we headed to Big Sky for a hiking, music, fireworks and camping. It was such a great weekend and really hard to say goodbye to Pat as he headed back to Missoula to finish the last few weeks of grad school.

Moksha - 13 yrs

Coda 14.5 yrs

Harrison playing by the river on our hike on the North Fork

Great photo of Harrison, not so much of me...maybe if my eyes were open:)

Missoula, MT

2010-06-27T21:41:00.002-06:00

Harrison and I spent this past week in Missoula with Pat and were lucky to have a few good friends in town from IA & NE as well...it was a great 7 days, where very few baths were taken, (only 2! by Harrison... he did go to the water park, daily - that counts, right?) camping, hiking, biking, playing, not a whole lotta sleeping & a wedding.

At the beginning of the week we went for a hike to Morrell Falls (which went from us thinking it was a 2 mile hike to 5 miles which wasn't so bad, except I forgot H's backpack, so I carried him on my shoulders for 4 miles!) That night we camped at Rainy Lake in the Lolo National Forest. Harrison was in heaven...the only thing missing was Pat, who had to stay behind for school. boo.

On Saturday, we went to the wedding of Nicole & Jason...the celebration was at her uncles ranch outside of Missoula. It was the most amazing piece of property, very surreal...Harrison loved the sandbox area: large swing set, ground trampoling,

Camping at Keyhole

2010-06-16T20:59:00.006-06:00

The beginning of this week started Pat's last stint in Missoula (and for the next 6 weeks it will be Harrison & me), so we took this opportunity to come to Gillette and go camping at Keyhole Reservior. We spent 2 nights on the lake "camping" (can you call it camping when you are in the comforts of a 5th wheel?) and fishing. Harrison had a blast and so did Baba & Mimi...he LOVED being the one who brought Baba the worms & leeches - he was perfectly content letting them "hang" from his fingers and watching them squirm around (unfortunately, I did not capture this on camera) -he also enjoyed hitting the Walleyes between the eyes with a mallet before they were turned into filets.

We will spend the rest of the week here with LuLu and the boys and then back to MT to visit papa.

Checking out the spikes on the fin of a Drum Bass...

Harrison was so proud of his catch!

This is what you get when you forget your hat in MT...

2010-06-10T14:02:00.002-06:00

Today, was Harrison's last day at Little Tree...they made the sweetest book for him, showing just how much he has grown over the past 2 years. He is so excited about going to preschool, but first, we will enjoy our summer break!

In celebration, he asked for his face to be painted like a kitty - of course, honey!

Thank You, Thank You!

2010-05-31T18:52:00.004-06:00

**WARNING** Long Post!

Last week my fabulous In-Laws (I am not just saying that, they truly are fabulous) came up to MT for a 4 day visit. The days go by way too fast, but the time together is always fun and Harrison was soo happy that Grandma Jo & Hoppi came to see him...at the end of the visit, Pat & I went to Missoula to see one of our all time favorite bands, WEEN. It was such a great show! They rawked so hard and we forgot earplugs (because we are that old) that today, I still have ringing in my ears (not good.) Harrison did an AMAZING job at being so brave & wanting to be such a big boy, that he put himself down for a nap, after announcing he needed to take a little rest before he & Hoppi went to see Shrek IV and he put himself to bed at the end of the day!! This has never, ever happened in the past 3 years! Although, he still did not sleep through the night, but was good about having Hoppi come in with him & he slept in with both of them until 9AM!

Grandma Jo & Bug...sitting in his new chair

Harrison took H & J to the Museum of the Rockies & showed them all his favorite spots.

Cutest picture! Monkey See, Monkey Do.

We also had to visit our favorite hot springs, Norris...we were lucky enough to have the pool to ourselves for the first hour! Loved it.

Pat's studio partner from UW, Nikki, came through and had breakfast with us on Sunday...in her entourage back to OR she had her 1.5 yr old son Bridger, 2 dogs & 2 bummed goats...Harrison loved feeding them their bottles.

H was also gifted his own personal TeePee...he loves this thing!

Thanks for making the trip Grandma Jo & Hoppi, we love you!

The Madison River

2010-05-23T21:22:00.003-06:00

Last weekend brought with it beautiful sunny days (unlike this weekend with rain & snow). We spent Saturday along the Madison River where we fished, sunned & had a picnic. Harrison was given a new fishing pole from Dean (a close friend visiting) and put it to good use...

Harrison's one & only catch for the day, a craw-fish...that was dead. He loved checking it out.

Lollipops + Pistols = Virgina City, MT

2010-05-15T21:36:00.008-06:00

Today was spent in Virgina City, MT where we stumbled upon Cousins Candy Shop. Harrison was in heaven, he really didn't know what to do with himself...he had his heart set on a hard-candy, twirled lollipop (the same one Scooby Doo ate in one of his cartoons.) So this is what he left with, there were a good few hundred choices, but he only wanted the one thing.

Nothing like a lollipop that is as big as your head.

A 1940ish fire truck, now used for bus tours

The purpose for this trip was for Pat to be part of a photo shoot for great store downtown, Head West. It was a great day and after Harrison adapted to only being able to watch & not be part of the photos, it was much more pleasant. And the pistol he staked claim on early in the morning entertained him for the day.

What to do when it SnOwS in MAY...

2010-05-06T20:51:00.003-06:00

It all started with a fort being built on his bed, then setting up the 2-man tent, downstairs in the living room. After 3 days of it overtaking the floor space, it came down. Which then led to the 1-man tent going up in the guest room...again, Harrison is quite pleased with himself.

Snow & a Birthday Party

2010-05-02T13:34:00.002-06:00

The last four days have brought Spring snow showers that continue the streak of winter here in MT. As the rest of the country is having 70+ temps we are still in the 30's...and it looks like it will continue through the coming week. We spent yesterday celebrating Jake's 4th birthday, along with a yummy lunch and cake, Jake had a firetruck at his party. The boys were thrilled with sounding the alarm, honking the horn & turning on lights...

Dean (Jake's papa) is a volunteer fire fighter for Bridger Canyon...thanks Dean!

This & That

2010-04-28T20:28:00.006-06:00

Last weekend was spent in Gillette, it was a short & sweet trip and unfortunately not many pictures were taken.

Celebrating with family....

My father & his siblings: Marcia, Dad, O.W. JoPo & Lu

Pat unloading the wood kiln out at the Adams', lots of gorgeous pieces came out of here!

The next series of pictures are of Harrison & his best buddy, Jake. These two have such an imagination & love to roam the "land," exploring...for pirates (good & bad), monsters, dragons...A good 40 min. were spent jumping, sitting, splashing in this puddle. Notice the bikes lying close by, minutes prior they were "jumping" the river.

2010-04-19T21:56:00.003-06:00

These shots were taken last night before bed. Pat & Harrison worked hard to get it put back together before bedtime, so H was only allowed to take it for a quick test drive. Today, after school, they spent over an hour at the park and by the time they arrived home Harrison was pedaling by himself. Of course, he is fresh out and still not keeping his eyes up and is all over the place, but he is on his own bike! He is so very proud of this accomplishment. I think it is time for the trail-a-bike!

April, the Longest Month of the Year

2010-04-18T08:18:00.003-06:00

Here in Montana, April seems to never end...this month brings many Spring snow storms, gray days and not much warmth or sunshine (and the breaks from school a far & few). We have had a few nice, warm days and with these we race outside and spend them at the BMX track, skateboarding, throwing a football, riding scooters...basically, whatever Harrison wants to do, we do. Here are a few photos from a trip to the park, yesterday.

We found this bike last summer in a garbage in IA. Pat & his passion for bikes, has created the same fascination in our son, so soon you will see this new pedal bike completely transformed...stay tuned.

Harrison found his kite (buried in the closet when he was in there with his flashlight "looking for stuff.") So, we took it out found a pocket of wind and here you go...

During the gray, cold days both Pat & Harrison can be found in the "studio" working with mud (aka clay). Harrison loves "working hard" with his Papa.

**Beaka Update**
As many know, Harrison has never been a boy who needs a lot of sleep to survive. And with taking away his only (!) soother, it has induced even less sleep in our house. I feel awful for doing this to him and think if I had to do it over again that I would let him forever have the damn thing. The tantrums and overall anger of no longer having it has subsided, but having to fall asleep without it is still tough...so hopefully as the weeks progress (ugh) it will continue to get better.

The Beaka Fairy Visits

2010-04-10T20:54:00.005-06:00

Harrison is about to go through a major milestone with us taking away his "beaka," aka pacifier. He knows that tonight the fairy will be coming and in the morning his beloved beaka will be gone and replaced with a small present...Fire, his new bugged-eye fish! I hope this transition is fast and painless, but for some reason I am thinking it is going to be the complete opposite as this has been the only soother that has worked for our non-self soothing child. Wish us luck!

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T17:39:00.004-06:00

We had Harrison's best buddy over for a round of dying Easter eggs...it was messy, but fun. The boys enjoyed using the cool "monster" face & Cars stickers to decorate the finished eggs.

Harrison with his monster eggs

Who can resist chocolate for an early morning "snack?!"

Our budding photographer, he captured everyone at the brunch

Good friends + great food = perfect morning.

Growing Up!

2010-04-03T15:30:00.004-06:00

Somebody was thrilled about turning 3!

Along with this big accomplishment, came a .22 Rifle - with scope. I've suspected this for a while and now have confirmation, that my son will grow-up being a hunter...but until that day comes he is learning the importance of safety and playing with a rifle respectfully (only pointing at a target, no shooting people or pets...) I am nervous to see what my father buys him for his 10th birthday:)

Another great present - Harrison's first mitt & glove! He is so excited for it to finally be NICE outside... be ready for playing catch, Grandma Jo!

HGH turns 3!

2010-03-31T07:04:00.007-06:00

It seems as though Harrison has always been part of our lives, it is hard to remember the days that are long-gone since his arrival. With him, brought the greatest accomplishment we have yet to achieve in our lifetime.

'Everything has changed, really. I have observed the transition of friends and family, but I could not understand the full scope until now. My focus hasn't switched so much as simply just grown. Harrison is now the king of the house, funny considering that was supposed to be my title. I will regain my crown someday.'
(Pat's reflection on the first 24 hrs. of Harrison's life.)

Just a few of my most favorite photos of my boy...

The sad image of what Bug was like before we realized I was starving him:(

Pictures of last night's party to follow...

3rd Birthday Party

2010-03-27T21:22:00.005-06:00

In MT, we do not have too many options of places to have an end of the Winter birthday party...So, this year we went to the local pizzeria, where we dined on pies & cake. Harrison invited a few friends to join in the fun, we ended the afternoon with going to the movie, How to Train Your Dragon, which was a huge success!

Blowing out the candles. It was so sweet to hear Harrison sing Happy Birthday to himself:)

A few video games were played

Harrison LOVED that this place had GUNS that he could shoot animals with...I am a little worried about this passion.

Lemon-Raspberry Cake with Butter-Cream Frosting, the most fattening cake I have ever made! It was soo good.

No Longer a Baby

2010-03-22T22:03:00.002-06:00

When I stop to think about Harrison it is hard for me to remember his small 6.5 birth weight and the little bird he once was. He has become a leader in his short 3 years on this Earth. He enjoys being "big" and doing "big" things like shooting guns, hunting monsters, climbing mountains, racing bikes, continually perfecting the already perfect crash and at the end of the day, playing his guitar and singing Hey I Love You (by Michael Franti) and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I am proud to be his Mama and will continue to be delighted as I watch this small boy, grow into a beautiful man.

More Photos....

2010-03-18T08:42:00.005-06:00

While the Welu's were in town, we took a trip to one of our 'local' hot springs, Chico. It was a beautiful Spring Day and the kids had a blast.

Harrison turns everything he touches into a gun...here is the one he found along our walk.

A Visit with the Welu's

2010-03-16T21:30:00.004-06:00

We were lucky to have the Welu's with us for 3 full-days of glorious fun! Harrison has had such a good time with his cousins, Wyatt & Sylvie. The boys have played so well together. They both have gotten so big and are very willing to share their personalities with whomever will listen to the stories, songs, imaginations...etc... Harrison is going to miss them terribly.

funny guys...

A trip to the Museum of the Rockies...

Sweet Sylvie

I am still struggling with the fact that H will be turning 3 at the end of the month.

Spring Fever!

2010-03-07T18:26:00.005-07:00

We have had beautiful Spring days this week and definitely took advantage of the 50* days this weekend. Our days have been spent outside running, biking, hiking, playing at the park & in the sandbox. Today, we went for a nice long walk/ride along the Madison River.

The bike ride did not last long, as Harrison had fallen asleep on the way to the river and did not have the energy at the beginning.

Moksha enjoying the ice-cold water

Coda enjoyed the day by basking in the sun...she recently turned 14!

Jackson Hole, WY

2010-03-01T20:16:00.005-07:00

This past weekend, we took a day off from work and went to Jackson Hole, WY for a long weekend. We stayed with our good friends The Japels and as always, it was great to watch the kids play. I don't know why we have not been using our camera more often, but once again, we did not take nearly enough photos...only a few shots from our weekend.

Harrison found Olin's cross-country skiis in the garage and had to wear them while throwing sticks.

The only photos we got of our day on the mountain. Harrison loved skiing and spending the day outside, with friends.

Our afternoon was spent outside, playing on the boardwalk...

One of the only photos of the Japel kids...Eva on Aaron's shoulders laughing at Harrison.

Of course, we had to breakout the sled! No weekend is complete without a few rides down the snow.

This was a Shrine built for a member of the Ski Patrol who was killed by an avalanche, earlier this season.

Coming soon...

2010-02-22T08:39:00.003-07:00

My apologizes for the lack of new postings...we have done many fun adventures, but we have been slackers about bringing the camera. However, we have many fun videos that we will post asap (meaning, when Papa has time to edit, which hopefully will be no later than tomorrow). Until then, please enjoy some old, but good photos of our beautiful little boy!

Those eyes - irresistible

Coming home from the "Great One." Pat's 4th of July snowboarding run in the Bridgers

A day at the Fair

Playing at the Dino Park....yes, I am dreaming of Summer!

Loving the Weekends!

2010-02-09T16:51:00.005-07:00

We spent another weekend outside, sledding. I remember being little and spending most of my weekends doing the same thing...Harrison loves it just as much. This adventure was spent celebrating Sawyer's 3rd birthday...

The beautiful scenery!

Harrison mostly likes to ride solo...here is preparing for the first run.

Colter waiting for H's departure

By the third run down, Harrison had moved on to perfecting his crashes...this is how the last 40 min. were spent.

The Papa's taking a ride with the babes

The Mama's even got some sledding time

Saturday...

2010-01-30T20:28:00.007-07:00

Introductions

Today, marked a new era for Harrison - taking swim lessons by himself! We had been waiting for this moment for a while, so when the time came to get into the water, Harrison did a fantastic job. His group was made up of only 2 other boys, whom were close to 5, so H was a tad bit smaller. He did a wonderful job of following directions and practicing some new swim moves.

Harrison was very excited about wearing goggles

Practicing blowing bubbles

Front kicks with the dumbbells

The afternoon was spent a friends birthday party. Natalie and Harrison have been going to the same "school" since they were babies, they adore one another.

Being a show-off

One of the cutest pictures - Harrison & Riley playing hide-n-seek

"I Want to Wrestle!"

2010-01-26T19:53:00.003-07:00

Last week marked another virus infecting our little man. With a nasty fever of 101-104 for four days, we finally had it beaten by the end of the week. Unfortunately, it was a busy time at school for Pat & I (finals week), so we called in Baba for the quick rescue. It was great to have my dad here to take care of Harrison (and honestly, he jumped at the opportunity to spend a week a with his grandson.) Thanks, dad for taking such great care of our boy!

By the middle of the week, each night ended with a wrestling match on Baba's bed. Harrison loved practicing his moves and having the opportunity to punch Baba in the stomach...since his departure we have had to have a few "Harrison you can't always wrestle..." (thanks, dad).

Harrison practicing his "mean" face...grrrr!

"who you lookin' at?"

Arrgh

Ice Skating...

2010-01-18T18:48:00.003-07:00

Harrison had been asking for weeks when he was going to get "his ice skates" and learn to skate at the park. Yesterday, after listening to this question for a few hours, we decided it was time. After a quick trip to the store, he was ready to have his first lesson. Things went, o.k. I think he (Harrison) thought it was going to be a lot easier and more fun than it was for the first time.

Ski helmet-check; goggles-check; elbow pads-check; knee pads-check; skates-check!

Gymnastics!

2010-01-09T14:21:00.005-07:00

Harrison began his weekend, Winter classes at Lone Mountain Gymnastics. He really wanted to take swimming lessons, by himself, but we have to wait another month before he can swim without me...the gymnastics class did not disappoint. He loved completing each course and the new activities that were introduced. I am proud of what a great listener, polite and well-mannered little boy he has become.