What a Birthday Weekend!

We are catching our breath after a whirlwind birthday weekend with Nate's family here to help us celebrate the occasion. Here's a brief play by play of the major events; they were sandwiched between many wonderfully sweet moments of cousins playing together, great conversations, and shared meals.

THURSDAY: Nate's mom, sister Sarah, and her three kids Sam (8), Will (5) and Julia (1 1/2) arrive from New York...their luggage does not. After much waiting at the airport and then a quick trip to Bozeman to Target, they arrive out in Three Forks. The boys had never met Claire, and as she is their only cousin, were thrilled to greet her, hug her and play with her.

FRIDAY: (Claire's B-day) We beat the snow and managed to get a short hike in at nearby Headwaters State Park (the Headwaters of the Missouri River just down the road). After afternoon naps we opened presents. We all ate dinner together, and, the moment I was waiting for, Claire's first cake. (I was brave and attempted a three layer cake!) She dug into it very seriously, eating it with both hands, but nonchalantly like she gets it everyday!

SATURDAY: We decided to attend the annual Horse Roundup in Three Forks. A local ranch moves their herd of horses from winter to summer pasture and herd them right through "downtown" Three Forks. The town has made it into a bit of an event with barbecues, stage coach rides, etc. The horses were supposed to come through town sometime between 12-2 PM. They actually didn't make it until after 3 PM, so we had plenty of time to take in the sights...and were very ready for the horses to arrive. I have to admit, I haven't seen a large herd of horses at close range before and seeing them run ten feet away was a pretty cool sight, even if it did only last for two minutes!

SUNDAY: This day took us up into the mountains about an hour from our house to an old mining town called Elkhorn. Nate and I hadn't ever been there before, so it was fun to see somewhere new for us too. (We are always amazed at how within an hour of our house there is a lifetime of land to explore.) We enjoyed a picnic in the sun and wandered around the muddy streets checking out a few of the old buildings.

MONDAY: Sadly, the weekend came to a close. The group headed out on an early morning flight, faced a few delays on the trip home, but arrived safely. We loved having you Nema, Tia, Sam, Will and Julia. Thanks for making Claire's first birthday so memorable!

One year of blogging...getting ready for a 1st birthday

Happy Blogversary to me...it's been one year since I started this blog (thanks to Sara Leys for being my inspiration). Keeping friends and family posted on our life here in Montana over the past year has been fun, as has been reading the blogs of other moms. I find myself looking for those "blogable moments" throughout the week...sometimes, as you can tell, I have to look really hard. Last year at this time I posted this photo:

I'm not sure I remember what it felt like to have a stomach that big.

We are anticipating Claire's first birthday next week. We're excited that Nate's mom and sister with her kids will all be here to help us celebrate. Nate's birthday is also next week, and he's been busy researching and testing new fly rods, which will be his present from everyone. He found a good deal on a rod he'll be able to use for carp fishing here in Montana, striper fishing in Massachusetts, and salmon fishing in Washington. Here he is enjoying a few casts in front of the house. Stay tuned for lots of birthday photos next week!

Finally...A little touch of Spring!

No, the grass isn't green here yet. No, none of the flowers are blooming, nor do the trees have any buds. I actually won't be able to plant anything until the end of May. However, we finally had a day where the air felt warm, and it wasn't snowing. Nate's been working hard all day with some spring cleaning on the exterior of the house, so Claire, Hem and I took a walk after lunch. Hem was able to swim in a pond near our house again since the ice is finally off. He was itching for a bath as he ran straight for the water. Later, as Claire continued napping in her stroller I was able to read in the sun on the patio. When she woke up, Claire had fun exploring the yard a little bit (and I realized how much there is in a yard she can put in her mouth--pebbles, leaves, sticks, dog doo, deer doo...). We came inside and I was inspired to get all Claire's spring and summer clothes out (feeling optimistic that the warmer weather will continue). In honor of the day, I've copied a few line from a favorite poet of mine, G.M. Hopkins. They come from his poem entitled "Spring."

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring —

When weeds in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;

The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush

The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.

One Long Week...

Observe this picture carefully. Can you see the snot running out of Claire's nose? Do you see the smears, both old and fresh, on my sweatshirt? That pretty much captures the past week. Claire's had a cold for almost 7 days now, and despite both Nate and I constantly wiping her nose, I think every article of my clothing has what appears to be slime trails left by slugs on the shoulders and around knee level. I also had a more stressful week at school as I had to spend two days in Bozeman scoring essays for the University System's writing assessment. Yesterday was my climb-the-walls day. Claire was particularly needy/whiny (I can't blame her). It was snowing, again. Nate was working outside on a house project all day. I was sick of cooking, but there aren't any decent places to each within 15 minutes. And while I was really starting to feel stir crazy, I couldn't justify driving 40 minutes each way to Bozeman just to get out of the house (and there is nothing in Three Forks worth getting out of the house for). Thank goodness I had my sappy, chick flick "Becoming Jane" (loosely biographical movie on the life of Jane Austen) to enjoy with a glass of wine after Claire went to bed. I've been on a bit of a Jane Austen kick since PBS has been airing movies made of her novels for the past few months. I'm inspired to reread her entire collection; so far I've only gotten through "Northanger Abby," but I'll have all summer, right?

Black Bean Stew

Claire thoroughly enjoyed her first taste of one of our family favorites, Black Bean Stew. Nate's dad brought us a recipe book ("Things to do with Black Bean Stew" by Bill Bradley) with this stew as the base for any number of meals including tacos, enchiladas, frittatas, etc. I kid Nate that I love it because of my being a "Mexicana," well I was born in Mexico and I'm sure my mom ate lots of Mexican food while pregnant. Claire ate it with equal gusto, though she enjoyed playing with the sauce almost as much. I'm not sure why I fed it to her when she was wearing a white outfit... For those of you who are bean fans...here's the recipe:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 cups spinach, stems removed

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 Tablespoon chili powder

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

1 large can (29 oz) of black beans, including liquid

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

1. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and red pepper in olive oil until carrots just begin to soften.

2. Add mushrooms, spinach and spices, cook until spinach is wilted.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

ENJOY!

Easter and Spring Break

It's Monday morning and I'm enjoying the last day of my "Spring Break," which at my school means a long weekend over Easter. I had Friday and today off, and I'm currently blocking out the sounds of my daughter fighting her nap, again. Spring in Montana can mean anything from 50 degree temperatures to snow storms, and we've had a little of both this weekend. Easter morning it was 12 degree when we woke up, but Saturday we went for a hike and had gorgeous, clear weather, not quite warm, but great hiking temps. Today is blustery with a mix of rain/snow, so it's a good day for being cozy inside.

We've enjoyed some fun activities this long weekend. Claire and I went swimming with my mom's group Friday morning, we had a long family hike on Saturday at the Buffalo Jump State Park near our house (the trail climbs up to a huge cliff where Native Americans would herd buffalo to their deaths), Easter morning we went to church, and we had a nice meal at home last night. I have to admit I loved dressing Claire in her Easter/Spring outfits, surprising for someone who has never considered herself a "girly girl." She did look absolutely adorable when she would actually keep her hat on for longer than 10 seconds!

Oh yeah, Nate also did some fishing on Saturday afternoon. He found a channel of the Missouri with some big rainbows...here's one of his trout.

Two of Her Favorite Things

Here's Claire in her latest hangout--on Hem's bed. She loves crawling around his bed and laying on it (which reminds me I should really wash the cover). Her second favorite thing in the picture is her new "toy"--an old cell phone. I got the idea from the Nydams, who actually charge their old phone so it beeps ,and I'd do the same if I could find the charger. We are amazed at how she already understands to put the phone to her ear and talk into it, although after last weekend with Jane and Elis, it seems all babies are already tuned into these devices. Does this mean she'll be asking for her own phone to text her pals when she's in pre-school?