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!