Take Me the Way I Am

My buds threw me a ‘surprise’ baby shower - the stinkers that they are. Actually, it was a really nice time and I’m very thankful for their thoughtfulness.

Great Falls held its 6th Annual What Women Want Expo. This is a great, big, fun event. I not only organize a booth for Mountain West Bank, I also love to go and spend a couple of hours walking thru the Expo. To top off the event, there was a fantastic Comedy Show that I was fortunate enough to attend.

Bad news – my car was ‘hit’ mid-October…in the McDonald’s drive-thru. To this moment, I’m still waiting on pending insurance information from the other side. Kylor and I were by ourselves, picking up some dinner when the teenager in front of us, threw his rig into reverse and backed into us. Fortunately, neither of us were hurt, although, Kylor was very curious to know what exactly was happening as he was hungry for dinner. He didn’t understand the ‘hold-up’. And, Ky was quick to lecture his mama when a few choice cuss words slipped – ‘Mama, don’t say those bad words!’ He’s asmart one!

Hunting has officially started – this takes Damon away from home here and there. If I have anything to do with it, Damon’s hunts will lead to nothing other than some good hikes. (I’m not into the wild game). It’s a good ‘boys’ time for Damon, though.

Halloween was super fun. Kylor dressed up as a Sea Otter – a cute one at that. We went for an early morning Trick-or-Treat at Gramma Ree’s. The only negative was that Ky woke up from his nap covered in hives from head to toe. A little anti-itch cream and Benedryl later, he was feeling better, but one cranky little man. We took Kylor to Trick-or-Treat at Gramma Julie’s, Grandpa Don & Grandma Denise’s, Aunt Sharon’s and Papa Jule’s. That was plenty of running and goodies for one day!

Kylor is finally starting to show some interest in his soon-to-be-born baby brother. He’ll point out things and ask, ‘is this for my baby brother’ and he’s very curious to know when he’ll get to see him and touch him. In due time, in due time.

Happy days to you!

Fall...Into Fall

September was HOT, HOT, HOT! My how our seasons are changing.

Damon took my little Ky camping for the first time. While the whole tent experience was a little challenging for Kylor, he had a great time and wants to go again…today. Damon is now in search of a camper…with a bathroom. The whole 6a, out house with a 2-year old ‘thing’ wasn’t Damon’s ‘cup of tea’. We’ll see what we can find for them in the upcoming months.They met up with some friends at Camp – Doug, Kristie Nelson and family as well as Kylor’s sitter, Cheryl, and some of Kylor’s day-care friends. And, me, I got a nice relax-cation. I hadn’t had some me / alone time since I’d become a mama.

Damon and I celebrated our 6th anniversary this past month. Expecting, it was a pretty low-key celebration. Dinner at Cattlemen’s Cut while Kylor spent some time with Grandma Julie. My, how wonderful the past 6-years have been. While we’ve had some ups and downs, I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I’m still happily in-love today if not more than 6-years ago.

I got to do some visiting and catching up with a long-time friend, Amy. It’d been such a long time since we’d gotten together – it was long overdue. I can only hope that the next time doesn’t take so long.

Our pregnancy is moving right along – in fact, doing some maternity leave planning at work made me realize how quickly the next couple of months are going to go. Lots to do, lots to do, lots to do.

Kylor is totally geared up for Halloween, although, almost everything related to Halloween seems to ‘freak’ him out. He tells me that I can’t bring Halloween decorations out because (and I quote), ‘you can’t – it’ll freak me out’. Yes, that’s my little 'fradie-cat' for you. Here’s a funny…driving home from Cheryl’s one night, we are stopped at a red light when Ky says, ‘come on lady, put your foot on the gas.’ Needless to say, I was appalled. I explained to Kylor that he couldn’t talk to mommy like that. Pretty much the end of the story – just figured he picked it up from one of his little friends. Later that week, the three of us were in the truck on the way to Damon’s mom’s house when Damon pipes up, ‘hurry up old man – the gas is on the right’. Oh My Goodness! That’s where Kylor got it. They are like little sponges. It was at that moment that Damon and I realized, more so than ever, that we really need to watch our mouths around our little man. Trying to gear up for the new baby, we got Ky his own 'baby' - baby Fletcher (aka Fletchert) - still seeing how it is going to go...

Happy Fall!!!

Simply Irresistible

August has come and August has gone…

It was nice to see and visit with some of Damon’s family early in the month – his Aunt Arlee, cousin Katie as well as his cousin Ryder and wife Savannah were here. It’d been some time since we’d seen them – what a nice visit.

I got to celebrate my BFF, Kristie’s, birthday with a lovely dinner at Jaker’s – Kylee, myself and Kristie turned our Jaker’s night into a birthday celebration. We had a great time…lots of laughs, smiles and friendship.

Some exciting news – I got to help ‘demo’ a 3D/4D Ultrasound machine in August. While it was a little early to see much of what I wanted to see, it was very neat. I can’t believe how detailed the machine is. We were able to pick up details as small as eyelashes! So far, Ky’s little brother, looks like a spitting image of him. Imagine that! I certainly hope I get the opportunity to do the 4D again as this pregnancy inches further along.

Lots of garage sale preparations in August to get ready for our 2-day sale. While I had a negative attitude about the whole thing, we ended up doing pretty darn good. So, after all is said and done, I’ll admit that it was worth it. Although, we couldn’t have made it happen without the help of Sharon, Julie, Nikki and Damon’s Aunt Colleen - Thank goodness for them!

Kylor is 2…and he can sure be terrible at times. Ages and stages. Although, we have our moments, I often find myself just sitting and staring at him – amazed by all that he is. He truly is a gift from God and I don’t know what I’d do without him. And to be blessed with another little boy to join us in December – my life is truly amazing. Kylor is starting to find some interest in his new baby brother. He doesn’t quite understand why he can’t ‘see’ him. Even with all of the explaining, he still doesn’t get it – which is completely understandable.

I sign-off, looking forward to what September has to offer!

A Wild Ride

Ju-ly…ho-ly cow, did it speed past.

We had a fantastic 4th of July. The three of us spent the day with Grandma
Julie. We fed ducks at Gibson Park, took a walk at Giant Springs. While
we were at the Springs, Kylor wanted to feed the ‘Whales’ (trout). He was
so cute – we couldn’t convince him that he was actually feeding fish – he
insisted that they were whales. I suppose in his eyes, they looked as big
as whales. We ended the day with a lovely lunch together. It was a great
day and we all had lots of fun!

Mid-July, we went for another fun-filled photo session with Cindy Cieluch.
It had been a year since we’d done an outdoor shoot and, although, Kylor
was a super-stinker, we got some great shots. Give Ky the World and he
will run – and that’s what he proved to us that night. It was hard to sit
him down to say the occasional ‘cheese’.

Our annual trip to Seeley Lake was HOT, HOT, HOT. We had lots of fun.
Kylor is quite the tuber – he loved it…until he fell off. To this day,
he’ll tell us the story of falling off of the tube. Unfortunately, early
in the week, Julie stepped on something sharp and had to be taken to the
Missoula ER for stitches. Kind of put a damper on the rest of her week. I
was proud of my ‘rock-star’ husband who stepped up to the plate to take
care of his mom – given his fear of blood, needles and everything in
between. The best part of the week was being able to visit and spend time
with my sister, Brittney, and her family who made the trip from Texas.
It’s been years since Brittney has been at the lake – it was a super nice
treat. Oh – how I miss them.

Coming off our vacation started a week full of night-show concerts at the
Montana State Fair. The shows were good, but a week of late nights kicked
my butt! I was tuckered out by the end of the week – ready to spend the
weekend sleeping. I got to enjoy the shows with my girl Kylee and my Aunt
Susan – always a good time.

Kylor obtained his first major boo-boo in July. The kids were playing with
the sprinkler at day-care (Cheryl’s) when another little boy picked up the
hose and started swinging it around. It clipped Ky right above the left
eye. We thought it was going to take a stitch or two, however they were
able to just glue it back together. Hopefully that’ll help lead to less
scarring.

Some exciting news…We learned that we’ll welcome a baby BOY in December.
I’m becoming more and more outnumbered. Bella and I will have to stick
together. All kidding aside, we are super excited. Kylor is such a joy
and blessing that we are really excited to welcome a brother for him to
play with.

Ky was full of it this past month…some regulars we are hearing are, ‘wanna
bet’, ‘I promise’, ‘I’m serious’ and ‘probably’. His vocabulary just
amazes me…and the fact that he knows how to use it correctly. Although he
can be quite sassy at times, I love that he is very good at describing
things and leading directions. For example, if I can’t find something,
I’ll ask him where to find it: “Ky, where is your sippy cup?’ – he’ll
respond with, ‘probably outside’. Sure enough – he’s always right. He
always leads us right where we need to be. Smart little bugger.

That’s it for now!

Fun in the Summer Sun

In June we made our news official – we are expecting Baby #2 in December!
We are thrilled! While my days have been good, evenings I’ve been feeling
pretty yucky. I’ll be glad when this stage is gone and past. It’ll be
another few weeks before we learn what the sex of the baby is – that we are
eagerly anticipating.

The difference in pregnancies is amazing to me. With Kylor, I felt yucky
24/7 while this time it only seems to hit me at night. I have far more
fatigue this round than I did with Ky. Yes – I’m older. Yes – I have a 2
½ - year old to chase around now. That could play into the fatigue. With
Kylor, beef (of any kind) was a big ‘no-no’. This time, its chicken,
Chinese food and chocolate that I must stay away from.

Damon continues to be super-duper busy with Blue Mountain Curbing this
summer. They are actually booking jobs 4-weeks out. Beats sitting around
and waiting for work to come knocking (like they were doing a couple of
years ago).

Damon and I, as well as Cheryl (daycare), have really been trying to
enforce the potty training thing with Kylor. Some days are better than
others (as expected), but overall, I really don’t feel that Ky puts a lot
of thought / care into it. This could be a long journey. We really don’t
want the expense of 2 in diapers – so, only time will tell.

Kylor has really taken to running thru sprinklers. Given his history of
ear problems, we really shy away from swimming of any kind – and really, I
think Kylor is too young to know what he’s really missing out on.
Sprinklers, though, do the trick. He LOVES to play in the water.
Ky is quite the entertainer – he loves to play games – an array of games:
Simon Says, Duck, Duck, Goose, and Ring Around the Rosie – you name it.
He’s always thrilled to learn new games as well. Lately, Kylor’s new thing
is telling his Daddy and Mommy, ‘good luck with that’. For example, I’ll
say, ‘Ky, it’s almost bedtime – you need to start picking up toys.” His
response is, ‘good luck with that!’ Once again, mom needs to learn to not
use phrases like that so freely!

As June ends and July begins – we look forward to vacation…Seeley Lake –
here we come!

What Would Life Be if Not for Family and Friends

Damon, Julie, Kylor and myself participated (along with some fellow co-workers & Leadership Great Falls friends) in the 2009 March of Dimes March for Babies. I have always been a supporter of the March of Dimes, but even more so now having had a premature baby. I got a good visit in with friends while Kylor had a good stroll with Damon and Julie. The rain stayed away just long enough for us to finish our walk and have lunch.

We had a nice Mother’s Day. Damon’s brother, Tanner & his wife Kimberly had us over for a BBQ lunch to celebrate the Mother’s in the family. It was a nice relaxing day with family!

My little Caprianna turned 5-years old this month. She’s the first Grandbaby – I just can’t believe how quickly the years have gone. Caprianna also had her very first ballet recital – she was a beautiful bumble bee. She’s growing into such a darling little lady.

It’s official – I’m a Leadership Great Falls graduate! I successfully competed an entire course (only missing one session)! Here’s to my second-year commitment in LGF Public Relations.

I’m a bit of a TV addict – Desperate Housewives, 90210 and American Idol –with all seasons coming to an end, I find my evenings wondering what can be done. Why I wonder, I have no idea as there is always something to do, but after a day of work, it was nice to wind-down with some entertainment. Maybe now I can start catching up on some of those movies that are still in the wrappers.

We did it – after all these years – we cleaned out our garage! What a chore that was. I’d open the garage door and cringe. It would darn near send me into a panic attack just looking at everything that needed to be done. I figured it was going to take a minimum of two whole weekends to get the entire thing gutted and cleaned out. Nope! My friend Nikki came over took one look and said ‘piece of cake’. With the help of Nikki, Aunt Sharon and Julie, we got the entire thing knocked out in one Saturday! Some stuff to keep, some to Rummage and 2 trips to the Dump and it’s a done deal! We could not have done it without the help of our wonderful family and friends. Now…the next obstacle – planning & doing a Garage Sale (ugh).

We just finished the 3rd Annual Rick Heck Memorial Golf Scramble in honor of Damon’s dad. We are yet to know what the numbers are, but we had fantastic weather and a great turnout. Again, we are so thankful for our wonderful friends who participated! And, especially to Aunt Sharon – if it weren’t for her, I don’t think the Scramble would happen.

Kylor is 2 – definitely 2! We have good days and bad days. Most days are good, but when he’s a stinker, watch out. Kylor doesn’t watch a lot of TV, but he does watch a tad bit in the mornings. I feel bad for the little guy– as soon as he finds a program he really likes, Disney changes the morning line-up…first came Jo Jo’s Circus and then the Imagination Movers. Now we have to find him something else to enjoy – again. He just doesn’t understand where his shows go. Ky loves to play outside – so he’s really been enjoying the Spring-like weather.

Have a warm and fuzzy, sunshine day!

Up & Down & All Around

We had quite the April Fool’s joke…NOT! About 1:00a on the morning of April 1st, I woke up to a wet spot in the bed. At first, I wondered if I’d wet the bed, but the placement wasn’t right – mid abdomen on my side. That’s when I realized that our waterbed had sprung its last leak. Last leak, you wonder…yes, in December we had a leak too. It was at that time that I got my hands on two of the only replacement waterbed tubes in the city of Great Falls. It was a pain to figure out which of the 8 tubes had a leak and at that time, Damon said that he would NEVER go thru the process again. Well, it’d been so long since we’d had a leak (4+ years) that I figured that Damon would forget about his promise by our next leak. 4-months just wasn’t long enough for him to forget. So, after 15-years in a waterbed, I purchased a ‘real’ mattress. What an adjustment that’s been! I haven’t had a great nights sleep since. And then there’s Damon – he claims that he is now getting the best sleep he’s had in years. Give and take, give and take.



Damon / Blue Mountain Curbing had a booth at the Home and Garden Show again this year. Damon believes that they recruit two-thirds of their summer business at the Home Show. As the weather starts to brighten up, the business starts to pick-up.



In April, Damon took his annual trip to Spokane over Easter weekend to play in a Hockey tournament. Kylor and I had to make due without him. We found plenty to keep ourselves busy. Kylor dyed Easter Eggs at Grandpa Don’s house with Uncle Kelly. On Easter Sunday, Ky got to join his cousins, Caprianna and Carter, for an Easter Egg Hunt at Grandpa Don and Grandma Denise’s house. Kylor had quite the kick. Fortunately, Damon did make it home in time for Easter dinner. As selfish as it is, I’m glad this was the last year for the Spokane tournament. It’ll be nice to have Daddy Damon home next Easter.
What’s new with my Ky-man this month? Well, for starters, he loves to sing about how much he loves his Grandma Julie. The other night I put him to bed only to hear him singing, ‘I love my Grandma Julie’ – over and over again. How cute is that? He’s quite the little lover – he’s got a couple of ‘babies’ that he loves to tend to and nurture. (I call them babies –Damon would croak if he knew that’s how I refer to them…to be more specific: Glow Worm, Curious George and other ‘male friendly’ toys). He really is such a good boy.



Until next time, God Speed.