Halloween 2008

15 Months Old!

Crawdad Feed

Look Who's Walking

A lot of people have been asking if M is walking. Well, she's been gradually working her way from walking around and along furniture to venturing out on her own. We can now report that she is indeed walking.

Driving with Dad

Birthday Pics

Day on the Lake

Rendezvous Pageant

Each year for the past 72 years, Pinedale has hosted the Rendezvous Pageant, a re-enactment of mountain men and Indians trading goods near the Green River. In the early 1800s, men from the St. Louis area traveled, hunted and mapped the uncharted West. It became necessary to designate meeting places and times in their new stomping grounds. Out of a need to trade supplies and enjoy the company of other “mountain men” (most of the year was spent in solitude), these hearty men created and attended the rendezvous. In the years of 1833, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1839 and 1840, six of the 16 fur trade rendezvous were held in Sublette County near what is present day Daniel (the annual rendezvous ran from 1825-1840). The rendezvous served primarily as a place of business – a place to trade fur and supplies. This, however, is not what the rendezvous is known for. Most perceive it as a great social event and party, and that it was. The rendezvous gathering lasted through September and the days were filled with purchasing, trading and gambling.

The Rendezvous Pageant includes nearly 100 locals who meet during the week prior to the pageant to rehearse their parts. There are no speaking parts as the entire pageant is narrated. I found out this weekend that I was in the pageant as a toddler, as was my brother. Mom dressed us up as Indians. My young cousin participated in her first Rendezvous this year as a pony dancer. J and I were both impressed with her riding abilities as she rode around the arena bareback. It's quite a tradition in our little community and something I haven't attended in 22 years.

Rendezvous Pictures

Wyoming Birthday

We celebrated M's birthday a few days early. Mom and Dad had a small barbecue at the house. It was great fun. We even had some friends from California attend - what a great surprise that was! I don't want to say much here because the video truly speaks for itself. What a great memory this one will be!

Class Reunion

Well, we just got back from a world-wind tour of Wyoming, at least it felt like a world-wind. It was my 20th class reunion. I've posted pictures and descriptions of the events on our class website. Click here if you're interested in seeing what our class did. The links on the left side of the page will take you to the reunion activities. It was great to see friends I haven't seen in years. And I'm thinking of nominating J to be an honorary class member as he was willing to participate in all the activities and helped in all aspects! What a sweetheart!


It's about a 16-hour trip to home. M traveled extremely well. We made the trip in one day, leaving at 4:30 in the morning and arriving at mom and dad's around 8:30 that evening. M didn't miss a beat, went right to bed and was up at her regular time of 7 a.m. ready and willing to be spoiled by the grandparents. And spoil they did . . .


My sister-in-law kept us on a tight schedule with fun stuff planned all week, but it was hard to get it all in with the reunion going on as well. We made it to the lake one day where J did a superb job of navigating the boat while J, K, and D tried their hand (or feet) at wakeboarding. Because of the late spring, the lake thawed at a slower rate this year, which basically means it was darn cold. J, K, and D tried to tell us that it wasn't cold after the first five minutes, but that's only because your body is numb after the first 3 minutes! Needless to say, the two of us from CA stayed in the boat. I've never seen goosebumps that big - and I grew up in Wyoming!


And mom and dad had stuff planned as well. J found himself moving cows three days in a row. I'm not sure that's what he thought he would be doing on his vacation, but he did say he enjoyed seeing the country. It is beautiful this time of year and with the wet spring, the country is as lush and green as ever.

11 Months Old

I've tried taking pictures on every monthly birthday. Here's little M at 11 months. My, how the time flies. We're getting ready for our summer trip to Wyoming. J thinks he wants to drive the 16-hour trip in one day; leave early in the morning and get to mom and dad's late that night. We'll have to see what M says about that. :) I'm excited to get home to see family as well as participate in my 20th class reunion. It's shocking to me to see that in print - 20th class reunion - but as I count up the years that's what it is! M keeps us young, I'm just going to quit counting the years and just start counting the great memories. :)

The Lion Tamer

Wow, how things are changing at our house. You think you've got your home "child proofed" and then they start pulling themselves up onto things and walking around furniture! Our little angel is no exception. She loves walking around the coffee table and on occasion will attempt to go from the coffee table to the couch. She hasn't quite mastered it yet as it's a bit too far to reach, but I'm sure it will happen soon. You'll see from the video how she's mastered the lion.

Fred

I've titled this post "Fred", as it will be the answer when Makenna asks, "What was the name of the first horse I rode?" While she didn't really ride Fred, it was the first time Makenna was in a saddle, even though it's with mom. :)

We had a branding a few weeks ago for Peggy and Gordon. Because we had under 50 calves to brand, John decided that we only needed three ropers: Cooper, John and me. Yep, me! John also invited his cousin, Pala, and her family, Jerome and daughter, Heather. We all had a blast! Jerome and Heather got well-versed on the "ground" and left with dirty clothes and smiling faces. And I must admit I was pretty happy myself. Thanks to Pala who took this awesome picture, I have evidence that I can throw a pretty mean heel loop - and catch!


It was great fun to rope all day and even more fun to get a family picture on horses. It's a day we won't soon forget.

We Reached a Milestone

Thanks to T, we have M's biggest milestone to date on video - crawling! Enough said about it, here's the video. . .

Comedy Night

Five months ago we purchased tickets to attend a comedy show which included headliners from the nationally syndicated "Bob and Tom" morning show. Five couples were involved in the night out. We had a GREAT time and will not soon forget the awesome ride in the stretch limo. Much thanks to our driver, J, who tolerated all ten of us! We hope to somehow make it an annual event.

March Madness

It was a different kind of “March Madness” at the B household recently. For 16 consecutive days, we had company; now that’s madness! But we loved every minute of it. My nephew, J, visited us during his spring break from CSI. Now you might ask what is a college student doing visiting his “old” aunt and uncle during spring break? Well, I’m thinking it had something to do with free room and board. Luckily for us, his plans changed at the last minute and it was too late to get reasonable accommodations at more exotic places like Florida or Mexico. But luckily for him, the week he was here it was like being in Florida or Mexico. We experienced very warm weather, nearly 80 degrees on some days. He was able to take in some bass fishing while he was here. He got educated the first day but “schooled” Uncle J during round two. (Pardon the pun!) And if you know him at all, you know he had a wonderful time spoiling M. H called in sick one day which left us without a nanny. Luckily, J came to our rescue and was our “manny” for a day. If you watch the video, you’ll see they played baseball. And as you can see from the picture, they did a lot of reading, or at least that is what J told me!
The day before Easter, mom and J’s sister, my beautiful niece, K, joined the festivities. We (mostly the “girls”) spent Easter morning preparing our lavish Easter dinner. Okay, not really lavish, but to a starving college student, a high school junior who is too busy to eat during the week, and a grandma who was supposed to be on vacation and not cook, it was a lavish meal prepared by a daughter/aunt who was happy just to have everyone there. We had the traditional ham and scalloped potatoes, but I think the tradition ended there. I boiled what I thought were sugar snap peas but ended up being edamame. It was a first for all of us and probably not something we will carry on in the family tradition. The meal was rounded out by everyone’s favorite – the strawberry jello and pretzel salad. Mmmm, mmmm, good.

J left not long after Easter dinner, which meant mom and K had the freedom to spoil M, and spoil they did! I’m not sure M touched the ground during the week they were here. But that’s not all bad, because I don’t think J and I changed too many diapers while they were here, either! Since visiting at Christmastime, Grandma L has expressed her disappointment in the fact that M is not much of a cuddler. Well, we were able to catch the non-cuddler in the act and quickly snapped the picture. It was a beautiful moment for all. But because it was so short-lived, Grandma spent the week teaching M to give kisses. And although a little sloppy, she was a fast learner. Grandma was very proud. And most of you may know the challenge it has been to transition M into eating solid foods. Well, K was determined to help M make the leap from liquids to solids. We learned a lot in a week! Apparently one is not to stick with the parenting books that suggest “baby steps” when introducing solids. Oh no, jumping right into pancakes with syrup seems to do the trick. And the most important thing we learned from K – with the help of Grandma, I think – is that no spoon is needed and self-feeding is fun . . . and messy!

Since we're on the topic of food, it's important to note that this blog would not be complete without the "pancake story". My mom is well-known for her good cooking. During dinner one night I asked J how the dinner that I had fixed was. He replied, "It's good, Aunt N, but not like Grandma's." And with an analogy only J could use, he explained that our cooking was like two basketball teams. We both had good starters, but Grandma had an awesome bench. He went on to explain that while I had a good main course and side dish, Grandma would "go to her bench" for a fruit salad, a lettuce salad, a veggie side, and, of course, a knock-your-socks-off dessert. While I was a little disheartened, I was glad that my "starters made the team." So imagine my surprise one morning when I hear from the kitchen, "N, get in here and make the pancakes!" Who could that be? To my surprise, it was Grandma wanting me to come to the rescue and make my pancakes because hers just weren't turning out. There was a bit of pressure on me to make the pancakes that morning - about the only recipe I make without directions. But as you can tell in the picture, my "team" won the game that day. For those of you who may not be pancake experts, let me just say that pancakes should not hold a shape similar to a piece of cardboard, but should be light and fluffy. Unfortunately, J had already gone home, but luckily for me, K was there to witness this big event and was relieved when Aunt N's pancakes made their way to her plate! Sixteen days sounds like a long time, especially when family is involved; but the time flew by and I wish we could start the time all over again. A huge thanks to J, K and Mom for choosing to spend their spring breaks with us. We couldn’t have asked for a better time!

Christmas in Wyoming

Our annual trip to Wyoming for Christmas was even more exciting as we would be bringing home M to meet her family, most for the first time. It’s roughly a 16-hour trip. We decided to make it a two-day trip, stopping in Elko, Nevada, for the overnight stay. Maggie and Katy traveled in the front with J to help him navigate. About an hour from home the roads got a little snowy. As you can see from the picture, concentration was high as the navigators assisted the driver through Snake River Canyon.


Having never traveled this distance with M, we weren’t sure what to expect. But I must say, she was a trooper! She didn’t take long naps like I had hoped, but it really didn’t matter. We hung out in the back together and had a grand time. This picture was taken about an hour from home on the second day of our trip. She was as happy here as she was when we left the house the day before! Maybe it was the stories about Santa Claus that kept her smiling.

One of the many reasons Christmas in Wyoming holds such a special place in my heart is our annual Christmas Eve tradition. Mom tells me it started with my great grandma in the 40’s, but all I know is that it has left me with wonderful memories. Every Christmas Eve, the F family and friends gather for a great dinner. After dinner, Santa arrives with toys for the little ones. In my years of growing up, we never missed a Christmas Eve at Grandma’s house. During the last few years, Christmas Eve has gotten too big for Grandma’s house and is now held at the local senior citizen center. (Nearly 70 people attended this year.) It’s a beautiful building, decorated for the season, and big enough for the occasion. I could hardly wait for M to sit on Santa’s lap.

I assured Santa that M had been a very good girl this year, but he already knew that. As a young woman dreaming about the day she would get married and have children of her own, I can’t begin to tell you what this evening meant to me. I remember several Christmas Eve’s of waiting for Santa to come to Grandma’s house and now our baby daughter was experiencing it for the first time. I know it will be harder to travel with M as she gets older, but I hope this is a tradition we continue.

Another reason I look forward to this night is the chance to see and visit with family we may only see once a year. As my cousins’ own children get bigger, it gets harder to get home for Christmas. This year was no exception as the weather was not kind. However, it was great to see M and A and their kids, as well as all my other aunts, uncles, and cousins. It’s not often that we are all together, but we made it happen this year.


After Santa, family pictures are taken. It takes awhile to gather the troops, but we did our best in this one. Behind J and me is my brother, M. As you can tell, he stole my height. Luckily, I got all the looks, ha ha ha ha! And the really tall guy in back, well, he’s not related to any of us. Art is a friend of my nephew, J. J and A attend the College of Southern Idaho where A plays basketball and J is the student trainer. My lovely niece, K, is on the far right, next to J. Mom is standing next to me with Grandma in the front. My sister-in-law, D, is peeking through there. In the back next to A is J, to J’s left is my dad. And in the front are D’s parents, R and M.


J and I were able to get our family picture taken with M. By this time, she had been passed around like a hot potato and was still in good spirits. Big cousin, J, took a few minutes to bond with the newest addition. I know this is such a cliché, but it seems just like yesterday when we were all passing around J!

Wyoming Wildlife

Our trip to Wyoming would not have been complete without seeing some wildlife. We would not be disappointed on this trip. On the way back from Jackson one day, big horn sheep were crossing the road. We saw moose in mom and dad’s hay pen. Although dad has a game fence around his hay, he seems to have a soft spot for the cow and calf that hang out there at night. While at my brother’s on Christmas afternoon, a little mule deer leisurely walked by in the back yard. And not to be outdone, on our way back to California, we saw some bull elk making their way to a feed ground.


All in all, we had a great trip. Didn’t get to see as many people as we would have hoped to, but was great to visit with the folks we did. The weather could have been a little bit better as we were stuck at home a couple days as the wind and snow restricted traveling. Luckily, J loves to visit, but can’t understand how people can live in -20 degree weather.

Thanks for checking out our blog. We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year.