Quick, while everyone still looks nice, assemble for a picture!

Meredith turns 2!

Meredith checks out her birthday cake and then takes a spin in her new jeep with her pal Harley. That's pretty much the same look her mother gets on her face when Dad is driving.

Honestly Abe!

Walker portrays Abe Lincoln in a second grade oral presentation.

Grandpa Cliff's Ranch

For those of you who don't know, Max LOVES cows. When the cows start having babies at Great Grandpa Cliff's we just gotta check it out! Walker, Weston and Max climb up the hay......
and Weston comes tumbling down!
Maddie and Weston sliding on the frozen snow.

Maddie's 15th!

January 7! Today Maddie turned 15. While Michael, Grandma Dorothy and I watch her play in a basketball game, Tanin and the little kids bake Maddie this custom birthday cake. She was hoping for cherry chip but we were all out. Soon, against my better judgment, Maddison will begin Driver's Ed.

Hike to the M

One beautiful January day, we decide to hike to the M at the University of Montana. Walker's comment in this picture is "you said this was going to be fun, and it's not!", Max is telling me for the 20th time that he is going to "fall off the mountain". Walker, Max and I don't make it any further than this.

Tanin, Maddie, Weston and Meredith made it all the way up and meet us back down at our stopping point. Max is so happy that Dad is going to rescue him from this nightmare!

IOWA!

Wow!

Our trip to Iowa can only be described as similar to childbirth.

The outcome was wonderful.

The drive to Iowa (labor), bedtime (labor), and well, anytime Meredith and or Maxwell were unhappy (LABOR). But, coming home and spending time with the Damons, seeing my best friend Stephanie, hanging out with the Cheevers (no pictures UGH!) and visiting with the Lockards and Magees that... was wonderful.

My feeling overall is that in time, I will forget the "labor" and just remember the wonderful!

Diane and Garry are brave enough to take the Buhler bunch to Pikes Peak. The beauty of Iowa NEVER ceases to amaze us! After a whole week with us, I feel confident that Diane and Garry both, are well prepared for future grandchildren!

We were lucky enough to be in Iowa to celebrate Kevin's little boy Malaki's 1st birthday. Here, I assembled the kids for a quick picture. Walker, on the drums, Cori with Malaki, Maddie with Meredith, Maxwell, Timmy, and Weston. If you don't recognize them as mine, they are Leta and Kevins'.

Malaki, in the middle of his birthday cake, to quote Max, (not necessarily proudly) "holy crap" he is cute!Malaki, gets a quick bath from mom after his cake!

My littlest brother somehow became my big brother. I am SO proud of him!

My family, the Lockards. Here they are. Beautiful still at 90! The biggest surprise? My cousin Scott from Florida. What luck!

The Magee cousins hang out at the Denver park. Weston shows us how far his ears will stretch. I am having Darren flashbacks!

The trip to Iowa ends here with the Magee reunion gathered lovingly by Aunt Jeanette. It proves to be too short that's for sure! I leave Iowa feeling like I've seen everyone but not for as long as I had hoped. Even so, my kids get a glimpse of where I come from and who their grandparents were. What a wonderful trip!