saturday in the park

Today we had a nice outing to Red Lodge. It's about an hour away from Billings at the base of the Beartooth Mountains. It's located on highway 212 also known as the beartooth highway, which has been called the most scenic highway in the country. This site has some nice pictures and descriptions of the surrounding area. The scenic part must start after Red Lodge. The highway does goes into Yellowstone, so we hope to take that route to the park sometime in the future and discover all the scenery it has to offer. Red Lodge has a quaint downtown area with an eclectic array of shops, but nothing that really caught our eye. We ate lunch at the Red Boxcar which, surprisingly, is housed in an old red boxcar. It's situated on Rock Creek which we checked out while waiting for our food.

Collecting leaves in the water. She's been on a big collecting kick lately

Having fun in the water with daddy

Mommy and Emma

After lunch we tried to find the ski area, Red Lodge Mountain, to see what the lodge is like before deciding to make the trek with all our ski gear, but we missed the turn. I'm sure we'll hit the slops at least once this winter. I can't wait! On our way back into town after trying to find the ski area, traffic was backed up because of a cattle round-up. Only in Montana.

After returning to Red Lodge, we found a great public park and played for awhile with Emma. I just have to share all these pictures because she was so cute today and so excited by the park.

Playing the "organ" which needed some tunning

Playing the giant xylophone

Trying out the rings. Unfortunately she blew the dismount

Crawling through the tunnel

Halfway through

The tunnel journey is complete

Swinging on the tire swing as viewed from the top

Going down the slide. She loved this!

What a cutie!

After the park, we drove to Cooney Dam State Park to meet my grandma, Aunt Janie, and her daughter Haley for dinner. The park is on the way back to Billings and my grandma is the park ranger there. We had a nice visit and Emma proved again how unafraid of the water she is. We neglected to bring her swim suit, but that didn't deter her. Had it not been for the rocky beach, she would have walked into the lake fully clothed. I did have swimmer diapers for her so I put those on, left her top and bottomless, slathered her with sunscreen and walked her into the water. She had a tight grip on my fingers the whole time, but consistently led me into deeper water (up to her mid-chest!) and then, with huge eyes and drawn in breath, she would turn around and head for shallow waters until she regained her composure and tried it again. She really is a water baby. Watch out Phelps! Thanks again for dinner Gramma/Gigima!

waiting

Not much to report lately. We've moved out of our apartment and are currently living with my uncle Tom and aunt Janine until our closing date August 29th. We had our inspection last Thursday and the house seems fine, which is a relief. So everything looks like it's on track. Interest rates kinda suck right now so we had to lock in a rate of 6.375% compared to our last mortgage which was around 5.75%. Oh well, maybe we can refinance in a few years. We've ordered some new furniture and are shopping for a new washer and dryer. Here's some pics of Emma trying out some Emma-sized furniture:

Emma trying out the soccer ball chair

I loved this little rocking chair. It's so cute!

Tom and Jeanine have a cute park a few blocks from their house. Emma and I went to discover it yesterday only to find the sprinklers were on and were soaking half of the play equipment. So we played in the grass for about 45 minutes, but the sprinklers didn't turn off, so we headed back home because it was getting hot. Here's some shots at the park:

"Running" in the park

Her new favorite trick - pushing the stroller by herself

I'm also still waiting to hear back from the state about my nurse practitioner license, the last step of the licensure process. The board of nursing called me last week and asked that I send them a transcript directly from Duke, even though the transcript I sent them was sealed with Duke's seal. Apparently, there has been a lot of transcript fraud lately. The lady I spoke with was very nice and said that after they receive the transcript, everything should be good to go, so I'm still hoping I'll be able to start work at the beginning of September. Goodbye to letting my hair air dry and not wearing makeup! I also still don't have Emma's daycare lined up for sure. The place I'm going to be working primarily is St. John's retirement center and they have daycare facilities right on site. In Emma's age group, there is a Mom who is contemplating moving but has not made up her mind yet apparently. If she does end up moving, Emma would have her spot. If not, I'm not sure when she would get in, so I probably should start looking for temporary options. It's really weird to think about having someone else watch her. She's had about 2 weeks in daycare before when we were in North Carolina, but yet still got sick in those 2 weeks. The only illness she's had to date, so that makes me a little nervous too. Better save up my sick days!

anniversary

On this day 5 years ago, Nate and I began our happily ever after. I wish I had some pictures from the wedding and even before, but they are still all in storage, so you'll all just have to try and remember the day. We've had so many changes since we've been together, from freshman year, to Seattle, to master's programs, to babies, and moving AGAIN, but we always get through the disasters (numerous camping expedition mishaps) and end up laughing about it in the end. I just finished reading the first two books of the Twilight series (over 1100 pages in 4 days-I couldn't put them down!!!) and the love story it portrays reminded me of the strength of our love and the passion we share. Forever is a mighty long time, but I'm with you all the way. I love you Nathan!

fabulous in seattle

We spent last weekend taking a really quick trip to Seattle for my friend Carmen's wedding. We decided not to take Emma with us, but I struggled with the decision for quite awhile. I wanted everyone to see her, but I knew she would not find the 11 hour car ride quite as enjoyable as I did. Although I did miss her, we had a great time in Seattle. We got to see a Mariners game (my first pro baseball game. Crazy I know!) It's too bad they're not having their best season this year. It was still fun yelling I-CHI-ROO!!! and RAUL!!!! when they were up to bat.

Our sweet seats at the mariners game

Safeco by night. I was surprisingly cold at the game

We stayed with our friends Danielle and Pavel and their 3 month old son, Enzo who is gorgeous. They were great hosts and the house looked great. They've put a lot of work in since buying it early last year.

The happy family: Danielle, Pavel, and Enzo

Danielle and Enzo

Nate and I pre-wedding

Being in Seattle really made me miss the area. The shopping for one thing. Everything seemed the same as when we left, with a few notable exceptions. Our favorite coffee place, Triple J cafe in Kirlkand, is no longer in existence and is now some restaurant. We tended to be starbucks snobs when we lived in WA (sorry Sean!) and preferred local coffee places. Our other blow came when we tried to have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, City Thai which was also closed. This scene was even more depressing, however, because nothing moved into the space it used to occupy so it sat there as an empty monument to the carefree, kid-free lifestyle we had when we lived there. The annual seafair celebration was going on while we were there and so the I-90 bridge to Seattle was closed. One thing I don't miss about Seattle is the traffic!

The wedding was great. It was in my friend Lynn's backyard. She lives on Lake Sammamish. It was a small, short ceremony. Just how Carmen wanted it. She of course looked beautiful. The reception was at a small restaurant in Redmond called Sages. The food was spectacular! Unfortunately, the small size didn't allow enough space for a dance floor, much to my and more importantly Nate's (who loves to cut a rug after he's had a few glasses of wine) chagrin. I'm pretty sure Carmen and Sean planned it that way. Carmen has a trade mark dance called the Matrix (long story) but other than that, I don't think she's very comfortable dancing, and I'm sure Sean's not either. So they left the reception around 8:30 and we left just behind them.

Walking down the aisle

Sean saying his vows

You may kiss the bride

The newly married couple

Lynn and the best man in front of the get away car

The trip back seemed to take forever, but I was so glad to get home to see my baby. Although I miss Seattle and the lifestyle we had there, I would never, ever say I would regret where my life has taken me. Emma is the best thing to happen to both of us. Truly a blessing.

a week in review

This last week or so I have been very busy. We had a great time with my family in Great Falls. All of my siblings were there at least for a little bit. My sister and I took Emma down to the annual Pet and Doll parade. In fact, it was the 74th annual parade. It's a parade primarily for kids, although the parents do usually walk with younger ones. Back in the day, I was even in the parade! This year, I liked the animals the best. There didn't seem to be a lot of creativity in the kids department. Emma unfortunately slept through the whole thing. Maybe next year.

Emma sleeping through the parade

A blue ribbon winner for sure

There's something stately about German shepherds even when they're absurdly dressed

Me and my brother Ben at the Pet and Doll parade way back when

My mom, Maddie, Emma and I also went to the Children's Museum of Montana. It was quite impressive. I think it was even better than the Children's museum in Philly, and they are expanding. They had a great toddler area. I'm looking forward to taking her back next year and watching her run around instead of crawl!

Grandma and Emma making discoveries

Trying to find where the block goes

Riding a horse with Maddie

Emma also began walking more regularly. For her sake, I figured I better post a few videos with her "proper" walking form. She still is not completely stable, but I'll take it!

Exploring the great outdoors

Fun with Daddy

We capped off our trip to Great Falls with our annual family reunion with my Mom's side of the family. This year we met at Holter Lake which is tucked away in the mountains between Great Falls and Helena. It was a great day! I always enjoy being able to catch up with cousins I haven't seen since the last reunion. This year there were so many babies! Four girls under 2 and a boy under 3. You would think it would be utter confusion, but they all were very well behaved. I also learned a new game invented by my cousin Mike. I can't remember what you call it, but it consists of placing 2 PVC pipes approximately 20 feet apart and putting a beer bottle on top of each pipe. A team of 2 stands behind each pipe. The object is to hit the pipe across from you with a frisbee and knock the bottle off. If the opposing team drops both the frisbee and the bottle, you get 3 points. If they drop just the bottle, you get 2 points, and if they just drop the frisbee, you get 1 point. You also have to hold beer in your non-throwing/catching hand for added challenge. Needless to say, much of the brew was ingested. I wasn't much of a beer fan before I played, but there's something to be said for a nice cold one when it's hot outside!

Holter Lake

Emma playing in the lake waves

The four girls (clockwise from top left corner): Caitlin, Piper, Emma, and Sabina

The Wingerter siblings

Just the cousins (3rd row): Abe, Molly, Mike, Jake, Joey, Nate, Ben (2nd row): Nick, Maurika, Jen, Shannon, Hannah, Meghan (1st row): Briana, Sam, Maddie, Me

All the cousins, spouses, and kids. Not even going to attempt to name everyone

Holter Lake sunset

After we got back to Billings, it was back to business. We had placed an offer on a house but had to withdraw our offer after we received a property disclosure indicating water issues causing shifting in the foundation. We did get our earnest money back so that was a relief. Our realtor then told us the owners of the house we really wanted in the first place were ready to come down in price so we made an offer. The wife is apparently in Africa, so their response remains to be seen. The owners are missionaries and foster to parents to a few kids from Africa. I guess they want to move back to Africa and raise the kids there. Sounds very Poisonwood Bible. Hope they remember to make sure the kids take the malaria meds.

I also celebrated my 28th birthday on Wednesday. Nate and I celebrated by trying a great restaurant here called the Granary. The building has had quite a history. It was apparently part of the Poly Technical Institute in Billings until WWII. Then it sat empty until 1978 when it was opened as a restaurant. The interior was both cozy and sophisticated. I would describe it as Western chic. I had steak and Nate had crab. It was a great meal. I didn't realize how much I took date night for granted before Emma was born.

I also have been studying for my nurse practitioner boards that I took today. And I passed!!! So I am officially unofficially a nurse practitioner. I still need to get my real NP license from the state of Montana, but hopefully that will be a relatively quick process. I'm anticipating being able to start work at the end of August or early September!