Back in California

Well we made it back to California. After about 10 days in the car, it certainly feels good to be free and moving around. Being nearly 37 weeks, I was very ready to not be sitting anymore. There were a few times that I wondered if we would be having a Utah born baby, or a Nevada baby. Alas, we will get to have another baby here in California.

Emerson has enjoyed being back as well. Not only was he so excited to see Gaga and Gonka (yiddish?/toddler?), but also excited to see many of his old toys. He's been walking around the house saying, "Hey, I remember this boat! Mommy, you remember this boat?" He's also loved being able to roam the yard again after being a bit more contained in our fence-less yard in Miles City.

Time is such a strange thing. We've measured it in 13-week intervals since June and now it's in one week intervals until the baby arrives. To just be....right now...and not counting the days/weeks/months until an event. That is my goal.

Canyonlands National Park

Sean and Emerson in Canyonlands National Park.


Canyonland National Park was one of the last places we visited. It was a bit more severe than Arches N.P., but equally amazing. Here's Emerson on one of his many search and rescue missions. We're not sure where he gets his material, but he's pretty into his "job" when he's rescuing.

Overall, our stay in Moab was peaceful and spectacular. Our little tent trailer became our home for the week and served us well. Every morning Emerson woke up around 5:30, turned on the heater and crawled into bed with us, usually holding one of his squishy toys. We spent lots of time climbing grippy rocks and playing in the red dirt. Thank God for campground showers.

Our trip back to California

Leaving Miles City was a bit of an adventure (winter storm warnings aplenty). This was taken on the freeway between our house (hmm, where is that?) and Billings, MT. It was a slow ride, but fun to see everything covered in a layer of snow.It was snowing the morning we left Miles City... we started our trek back west with a drive across Montana with .



We had to change our travel plans the day before we left Miles City. When the forecast called for up to 5 feet of snow in Cooke City we decided we'd go further west to Gardiner, Montana with the hopes of skirting around some of the icy conditions. We ended up driving right into it. We stayed in Gardiner with the hope of driving through Yellowstone. Even stayed an extra day in Gardiner but ended being very restricted due to the weather. Beautiful and amazing none-the-less.
View from the front of our Super 8 in Gardiner.

Gardiner high school football field.

North Entrance/Exit with Teddy Roosevelt monument/arch

This was the first time I heard Emerson say, "I'm cold." It was 20 degrees so I think it was justified. And in case we were not sure it was cold, he had watering eyes from the cold with a tear frozen in mid-trickle down his cheek.


A brisk (5 degrees) Yellowstone morning just south of Mammoth hot springs.


Waistell's moving castle


Gibbon Falls near west Yellowstone entrance.


Bannock Mtn. range south of Pocatello, ID. Next stop, land of 10,000 Temples aka Salt Lake City, UT



Finally made it to Moab, UT. Very cool town teeming with outdoorsy people doing outdoorsy things. My kind of place so far... Six day/night stay at the local KOA to take in the sites and hopefully have a little fat tire fun.


Emerson and Jamie up ahead at Negro Bill Canyon trail.


Emerson on the same hike. He went from T-Rex mode (biased yes but I still say an impressive impersonation) to "search and rescue man", saving??? I don't know where he gets this stuff but he can hold character remarkably well and for oh so long.








The three gossips


Delicate Arch:



Too much hiking excitement...

Saying Goodbye to Miles City Friends

We head back to California in just a few hours. I can't believe we've been here, in Miles City, for 3 months. When we got here I had concerns about being lonely. Like most things I worry about, it never occurred. Being lonely was never an issue here in Miles City.

The saddest part is leaving our new, close friends. Saying goodbye to Shellie and Leslie was the hardest for me. Emerson and I have hung out with them at least a few times a week since the first week we got here. Without Shellie, I'm sure I would have had a lot less adult interaction and a lot more homesick feelings. It's weird to meet someone and instantly feel comfortable. From the beginning, being friends with Shellie has felt like we've been friends forever. I will certainly miss her. Meeting her has made me less concerned about traveling and feeling lonely. Now, I feel like wherever we go, I'll make friends. Today I'm more concerned about the leaving part.




Saying goodbye to Rob was tough for Sean, even though he may not admit it. They have this easy relationship that makes them seem like brothers. Because of Rob and his wife Jenille, we've seen a lot of sights and laughed until we (okay just me) almost (okay really) peed our pants. Somehow the combination just guarantees an easy, fun, memorable time. I don't doubt that we will see Rob, Jenille and their adorable Ashtyn again. Hopefully they'll come out to California after the baby is born.

Weekend in Red Lodge, MT

This was a creek just across the street from the house we stayed in. On the shore of this sight, was a giant pile of bear poop. We kept expecting to see one, but instead saw tons of deer and wild turkeys.


Whew-eee! Am I feeling pregnant! Just under 7 weeks to go. I'm wondering how my stomach is going to stretch even more. But if it could hold Emerson's giant 9.15 lb. body, it could hold this girlie as well.

Emerson had a fun time checking out the sights and in doors, playing with Ashtyn.



The down town, although very touristy, was quaint and beautiful. The surrounding mountains made me want to come back during the winter months when they're covered with snow.



We spent the weekend in Red Lodge, MT with our friends Rob and Jenille and their daughter Ashtyn. Being with them made me feel sad about leaving next weekend. We've had some really fun times together and it's a bummer that we'll be thousands of miles apart. They're people we could definitely spend more time with. We're trying to convince them to come visit while we're in California. Whatever happens, it's been nice having friends like them and I'm sure we'll keep in touch.