Due for a Goodie Overload

Grace's favorite sleeping position; arms and hands tucked.

She was majorly into the camera this day.

Same day.  Since she was in such a good mood we did her first pony tail!

Added a cute heart barrette.

The video below is of Tuff and Grace playing a spook game.  She was acting like a fainting goat.  Just watch it.  You'll see.



Here is a video of the actual animal, the fainting goat, for those of you who have never seen them:



New hat from Grandma Merle Jean.  Sort of a hippy style meets railroad conductor.  Pretty cute.

11 month old photos.  Dressed up in her signature colors; yellow and gray.

Some of the first documented steps in video below:



First time at Barnes and Noble play area.  Pretty awesome times with the legos.

More walking in the video from yesterday morning.  She also started saying animal noises the same morning; lions, tiger and bears say roar, monkeys say ooh ooh ah ah, puppies say ffff (for woof), pigs say k (her way of snorting is to say the k sound).



This weekend we are in Whitefish, Montana for the Whitefish Winter Classic.  The journey from Billings was just over seven hours.  We broke it up by stopping in Great Falls to see some old college friends, Jan and Johanna Steenekamp.  Jan played tennis and Johanna basketball for the University of Montana.  The last time we saw them was three years ago and they were living in Missoula.  Now they are in Great Falls and have a near two year old and a second due the 16th of this month.

Below is Jan and Johanna's boy Liam and Grace.

Their Italian Greyhound Rafa.  Grace LOVED this dog and it was so tolerant.

Our attempts at a group photo.  Jan was giving a tennis lesson so not pictured below.

Notice the blank canvas on the wall?  Johanna is an artist and is well aware that she wants to soon paint it.  Haha.  Check out her art in the link:  http://jdesignsmontana.com/.

Pit stop in Glacier National Park today to take a pic by a frozen waterfall.

The frozen falls.

Next blog I'll update you on our trip and also on some of Tuff's recent speaking engagements and dealings with the Crow nation.  Miss you all!

Montana Recreation

We just returned home yesterday from a very fun excursion with my visiting family and friends from Minnesota.  They are on their annual skiing vacation at Moonlight Basin just south of Bozeman, Montana.  I was able to join them for one day on the slopes while Tuff watched Grace back at the lodge.

First we joined them for dinner at the Staggering Ox on their way through Billings.  Grace is wearing a Grizzlies bib that Beck made for her.  It says "My Daddy and Mommy are Grizzlies."  So cute.

View of the summit from their condo rental.

More views from the rental.

My nephew Finn getting ready to hit the slopes with a camera mounted to his helmet.  By the way, its Finn's 12th birthday today!  Happy Birthday!  Enjoy the slopes one more day.

The whole gang (minus Bo) taking a pic before the day started.

Stopped to take in a beautiful photo halfway down a trail.

My niece Bo and I on our last run of the day.

My brother-in-law Duff and the boys, Beck and Finn, heading up the chair lift.

While on the slopes I ran into our friend from Colstrip, Courtney.  So crazy who you run into.  Check out the  cowboy in the background of the photo!

A panorama of the mountain in the distance on one of the trails.

In the video below I held on to our camera so you all can see the beauty and fun of the day.  I filmed about one third of the way down.  The video is five minutes long so I'm not offended if you don't watch.  Haha.

While in Bozeman, we also got a chance to meet up with a Nashville friend of ours, Amber.  She has been in Bozeman since last May on missions and hopes to stay a bit longer.  She's in the picture below making Grace giggle.

We met Amber at a golf tournament fundraiser in Nashville.  She played golf for Vanderbilt University.  

Other than that adventure we've been enjoying the rock wall at Harvest Church.  

Check out the video of me below repelling down the wall.  Its a self belay system so it takes a lot of trust when you reach the top and have to let yourself fall down.



Grace loves coming along to the rock wall and plays on the crash mat.

On Valentine's Donnie and Kassia watched Grace while Tuff took me out for some Thai food.  It was a total surprise to me and a much needed date!  Thanks to the homeowners for the babysitting.

Here is some Grace cuteness to catch up on:

Post bath and we used a blow dryer to fluff her hair.  Haha.  

Some teeth, four on bottom and four coming in on top.

Grace and her cousin Shawnee at Uncle Jay's house for Super Bowl Sunday.

Trying out sunglasses.  Blue?

 Or white?

Bye for now you all.