Just about all of the calves have been born and they are getting bigger! Here are some pictures I took during an evening outing to check on them. Maya rides in the box on the front of Papa's 4 wheeler -- she loves it and does a good job hanging on tight!
We have been getting a lot of moisture and it has been windy. There was one nice day last week that we were able to get outside to make and decorate a playhouse for Maya and Gabi. We bought a new deep freeze and the box that it came in is perfect for a playhouse. After I cut out the door and windows, the girls went to town decorating it! It will be a fun place to eat lunch and play in this summer.
We brought our little slide with us from Golden. It is getting too small for Gabi, so we are thinking about getting something bigger. We also need to find somewhere to hang our swing, since we couldn't move our huge maple tree with us. :) Maya is a little dare devil and scares the crap out of me sometimes. It doesn't help that she tries to do EVERYTHING that Gabi does. So, she has discovered how to go down the slide head first and thinks it is quite fun.
We still go on lots of walks and the girls have enjoyed going to the greenhouse to check on all of the plants. Gabi has also discovered a new way to cross the cattle guard. I guess she no longer needs my assistance!
Jackson is still loving life as a ranch dog. He has slimmed down a lot and just seems a lot happier than he used to be. He runs with me quite a bit, but can't go as far as he used to. Now that it is warmer, he enjoys daily dips in the pond and/or creek. 
Jackson has had some company lately outside the yard. A large herd of antelope has been happily munching away the green grass that is popping up around here (much to Dave's dismay I'm sure.) We have enjoyed all of the new life that Spring brings especially the meadowlarks and their beautiful songs, mountain bluebirds, ducks, Canadian geese, sand hill cranes, and wild turkeys. 
Gabi is definitely back to her old self plus some. Both her and Maya have really opened up since we moved to Buffalo. They seem more comfortable being around new people and are growing more independent. I'm not sure why this is, but both Joe and I have noticed it. Gabi continues to ask questions non-stop, which wears me out but has also made her pretty sharp. She is very observant and notices things that the average person would overlook. She has taken quite an interest in writing and drawing lately. She can write her name, Tara, Joe, Maya, Papa, and Gio without asking for help. She will write many other words as I spell them to her. Her stick figures are hilarious and she never forgets the details (like curly hair when she is drawing Maya). We are working on letter sounds and she has been spelling words in some books.
Maya is still silly and gets spunkier everyday. She is almost potty trained. She will stay dry most of the day and has even gone #2 in the potty lately. She is really good about using public restrooms too. However, she is so independent and will occasionally have an accident when she is hard at work focusing on something away from me. She is very proud of herself, as are we! She is working toward wearing undies all of the time and a big girl bed when she goes all the time! :) This process has reminded us that we have to be extra patient with Maya. (Gabi was totally potty trained in 5 days.) Maya has always done everything in her own time (remember that 41 hour labor???? I do!!) She has been loving books and puzzles lately. She still loves to color as well.
We took a trip to Golden/Denver this week. Joe had a meeting in Casper last Tuesday, so we left that morning and then continued on to Denver once he was done. He worked in the Golden office on Wednesday and Thursday. We came home on Friday via Laramie where he had another meeting. Joe's new branch office has been very successful and they're hoping to send up some help soon. He is getting a lot of smaller jobs around Sheridan and Gillette. He landed a large job in Riverton for the community college there and is hoping to land a couple of other possible large jobs around the state soon. We are very proud of him -- his HARD work is paying off!
It was great to be in Colorado. While Joe was working, I visited a lot of friends and did a little shopping too! On Wednesday, the girls and I took Joe to work and spent some time visiting Amy and his other co-workers, then we went in to see Dr. Amy (our chiropractor), then picked up lunch to take to Julianne's house. She is pregnant (and will be a mom very soon!) and has been on bedrest since 22 weeks along. We then headed to meet my friend Sandy and her kids at the park (but the girls slept through the park play). Our last stop was to see the girls' old babysitter, Tracy, and her daughter Aunika. Gabi was so excited to see them and it was fun to see Gabi & Aunika playing together again. Maya dove into her old toys and had fun seeing Tracy as well.
We stayed with Jeff, Christie, and their two boys. They cooked us dinner and the girls had a blast playing with all of their toys especially the bouncy house in their basement!! On Thursday, we went to see our old neighbor, Angie, and checked out the old house and neighborhood. Not much has changed and the girls really weren't interested in the old house like I thought they would be. We went to O'Connell Middle School to visit Donna, Lisa, and Laura (friends I used to work with), and then headed to a McDonalds PlayPlace to have lunch and play with Teresa, Kristine, and their kiddos. Octavia and Gabi were so happy to see each other and they had a blast playing in the PlayPlace (even though I was squirming at the thought of how much nasty stuff they were crawling through)! Finally, after a short nap, we returned to Joe's office to celebrate with the KL&A staff at Dan & Julianne's baby shower. It was a great time! Thanks to all of you that took the time to visit with us!
On Tuesday night, we were able to attend a Rockies game. Even though they lost and it was a little chilly and windy, it was fun to be back in the stadium. The girls loved dancing to the music, eating peanuts, hot chocolate, and the footlong hotdog that they shared. They ate it at the same time...from opposite ends. It was quite cute.
Sorry for the long-winded post! Have a joyous Easter!Love, Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya
Her diagnosis is a long story and one that gets me pretty angry. She came down with a rash all over her body last Saturday (4/2) and a low-grade fever. I called her doctor's office in Golden and they said to watch it and go in to the doctor if the fever didn't go away in 4-5 days. So, Tuesday morning (4/5), I took her to the urgent care clinic in Sheridan because she still had a 100-101 fever and red eyes. She was very irritable. Dr. Finley (don't EVER go to him!) spent less than 1 minute with us, looked in her mouth and ears, didn't listen to anything I told him about the history, and diagnosed her with a sinus infection and pink eye. I knew it was an incorrect diagnosis and feel bad for not standing up to him, but I guess I trusted him for some reason because he was a "doctor". We waited for the antibiotics and eye drops to work over the next couple of days and when they didn't, I called a pediatrician in Sheridan and got her in Friday morning. They took one look at her and knew something major was up! After blood tests, a chest x-ray, lots of examining, phone calls to Children's Hospital in Denver and the pediatric cardiologist in Billings, and 5 hours later, they diagnosed her with Kawasaki Disease. They immediately admitted her to Sheridan hospital to start the treatment of IVIG (gamma globulin) and aspirin. She looked so much better the next morning and has continued to improve (except for her energy level and she has thrown up a couple of times...probably from the aspirin.)