Happy 2nd Birthday Maya!

Our sweet little Maya turned 2 today! It is hard for me to believe that she is that old because she is such a cuddle bug and will always be our little baby girl! We had the crew around here over for cake and ice cream this evening. The autofocus on my camera went out, so thankfully Joyce brought hers and took the clear pictures.

She was smiling while everyone was singing "Happy Birthday," but then became a little bashful. :)

Yummy cake!

Presents time! Her big gift from us was a dump truck and front end loader. Yes, I know they are kind of boyish, but she loves picking up rocks and pushing it along. Our playset was delivered yesterday, so my Dad and Joe are going to build it this weekend. It has a big sandbox in the bottom that will be perfect for the trucks.

This birthday stuff is hard work!

"The big kids:"

Happy Birthday Sweatpea! We love you!

Puddles & Lambs (Among Other Things)...

It has been raining cats and dogs for almost 2 weeks around here. I'm about to petition for puddle jumping to become an Olympic sport....I think my girls would win since they have had so much practice.

The rain has been frustrating mostly because construction of our house has been at a standstill and also because the girls get fiesty when they're cooped up inside all day (as does their mom!) However, I know there is nothing we can do to control Mother Nature, so we try to make the most of it. My washing machine has gotten quite a workout washing all of the muddy puddle jumping clothes! Maya's new thing to sing is, "Rain, Rain, Go Away..." and "Look Mama...blue sky!"

Another thing that has sparked the girls' interest are Grammy Joyce's new lambs ("lambys")! She has 4 little bum lambs that she is feeding and caring for. The girls LOVE them and it is always a treat when we get to go see them and/or feed them. They have already grown so much in a week and it will be fun to watch them grow this summer.


We have a new neice! Milan Grace was born on May 24th and weighed in at 9 lbs. She is a little cutie and has dark hair and eyes! Gabi and Maya are very excited!


Here is our annual Mother's Day picture! I'm so lucky to have two sweet little girls!


We made a trip to Billings on Tuesday for Gabi's appointment with the pediatric cardiologist. He did another EKG and Echo of her heart and everything looks wonderful! We will go back in one year to have it checked again. So thankful and so relieved. Our trip to Billings was definitely not ordinary. Since I-90 was flooded, we had to take the "scenic route" over the mountains. A two hour trip turned into a 5 hour trip...each way. Add to that a 25 mile stretch of highway under construction that at one time was gravel but with so much rain had turned into a potholed muddy mess. It was almost comical how bad it was. We also ran into some rock slides coming down the mountain as it was pouring rain that night. Crazy stuff! I'm supposed to run my 50 mile trail race in 3 weeks in an area that is still covered with 5+ feet of snow. I don't know how that is ever going to happen. We will see...

Thanks for checking in on us!

Love, Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya

Hall Ranch Branding 2011

Today was branding day on the Hall Ranch. The weather was beautiful and everyone was in good spirits. It is a lot of hard work, but also a celebration of a successful calving season.

Joe & Greer run the calf table while Don Hall brands the JH on the calves:

I watched the little guy below and his twin sister being born. He has gotten a lot bigger since then, but just as cute! It was really exciting for me to see a cow have a set of twins.

When they let the calves go, Maya said, "All done!"

The kids did really well. This was the first branding for Gabi & Maya. Of course Gabi had a zillion questions, but we're used to that! :)

Joe, Tara, Gabi & Maya

Easter

Sorry for the delay in posting pictures from Easter! It was a beautiful day to celebrate!

Here are the girls in their Easter dresses and matching necklaces (made by Grammy Mary) after Mass on Sunday morning:

Maya dyeing Easter eggs at Greer & Amanda's house last Saturday:

We all had a part in making the traditional Bunny Cake this year. Gabi helped me make the cake and put the marshmallows and coconut on (minus the few that she sneaked into her mouth!)
Joe painted the faces on the bunnies as Maya offered her help and an occasional request for a marshmallow :)
The finished product! This cake has been a Easter tradition in my family since my Dad was little. His Mom (my Grandma Genie) made it as his birthday cake each year since his birthday usually falls close to Easter. I really enjoy making this cake for my Dad, but since we weren't together for Easter this year, my Mom made him one.

The cousins hunted Easter eggs in Grammy Joyce's yard before our steak dinner. I'm not a huge fan of ham, so I was pumped that we had steak instead!

Hope you all had a great Easter!

Love, Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya