kOOteNaI cREek

did a little hikey-hike with some friends this weekend,
about a half hour up bitteroot valley from missoula.
montana in the summer is the best.

helLO PHotOs...

well, my constant sighs of wanting a digital slr has paid off
(katie, your awesome pics put me over the top),
because alex surprised me with a new camera for my birthday!
an added surprise is that if purchased online from costco,
the prized possession will not arrive until
four weeks after ordering.
but i digress.
my new 'ra (as i like to call it)
arrived today, and i have done nothing productive since,
and am feeling a little overwhelmed by all of these options
i now have at my disposal.
so, expect a lot of slide shows like this one.
random photos of my kids who need their faces and noses wiped,
while hutch is pretending to cry in several,
a few glamour shots of alex,
and some garden and weed pictures. enjoy!

three (as of a few months ago)

hutch, i have really stuggled in writing this post. not because i don't have a million things to say about you, because talking to you/about you is easy as pie, but more because i'm in denial you're getting older. three sounds so old to me. i think all the time about how God is so wonderful to us to make each year with you and elsa better and better to counteract with the heartache of how fast time flies with our babies.
and it's not just time that flies, bubbs, you fly. this has been a pivitol year for you as far as finding things you love, and what you love is to go fast. your ultimate goal is a dirt-bike, but until then you will be satifsied flying around the skate park on your scooter, flying down the bunny slope on your skis, jumping off things so high they make me cringe, and practicing your motocross stunts. i spend a lot of time covering my eyes with you, and i am so thankful for your balance and confidence, because every day your attempts get bigger.
you make everyday life so fun. your enthusiasm is contagious, and there is plenty to go around. throwing rocks in the river, catching bugs, all the simple pleasures are met with "oh, man, that sounds AWESOME!" when suggested. seeing the world through your eyes is a beautiful thing, and i enjoy you enjoying life, and enjoy you wanting to confirm that any fun thing we have done that day will also be available in heaven.
but the thing i love the most about year 2-3, something i pray won't ever change, is how vocal you are in your love for us. thank you, hutch, for telling us you love us as often as you do. daddy, elsa, and myself are so blessed by those three words, and your inablility to keep your 'i love you's' and huge hugs contained is indescribeably perfect.
in short, hutch, we celebrate you, delight in you, and are so, so thankful for you and the boy you are.