Friendships

Raleigh and I have been going to a play group once a week for a few years now. In Montana it is a good thing because it guarantees that we get some socializing (both mother and child) at least once or twice a week when the weather's bad. This group of mommies were a tremendous support to me when I was coming out of my hole from Raleigh crying for the first 6 months of her life. Not only did they encourage me but also gave me creative ways of approaching "dealing with Raleigh". I owe most of my sanity to these ladies....

This summer, one was in Fort Collins in training with Crusade with her family, one had a baby, and another was deathly ill. I saw two of the women when I went and helped them and their families, but we had not all been together for several months. Tonight we hosted a barbeque and when Raleigh saw them coming down the street she shouted their names at the top of her lungs....

Of course, at the barbeque conversations were disjointed and there was a lot of crying and fighting for toys (7 kids under the age of 3 years old) but when the dust settled I think the overall sentiment is that we are all SOOO thankful for each other!!! Our girls are exhausted and our hearts are full because we are proud to be friends to each other and moms to our adorable bundles of love and friendship. Maybe these pictures will share the sentiment better than I. They are standing in a "Holy Board" game that the mommies were trying to play without the interference of 'our little helpers.' I am really looking forward to another year of bonding (both big girls and little girls) and learning from one another!

Here are updated pictures of the angel=== GRACIE-LEIGH

WELL, we bought a fancy new suburban, loaded it up, and the girls
and I headed to billings to see grandpa and grandma. It's sounds funny but my heart just soars when I drive this 'rig'. Even with a four month old
crying for the duration of
the 5 1/2 hours there and 6 hour return trip-- I am just happy to be driving my big rig. It's something God has put in my heart since I was a little girl. I grew up with suburbans, I took my driver's ed. test in a suburban, and I got in a knock-down-drag-out fight with my ex-fiance about how I would never drive a Land Rover but preferred a suburban! My girls and I are going to have many great memories in this car. And it fits that Raleigh calls it, "MY TRUCK!" Today she was mad that her fort we made in the living room was blocking her view of "My Truck" so I had to make a window out the fort so she could see her truck at all times.

Raleigh and Gracyn also got to experience their first Montana State Fair at Grandpa and Grandmas. Raleigh was pretty apprehensive at first but then when she figured out how the rides worked, etc. she was FEARLESS!!! She went on the full-sized fairis (sp?) wheel

and at first said, "I want off, Mommy" but I offered to put my arm around her and that was all she needed to feel content enough to start heckling the people down

below and saying hi to grandpa

. We had a

BLAST, petting zoo, fair food, rides, etc. We were all content and tired afterward. We really had a great time in Billings and Mommy got to catch up on her much needed sleep!!!