Ten months old, oh how you’ve grown Crawling, standing, you’re not alone Curious eyes, exploring each day Discovering the world in your own way
Simple sounds and gestures you make Communicating, your voice we’ll take Recognizing faces, voices too Growing social, just like you do
Healthy foods, routine in place Sleeping soundly, happy face Milestones reached, we’ll celebrate Our little one, so bright and great
Ten months old, oh what a joy Watching you grow, our hearts employ With love and pride, we’ll guide your way Happy ten months old, let’s seize the day!
Needing to get out of the house for a bit, Brian, Pa, Ma, Rost, & I packed a picnic and took off for the Hungry Horse Reservoir for some fishing, hiking, and sightseeing. Days like these are the best kind of days.
My 8 month old little adventurer & I have been taking some time this month to explore every inch of our new home as well as the nearby dirt roads. We hope you enjoy the photos we took along the way.
One of the few drawbacks of moving back to Montana is the ridiculously high cost of plane tickets. Compared to Albuquerque, tickets can easily cost 5x – 10x more. I had been hoping my parents would be able to come to spend a few weeks in Kalispell during the summer but the cost of tickets at the height of tourist season didn’t make sense financially. Since I am no longer working and Rost currently qualifies to fly Infant in Arms, it made sense for him and me to head back to Pennsylvania for a few weeks. So the kiddo and I packed a few bags and hopped a few flights across the country.
We were met at the airport by my Seester and her kiddos.
After a few hours of sleep, Rost and I were on the move. We spent the first few days visiting lots and lots of dearly missed family.
I try to carve special time out for each of my nieces and nephews during every trip. This visit was no exception. A day for each of them was done, getting to do what each of them requested. I love these visits and hope we can continue to do them long past their childhoods.
I got to celebrate turning another year older on this trip as well. It was celebrated in true Holly fashion by trying out a new bucket list item. My momma watched Rost while I drove into Pittsburgh to track down a restaurant-quality beef wellington. It was well worth the wait.
I am SO, so grateful for all the love and attention my friends and family back east shower on Rost (and I) during each and every visit. I really hope we can make this an annual tradition.
Rost got to go on a timeless Montanan adventure today – huckleberry picking! Thankfully, Rost is a fan of fresh-picked huckleberries and therefore a real Montanan.
7 months have come and gone. We are in the heat of summer now and really trying to enjoy as much time outside as possible. Rost definitely shares my love of nature so we spend as many hours outside as we can each day. He shares his love of fishing with his Dada and we both look forward to the day when he is out there holding his own pole in the water.
Adventures in Rost land continue day by day. Any free time not dedicated to baby raising is allocated to house/property improvements. We’ve got a list of projects about as large as the property and a limited number of nice summer days to complete them. Honestly, even though there isn’t much time for adventuring this summer, right now, even what feels like the most mundane task to me is an adventure for Rost. I am grateful for this time outside with him and happy to have a home in Montana again to work on.
An example of a project around the place. Who did this to me?! Why?!
On her inaugural Mother’s Day, emotions swelled within her, an intricate tapestry woven from the threads of joy, wonder, and a profound sense of responsibility. The sun’s warm embrace seemed to mirror the newfound warmth in her heart as she cradled her precious child, realizing that this day celebrated not just the birth of her baby, but also her own rebirth as a mother. Amidst the tender lullabies and tiny, grasping fingers, she embraced the journey of nurturing and love, forever cherishing this poignant milestone that marked the beginning of her lifelong voyage in motherhood.
What a change this fourth month of life has brought in Rost. Scheduled tummy time is on its way out as Rost has all but mastered the task.
We finally finished work on the little house, which prompted a week of moving Aunt Joy & Uncle Joe out of their old (our new) home and into the little house. Uncle Joe was excited to get a new room, and Aunt Joy was happy to no longer care for “such a large house.” As soon as their move was complete, I got a few days to clean our new home out before we started moving our stuff, and life in. Rost got his own room, which meant we could convert his bassinet into a crib – a much-needed move as he was quickly outgrowing the bassinet.
It’s great to be in our own space, about 100 feet from Brian’s parents and another hundred from Aunt Joy, Uncle Joe, & Aunt Terri. Having so much family nearby feels great after living so far away from everyone for so long. Hopefully, my family can make trips out to our new home with the enticement of time with Rost and Glacier National Park only 30 minutes from our front door.
A quick photo dump from the month to follow. We’ve got a LOT of work to do around the property & are going to attempt as much as time and finances will allow this summer. Wish us luck! Not much else to say about them other than my kid is ridiculously cute. Thankfully he’s way more photogenic than either of his parents.
After Brian & I made the easy decision to move back to Montana we then had to make the ridiculously difficult decision to fly Rost up to Pennsylvania to spend time with my family while we packed up our lives in Albuquerque and transported it all to Kalispell.
Brian and I spent a few days visiting with my family before saying goodbye to Rost. We flew back to Albuquerque where we packed up the house, deep cleaned, got it listed on the market for sale, and drove to Montana. Thankfully I was getting hourly updates from everyone hanging out with Rost.
Overall the whole process was a breeze but we were really missing our little third wheel. As soon as the U-Haul was unpacked I flew back to PA myself, spent a few more days with family, and then flew solo with my infant in arms back to Montana.
