Another week in the life of a busy momma!

Can I just say....I am flippin' exhausted!!!

I don't being this tired by noon EVERYday when I was prego with Kadi. Of course I was training horses, teaching lessons and doing wagon rides at this point in that pregnancy so I was busy. But chasing this busy fun loving 2 yr old all day EVERYday is exhausting. Not to mention that she is STILL teething and getting her 2 yr old molars and that daddy brought home a cold virus. But she is trying to stop napping!!!! 

Yea not happening!!!!

I have taken toys away, told her we won't see friends, told her we wont play dress up...anything to get her to lay down. Trav has told her that mommy and baby need to nap too and that seems to get her to lay down. We have fun though, even when she's being crazy!

She is LOVING dance class. She is SO much taller that the other little girls her age that we have even experimented with her being in the next class up. She's not quiet there yet but she will be by next year for sure. I never thought I would enjoy a girlie little girl but this is fun!!!

 Now just because I said she's a little girlie doesn't mean she's afraid to get dirty. She had a BLAST painting her pumpkin this year. In fact it's the only one that got done this year.

 My little artist!!!

We are loving our ward here in Great Falls. Kadi loves ALL her nursery leaders and is learning SO many new songs all the time. Trav and I are doing are best to be social too. The Trunk or Treat was fun! I thought Kadi had fun last year...well that was nothing compared to this year. I had a pink princess dress all set to go but a box from Gramma Tracy came just in time for Kadi to be her first and one of her favorite Disney princess'...Merida!

 Daddy was so excited too that he said we ALL had to dress up. So the kilt came out and my celtic bodice did too. Luckily no pictures of me...hehehe.

 If you want to take a picture lately you have to be quick...otherwise it turns out like this.

I love my festive family!!!

So the Rundown.

So I promised the lowdown on the hoedown.

So we started doctor appointments again this last February to try to get  prego...technically we started trying again last May however I didn't become "regular" till August. Anywho we decided to see doctors because we knew we were coming to Great Falls and there aren't any specialists on base here and we weren't sure how much our insurance would cover. So treatments began...none of which worked. By May we had done as much we could do in Dayton with no luck. I was a little disheartened but onwards and upwards I guess.

So needless to say we made the trek west and we weren't too concerned about worrying about if we were prego or not until roughly September. So as the end of September arrived I was prepared to start my cycle once again. However I had my hopes up just a little bit. 

So this is how that week unfolded.

I actually had a dream about a baby boy. I never dreamt of a little girl...Trav did though. Anyway this was different though...it was from birth to the little boy being older and playing with Kadi on our playground. It was crazy to me but I moved on and didn't mention the dream to anyone. However the next day I had an odd dream that Kadi's dance teacher was my Visiting Teacher. I thought it was totally odd. The next day after dance class her teacher seriously came up to me and said, "Guess what? I found out I'm your VT!!!" I was excited cause I like her but at the same time I was a little weirded out. 

My family are strong believers in dreams. We feel that most of the time they really have some truth to them. Now I'm not saying we think they predict the future but they have some merit. So I called my mom and talked to her about the dreams. We both thought that there could be some truth and merit in both my dreams and that I should take a test in a day or two. I mentioned them to Trav and he pretty much shrugged it off. I have to mention that he was the one convinced I was prego with Kadi and I didn't believe it. So I was a little discouraged that he wasn't as positive as I was. I was not having any symptoms really of being prego but my thoughts were hopeful. By the end of the week I was 5 days late and I was pretty positive the test would be positive. So before Trav left for work that day I took the test and you know what? I was RIGHT!!! 

So there you have it...the full story. I know it was probably boring to read but I wanted to have it written somewhere so I can share it with the little one at some point.

Ok now proof that we actually did something this week.

We went for a family bike ride along the Missouri River. Kadi had a blast!

 

So....

 So I don't normally let everyone in on what is going on in our personal lives. In my opinion it's really no ones business. I have been told that that is rude, selfish, and cruel. But here's a secret...I still don't care!

That being said I have decided to let our small little group of followers in on a secret.

Kadi got a new book!!!

No that isn't just a book that she picked out because she thought it was interesting. She has been getting books for full weeks of using the potty but this was given for this reason.

See proof!!!

I will tell the WHOLE story later...not really for attention but for the fact I don't want to forget it. I had to post this though cause Trav already posted the news on google and told all our Resident buddies. So look for the post next Sunday for the full rundown. Yes we're excited though!

3 Weeks in 1 Post!

Oh Boy!!! I have some catching up to do!!! It's not like there's too much to say...just LOTS of adventures!

So the last weekend of September Travis had a long weekend so we decided to have a end of the summer hurrah! 

So the last time I went to Glacier National Park was WAY back in 2007! It was my first and only trip to the park, I LOVED it but we hadn't made it back since. Now Trav grew up near by so he has been loads of times. So he booked us a cabin at McDonald Lodge the last weekend of the season and off we went. It was BEAUtiful!!!

 Hey Look!!! I actually look cute in a picture!!!

The view to Lake McDonald from our little cabin!!!

Our cabin...it was itsy bitsy but so pretty.

We hiked to Avalanche Lake...Kadi did great and sang nearly the WHOLE time!!!

 

Then we headed UP the mountain...UP Road to the Sun HWY. Logan Pass was covered in fog!! So pretty!!!

Best part was on the drive back down. We've seen Black Bears and Moose in Alaska but this was just so cool!! 

 Family #1...so cute!!!

Family #2...the calf was VERY curious!

 

 and a random pair of bears in VERY flimsy trees!

The weekend was exhausting...but SO much fun!!! Kadi loved the trip. Once we got back Trav started his week of studying for boards. He studied during the day then played with us after nap time. I know he doesn't like studying but we liked having him home more.

Ok so then we were off the the next weekend...conference weekend. We were lucky enough to see family as well. Rob (aka Papa Dude, aka Trav's dad) had a meeting in Great Falls so he and Judy (aka Trav's mom) decided to make a weekend of it and visit us. We were so excited!!! Kadi was talking about it for days!!! THEN on top of that Trav's younger sister and family had a football game here and visited as well (Sean coaches). So it was a fun full house of kids, laughing adults and fun stories being shared!!! We loved having them all here and can't wait to have more visitors SOON!  

 Gramma's ACCIDENTAL selfie!!!

 Kadi absolutely LOVED having her cousin here!!! She loved showing him toys and teaching him new things. She's gonna be a AWESOME big sister some day!!!

So the VERY next day we were in Helena where Trav took his boards. We came along with so we could support him...and explore!  

We found the Great Northern Carousel! Kadi LOVES carousels!!! We rode it 8 TIMES before we caught up with daddy then she rode it 2 more times, crazy kid.

She was a trooper and was so fun to hang out with in a new town. We can't wait to show daddy all the new places we found. Next time...when daddy hasn't spent 8 hours taking a test. We know he did awesome but the official results don't come until January. Trav has done better everytime he has taken any of his boards and we all know how brilliant he is.

Ok so lastly this weeks adventures. So we normally go the base library for story time and a craft, but this time the base fire department was there. They read books and then gave all the kids a tour of the truck. I didn't get a picture with their mascot, Sparky, but it was the first time EVER that Kadi didn't run in fear. She even gave him five, a hug, and a kiss on the nose!! So cute!

 This girl was having a blast!!!

So that was the last 3 weeks all summed up in 1 post. Come back for more if that sparked your interest.

This week was busy...ish.

This week has been busy with normal weekly activities.

Monday: dance class, laundry, momma GYM time and FHE

Tuesday: base library story time and crafts, house cleaning and any errands we need to run

Wednesday: neighborhood music time (new...not sure we'll go back), momma's GYM time and momma's clogging class...oh and bring Izzy into her stall.

Thursday: grocery shopping

Friday: momma's GYM time, Downtown library toddler time, and then pizza night with daddy.

Saturday: family time, and family pictures (this week)

Sunday: church

I only mention our week calendar for me to see and realize I made it through the week without totally screaming. 

We are finishing our second week of officially potty training. It has been a an up and down journey so far but we will get there. I'm not really too concerned with her getting it perfect immediately, I just want it to be a positive experience. She's doing pretty good, several times to the potty so far. 

I have also finished some of projects, including framing all of Trav's diplomas for his office. I have started some projects to add to the onslaught of things I want done before the end of the year. A couple of those are in Kadi's rooms. I am painting her dresser and the book holders in her room with rainbow colors...she loves she rainbows. Also I am putting up the alphabet and numbers on her wall in her play room. So far I have 6 out of the 26 letters done.

You likey?

Speaking of my projects I finally found someone to do our family pictures on Saturday!!! I was so excited, Trav and Kadi probably not so much. Kristen Payne did an AMAZING job!!! She helped Kadi relax and have fun. The session went great and I can't wait to see the pictures!

 This is what we wore with jeans.

We had a BIG first today!!! I finally trimmed Kadi's hair!!! I didn't trim too much but I just evened up the back and trimmed her bangs. She has her daddy's thicker hair and my curl, so fun!

She has such fun faces!!!

We are loving our new home!

The views we see on a regular keep surprising me. We are so lucky to live in such a wonderful place. Seriously my favorite place to come see the sun set...the quietness of the barn.

Come see our western paradise!

The Weeks Are Going By SO Fast!!!

Ok so I am going to start our week with our last Family Home Evening (FHE). We are kinda starting slow when it comes to FHE, no lesson yet really. We go to dinner (so momma gets a break) and then come home to play games. We brought out the bucking donkey game (can't remember the name). It was a blast!!! Kadi had so much fun, she was laughing hysterically. 

I think we figured out what game she likes best. 

Then I had to prove that Kadi loves our crazy music!!! It also shows how incredibly bi-polar Kadi has been this week. I think she is teething AGAIN!!!

Saturday we made another trip to the farmer's market. It is fun to wander, try food, and listen to local musicians. I got a few winter hats for Kadi...she has a thing for owls lately...such a sweet beautiful girl!

This cracked me up! She had to try my earrings on at church (no her ears won't be pierced until she can care for them herself). Nursery is still the one place she will go with other kids without me. She loves talking with other adults but kids scare her still. 

Time...I know...I'll give her time. 

After church I was determined to take advantage of the apples a friend a the barn gave me. Sometimes I impress even myself!!! This is the second time I have canned anything since I was very VERY young. So now we have 5 jars of apple pie filling and 5 jars of applesauce. The pie was absolutely DEElish!!!

Ok so now that I have caught everyone up I have to release some thoughts I have been having. So when we left Dayton I was a little hesitant to worry about making friends at church. Our last ward was hard...very hard. It was like being in HS again, totally catty and back stabbing. It wore me out so much to try to deal with all the drama in RS that I was just done. It has ALWAYS been easier for me (and Travis) to make friends else where, but we have always tried to be open to friends at church. 

So here I was totally ready to help Kadi make friends where ever she liked and sit on the side lines. However it is nice to just have church for church. To be able to go to church of the sacredness, spirit, and learning. Finally...what I wanted in the first place!

Yes making friends are nice too...in time.

This Week on the Sloan Files! hehehe!!!

This week had it's ups and downs. Kadi has started teething again (yay molars!), and I worked on organizing the house as much as I could. I was starting to loose my mind a little bit trying to work out projects at home and projects at the barn. i have now decided besides the horse stuff all maintenance at the barn is Trav's territory. He's happy, I'm happy and I can continue to organize the house and not stress.

The last weekend (Labor Day) was our super long weekend. We got to spend some time with family...love living close!!!

I had a few minutes...which turned into an hour...to ride my pony. One of these days I'm gonna take her on a trail ride and take pictures but I haven't gotten there yet.

So we were blessed to visit with our cousins that live in Great Falls as well. Trent and Christine Laird are Trav's closest cousins on his mom's side. Trent is his age and the guys lived close enough that they saw each other often. They have two boys around Kadi's age...Tucker is 3 and Coulter is almost 2...they LOVE each other SO much!!!

We got to show them around the base and the barn. The kids were playing barn version of tether-ball:) 

 Once we all saw the horse and fed her we headed to the house for dinner. So while we cooked the kids played!!

I am so glad they get along so well.

The rest of the week was full...and trying. I really tried to stay positive and patient all week. My outlet is the gym here on base. I am able to use machines or weights or the mat while Kadi watches shows or plays. I can keep an eye on her the whole time and she can't wander off. Genius!!!

We love having Travis home everyday. It is quite a difference from Dayton...he loved the Children's hospital but I like our family time. 

I almost have the house where I will be willing to share pictures...they'll come though no worries. We have more new things planned this week...including dance classes for Kadi and I.

So stay tuned!!!