Four Mile Fire

Andrew's first big fire of the season was at Custer State Park and burned 2500 acres. Here are a few pictures Andrew was able to take.

Training with helicopters

Andrew spent a few days at the beginning of the summer training with helicopters. If he wasn't on a fire right now, I'd be able to give you more details ... I do know that he really enjoyed the experience.

Fathers Day

On Fathers Day we headed into the hills nearby - Andrew and I in the buggy; Elizabeth, Mom and Dad in the jeep; and Mike on his dirt bike. The sun was pretty hot and the grass was very tall and green. We didn't stay long but enjoyed every minute. Mom rode with Andrew in the buggy on the way home ... I could hear her giggling long after they left!

West Blvd. Festival

Every year my Aunt Margaret and Rexanne set up a petting zoo and give pony rides for the West Blvd. Festival. I was able to help out for awhile this year and had a ton of fun. It's an absolute blast to be around the kids for the pony rides - I had a great day at the park! Here are a few pics of the set up and then some of my aunt and then me and my grandma.

Going for a buggy ride

These pics aren't the best but that's because I scrambled to get pics of Elizabeth riding in the buggy (in her pjs) with Andrew. Andrew built this buggy from the ground up and it is a blast to ride in! Elizabeth grinned ear to ear the entire trip around the yard!

Dare devil

Elizabeth loves to climb everything in sight with no help from anyone around her. She also loves watching out the window for "Da" on the "bike!" Here she's wearing Mike's shoes and sunglasses!

One more...?

Grandma Maloney taught Elizabeth to say "one more" while they were setting the table one night. This soon became Elizabeth's "cute" way of asking for more. This morning Elizabeth convinced Uncle Mike that he needed "one more" doll to cuddle with. This soon turned into Mike being covered in every stuffed animal and doll in our house. So cute!

4-Wheeling in the Black Hills

We finally took Andrew's jeep out 4-wheeling. My brother Mike and brother-in-law Lee came with in my Dad's jeep. It rained a ton here so we hit quite a few mud puddles... Andrew went easy on us though since the doors were off and his tires spit mud like there's no tomorrow. Elizabeth loved the ride! It was so much fun to see the beautiful hills again!!

Hiking Harney with Dad

Andrew offered to take Elizabeth hiking on Memorial Day and took off with Mike, Lee, Michael, and Clay to the top of Harney with Elizabeth in tow. Everyone commented on how perfect she was all day and that she enjoyed the day more than anyone else! I enjoyed the day off by visiting Sharon in Wall with my sister and then stealing her and going shoe shopping! It was nice to have a day with just the girls (minus Elizabeth...okay I missed her a little but it was nice to shop without her). Isn't Elizabeth adorable in her sunglasses and hat!?!

Canyon Lake Park

Elizabeth and I picked up Grandma Maloney and went out to eat and then to
Canyon Lake Park. Elizabeth loved pushing her stroller around and looking at all of the ducks and geese. A nice couple let us have a few pieces of bread to feed the ducks which turned interesting... Elizabeth threw some bread at the ducks but as soon as the duck went for the bread she flipped out yelling, "No, no, mine!!" Then she ran up and grabbed the bread before the duck could get it... Ha Ha! It was hilarious - she didn't want to share her bread with the duck!! She had sooo much fun with Grandma - they laughed and giggled over everything! Then it was getting ready to rain on us so we went and had ice cream before heading home. What a great afternoon!

Getting settled in Rapid

We will spend our three month break from med school in Rapid. Andrew's working for the Black Hat Hand crew fighting fire. He's loving being outside everyday and is enjoying the fire experience. I'm working about 20 hours a week cleaning campers and houses. I love the independence and extra income but still look forward to my days off with Elizabeth. She's been going to daycare at a small, home daycare and is doing great! It's taken us a few weeks for her to settle into the new routine - sleeping is always a challenge with her - but she's loving all of the extra attention from family. (And I'm definitely loving the extra help!) We're living with my parents ... which is also where my sister and her husband (and cat) are staying until they buy a house and my brother (who, poor thing, has to sleep on a futon in the family room!) are living. It's definitely crowded but I love sitting down to dinner and being able to chat with everyone! My belly grows daily and this kid sure loves to practice kickboxing day and night. With all of my friends here starting to have their babies, I'm getting anxious for September! We're looking forward to the rest of the summer in Rapid and would love to have visitors - just send me an email and we can get together!!

Mothers Day

Our last day in Montana was Mothers Day so we went to church and then out to eat together. We had a great time in MT - it was a wonderful way to transition into our summer from the first year of medical school!

Michael's Birthday

Andrew's brother Michael celebrated his 22nd birthday while we were in Montana so we all ate some black-bottom cupcakes!! Yum!

Spending time with the VanOsdols!

In Montana, we spent a day hiking to the top of Castle Rock. We started out thinking it was a quick, easy hike that would take a couple hours. In fact, I recall Randy telling me that, "Old ladies with their walkers hike this trail." Well....we soon discovered the hike was a bit more intense than he had explained. There was a constant, steep incline and the trail went on forever!! Because we expected a short hike, none of us had coats. Of course, it decided to storm on us about half way up. All of us wanted to figure out what and where the top was so we kept hiking. Andrew took off trying to find the top his own way (with Elizabeth on his back, with no water, and no coat..!) ... and didn't make it to the top for awhile... (made me a tad bit nervous!). I was so amazed at how wonderful little Laeton did on the hike - he didn't complain once! In fact, Shirley and I complained more than him!! I couldn't believe how out of shape I was and how hiking was so much more difficiult pregnant! Besides this hike and the trip to Yellowstone, the guys also went on a hike to Man Gulch which they all enjoyed. Our time visiting went way too fast!