2011 was such a beautiful and blessed year for us.
January we had a hair cutting experiment {first of a handful this year} and lots of fun snow to play in. I started counting my 1,000 gifts too! We otherwise stayed pretty quiet and cozy in our house, and finally took our Christmas decorations down the last week of January. :)
February gets a bad rap, but with our ranching season of calving kicking off, we love it! Our first calves are born usually right around my birthday, and we take a little break before that busyness starts and get a good hotel stay/swimming in for the rest of the winter. I suppose it helps that its my birth month too.
In March we experienced a couple of huge weather swings, which made it a little challenging during the heaviest calving, but we very much enjoyed the variety of activities we could do outside. We quickly befriended a sweet but not-so-healthy calf "Buddy", and checked the heifers calving just about every night with Spencer. I've mentioned it so many times before, but calving is my absolute favorite season of the year.
April brought a trip back to ND for Easter, and the end of our stay happened to be some of the most beautiful spring weather we could have asked for! The adults weren't quite ready to run through the sprinkler, but we did enjoy some summery watermelon and iced tea!
May marked the beginning of another busy ranching season: branding. We love the sights and sounds, but the girls and I are mostly in charge of feeding the ones who are actually working. I started a pretty big gardening and landscaping project which kept me happily busy all summer long, and at the end of the month we headed back to celebrate Jenna's graduation and a friend's wedding!
June was jam packed with fun, sun, and a lot of mud. Central Montana had widespread flooding, which we thankfully avoided, but we did have lots of water in our creeks and reservoirs. Spencer and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary, probably with little fanfare but I am forever thankful for him as my husband. We had a blast spending time at my parent's cabin on Leek Lake, and took a quick girls trip to Minneapolis, which we've done every summer for a long time! Once back from our busy trip, we tried to salvage our garden from all its rain, played most days in the sprinkler/pool/slip n' slide/mud puddles, and just enjoyed the beautiful Montana June.
July came fast and brought with it many nights spent at our roping arena, and a first for the girls in our family: Sweet Reesie was bucked off her horse in the arena! She fell on her bottom and wasn't hurt, and that little cowgirl was ready to ride again. My mom and sister Sarah and niece Sadie all came and visited for a wonderful week! We also experienced much sadness when our sweet Poppy, Spencer's grandpa, passed away. We talk about him often and miss him so much. That same weekend of his service, Reese celebrated her 2nd birthday. We love that sweet little bug so much and are so proud of the little lady she's becoming. Some Harlo girls and I took home a Big Sky State Games championship medal, and that same weekend a tragic car accident took the life of a former teammate who was returning home after the tournament. Constant reminders of living in the moment and being thankful for the now.
August was spent enjoying the last bits of free time before volleyball started. We played out on our swingset, went on adventures with Grandma Mary and Krista to Car Body Coulee, and spent the rest of the time harvesting the fresh veggies in our garden. Even though we didn't have a huge wheat crop this year, we loved visiting Spencer and the old John Deere combine out in the fields. We spent a little bit of the keeping him company in the swather too.
Once September rolls around we're pretty busy. Volleyball season is in full swing, and Spencer's trucking company is at its busiest. The ranch is also busy riding and getting ready to ship our calves, so we just buckle in and hold on for the busy fall. Thankfully I have lots of people willing to help us out and watch the girls, but they also LOVED coming to practice and games and playing with the team. We {me and a few other friends with kids around Ella and Reese's age} started a preschool co-op, which has blossomed into something truly amazing that we are so very thankful for. Ella started ballet and tap class, and is so excited for her April recital. Ella also turned 4 in September, which we celebrated with friends and princess cupcakes. I am so blessed with such a sweet daughter who continues to bring me joy everyday.
October was in the thick of volleyball and trucking, and I was determined to make it back to see Jenna play in her first season of college volleyball. We had a wonderful weekend in ND, visiting a pumpkin patch, helping my dad insulate the attic, and getting ready for our sweet niece to arrive! On the volleyball front, the team was making a run in the post-season, and after a 3 win season last year, I was so proud of the growth and development of the girls. Coaching will always be bittersweet, as the weekend before tournaments marked the second year of losing a fellow coach and friend in Tina. We were also deeply saddened with the loss of my sweet Grandma Marge on October 31st, and even more devastated that I wouldn't be able to be home for the services. I take comfort in knowing she is healthy and has all her memories of a life well lived now.
November brought with it the excitement of hosting Thanksgiving, even though we would be missing the Rongstad clan {almost baby time!}, and the tail end of working calves, preg-checking, and other important ranch duties. The girls spent the month wearing princess dresses and changing outfits at least 4 times a day, just to do it all over again the next. We did recognize that they began to really play well together, which led to the girls sharing Ella's bunkbed at night. Thanksgiving was an absolute beautiful weekend, and we enjoyed having the company and eating some delicious meals!
It seemed like December has flown by too, but we spent almost half of it away from the house. The first part of the month we were so blessed to be a part of the wedding of my best friend Jenny in the Dominican Republic. We decided to make it a family trip and are so glad we did. The girls absolutely LOVED the beach and pools, and Spencer and I had so much fun relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather and great friends. Jenny and I even had two days of beach volleyball, which was one of the many highlights of the trip. Upon returning home, we dressed up our house for Christmas, took part in the Christmas program at church, and got all the Christmas shopping done before we had ourselves a very Merry Christmas. It started at the ranch with Spencer's family, and then we traveled to ND to cuddle the newest niece Besty Joy and spend time with family and friends back home. We're planning a pretty quiet New Years to compensate all the busy.
I'm realizing I stopped the updates on the blog in August. I kind of have a lot to catch up! I was telling Spencer that we have taken more family pictures in December than we have the past 2 years since Reese was born. We have so much to celebrate and be thankful for.
I really like glancing at the past before looking forward to the new year. The history teacher in me obviously loves it, but I also think it's a wonderful and humbling reminder that even in the darkest of moments, there is always joy around the corner.
Wishing you and yours a joyous and blessed 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment