First trip up North

Drew spends at least a week each October pheasant hunting way up north in the Dakotas. It's part business with some customers always invited, and part pleasure. In the 11 years we've been together, I had yet to see little Pollock, South Dakota. It's not that I wasn't interested, he had just convinced me that it was not worth taking my very limited time off for. 

This year the stars aligned. After already spending a week of my maternity leave as a single parent, when Drew reminded me that he would be heading up there we made plans for me and the boys to join him after his customers left. 

The short version is....I had the BEST time. Maybe because he had convinced me it was the most boring place on Earth. I was prepared for the worst, and pleasantly surprised. First of all, I haven't spent that much time with my husband on a daily basis in a long time. I had my boys there, the scenery is beautiful, the people are great. Griffin and Cooper were great travelers. It was a really nice trip. 

putting gloves on so he could handle the strange bird

this is Todd, one of the local boys and his bird dogs

got it now!

happy Grandpa Bill

Clay is a good, old boy

old homestead of a family friend - also used as a hunting blind

baby boy had a sink bath

high up on a hill, Missouri River below
pictures don't show the monstrosity of the land

there was an official road sign that said the next town was 18 miles down
this gravel road.....and people drive as fast as if they were on interstates

Merlin takes care of the place year round

I was enjoying an oatmeal cream pie at this spot while hunting
and had a tumbleweed roll into me, I snuck it home!

blurry pic of my prize catch!

at each spot, Griffin went into the back of the truck while Drew hunted.
I could hear him yelling and having the time of his life. 

 

South Dakota Today - this morning's segment was "Crochet to De-Stress"

Hot Beef from the local bar "Grumpy's"
they kindly place an unwrapped fork and knife in there for you!

nap time - it's hard work spectating

Monthly Update

Life is good as a family of four. It has been really challenging at times, but my maternity leave is just about over so I'm soaking up every minute possible. 

Cooper is "sleeping through the night" by most definitions. When he goes to sleep around 10pm he will often not wake up for a feeding until 6am or so. He can go 5 hour stretches regularly, and that is a good amount of sleep to me. 

Although I don't have a ton of pictures yet, he is very smiley. My heart melts when he sees my face and coos. Drew says it's just a matter of time before he's a daddy's boy like Griffin. We'll see!

Weight: 12 lbs - 49th percentile
Height: 23 1/2" - 64th percentile
Head: 39 1/2 cm - 31st percentile
Diaper size: 1
Clothing size: 0-3 or 3 months

Mr. Griffin is quite a character. He likes to "tattle" now. For example, "Mommy's being mean to me!" is a favorite phrase. He also has become somewhat of a liar. When he doesn't get his way, he generally says, "(Insert name) said I could!" 

He hasn't had a daytime potty accident in quite some time, and the occasional night time bedwetting is usually predictable and our fault.

He is still an awesome big brother.

And here's a summary of photos from my phone from the last month: