Finally a reliable working computer and the Holidays

Norman wanted to go home for Christmas too! We were sad to leave them but Hank and Kim took great care of them while we were gone. Christmas vacation was great. It flew, which is always hard but I loved being home for an extended time. Coming home for Christmas has a whole new meaning for me, I wanted time to stop. I was packing and Harper Sue came and sat on my lap. Val typically plays Santa, this year I subbed for him. He does a better job for sure! Stephen working out a brain busting puzzle. Santa always tries to trick him, but the engineer always seems to prevail! We all have homemade stockings. The newest addition (Mike) got his this year! Guess which one it is? Great job Mom! The best part of Christmas day was we got to Skype with Valentine. Mike and Murphy snuggling. What hams! Murphy wanted to open gifts too!This is just a side note. Harper and Norman put their "catches" in their food bowls. This is a totured stuffed blue mouse. If their prey doesn't end up in the food dish it's typically drowing in the water dish. Pour mousies! Doesn't he look so proud? Thank you husband for my new computer! You're the best!

It was great seeing everybody over the holidays. The Big Sky is always open for buisness so come visit anytime!

Mom, you always seem to escape the photo shoots. I'll get you next time!

I read a book!

Now I know that might sound really unintelligent but the truth is, I haven't picked up a book for pleasure since I finished my masters program 3 years ago. Until I found my inspiration.

Picture this...I head to Woodinville to stay a few nights with Kimberly and snug with Abby. Which by the way was priceless and LONG overdue. So, there we are chatting, preparing dinner, Lorissa came over and enjoyed some dinner too and Kimberly disappears. She comes back a little later saying I'm so close to finishing this really good book and I just have to find out how it ends. But, at this point she's not quite done with it yet. So there we are, Lorissa, Kimberly, Abby and me chatting it up and Kimberly stands up and says, "I'm sorry I have two short chapters to finish I must finish them!" So off she goes.

Okay, here's this gal whose juggling being a new mommy, a wife, a full time worker, friends, etc and she's still finding time to read this really great book. I knew I had to read it! Well, sure enough I started it and finished it very quickly! The Weight of Silence was definitely a great quick read!

Thanks for helping me find my interest in reading again Kimberly!

Montana Christmas

Our first Christmas.Welcome to our winter wonderland, come on in! Our precious kitties, perfectly behaving. Wait till you

see the next picture...not so perfect after all! Okay, take a close look at these two sets of cookies. On the right you'll see

cookies full of frosting, on the left you'll see no frosting.

So Mike and I stepped out for a bit last Sunday only to return

to two guilty looking kitties and frosting missing out

of the cookies on the left! "Naughty Norman and Harper, those

cookies were for Uncle Val in Iraq!" They didn't care,

they were licking their chops for days! Our first tree! We tried to get a more cozy pic.

but my camera wasn't cooperating. We love

turning all the lights off but the tree and sitting in front of it!

Baby Jesus in a manger! My Grandpa Moro designed

and made this manger, I love it! The floor has

slate and if you look closely the front has rock on it.

So much detail, he was a great craftsman. Mike recieved an early gift from my mom and dad, the

Christmas Story village! The house is on the left,

the school in the middle and then Higbees department

store on the right. Thanks Mom and Dad, we love it! Merry Christmas everyone!

Pictures of the kitties!

Here they are! Harper Sue and Norman too!

Harper is the black and white smoochie and Norman

is our tabby. Harper was originally a girl named

Silvi but as it turns out what was

supposed to be a spade surgery was actually a neutering.

Oops, hence the middle name "Sue." Harper is a huge

lover, he doesn't demand attention but loves a warm lap.

Norman, is super sweet, talkative and demands

attention. One active kitty and one mellow kitty is

the perfect combination. They are a great addition to the

Yasenak household. Friday happy hour! Harper the snuggler. Play time.Sleepy time.

Norman and Harper Yasenak

Ugh! Our downloading of pictures isn't up to par right now so I can't get any pictures of the kitties. Boo! None the less we have Harper and Norman who are both wonderful additions to our family. They have found a huge place in our hearts and we love them so much already! I will do what I can to get pictures up soon. :( Hopefully Mike can troubleshoot tomorrow evening.

Fur Babies On The Way!

We pick up our little ones on Thursday. We have made a decision on one of them but the next choice didn't come as easy. Lets just say there were alligator tears and rubs on the back from Mike. I want to save all 72 of the cats/kitties and thus making it difficult to make a final decision on number two. Needless to say I am taking the weekend in hopes some will be adopted and make my decision easier. We head back tomorrow to make a decision on number two. I'll keep you all posted and will have pictures soon.

As for kitty number one, we're thinking about naming him Norman or Harper. Again, we'll let you know what we decide! Either way, I can't wait to bring my little ones home.

The Best Surprises Ever!!

To say the least Friday was a very emotional day for me.

I was out of my mind excited to hear the news

that Abigail Kristine was on her way and

extremely saddened that I couldn't be there to

give my BFFAE a huge hug and welcome Abby

into the world. However, I know God is watching

over me because just when I thought I was

going to melt down he sent me three wonderful

surprises! Lisa, Jamie and Lorissa devised a plan with

Mike to surprise me this last weekend. They totally

pulled it off, I had NO idea that they were coming

out to visit. In fact, I thought Jaime and Mike

(my sister and brother in law) were coming to visit and

Jaime even played a huge role in the surprise. I was sitting

at Bin 119 (a wine bar) sipping wine with Mike

expecting Jaime and Mike to show up and all

of the sudden Lisa appears out of nowhere saying

"What are we drinking?"

And then I see Jamie and then Lorissa!!! I burst

into tears and couldn't control them because I was

so happy. I was in shock (seriously) for a long time.

These gals couldn't have come at a better time. Thanks

friends for coming out, it meant the world to me. It

was fun having you here and the laughs were endless.

I do have to give a shout out to my hubby...he's had

a great listening ear and sholder to cry on. Even

knowing these gals were on their way out, he didn't

let the cat out of the bag.Mike's artistic flare. I actually love this picture.

What you don't see is Desiree taking a shot of

us from the front. And, to top it off Val's girlfriend Desiree

was able to pop in for lunch on Sunday.

She is from Montana and was on a

road trip visiting family. What a treat!Thank you everyone for making this

such a special weekend!