Today we headed over to Anaconda to visit with my Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Grandma Prueter. Not only were we there to visit, but they had decided to hold off on a full Easter dinner until Abby and I arrived.When we got there, we spent a lot of time visiting and catching up with everyone. Abby had the chance to sit and talk with her Great Grandma Prueter. Great Grandma gave her a very special toy, a kitty cat that had belonged to her Great Grandpa Prueter. My mom had given it to him during one of his stays in the hospital. Abby played with it very carefully and seemed to like it very much.

Dinner was very yummy! It was much like the Thanksgiving dinners I remembered having as a child. We had a turkey that my dad had placed in a brine overnight (which was the most amazing, moist turkey I have ever had), mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted vegetables and my moms orange jello salad (my favorite). It was perfect!

After dinner, Abby had some fun trying to play with Diane and Barry’s cat Sasha. Sasha is a very prissy kitty that we all adore, but she doesn’t always feel the same way about most of us. Abby was no exception to the rule, at all! I have to say though, Abby was very good with her. She didn’t run at her, or chase her. She sat close by and didn’t try too hard to touch her. Still Sasha hissed and bat at her, but thats just Sasha. Abby quickly learned how to say Sasha’s name and pretty soon she was asking, “where’s Sasha?”. We have video of that, but I will have to post it later.

Before leaving, we went out into the backyard to visit with Mary and Bob, Diane and Barry’s neighbors. They have an adorable Golden Retriever named Crockett who is quite the character and of course we knew Abby would love him. He is a lot like Jack! Crockett was just a small puppy the last time we visited and now he has grown into a very handsome pup. After visiting with Mary, Bob and Crockett we said our goodbyes and made our way back to Bozeman. We are hoping to see everyone once more time before Abby and I go. It was a lovely evening that we all enjoyed very much.

Abby is playing with the very special kitty that Great Grandma Prueter gave her.

Four generations of Prueter/O’Donnell girls. Such a special moment in time.

Strike a pose… Abby, Auntie Jillian and Great Grandma Prueter smile big for the camera!

Great Grandma Prueter looking through and reading Abby’s new book.

Handsome Crockett!

Grandpa Taylor and Abby are talking with Mary and Bob. Grandpa is telling a story and because she wants to be in on it too, Abby is trying to tell a story of her own. Gotta love that little girl!

Well after some sleep, I wake up at 4:30 am to my beautiful little girl. Nothing like hearing her bouncing around in her crib way too early in the morning. But when I open my eyes and looked up at Abby, I see her standing there, her little chin sitting on the side of her crib and then she says with a smile… “Hi”. My heart melted and of course it made only five hours of sleep worth it. The only issue I had was the fact that now I couldn’t get things in order BEFORE Abby woke up.

Thank goodness for PBS though. Even at 4:30 in the morning, there is childrens programming which was a great help to me. I know I know, using the TV as a babysitter! But when you need to shower and pack everything up, it helps a lot. Abby sat in her crib with her sippy cup and some Cheerios and was happy until it was time to go.

After packing the car up and a lovely breakfast at the hotel, Abby and I were back on the road again. Luckily the early wake up call for Abby caused her to take several good naps in the car, which helped mommy out immensely. The weather the entire way from Salt Lake City to Bozeman was gorgeous! It was cool but sunny and the roads were dry and clear. We always try to cut over in Idaho Falls through Targhee National Forest, which saves us nearly an hour of travel time. The only problem with that drive is it can be greatly affected by the weather. Lucky for us, it was warm and sunny. The drive through Targhee and Island Park was beautiful and gave me plenty to look at and enjoy. As we cut off from Norris over to Bozeman through the Madison River canyon, you could see green starting to peak through the brown grass. It was amazing! It also made the time go by quickly, especially as we got closer to Bozeman and the excitement was building.

Abby taking her second and longest nap. Such a sweet little face both asleep and awake.

Road through Targhee and Island and Park. Love this drive! And just over the mountains to my left is Yellowstone National Park, one of my two happy places!

Road through Henry’s Fork State Park in Idaho, just before our cut off towards Ennis and crossing over into Montana!

Once we arrived in Bozeman, Abby and I were greeted with a very warm reception from my parents and sister. DUH! I am not sure who was happier to see the other. I know Abby was excited to see Grandpa, who was cleaning out his car when we pulled up and even more excited when she was finally able to get out of the car.

After saying our hellos, unloading the car and settling in Abby had some presents to open for Easter, just a little belated. Auntie Jillian got Abby the cutest little monkey pj’s and an adorable stuffed monkey. The monkey has a belly button that Abby can poke and you can make it an inney or an outie. I know that sounds odd, but its super cute! Abby then opened her basket from Grandma and she seemed to enjoy all of her goodies. Inside were a few new outfits, a cute pail with chicks on them, a puzzle, a soft bunny (which was more for Shaun then Abby), and several books for Abby to read. Oddly enough she has spent a lot of time playing with the bucket and the ribbons used to decorate sme of the gifts inside, but she has played with everything else as well.

After settling in for a bit, we went to downtown Bozeman to the Mackenzie River Pizza COmpany for dinner and had a lovely time. Abby was super social and couldn’t stop talking to all of the kids that were there waiting with their families. Being a social butterfly certainly can make a girl hungry too, as she polished off most of a kids sized portion of Mac N Cheese. When they brought it out, the restaurant had topped with Goldfish, so Abby spent some time searching for the fish, but once she couldn’t find anymore… she shoveled it down. The dry, fresh air and the elevation will do that! It also helped her fall asleep early and fast too! Gotta love the mountains!