Trip to the Homeland!

We made it back from Montana! We had such an amazing time, I didn't want to come back! My mom, Gavin and I went over for my cousin, Tiffany's, baby shower. She had little Ava about a month ago and has had some terrible complications with her c-section surgery. She was doing much better and it was so good to see her! I also loved holding her little baby! I can't believe how big she makes Gavin look. Gavin is a beast compared to her, it is so funny! I think Gavin won over all the family over there. He was such a good boy the entire time! He even travelled pretty well in the car. He had his moments, but did amazing for being in the car for 8 hours both ways.

We got to see so many people! We stopped for lunch in Missoula on our way there and had lunch with my good friend, Sadie (Patrick) Dustin, and that was great! The last time I saw her was last September, when I was a bridesmaid in her wedding! She is hoping to come out and bring her two little boys to Odessa sometime in late August. We didn't make it out to the Hi-Line, but they made it to us! Both my mom and I had friends drive in to Havre to meet us for lunch. I got to see most of the Kimmet's, my adopted family. I think of them as real parents and sisters, I lived with them for several months when my family first moved to Odessa. As always, we had a blast, and a simple lunch turned into a hilarious story. Angie (the oldest sister) was holding Gavin when she looked down on her hand and realized that he had pooped and it was spilling out. Laughing I quickly grabbed him and ran to change him in the bathroom. There wasn't a changing station, but there was just enough space in between the double sink counter. As I was laying Gavin down I realized that right above him was an automatic soap dispenser. I had just angled him out of the way when Becky (the third sister) came in to help me. We started laughing about the poop being literally everywhere. It was all up his back and all over my little changing pad. I was just pointing out the automatic soap dispenser when Gavin put his hand under it and got some soap perfectly in his palm. By now we were just rolling laughing. Then walks in Angie, who has a two month old baby, and he had just pooped all over too. I finished up with Gavin and was holding him out of the way so Angie could get in, and then somehow Gavin's diaper had disconnected and got stuck to my shirt. We were all just laughing, I'm sure the restaurant thought we were crazy! Now, imagine things like this 24/7 and that is pretty much how it was living with them! I hate to admit it, but at one point to cheer Melissa (the youngest sister) up, Becky and I put on our blue track suit warmups and rolled around her bedroom pretending to be blueberries...Such fun memories, it was so good to see them!

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Ryan is still doing good. He finally got packages, it takes about two weeks, minimum, for them to get to him. He has had a few really long days, but other than that things are going pretty well. I guess they have a couple projects coming up that will keep them busy, but until then it is business as usual.

Gavin is growing like a weed. He is SO heavy. He is sitting up on his own and is getting so close to crawling. He is really starting to teeth in full force and has been a little fussy and out of character for him. He has been taking pretty good naps, which makes me both happy and nervous (he is a terrible napper usually). He has a bit of a runny nose, but I am starting to think that is combined with allergies from some plant out here and teething.

Well, speaking of fussy....

Here are some photos!

 Baby Ava Diem

 Gavin and his cousin, Ryker

 Cousin, Tamera and Gavin

 Tamera, Bobby, and Gavin

 We stopped to see my Great-Aunt Grace, making her Gavin's Great-Great Aunt.

 Gavin got a little bath in the sink at my Aunt Sandy's.

 Pretty girl!

 Gavin with his Great Uncle Bob and Great Aunt Sandy.

 Seahawk fan already!

 Aunt Sandy, Tiffany and Ava, Myself and Gavin and my mom.

 When Ava would cry, Gavin would either yell back or look at her super concerned, like, what's wrong?!

 Meeting Uncle Keith and Aunt Janet.

These two...Tamera and Gavin. They were so cute! She just toted him around like a natural little mommy. Her brother and other cousins were trying to get her to leave Gavin and go play with them, and I told her that it was ok if she wanted to go play, and she just looked at me and said, "I LOVE HIM," with the straightest face, so needless to say, she played with Gavin!