The Roods: It's Been Too Long

Sorry all that it has been such a long time since I last posted. We went on a trip to Montana for a number of days and when we got back we had no internet!! It stunk but now I am back online and able to fill you in on all our adventures!

We went to Montana on the 17th of November. There were a number of purposes for the trip which I will expose as we go along. The day before we left the weather had to get bad. Montana hadn't gotten any snow yet this lovely winter season. When I had checked the forecast on Tuesday it was supposed to be clear and in the 40s-50s while we were there. Then the unpredictability of Montana weather decided to settle and my dad text me on Wednesday telling me to check the weather when I had a chance. When I text back asking why he promptly called and informed me that they were currently getting dumped on and that it wasn't supposed to stop until midnight. That made me a little worried. We had decided to take the Matrix instead of Chris's Jeep to save on gas. Even though we had purchased chains it made me a little uneasy. I am not fond of traveling on snowy, icy roads (not that anyone is). I get home from lunch and immediately get on to check the weather. The forecast was now telling me it was to snow all weekend but that the temperatures would remain above 0 degrees the whole time. I checked road conditions and about an hours worth of our trip the roads were closed. "Great! Now we'll never get there!" is what I said to Chris when he called from work to ask what I had learned. He told me not to fret and that we would make it just fine. When Tyson woke up bright and early, meaning 445 AM, for a bottle we decided to hit the road then figuring we would have to add a few hours to our trip given road conditions. When I had checked the roads again they were all open but mostly predicted to be covered with snow and ice. That worried me but at least nothing was closed causing us to no longer need the detour that we had planned. Well sure enough...everything went totally smooth, just like Chris told me. By the time we hit the big canyons the sun had been up long enough to turn everything to slush that had been mostly cleared from the roads. We ended up arriving early but found that Mom and Brian were home even though we thought they had to work and go to school! It was great to be there!

After a long night of Tyson waking up and fussing 90% of the time. We got up and sent Chris off on his first DEER HUNTING TRIP(1st purpose for the trip)!!! My family is big into deer hunting. My dad has gone for as long as I can remember. Chris was so excited to go! After they left Mom got Brian off to school and Steph came over. I went over to her place and helped the poor crippled girl clean her room and fold her laundry. The Sunday before we had arrived she hurt her elbow and had gone to the ER. They put her in a sling after finding no brake and referred her to an Orthopedic Specialist. They didn't find a brake either and told her to keep her arm in the sling for another week and then come in for a back up. She was one armed the whole time we were there. I felt so bad for her. After that Mom took Steph and I out for lunch at JBs and then we headed to Wal Mart because we hadn't packed baby food for the whole trip thinking it would be easier to just buy it when we got there. Little did I know that it would be dumping snow and the wind blowing hard enough to blow me away! We got a fun snow cover for the carseat and that kept Tyson nice and warm. By the time we were done it was time to get Brian from school and then head home. The boys got home from hunting when we were on our way to get Brian. We were so excited to hear that Chris had shot his very first deer!!! It was a small 2 by 3 but the body was very big for that young of a deer.

It took Chris and Ben shooting it a number of times before Chris gave the last shot through the lungs to kill it. The poor deer just wouldn't die. He got kinda mangled. That night Chris and I went over and visited Kasie and Quinn! It was great to see them and their cute kiddos! We wish they would just move down here already so we could see them more often!

(This was taken at Kasie and Quinn's but I failed in taking pictures pretty much the whole trip so this is all I have from there)

Through out the day Tyson just started to poop more and more and was having pretty bad diarrhea each time. By the end of the day he had a nasty diaper rash that was bleeding just a bit. That night was a long one with us getting up just about every 2 hours to change Tyson's diaper and then coaxing him back to sleep.

We woke up early the next morning and had a small breakfast. After we got all dressed and ready it was just about time for lunch! We headed out to Big Mouth BBQ with Mom, Dad, and Steph.

Then we went to Scheels and then it was time for Mom and Dad to pick up Brian from school and Ben from work and Steph had to go to class. Chris and I headed to Target to get some more diaper rash cream and formula. We found the cream but they were out of the formula so it was back to Wal Mart we went. They were also out of our formula but we got a little thing to set in the tub so that we could let Tyson sit in the water with his poor sore bum. I decided to call the Dr's office and talk to a nurse about how to help Tyson's rash that was just getting progressively worse. After discovering that Wal Mart didn't have the formula we headed to an Albertson's and found it there. We then met up with my parents and siblings are Big R. It is a farming/cowboyish store. It was fun to look around. We got Chris a nice warm jacket for hunting season next year and I got some genuine sheep skin slippers. They are so warm! I just love them!! Then nurse finally called me back and told me to use Lotrimin Anti Fungal and Neosporin on his diaper rash and to stop using wipes and use warm wash clothes.

So back to Target we went while everyone else headed home to start dinner. We had Spaghetti! It was so delicious! It was another long night with Tyson waking up every couple of hours because he pooped and it hurt. The nurse had told us it would take a few days before the rash would start to get better.

The next day we were up early again! My mom made biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Chris absolutely loved it! Then the preparations of our Thanksgiving feast began!!! My dad cooked the turkey differently this year. I can't tell you exactly what he did but it turned out great!!! I loved it! Tyson was starting to poop a little less but still not doing so great! By the time lunch came around I was ready for a melt down! I just wanted to come home so that I could let Tyson do his thing and get better. I wanted to sleep in my bed instead of on an air mattress! Then I wanted to cry because for the first time in my entire life I no longer thought of my parents house as home! It was a new thing for me and I wasn't sure that I liked it. I finally knew that I had established my own family and that were in a way separate from our parents. It was very new to me! The feast was AMAZING! Tyson loved the potatoes! Then it was time...time to get changed into our church clothes and head over to the church. It was time for music to start and prayers to be said. For talks to be given and for Brian, my sweet little brother, to be BAPTIZED!

I can't believe that he is already 8!!! Has it really been 8 years since I heard that first big cry through the nursery window at Benefis??? Has it really been 8 years since I first met and held this boy? Has it really been 8 years since our family changed forever?????? I can't believe it! My baby brother, who I would come home and look after, who would feed and change his diaper, who kids at school would ask if he was my kid is really 8! He is accountable for his actions and has the Holy Ghost with him always! He is half way through his 2nd grade year! Then to think that Ben, the boy I used to torture and put clips in his hair and force to wear a pink fuzzy robe and a Cruella Devil costume was baptizing the 8 year old!!! It was precious to watch them share such a special day! Brian being baptized and truly becoming a young man in a sense and Ben preparing for his mission by learning and performing this special ordinance. I am so proud of both of them! When we got home, we made some hot chocolate and hot apple cider for all and then settled into an intense game of Settlers of Catan. We had to squeeze it in because Chris and I decided it would be best for us if we were to head home Sunday instead of waiting for Monday because a bad storm was supposed to hit Montana Sunday night.

The drive home went well and Tyson slept 6 of the 8 and a half hours we were on the road. I was glad to be going home but sad to leave behind the family that I care so dearly about. I am grateful that we were able to go though! It was a great blessing to be there for Brian's special day!

Monday we both had off and so we just enjoyed the day together. We went to IHOP for breakfast and then did a little shopping and just relaxed the rest of the day!

Tuesday it was back to real life and then Thursday was back to vacation!

Thanksgiving was a great day! Chris let me sleep in and then we headed to my Gran and Grandpa Stuart's for our Thanksgiving feast! I was surprised to hear Grandpa tell Chris shortly after we had come in the door that he had turned the football game on downstairs for him. My grandpa swore off watching sports planning to extend his life by 10 years! It was such a great thing for them to do for Chris and I am grateful for their kindness to us. The food was delicious and the company was phenomenal! We were blessed to have been able to join them that day.