Winter Blues- update

I think I am back, hopefully I can get to posting again. I have been knee deep in the winter blues, and sickness. What started as a cold, turned into a sinus infection, and then turned into an upper respiratory infection, all over the course of about a month. It finally caught up with me, not being able to breathe, and not being able to get anything done around the house, and barely being able to keep up with Evelyn, I finally went to the doctor and began antibiotics, Slowly I have been improving, and after an antibiotic change I think I feel 100% again, but it's been so long since I felt better I am not sure. So between being knee deep in snow, seriously almost a foot this week, and the winter blues, I am so ready to move to Southern California, where it never will snow. I check the weather every day, it's so beautiful in Oceanside, and our forecast is calling for more snow. 

Yeah, I can't even make this shit up.

Saturday Morning 

Saturday Morning

Tuesday Morning
more snow, yay (heavy with the sarcasm)

But things are still looking good for our move, we should leave Montana some time in early/mid april and we will begin our trek across country to visit Evey's Grandparents, Uncles, and Aunts. Then we will head back west to Camp Pendleton. To say I am excited is an understatement. I have a countdown on my phone and We have about 60 days left until we leave! 

except I don't think we'll go through vegas on our way down, we'll just drive through northern arizona like we usually do.

Its going to be a huge pain in the ass at first because we will be driving 2 cars, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 1 baby from Montana to Arizona, then leaving one car and the animals at my parents house and my sisters place. Then picking them back up on our way to California. 

For our short time left here in Montana, I hope the weather improves so we can have some nice weekends to spend outdoors with our friends, and Evey's little boy friend, before we move. It really sucks that both places we lived here in Montana, we start making friends when we are about to leave.

Go Link up! 

Fall?

Yeah, we skipped it. 

I know my porch is a mess. And now it's covered in snow. This was at 10pm, looks like about 1/2 an inch. Now it's midnight and we are closer to if not past 3 inches. Oh dear. 

My neck of the woods

I've been so busy with Princess Stinky Pants, that I haven't really written much lately, beyond baby updates.

Well that's not true. I wrote a big long post the other night about co-sleeping, but it got eaten by the blogger monster while I was asleep, and has not been seen from since. I keep hoping that I'll wake up and It'll appear for me to post, but I doubt it.

The weather here continues to mess with my emotions, it was really nice for a few days and then it got rainy for about a week, not that big of a deal, I don't mind the rain, but it was also chilly. Then it got nice again, really nice, now it's cold again. Second day of summer and our high will be in the high 50's low 60's

We have been planning our fall road trip/ PCS (permanent change of station, when we move to Paul's new location) We are going to try to visit everyone, this will include stops in Az, Nm, Tx, and all the way to Va. Then head back to California after. 

I also hope to visit some mommy friends on this trip. See, when I was pregnant with Evelyn I was lucky enough to find a group of ladies all also due in December, all also first time mommies. A facebook group has formed and we have been together since, It's been over a year now. We went through pregnancy, sickness, premie births, and late babies together, then colic, fevers, sleepless nights and wonder weeks. We are all having these milestones together, I think it's wonderful, I can ask this group of about 80 moms, "hey is anyone else dealing with this right now?" and I have so many moms that can relate. I was also lucky enough to discover two bloggers that had babies right when I did, Mrs. K & Captain J, we were due date buddies (we were, weren't we? oh my, baby brain has ruined my memory), but her little A came early. Then Home is wherever we are if there's love there too, she had her little Boy J, about 26 hours after I had Evelyn. But since she's in Japan, we actually were both having babies at very close to the same time! 

getting ready for a walk

I have been working on my physical self too. I recent started Weight Watchers again. Last time  I think I lost overall about 12 pounds. I still have lots of baby weight to loose, but I think I am down about 4 pounds since I started, which is 4 more pounds than I have lost since I came home from the hospital. I weigh in Monday, so we'll see where we are. My initial goal is the 20ish I have to loose from pregnancy. Then I would like to loose another 20ish. I have been walking/hiking the hill outside when the weather is nice, and mostly eating better on days that I am cooped up inside. I've been doing insanity off and on, and I've even done Jillian 30 Day Shred a few times.

workout woes  

We also have been hiking on the weekends, last weekend we followed an old rail road trail, that led to a spooky tunnel.  I thought my heart would explode walking through the tunnel, and if I didn't have Paul with me I wouldn't have gone in it, It was scary and I am pretty sure there were zombie monsters hidden in there just waiting to eat our faces. After we turned around and headed back I made us find a trail over the hill the tunnel went through because I really didn't want to walk through it again.  and that's about it. Somehow things are crazy busy with a baby, but I don't seem to have much to write about. That's not true, I have a few posts started that I need to take pictures for, I'm just lazy/too busy with Baby E, to take them and finish the posts. Maybe I can find time to do that soon.  Oh and don't forget, In a few days Google Reader will close FOREVER!
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Montana, you're makin me crazy!

I shouldn't be surprised, It snowed last year on Memorial Day weekend.
But this year was a bit much. I am super excited to be moving this fall.

This started the night of May 23
(I know I am way behind on posting)

It started in the middle of the night with intense fog.

and a thin layer of snow dusted the neighborhood.
But, when we woke up, it was way more than a dusting....

Most of the snow melted by the weekend. But we still had icky rainy and cold weather until this week.
Finally the last 5 days or so have been pretty nice. Hopefully it lasts. 

If any bloggers want to do ad-swaps or guest posts for June/July e-mail me at PrincessAiko@me.com

I'm new to ad's and I've never had guest posts so this should be fun!

How goes it in Montana?

We are still waiting on orders to Camp Pendleton. Hoping to get them any day now, but realistically since we are not moving until after October, we may not get orders until Augustish, or later.

We have not really done anything exciting this month.

Partly because it's still cold as shit. This week we were under 34 degrees for about 6 days straight.

So we have been staying inside, where it is warm.

Hoping that May will bring warmer weather.

I've been cross stitching again. I sort of screwed this one up but I am hoping when I frame it that it'll be okay. I didn't center it correctly and I only have about 1/4 inch on the right side, vs about 2 inches on the right.

Oh and I got new glasses, yay! 

Little miss cranky pants has been taking up much of my time, and my hands, she prefers to have my undivided attention, and I haven't been able to put her down much. When I do I try to use that time to do housework and cook, tis why I have been absent much the last few weeks.  But today she has given me time to do things with my hands, and I cleaned the kitchen yesterday, so I am blogging today. I have several days worth of blogs for you, so stay tuned this week!

Weather App

I'm a bit obsessed with the weather. Perhaps it's because I live somewhere with such miserable and unpredictable weather. Or maybe because it really influences how I feel for the day. Warm and sunny- happy; cold and overcast- bleh.
My obsession has led me to collect weather apps on my phone. I joke that I have so many because if I don't like one forecast I can just check a different app. This isn't too far from the truth. If one forecast makes me sad I can look for a better one, one that can give me hope for a warmer future. Haha, so I collect weather apps.

Well one of my favorites (and a free app) is AccuWeather it took me a bit to figure out all the features but its got some cool add-ons that other apps don't have.

Pretty typical weather, sunrise, sunset, wind and stuff.

forecast, But look at wednesday See that !

When I click on the ! it gives me the weather warning. Cool! 

I can also see all these other cool forecastey things

Beachgoing sucks in Montana right now. Poor beaches, being all left alone. 

I really like this app, and highly recommend it to people with unpredictable weather. It changes quite frequently here and this app is usually pretty spot on with the forecasts. 

This review is my own, I just wanted to share, AccuWeather doesn't even know I exist. 

Winter is horrible

As we prepare to move to yet another location in the Great White North, I have been pondering weather patterns. Everyone from around here says "Butte is way colder than Helena". 

Current temp via weather app on my Mac Book

Great, because I think it's cold enough here. I don't need to move somewhere colder. I am so over the cold. I really hope when we get our next duty station in the fall that it's far, far, away from winter, and snow, and has temperatures that don't get anywhere near freezing. 

If you ever plan on moving to, or visiting Montana, you may find this info useful. If not you can at least look at it and pity me. 

Lowest recorded was -52. That's bananas. Last week it was -22 one morning. 

F that. 

from usclimatedata.com

But according to the above and the below charts after February it should start warming up significantly. Yay!

Just to give you an idea of Helena vs. Butte: 

Helena's a little warmer, but not a hell of a lot. 

And just for fun, lets compare Butte to Tucson, where I grew up: 

(all weather averages were screen shots from Weather.com unless otherwise noted)

Also I know I have shared I am moving to Walkerville, not Butte. But for all intents and purposes of this blog they are the same. 

- Alana

Tucson Travels Part 2

When I left you yesterday I was wearing a cute fake preggo belly, oh that was fun, and hysterical.

It didn't take long for my sister to get into town, she showed up a few days after me. And our first stop as a family was SUSHI!

Sister had Orion, and I hate her for it :)

Daddy doesn't do raw so he had Yakisoba, and it was fun to watch him try to use is trainer chopsticks.

(I am really sad I don't have any pictures of mom, She was there though, I promise. I do have some pictures from mom from this trip, but if I posted them she would surely kill me. Right mom? and I love your dress from Ross, I think blogworld would too)

sister and me.

(mostly cooked) Rolls!

That's about all I am supposed to have, but I did eat some sashimi, and I lived and I can still feel the little nugget moving inside my belly so she is fine too.

On the way home we took some pictures of another Tucson Favorite, Lucky Wishbone, sadly I didn't get any steak fingers this trip. Maybe next.


One of the afternoons we had an awesome, but short Monsoon storm, it broke daddys boat tent

Sunday we had an almost surprise baby shower for me, I don't have the pictures from that, so that'll be yet another post. 

Well I do have this picture. 

That's me eating the Reeces Peanut Butter cup out of a diaper, I lost the guess what chocolate is melted in the diaper game, but I won for grossing everyone out. 

Monday Mommy took sister and me out to get Pho, it was my first time having real Pho, I've had the instant kind, real Pho is way better.

mmmm Pho

And then Tuesday I left.

 Sister and I left at almost the same time, I am 99% sure she was sitting on that plane as I was taxing out on mine.

Bye Bye tucson, I'll miss you and your mountains!

During my flight to SLC we flew over the Grand Canyon

and some cool clouds

SLC terminal E (the small regional delta terminal I think) is quite nice, but usually packed.
The flight on Tuesday I was quite surprised to enter the terminal and find it only about 2/3 full, it's usually like packed sardines in there.

I had a great clear shot of the terminal, then this guy sat down
This terminal is about as big as Helena's whole airport. 

Then I flew the rest of the way home

we flew in just under a wicked looking T-storm

Hi Helena!

Paul brought my doggie doodles to the airport to get me! They were so excited to see mommy.

Renji and Aiko

And now I'm home, back to trying to eat healthy, cleaning up a weeks worth of laundry, and all the other mayhem in this house that I left behind.

I love Tucson, But I am happy to be home, I just wish home wasn't so far away from everyone.


Have a lovely day, and remember to find me on Facebook for all the quick little updates that don't make it here!

-Alana