Coming May 2013

That's right! Baby Baum #2 is on the way!  We are so thrilled to be parents to another sweet baby. Mostly everyone already knows but I guess it's not official until it's on the internet..right? We also found out over Thanksgiving vacation in Atlanta that Kensie is pregnant too and due a week after me! A lot of excitement in this family!

An outing to the lake

I'm a little late in posting about our Labor Day, but so much has been going on in the family it's been hard to find the time. Well really there isn't much to even talk about...... we had a pretty quiet Labor Day actually. We decided to go for a little picnic at the lake.  I got some cute pictures, so I thought why not blog about it. It was a great day at the lake, good food, a shovel and a bucket, and plenty of rocks to throw and skip.
Grasshopper cookies! Yummm!!! And he said "No Mom I no need a drink!"

I love a relaxing day outing with my little family.

VIDEOS!!!

There has been requests from family members for some videos of our character filled Tate. Tate loves my mom's piano, well he just loves music, and he always plays it on max volume. My mom calls this his Ray Charles.

Tate loves, LOVES to sing! And he learns songs really fast. I can sing him something once and the next time I sing it he is filling in the words. Lately some of his favorites are Oh My Darling, "Toy Story Three" which is you've got a friend in me, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, and this song that is in the video is a song my mom use to sing to me when I was little. I don't know what it's called. I always called it the Angel song. I'm very embarrassed to post a video of me singing, but Donny insisted on posting it, and Tate is so cute in it. SO just listen to him and tune me out please!

Daisy is Tate's new best friend....well I guess his only friend nowadays. Anyway everyday he has to give her "fresh water" and he continues to say "Daisy fresh water!" until she comes over for a drink. One day he discovered he could do the hose all by himself and was having a ball.

An Apostle of the Lord

 Last weekend we had the opportunity to hear the words of an Apostle. Living in Montana there aren't that many chances to see an Apostle face to face let alone shake his hand. Being that my dad is the stake president here in Helena we got to see quite a bit of Neil L. Anderson while he was here in town. Saturday morning there was a Missionary regional meeting and Elder Anderson was the guest speaker. My mom and I went early in the morning to help set up the breakfast for the missionaries. I have never been in a room with that many missionaries before. I couldn't believe the feeling that came over me being in the middle of them. The spirit was so strong it literally took my breath away. To be honest I had to get out of that room and just stand at the door, it was over whelming! After the breakfast was over mom and I started to head out to the car being that the meeting was for the Missionaries only. As we were leaving, and this couldn't have been planned more perfectly, the car with Elder Anderson pulled up. He got out and stopped us as we were leaving and shook our hands and asked us who we were and where we were going. (He actually asked me how old I was, thinking I was younger than I am. He looked a little embarrassed when I said 27 and that I was married with a 2 year old). It happens to me all the time so I wasn't embarrassed at all. He then invited us into the meeting, so of course you can't turn down an invite from an Apostle. The meeting was amazing!! I really can't even describe in words, I felt like I was beaming with sunshine, like I was on the edge of tears the whole time. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is the real deal. I know without a smidgen of doubt that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows who I am. Elder Anderson is awesome! He was so funny and was literally glowing with the spirit! There is no denying that the Lord has selected these men to lead this gospel. Anyway I could go on forever about it, but I'll get on with it. So I went to work that night on a high! Then the next morning we had a Stake Conference that Elder Anderson was speaking at as well. After the meeting he came over to our house for lunch before his flight out. I honestly don't know how I made it until 1 o'clock before I went to sleep! He was so personable, genuinely cared about each and everyone of us. He remembered my name from the day before and everything I had told him. I like him (he was looking at my bridal picture and said I don't look a day older than the day I got married). Anyway, we ate chicken salad sandwiches out on the patio and had great conversation and some laughs. He's just like a regular guy, but empowered by God. I will never forget that weekend for as long as I live. I had so many confirmations made in my heart those two days, and I will never forget the feelings I had. I was truly blessed! On the way to the airport he wrote us all little notes on his business cards. He is so sweet.

Backpacking the Beartooths

The first week of August we went on a backpacking trip to the beartooths. My mom was kind enough to stay behind with Tate so Donny and I could go together. Amber and my Uncle Jason and cousin Ryan came up from Utah which was really fun. We left Sunday night and came home Thursday. It was so pretty, above the tree line and all those lakes! My dad got more pictures and better ones, but these will have to do. Donny didn't get any pictures of our glacier run off waterfall shower which I know everyone would have enjoyed, but oh well!
Donny taught me to fly fish......sadly neither of us caught anything Amber is the only one of us who caught one I haven't backpacked since I was young. It was great! Donny really enjoys it and we hope to continue to take trips like these with our children.

Moving to Helena

We have been here in Helena for about a month now. We miss Minnesota, but it has been really nice to be with family. Tate is loving it! He stays busy all day long playing and doing his duties around the house. He lets Daisy out in the morning, feeds her morning and night and gets the mail everyday, and picks up all the pine cones.

He is having so much fun with Gammy and Grandad! He loves being around them. When he's not getting what he wants he calls for Gammy or Grandad. He's getting quite spoiled!

We are enjoying having space. Tate loves the backyard. He wants to be outside all day everyday. He got a basketball hoop from the binky fairy and him and Donny play together. I love it. They have become so close. He really is a daddy's boy these day. Tate thinks soap is like chapstick... Donny is working hard finishing up his PhD and is also is the Stake seminary coordinator. He's been quite busy playing stay at home dad as well while I'm at work and trying to sleep after a long night shift! Things are good for the Baum Fam! We are happy and that's all we need!

The Land of Peaches

Donny and I have always said we are the luckiest people on the planet for the families we have. We really enjoy spending time with our families. Family really is the the heart and blessing of life. I am actually getting teary just thinking about what to write about our amazing trip to Atlanta. Since we went to Florida with my family we have been talking or rather dreaming about taking a trip to Atlanta to visit Aaron and Kens. It was talked about all the siblings going out there for a visit before Dustin left on his mission. Well as wishful thinking most of the time does, it didn't pan out. Aaron was determined to get us out there and I'm so glad that he was! We could not have asked for a better trip! It is very hard to move away from family. The beginning is rough and I knew that we needed to get out there. Our trip started out great. We had a direct flight to Atlanta and it went so fast! Tate did great, watched Toy Story on the plane and we were there in no time. Right after picking us up we went to lunch and headed to the park. The kids played in the water and had a ball. Aaron and Kens are fabulous hosts. Their house is beautiful and they always have a plan to keep you entertained. Tate was loving all the room to run around and play with Maycie. We went to the Jazz Festival. Loads of people!! The kids did great! Chasing each other and dancing. We had a picnic and played in the Chattahoochee river. We spent a lovely day at the Georgia Aquarium.....after Tate choked on a chicken nugget at lunch (very scary!) The aquarium was amazing! They even had a dolphin show, just like sea world!! You can never get these two to look at the camera at the same time!!! We got a babysitter and had a fabulous date night. Delicious southern food and a movie. I can't even tell you how much fun I had with Kens! I love her to death! I'm sitting here crying missing her. We had so much fun together. She is so great. She had me running 5 mile runs, laughing, shopping, just enjoying every minute with her! There are some really great parks there. The kids were having so much fun. All and all it was a very memorable trip! Including the Delta catastrophe on our way back! It was all worth it. It was wonderful to spend time with Aaron and his sweet family. I am a lucky girl to have Aaron as my big brother. He is so thoughtful, caring and loving. He is also a tender father and uncle. You're the best A! I'm thankful for our friendship.I know Donny really enjoyed hanging out and watching basketball with Aaron. Let's be honest I'm not the greatest to watch sports with. We miss them so much already and can't wait to see Kens and Mayce while we are in Utah. We love you guys!! A million thanks for everything!!

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear

Tate loves this book!  Grandma Valynn got it for him for Christmas, and he always wants to read "Strawberry".  One day he wanted to read it and I was busy doing something so I said why don't you sit down and read it to me.  So he sat down and opened it and began to "read". I was blown away by how much of it he knew.  After that I started reading it with him and pausing at words so he would say them.  He is learning so fast and acting so grown up! I hope you enjoy the reading of The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear.

Take me to the B&B

Thursday was Donny's last final and last assignment EVER! Yay!  I know he has lots more work to do before he is completely finished, but it is such a huge accomplishment to get this far.  I wanted to do something special for him, I got him a present and planned to take him to dinner and a movie......LAME. Because I had no idea he had a way way way better surprise in store for me.

Thursday morning as Donny was walking out the door to go to his final he says, "Oh yeah....two things you need to do today, pack an overnight bag for you and one for Tate." Immediately I got super excited and just couldn't wait until Donny got home. I couldn't stop thinking about it all day, just waiting and waiting and smiling and waiting.  When he got home he still wouldn't tell me where we were going. He even had me thinking Tate was coming with us.

So we dropped Tate at our amazing friends' house (side note, Tate had so much fun he didn't even want to come home with us when we came to get him and didn't ask for us once while we were gone) and we were off. We drove for about an hour and ended up in Red Wing, Minnesota.

It felt like we were so far away in the middle of farm country. It was lovely!

We stayed at the Pratt-Taber bed and breakfast. I loved it!!! Loved it!!  It was so perfect.  Our room was beautiful and blue. My favorite.  Deb the Innkeeper was so sweet and nice (and also a nurse).  She made us mango juice and cheese and crackers when we got there and had brownies waiting for us when we returned for the night, and an amazing breakfast.  I don't know why we have never stayed at a bed and breakfast before.  It was amazing, just fabulous!

Friday morning we couldn't sleep in so we decided to get up and go for a run up to memorial park. It was beautiful (a lot up hill! I'm definitely sore today!).  Awww it was the just the revamp I needed, and I'm know Donny need a re-boost as well.

Donny is so sweet, thinking about me when he's had so much on his mind.  When I gave him his present he was genuinely surprised that I even thought about getting him something.  He's amazing and he has a way of remembering things that I say I would love to do.  He's the best! Oh and Donny will be disappointed if I don't include his highlight of the getaway!