That was unexpected! We are still here without too much change. Canning season finished and we've already eaten all but one jar of homemade salsa. We opened a jar of my experimental German red cabbage and I was delighted with how yummy it was! Last weekend we also opened our first jar of brandied cherries to eat with homemade ice cream. They were delicious, although next year I'll add a bit more brandy :) My desire to become a two-dog family manifested itself when I drove to Helena, MT to adopt a 1-year old gun-shy English springer spaniel. We named him Odie and he's kept me on my toes since day 1. He and Drake get along great, he's great with the kids, and his energy level helps motivate us to get out and let him burn some of it off running on the hill behind our house. In November Justin moved forward with opening a private practice, in addition to continuing to work at the Vet Center. It's been a slow start but he's in it for the long term so hopefully by this November he'll have a consistent set of clients. I took some time to think about what my professional future holds and concluded that I'd like to pursue becoming a doula. My training begins the first weekend in March with a two and a half day workshop. It's been almost a year since J's shoulder surgery. He's recovered completely and continues to test his abilities at the local boulding gym where he passionately practices his climbing skills with the expectation of tackling some serious rock faces this summer. The kids continue to enjoy preschool, climbing at the YMCA with J, going to gymnastics, riding the carousel, and playing at the Children's Museum. That's the cliff-notes version of the last 5 months or so. Now to the pictures :)
Odie
Parker's birthday
Parker's birthday party
One of our countless hikes this fall
A gorgeous fall in Missoula
Getting ready to trick-or-treat with friends.
Watching the Macy's parade on Thanksgiving (while Parker listens to Radiohead on J's ipod)
Deciding that it's worth sitting with Santa if that guarantees getting a princess dress for Christmas
Christmas tree hunting
Loving his new Christmas toys!
After our big snow
J's granddad fell and broke his femur while visiting us in early January. He had to have surgery in Missoula and spent a week at our house recovering. We enjoyed some special time that we otherwise wouldn't have had the chance together.
Fun at the bowling alley with friends (and sporting our shaggy hair)
Mom got out the scissors and hacked away.
J's brother Aaron, his girlfriend Emily, and his dog Buoy arrived late last Friday night for a 4 day visit. On Saturday, we did the obligatory trip to the carousel and they got their first taste of Missoula culture at Tamarack Brewery where we had a delicious lunch and watched the snow squalls pass over the mountains. 
The kids outlasted everyone riding in circles! Later in the afternoon Aaron took some time to give the kids their first swimming lesson at the Y. The kids proudly showed off and keep begging to go back. We also spent a large part of day 1 trying to get the dogs acclimated to each other. Aaron's rottie is a very sweet girl who didn't know what to do with our two fur buckets. Fortunately they figured out their roles after the first two days and were able to spend lots of time chasing each other around the yard and house.
