Cute as a button

Well we are finally home! We were released from the hospital Saturday afternoon and it was a blessing!

Although it feels great to be home instead of the hospital, I'm still fighting off infections. I was on high risk for infection because my immune system was low when we were released, and sure enough, Sunday evening I spiked a fever. Now on anitbiotics (again) I'm working real hard to just be healthy, let alone recover from the c-section surgery. The road to recovery has been a long and bumpy one. We haven't hit pavement yet, but we are working on it.

Skyler is doing great. Healthy as a horse and eating like a champ. His sucking skills are yet to be determined, and he is still hesitant to come to me directly for food, but he is getting the food he needs and meeting is daily "output" requirements :).

Here are some more pictures for you all to enjoy.



Skyler rockin' it in Mom's baby blanket..ya vintage!

Grandma getting excited about going home.

Skyler's first time in the car seat.

First car ride :)

Sky testing out the vibrating seat from Grandma Jackson.




One happy little family :)

Sky working on his facials

Just being his cute little self...


...and working really hard at it too :)

Skyler Edgar Albert

There he is! The newest member of the family! We don't have a whole lot of pictures just yet, we've been sort of busy. The whole birth process has been a long and bumpy road. The plan was to give birth to Skyler the the Madison Birthing Center the all natural way. We started off doing just that. Early labor, with small contractions starting Thursday. These annoying little buggers stuck around, getting progressively stronger until Sunday night, around 11:35 pm, when my water broke. The real contractions weren't far behinde, and they were strong! We lived through each beautiful contration until 11:45 am when we found out that things weren't progressing fast enough, so off we went to St. Mary's Hospital. Things got interesting after that. Epidurals, monitors, and routine vital check-ups became the norm as we found out that I had a fever, which indicated infection. This was hard to handle, but we were still hoping a c-section wasn't going to be needed. Unfortunately, for the safety of both Skyler and myself, the c-section was the only option. But he came out smiling! Beautiful 8'13oz Skyler 21 inches long! He is perfect!


More pictures and updates are on the way, so stay tuned!

We should be both on our way home by Saturday, so keep us in your thoughts!

Let it snow!!!

Well Fall just cruised right on through, here in Wisconsin. In October, we thought we may be getting winter early. We had some flurries and cold weather, which made guiding for Apex Adventure Alliance chilly. Rock climbing on cold rock isn't the most pleasant. But then November rolled around and, well, it was like a whole new fall, only without all the pretty leaves. Indian summer was right! We had September weather for the rest of the month! My last "who-raw" day of climbing was around 28 weeks (7months), and it was a good day to end on. Beautiful weather, great company, and great climbing. I probably would have kept going until the end if I had a harness that would fit!

The September-like weather stuck around until Dec 9th. We had the first major snow and it was wonderful! Full on blizzard warnings and everything! Wisconsin is now a winter wonderland, just like it should be. It's beauty reminds me why Wisconsin is so special in the first part of winter. Although, I can honestly say I miss the mountains. The windy, bitter cold after a huge storm like this is uncomfortable at best. But I am glad that there is finally snow on the ground and that winter is finally here.

Bring it on winter!







Here are some pictures from the last few months....enjoy!

Me climbing Mouses' wall (the 5.10a) at 28 weeks.
















Montana looking up at me taking a break before the crux.

Looking out at the fall colors.

Sara K. and I.

First snow; in the back yard.

Mom getting snow off of Montana's nose while out cross country skiing.

Looking out over the Wisconsin River at Ferry Bluff.

Yep, me at 8 months....

A family of eagles went out for a joy ride right above our heads. They were simply majestic.

Mom and Ferry Bluff.

Mom trying to get up after losing her balance.

Montana being awesome.

Montana under the snow burdened lilac bushes.

YAY SNOW!!!!

Stay tuned for updates..............one more month to go.......!

Summer Breeze

Well, Montana and I are back in Wisconsin and have busy since day 1. Guiding for Apex Adventure Alliance started as soon as we got back in April and has kept us on our toes ever since. We are out at Devil's Lake State Park at least once a week if not more either guiding rock climbing or just climbing for pure enjoyment. Here are some pictures to illistrate...

Kelly working through Gargatua at Old Sandstone.

Sarah A. projecting the so called 5.10a Congratulations.

Sarah K. coming down from Brintons Crack.

Montana, doing what she does best...relaxing!

Sarah A. heading up her favorite climb, Cheeta.

Anthony starting off smooth.

Kelly taking on the roof.

Kelly and Anthony setting up.



Montana the mountain dog.

So as you can see, the dog and I have been keeping ourselves busy for the summer. On top of that, I am now the proud employee of Erehwon Outlet in Madison, WI. Soon, Justin and I will be moving into the Madison area, which will be nice for both of us to not have to commute to work every day. Between guiding with Apex, climbing for fun, and working at Erehwon, I've been having a great summer...

Stay tuned for more adventures!

Spring Maddness

Looks like spring doesn't it? Maybe back in Wisconsin, but here in Montana, we are getting the best snow this year! This storm happened the night before the downtown chaos of the explosion, giving us 10". The next day, 10" more. You know I was out there enjoying that! It was amazing!

Bozeman Creek

Montana running through the snow.

Sunday came along and my friend, Daniel, and I went to the Boiling River in Yellowstone bright and early. We called Bridger at 7am when we left, and they had 3" of fresh snow, so we still decided to go to Yellowstone. One hour later, we called again, just to be sure. In that hour, Bridger Bowl got 8" more! Now at 11" (which turned into 26" by the end of the day), Bridger got the most snow it's gotten all season. We still had a great soak in the Boiling river, but needless to say, we both knew we were in the wrong spot for the day! But don't worry, we indulged in that 26" on Monday. One word = Epic.

The Boiling River coming out of the ground. (Mammoth, Yellowstone)

Boiling River flowing into the Gallatin River...where you soak.

Daniel and I leaving the River after our soak.

Job Update = Finding out tomorrow (Friday, March 13) whether or not I have a second interview here in Bozeman.

Future Update = Still unknown :)

Snowboard, Ski & Soak...What a Weekend!

This weekend has been a busy one which started on Thursday. It started snowing Wednesday night, so I went up to Bridger Bowl to do some snowboarding Thursday. The morning was fun, though not as much new snow as I thought. I was starting to think it wasn't worth it when it started snowing at noon.......and kept snowing until Friday! If I was excited before for 8" of new snow, you can imagine how exciting +12" of powder was! So, snowboarding Thursday and Friday were amazing. On top of that, I had a job interview Friday morning, which may keep me in Bozeman for a bit. Tune in soon for more details!

Then Saturday was a ladies day. Four of us girls drove down to Yellowstone National Park to enjoy a day of cross counrty skiing and a nice soak in the Boiling River. Unfortunatley, we had a slight delay as the Yakima rack on top of my car broke and sent our skis flying off the car and into the road!!! Luckily, there was no one driving behind us, and no serious damage to the skis, so we could all still enjoy the rest of the day. We ended up skiing about 8 miles, half in groomed trails, half in the backcounrty and it was beautiful. All together, we saw bison, elk, and a lone wolf (all from a (safe) distance). After a nice long ski (and a hitch hike back to the car), we enjoyed a well deserved two hour soak in the Boiling River before our drive home.

Sunday...........REST DAY!

PS->Sorry for the lack of pictures, but my camera battery conveniently died...and recharging was forgotten for future use. Next time!