easter best

My BFF from high school, Alison, gave me a dress when I was pregnant with Eliana. It is this peach Laura Ashley dress with white polka dots. She gave it with a porcelain tea set. They both seemed so girl-like, so big, so un-baby. But here we are, playing tea set every afternoon and busting the dress on Easter.

I never really dress Eliana up. She's a messy kid with crazy hair who seems more suited to jeans and fleece than white tights and matching barrettes. But I've gotta say -- I loved seeing her all done up on Sunday.

We had a perfect return day back to Missoula. After all the Oregon rain, Missoula was sunny and warm (even though we were blessed with a spring blizzard today). We had a brunch date with our friend's over at Hayley's house. The spread was rockin' and the kiddos were thrilled to be together.

After sliders and playdoh, they found themselves in the yard with the chickens, running around to find eggs. Eliana gets it this year and was a focused, determined little hunter.


After a long nap for Eliana and a long hike on Jumbo for pregomama, we found ourselves at Mort and Roseann's for a delicious lamb dinner. The Massey's joined us with little Ophelia making her debut into the circle of love.


It was a loud, laughter-filled dinner with busy toddler's running about and content parents spending one of their favorite holidays together.


I really couldn't ask for more. I always love coming home. Home to these hills and mountains. Home to my people. Home to my little casita with all it's idiosyncrasies and love-filled nooks.

Monday found me nesting hard. Jeannie and nurse Tina were coming for the home-visit and, while I know that midwives don't visit home birth patients houses in search of dust bunnies, there was something about her coming here that made me want to have everything perfect. During my lunch break I found myself manically cleaning the windows, vacuuming behind the sofas, dusting the sills. Our birth gear was all gathered and organized. I even made it out to the store to buy some baby friendly detergent so I could wash his first outfits. It was a lovely feeling, all this focus on his arrival in the world. Jeannie said he was just perfect, his head far down and ready to rock.

While all that ridiculous nesting found me exhausted that evening, it was in a satisfying, ready sort of way. Eliana washed him about 800 times in the bath with extreme focus and purpose. We talked about his name and she said my favorite one with lovely pronunciation. The sun and snow, clouds and unpredictability of spring add a perfect tone to this time in our lives. Time for the unexpected. For change and green and new life.