Places in Our Heart

We had these photos taken about a week before we drove out of Great Falls, Montana. It was our home for 4 years and holds a special place in our heart. And this is why. Both of our children were born there. We had so many great memories in Great Falls. No doubt, it was a tough place to live sometimes. Winters were the hardest. Cold snaps of -30 left you longing to be somewhere warm! I remember daydreaming of Hawaii on those really cold days! But we made snowmen and snowangels and made hot chocolate and kept our fire going inside. We took Ben sledding on the hill across the street. We just made it work. It's funny because we complained a lot, but this place made us stronger people. And it helped make us who we are right now. We really know that we can survive almost anything! We learned so much about ourselves while living there. We made wonderful friends. We ventured out as much as possible to see what Montana was all about. We went to Holter Lake and went boating almost every weekend during the summer, which only lasts about 8 weeks!!! We went camping, fishing, jet skiing, snow boarding, snow skiing, and snowshoeing twice (on one of those trips, I was 7 months pregnant with Ben). This was, by far, one of the hardest moves we've ever made. Ben was wondering where his bed was and where all his things were. We had a newborn. We were tired. No. We were exhausted. We lost our cat. We were leaving a house that we loved and had made a home for 4 years. It was an extremely emotional time for us. Needless to say, we were a hot mess leaving Great Falls and although I thought seeing it in my rearview mirror would be the best sight ever, I cried all the way out....and then some. I think I cried for a few weeks, actually. I still cry when I think about all our memories there. I think it's fair to say we love Montana and it will hold a special place in our hearts....forever.

Yep, both those kiddos were "made in Montana"!

My little Emma Grace, 1 month old here and Ben 3 1/2 years old.

He is so gentle and sweet with her. It's amazing to be the mother of these two children!

Daddy and Emma. This was about the only time she opened her eyes during the shoot!

Mama and Emma - rocking her back to sleep.

In the fields of Montana

Ben was such a ham! He loves having his picture taken!

Just the two of us. This is one of my favorites.

This is one picture we really wanted! It is by the Missouri River....the heart of the city. I don't know how many times we drove across that bridge in the distance!