In keeping with family tradition Anna looks like she’ll join in the fray fighting over who gets a turkey leg! I hope that all of you had a wonderful long weekend with family and friends. I will be back on Thursday with a lovely vegetable stew for those who don’t want to see turkey for another year!

The Black Hills are one of the country’s hidden gems. Most people are familiar with Mt. Rushmore but few are aware of the incredible beauty found in the surrounding hills. This month I participated in the Black Hills Photo Shootout, an action packed photography workshop that took us to some of the best places in the hills. It was the peak color weekend in Spearfish Canyon and the leaves were stunning. I have many more fun photos to share including getting up close and personal with a few raptors!

August has been a month filled with family for us. Anna met her Great Grandparents, Great Aunt and Uncle, and spent a fun long week with Mr. B’s parents. She is turning into quite the 18lb social butterfly- not wanting to miss a thing. Of course this has also translated into not wanting to nap. Ever. Which inevitably leads to…

We are getting out of the flood zone this week visiting friends and relatives (who have couches!). I will be back next week with a recipe. In the meantime enjoy the heat and the bounty of summer produce!

Happy 4th of July! We are celebrating by throwing a big block party for the National Guard troops who have patrolled our levees and helped us battle the flood waters for the past month. There will be fireworks too large to be legal in most states and lots of grilled meat- a true South Dakota party. We wish you all a day filled with hot sun, cold beer, and good friends.

When new leaves appear on Cottonwood trees the underside of each leaf is a bright silvery green. Watching the leaves shake in the wind makes me wish I could capture the color and motion and turn it into a chandelier!

One Baby: two months, 13.6 lbs and 23 1/2″. A full night’s sleep? Priceless.

We rounded the two month mark this week and are going strong. Anna is growing quickly and amazing me each day with the rapid development babies experience in the first year. She can see color, recognize faces, and best of all has started granting big loose lipped smiles to those who come into her view. Sleep is coming more readily, with wonderfully long 6-8 hour stretches at night. I feel human again.

One month. It is hard to believe that four weeks have passed since Anna joined our family and my life changed completely. The month of March 2011 will forever be remembered as a blur of sleepless nights and constant feedings. I felt like a mommy zombie for many days- leaving the house only a handful of times during the month and counting myself lucky to grab something to eat between feedings.

Somebody’s cheeks are starting to get a little chubbier! We will go for the classic sheepskin rug shot when she can hold her head up.