Painting pros

On Sunday (7/26) we were just playing at the cabin when we decided to do a little painting since it was so nice outside. The kids of course wanted to help! So, their project was the wood box. They LOVED it!! :) And, I love the finished product and how nice it looks (thanks to Grandma and Papa following behind the kids ;)).

Hiking to Glacier Lake

Chris finally got his way.....he got me hiking! :) And, I made sure to take Hailey with too so he wouldn't just leave me somewhere ;). She was SO EXCITED to go hiking with daddy and Grandpa (never said that about going with me :) ). She also so ready to take her fishing pole and her own backpack of water. She was SET!

Here is Hailey when we were just leaving the truck....time to start HIKING! :)

We started at 8700 feet, and at the top we were at 9,980 feet! That is quite the climb! The hike itself was 3.5 miles, so not too bad. It started out all nice and sunny....and a little too warm too. We took a lot of breaks when there was shade. I will say...Hailey never asked to stop and go back, never asked to be carried, or complained too much. I was SO PROUD of her! She just kept going and going and going! :)

Hailey and Papa starting out....and one of my favorite pictures of my hiker Hailey! :)

The 3 of us on the bridge that goes over the waterfall (and the waterfall itself...BEAUTIFUL!!).

Hailey and Chris at the top...and Hailey hiking.

Hailey at the sign for Glacier Lake! WAY TO GO HAILEY!! And, Chris carrying Hailey over the logs....scary for me on the other side....I was very happy when they were back! :)

Once we got to the lake, we had our picnic lunch. Then Hailey started fishing. She caught the FIRST FISH!! She was very excited and wanted to keep it. And I mean KEEP IT. She wanted it alive, then she wanted it mounted, etc. We finally talked her into having a picture of it instead and eating it later. :) She was okay with that. She was exhausted, so while Chris and Doug were fishing, she curled up and took a little nap on the beach. That is her...in the blue blanket.

The pictures stop there! :) But the story doesn't!!! I had to wake Hailey up from her nap to get to shelter! There was a storm coming. It wasn't just a little storm either...there was HAIL!! Finally after an hour or so of waiting, Chris said it wasn't going to stop so we better just go down. So, we started walking. Most of the way down it didn't rain, but there were times it did. We were all very happy to see the truck.

Hailey LOVED hiking! The next day she was asking when she could go again with Chris...and to a new place. We also ruined Wild Bill for her. Those fish are just too small for her now. Now she wants to go to the big lakes to find the BIG FISH! :) Way to go Hailey! Daddy and I are SO PROUD of you!!

Camping

On Friday night (7/24) Chris set up the tent by the cabin. The kids have been BEGGING to sleep in the tent. So, they finally got their wish! :) I was out there with them for a few minutes...and Hailey was OUT COLD! She woke up when Chris got in there to sleep. Ryan was up before 6am and this meant that Chris was up then too! :) Hailey, on the other hand, was still OUT! I had to wake her up at 8:30 and she was still snoring! :) That's my girl :)

They had so much fun, and were quiet mad at us when it was time to take the tent down.

Swimming Lessons

Hailey was in swimming lessons at a public pool from July 20-24 from 10-11am. This was one of the only places I could find that had swimming lesson at her level and above. She loved being one of two kids in her class....and that the other girl was 12!! She came home to tell me "I can retrieve from 11 feet of water, and the other girl cannot!" She was very proud of that (and so was I!!). She also improved at her diving as well. The week went fast.

The last day she was able to go down the water slides so that made her very happy! :) And, Ryan, well he watched and then went into the wading pool himself. Nice look, buddy!

I need this for 5-8 years from now

Last night in the car, totally out of the blue, Hailey told me "I want braces!" I asked her why she would want those, and she said they look nice. :) Gee, I wonder if she will think so when she has to have them on for YEARS!?!? I told her that there was a high probability that she will in fact get braces after her baby teeth are all out, and she liked that response. Hopefully she will remember this talk then! :)

Argentina

For those of you that don't know, I got to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina from Sat 7/11 to Sat 7/18. It was a looong flight, but so much fun. The best part of the entire trip was meeting the team I work with. What a fun group they are and now calls seem so different knowing that I KNOW who these people are! :) Next time I hope to have more time to see OUTSIDE the city! :)

Here is one shot of downtown BsAs and also a picture of the Hard Rock Cafe. I was told that I needed to get a shot glass for my dad. But, given that BsAs is 12 million people or something like that, I really didn't expect to see the Hard Rock Cafe. Imagine my surprise when we were walking and all of a sudden I SEE IT! I was so happy! :)


The other thing that my dad and Chris told me to do was eat some BEEF! :) So, I did! :) This steak was from a wonderful restaurant by our hotel. The guys on trip said it was the BEST BEEF EVER that they had!! :) I thought it was very good too!

Thirsty boy

Sunday night I could hear Ryan in the kitchen digging around in the cupboards. Then I heard the water dispenser going .... and going.... and going.... and going some more. I didn't hear it hitting the floor so I thought it might be okay. He comes into the living room holding my super-sized water mug (probably 40+ oz of water in it) and I ask him "Ryan, how much water do you need??" to which he replies...

"A half of tank"

NO IDEA where that came from! :)

Santa

I knew it would happen....but didn't expect it so soon or in July! Yesterday on the way home from daycare, Hailey was telling me about her day. She told me that this other girl said something so mean. Hailey got my attention with that. I of course asked what she said. Hailey said "she said there was no such thing as Santa Claus"!!! I told her it didn't matter what the other girl said, it matters what is inside Hailey's heart. Hailey agreed and told me "yeah, she should believe because if she doesn't, she isn't going to hear the bell when it rings" (from Polar Express). I told her she way right...end of subject.

4th of July

We spent the 4th of July with the Tree family in Red Lodge. What a fun day we had together!!! We were able to go to the parade in town...and got SO MUCH CANDY!! There was NO NEED for a trip to the candy store after that ;)


Then we took the kids fishing at Wild Bill. Hanna and CJ did very good. Ryan was busy too. And, Hailey, she was so excited to use her new PINK fishing vest for the first time! Looking GREAT Hailey! :)

The kids were able to stay up late for fireworks. We brought Kris' van up there, and they all stayed in the van and watched movies until it was time for the fireworks. It was a fun, but late night! :)

Earlier in the day, we did celebrate ALL of the kids' birthdays. They all got their own cupcake, we sang to each one individually, they blew out their candles, and then got to open presents. It was F-U-N!! :)

Cute kids

Here are the four kids....all at the park in Red Lodge on Friday, July 3rd.

Ryan - 4.5 years old
Hailey - almost 7 years old
CJ - almost 4 years old
Hanna - 2 years old

At the cabin with CJ and Hanna

Wow did the kids have fun at the cabin with Hanna and CJ!! To our surprise, they ALL wanted to sleep on the floor (yuck! I know that will change!). So, each night, they got to have a little slumber party at the cabin. They loved it!!!

We also got to go to the parade in Red Lodge 2 times...on Friday July 3rd and Saturday July 4th. They of course loved all the candy. On Friday, it started to get cloudy and cold out...and sure enough, started to rain during the parade. The kids still had fun, but then our plan to go to the park was put on hold. Instead, we had picnic at the cabin and then a much needed nap for 4 kids!! :) We got up, and then were able to have an ice cream treat at Scoops and finally get to play at the park! :)

Here are the kids before the parade started. The girls wanted to dress alike, and the boys...well....we had 2 suitcases of clothes and just both happened to bring the same EXACT outfit with! That is Kris and I. We buy the same things for the kids (and each other) ALL THE TIME! :)

Take a look at the first picture below. The boys are using the light swords (from the circus) to put their shoes on and "roast" them in the fire. Doesn't that sound delicious to you!?!? :) And, finally at the park, they were able to run around and play! Love it!

Leave it to Ryan....

You never know what to expect from this kid!!! I asked him to go up and change (not sure what he had on to begin with, but it might not have been that bad looking back now). Here is how he came downstairs. A t-shirt on (a little on the small side) and then a long-sleeve shirt on, but it was buttoned around the collar and that is BEHIND his head! Good grief little man! :) It is July...you can wear a short sleeve shirt. :)

Fireworks preview

On Wednesday, July 1st the kids were very excited....CJ and Hanna were coming!! They kept asking when they would come...and finally they did ;) They didn't get to our house until later in the evening, but the kids were all very happy to see each other (and the adults too). Hailey and Ryan were also excited to light off some of their fireworks. They were both loving the sparklers. CJ needed a little help, and Hanna wasn't interested at all (what a cutie!). They all liked watching Chris set off the "bigger" ones too. We are going to have a fun weekend with them! :)