Fall Fun



Greer and his buddy Lander enjoying the leave pile at Terri's house.



Papa Skip Turns 80!! Hooray!!

Papa Skip is 80!!  Do you know how awesome that is?  It is fabulous. It is wonderful and miraculous.  And, a definite reason to celebrate.  Sue and I had discussed bringing the folks to the Flathead for a few days.  Sue had checked out hotels and John had agreed to drive them up in his van.  To top off their mini vacation was going to be a trip to Spencers for steak, spaghetti and hopefully a chat with every ones favorite waitress Lynn.  Sounded good.  But, we were shot down.  And, I have to admit that I understand it.  When we drive to Dillon to visit, it is a major undertaking.  You don't sleep well and by the end of the trip there is the inevitable exhaustion.  They are comfortable in their home.  They are safe in their home.  They have their own beds and the stress level is much lower.  So, plan two.  Meet in Butte, dinner at Lydias.  Nope, shot down again.  In the end, Dad wanted to dine at the Den with his Family.  And, it was brilliant.  Uncle Mel and Bo came down and the lovely Lanes joined us.  It was nice.  Happy Birthday Papa Skip, we love, love love you!!



Uncle Mel brought the kids some great books.  Greer's favorite was Muddy Truck.



The Birthday Boy and his little Grasshopper.

Nana and her little man Greer.

Last Camping Trip

As the summer began to draw to a close we itched to get into the woods one more time.  The smoke was awful as fires burned all around.  We couldn't even see across the lake.  But, it was all good.  We did some trailer crafts.  We pug chugged up and around the campground.  And, the kids rode their bikes up and down the road.  Once the wind died down we were even able to paddle around the bay.  Very nice way to end our camping season.

Things 1 and 2

Picnicing with the Fam



Hrrummpf

 

Yay!!



Mischief and Mayhem

This post has been a long time coming.  The title mischief and mayhem refer soley to our all too happy, recently turned "fwee", modern day Dennis the Menace, Greer.  So far "fwee" has been tough.  So tough I wonder if little dude will make it to four!!  In his defense I will concede that the last month have been sorta upside down in our house.  Todd and I got a much needed break when I tagged along to Disney World on his recent conference there.  Auntie Jodi and cousin "Jofess" watched the kids for 5 days and Auntie Sue-Sue rounded out the week.  When we got home, Todd watched the kids for a week and then was off on his next trip and a babysitter watched the kids.  Then there was another trip and then he was home.  There was first one, then another babysitter.  It was probably all quite confusing for little dude.  I however received the product of all the chaos in little dude's always surprising antics.  There has been several pooping pants during naptime episodes that turned out to be epic messes when he changed himself, wiped his hands on his bedding and attempted to hide the prize.  Ugh.  Then there was the peeing in the Lego box, standing on the bed...and, you guessed it, peeing, and general, run of the mill, potty accidents.  He is also doing the opposite of what he has been told on a quite regular basis and spending significant time in time-out.  After one hair pulling incident that landed him in time-out, he was throwing his mandatory "I don't want to be in time-out" fit and he smashed his little face into a nearby chair.  The goose egg that erupted was really awful and as I iced it I wondered if perhaps he had fractured his cheek bone.  He is healing and sporting a multi-colored shiner at the moment.

I am happy that he is healthy and happy.  I do know that his behavior is related to our upside down house and the fact that he is "fwee".  Lord, please give me patience I need to see my boy to four!! 

The Wonder of Disney

I was soooo extremely happy to accompany the hubby on a trip to Disney World last month, minus the littles.  What?  No children you ask?  Yep, and I hardly feel bad about it. 

Todd had a conference to attend at the Dolphin in Disney World.  Because we knew that I could not possibly manage two littles in the magic of Disney alone, we decided that this would be a mommy and daddy retreat.  Daddy worked.  Mommy shopped and took in the sights.  We were there for six glorious, mind numbingly hot, humid, days.  Todd and I were able to drive up to Universal Studios one day.  Our main purpose was, of course, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  We sucked down butter beers in the heat and cooled down with a Jurasic Park boat ride that left us dripping.  It was a blast.  On my "alone" days I toured Epcot, Downtown Disney, and the Animal Kingdom.  I even slipped in a spa day at the Mandera Spa and delighted in the Balinese Bamboo Massage....the best massage I HAVE EVER HAD!!  It was amazing.

And the kids??  Well, they had a little vacation of their own.  Aunt Jodi and Cousin "Jofess" watched the kiddos Monday through Friday and then Aunt Sue-Sue had them over the weekend.  They kayaked, did pottery, went shopping, saw a movie, and even attended the PowWow with Aunt Sue-Sue and Sheri.  They had a marvelous time.

Best part of all.....I managed to de-stress and actually built up my dwindled patience store house. 

Jurasic Park Boat Ride front row...Drenched

Epcot

My furry Gorilla friend at the Animal Kingdom



G's favorite Princess...Mulan

  

Hogwarts



Best pizza since Rome at Italy in Epcot



He's Fwee (3)

Happy Birthday to our little dude!! We love, love, love you.  You are a handful for sure, but also sweet, loving and funny as heck!  Thank you Ethiopia for blessing us with the final piece of this family's puzzle!

Sunday Morning Paddle

Pure Bliss!

My favorite folks!

Happy Paddler

Love this picture of my silly, silly girl!