My Favorite Time of Year

What a fun holiday weekend we had!!! It was a fairly quiet Thanksgiving, but packed full of fun memories. After our Thanksgiving feast on Thursday we headed to the mountains Friday afternoon. After stopping at Grandpa Larry's to wish him a very happy 87th birthday we headed to Red Lodge in search of the perfect Christmas tree. First things first we had to stop at the Candy Emporium. The boys loaded their bags with plenty of sweets to keep them content for the rest of the weekend. The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping, swimming and playing cards. Saturday we went to the Beartooth Nature Center where they rescue animals that cannot return to the wild. The boys always have their favorites. Rascal was a big hit watching him try to escape from his cage. Also the pet cat who was best friends with the deer was also fun to watch. We did end up finding a tree, non perfect to say the least but all in all it ended up to be the boys favorite part of the trip. We have so much to be thankful for this year and miss all our friends and family so far away. Life is all about the memories we make and those we share them with so thank you all for making our lives so blessed.

Enjoying a family dinner together.


At the Candy Emporium there were far too many choices for Dayton to decide.


Stuffing their bags full!


Having fun in the candy store?


Having fun in the toy store?


Robbie and the boys read up on the wolves at the Beartooth Nature Center.


This was a very endearing picture. Apparently this cat lives with the deer and as you can see they are very good friends.


Dayton and "Rascal" the raccoon.




The boys having fun by the creek.

Hauling our tree down the mountain. Robbie did not let us search for the perfect tree too long as he did not want to haul it out of the woods too far.

Dayton snapped this photo on our way back to our car.

Loading our treasure. Robbie does a fine job tying our tree on. We haven't lost one yet!

Our tree was so prickly it was almost impossible to put lights on it. We all had to wear our winter clothes just to decorate it. We are defintely polish!!!!

Halloween

And the tradition continues on. Every Halloween since the kids have been old enough to trick-or-treat we have taken to the streets of Clark Avenue. We have had so many fun years here and this year was no exception. For those of you unfamiliar with the hoopla that surrounds Clark Avenue it is certainly a spectacle to see. The majority of the homes along the first four blocks or so really get into the Halloween spirit. The Montana weather was really spectacular this year and we were able to enjoy a very FUN Friday evening. Glenda made a delicious pot of chili and we also got to sample of of Ashley's pumpkin bars and chocolate chip and pumpkin cookies. Yet again Clark Avenue did not disappoint.

Robbie and Ashley out and about with the trick-or-treaters


Thrilled to be dressed up and ready to trick or treat!


Hunka, hunka, burnin love baby.


Duuuuuuuude. Peace maaaaan. Peace out.

A Little Taste of Winter

Last weekend we were certainly blessed with a lot of precipitation. I have never quite seen snow like this so early in October. The storm was hard on the landscape however the boys enjoyed the chance to get out and roll around in the snow.

As much as Auzzie loves the snow, it was a little too deep for his taste.


Robbie launches a snowball to the other side of the yard.

The orange stick is a ruler in the snow. This was not even the deepest part.

Pretty but..........IT'S OCTOBER!!!!!!!

We hadn't even had the chance to put the cover on the pool yet.

In the Spirit of the Olympics

I know the Olympics have long been over, but the boys had so much fun watching them this year that I just had to include this little video. I am not sure if synchronized diving is really their thing. I think they will have to up their difficulty if they want to compete. We will let you be the judge.

Look Out Jonas Brothers

Look out Jonas Brothers here come the Smith Brothers!!!! I had the pleasure of being entertained in Mama's Kitchen while I was cooking dinner the other night. The boys put on quite the show. They even did 3 costume changes which was quite impressive. I apologize we have no sound because of our old fashion camera, but I know you will all be amazed at the quality of their dancing skills. We are hoping some day it may take them wonderful places.

Fairmont Hot Springs

On our way home from Whitefish we stayed the night at Fairmont. It was a nice break from the driving. The boys enjoyed going up and down the slide and mom and dad enjoyed the warm water. It was a very relaxing end to our little Montana vacation.

In the hot swimming pool.


Dawson comes down


Dayton sliding down


You are never too big to swing.



Skee-ball Montana style


We always have to bring the baseball gloves along.


Dayton at the playground

Whitefish, Mt

The boys and I had the opportunity to tag along with Robbie to his meetings in Whitefish. We drove up on Sunday and enjoyed the beautiful back roads of Montana. While we were there we were able to meet up with our friends the Gagnons. They were kind enough to take us out on their boat and drag us around the water. The boys enjoyed tubing and Robbie and I even got to water ski. Despite the overcast weather we had a wonderful time sitting on the dock visiting and watching the kids. Thanks to our new geologist, Dayton, we got to bring home a huge bag overflowing with rocks. It certainly adds to the beauty of our garden now. We also fit in a round of mini golf. Following in the footsteps of Grandpa Dave and cousin Taylor, I think Dawson has a new goal for himself: to play a round of mini golf in every state. I think he has a pretty good start on it already. Montana, Colorado, Utah, and Florida. We also drove up to Big Mountain and enjoyed a nice dinner. The boys even got to try some local elk which they thought was very good.

Always time for a round of mini golf.


Dayton and I at dinner.


Robbie and Dawson at our dinner on Big Mountain.


Dayton waiting his turn to ride the tube.


Even daddy gets to ride on the tube.


The boys and their friend Cody.


Dayton and Cody examining their rocks.


Searching for the perfect rock.


The boys playing in Whitefish Lake.

Poolside Fun

Most of the kids' time was spent in the pool. We also were able to fit in a water balloon fight and an egg toss. The kids enjoyed exploding their water balloons all over grandma.

Grandma Diane got revenge on the kids after the water balloon fight was over.

Rhian letting her sister know how she feels if she drops her egg.

Dawson and Will plotting how they will gang up on the girls

We were fortunate enough to have three beautiful bathing beauties staying with us. This is Miss Rhian.



Miss Taylor

Miss Jordan

Grandpa Dave enjoying a ride by Dayton.

A Day at the Cabin

What a great day we spent in the snowy mountains. It was a beautiful day for a trip to the old cabin. We waded through the creek, picked wild flowers, hiking up mountains and to caves. We even cooked spaghetti and meatballs over the camp fire.

Dayton and Jordan keep Grandma company while she cooks.


This is Dawson's favorite part about the cabin, wading through the creek.


Josh and his family at the top of the hill behind the cabin.


We always have to fly the flag. Grandma and the grand kids attending the flag raising ceremony.


The cabin is a great place to bring a good book.