Hiking with dad...

Jason & Rhys headed out one Saturday morning, in lieu of camping. A cooler, a camera, and bug spray in hand...


Like father- like son. (With only 2 people, the photo ops are limited!)



Getting ready to jump. Do I need to tell you how far they are from cell phone reception, let alone medical care?

The hike was a success. Both boys came home intact, tired, and very happy!

Off to Camp...

Where did I get such a big kid!? Rhys left for science camp yesterday. Here he is with his overnight bag. (Actually, it's his "4 overnights" bag which holds among other things a sleeping bag, snow boots, winter coat, and requisite care packages from the mama.) He's gone for the week to camp in the mountains. Sound like fun? Not to the mama. It's May. It's Montana. With all the rain we had today, I'm convinced there's LOTS of snow up there. No thanks!

Not quite camping weather...

It's June... Summer... Or, so they say...

We went to spend the day just south of town where Grandma Margaret & Grandpa Scott have some land. They have a good chunk of land with a camper and a shed to take shelter in for the time being. We needed the shelter this weekend. It was cold and windy!!!! Didn't bother the kiddos one bit. They played in the camper, out of the camper, took a walk, played in the shed, planted seedlings with Grandpa Scott...


I don't know what they were planting here but they sure were happy about it!

Cael was very happy to stand at the door and jabber away...

Tell me... What's the secret to getting 4 grandkids to look the same direction at the same time? (Ashley is eight & Whitney is five.)

And just to add to our fun day out, Jason discovered a new hunting ground for choke cherries. But, shhhhhhh... He's not telling!

Grandpa's got a road...

Here is the beautiful road that grandpa built on their property. Grandpa hauled up the culvert. Jason and Lou hauled up the skid steer. A neighbor brought his very big tractor and together they moved earth. The culvert is in place, the rocks are in place, and now one can drive across the stream to the other side of the property without a wet ride on the four-wheeler!
Brennen's favorite place in the entire world! On the four-wheeler with grandpa!

Yeah, it rained... Doesn't bother the 10 year old one bit.

As long as he can run the skid steer- all is good. Mom's yelling at dad to yell at Rhys to put that bucket back down before he tips that thing over...

Who says I'm not spontaneous?!

Well... I say that! So do most who know me.
Having kids has helped me become much more structured. This results in less spontaneity. Not so good for the fun-loving hubby!
Anyhow, Saturday was one of those days... Full of errands, karate, and kiddos. Jason and Lou went to grandma and grandpa's land (about three hours North of here) to drop off the skid steer. The boys and I began our list of things to do... About noon, Jason calls to say that he thinks we should come on up and stay the night up at the land.
(Okay... this is where I immediately go into the "it wasn't on the schedule and I have too much to do" mode.) Thanks to my "Proper Care and Feeding..." refresher course, I know that sometimes, I really could accommodate hubby with a cheerful heart even if it inconveniences me. LOL!
Well, we finished our necessary errands, drove all the way home, threw some clothes in a bag, grabbed some pork chops and milk, and headed out... Two and a half hours later- we were there.
It was great. Very relaxing. I'll do a whole post on why Jason went up to begin with when I get some pictures from Grandma.
(Guess I should listen to Jason more often, eh?)

Camping with Grandma & Grandpa

Oh, this is the kids' most favorite thing to do... CAMP!!! Even better when it's just with grandma and grandpa. They went last weekend which allowed Jason and I a chance to get a few things done around the house and just enjoy the calm before the storm.


Some photos from grandma:




Ewwwwww... This is what happens when a little boy with a runny nose rides the four-wheeler! Apparently dirt and dust are attracted to snot! Gross!



And this is what happens when we let grandpa supervise the kiddos. Ack!





The chain had broken so grandma and grandma took the opportunity to cause a momentary jump in mama's blood pressure! Very funny!






Clearly some very tired (happy) kiddos on the ride home. Grandparents are awesome!!!!!