Summer Hiking

Winter hiking is enjoyable in its own way, but oh how I love getting the kids and the family out into the mountains to enjoy the beautiful summer weather.

We conquered one trail earlier this week with a couple of other Moms and a plethora of children, and then opted for a shorter one today as a family, since we had a feverish child. Mr. Man wanted to teach the bigger kids to mountain bike, and we also needed to make sure to hit up a creek on this warm (for Montana) day. They did well, and while all are scratched and bruised, they succeeded and I'm sure will want to go mountain biking again.
We live in such a beautiful area and it is awe-inspiring to be in the great outdoors... and getting some exercise and tiring out the kids is not bad either. We try to go hiking at least once a week during the summer, it's the best way to spend a day!

Last Day of School

Last Thursday was the kids last day of school (Wednesday for Little J).

I was fine until one of Mr. T's teachers started crying as she hugged each child goodbye as they exited the door of her classroom for the last time this school year. Geeze.

Teachers gifts and communication in regards to what my kids should work on during the summer was complete (yes, I MAKE my kids do school work all year long), and all my kids passed with flying colours. (I have had such a great relationship with a couple of these teachers, and just LOVE when that happens!)

Last year we got together with a couple of friends at the neighborhood park on the last day of school for what we called our "ice cream social." This year the kids asked if we were going to continue the tradition (one year and it's a tradition?) It's an easy activity to co-ordinate and so we made some calls, bought some ice cream and had everyone bring a favourite topping. Aside from being cold and eventually being rained out, it was a hit! I think we had 40-50 people and I can see this tradition continuing and growing! Such a fun way to say goodbye to the school year and start out summer. (I need to take more pictures next year, but I was pretty busy scooping ice cream!)
Now we're on to summer fun (I have just one more week of school to go!)

No chores... just roomopoly (hee hee).

Pray for the sun to come visit us over here. Maybe come visit and bring it with you!

Scub Scouts

Mr. Man is the king of scouting. He loves it. He was cub master for the LDS troop in our last town, and when our boys were quite young they loved to get dragged around on numerous "scub scout" activities. When we moved here, Mr. T was ecstatic to be the right age to join the community tiger den of cub scouts. Unfortunately they were lacking a leader, and without one, a den would not exist. Enter the king of scouting to the rescue. They had a great year and then at the end of the year, the current cub master was resigning. Enter the king of scouting to the rescue once again. Mr. Man has been the cub master for a large troup of a good 60-70 boys this year and has (almost) loved every minute of it. They've done some great activities like snowshoeing, bbguns and bows and arrows at the shooting range and much more!

This year Little E was a tiger and Mr. T was a wolf. Mr. T is so into this whole scouting thing, it's incredible. Weeks before the anticipated "crossover," where the boys advance to the next den and receive their badges for the year, Mr. T was writing about his anticipation in his journal:

"from Wolf to bear"

"Soon I am becoming a bear in cubscouts. We tell luvels by neverchiefs. When your a bear you carve a wood chip with a nife and get a nice. I am so exsided. You crose a brgd and on the brigd the red arows give you a new hacercheif. The red aroows are the highst luvel cub scouts. They also like nature and pow wos and read lots of things and wear a arow shap head band that is read, white pants and shit. With a red arow down there chest and back."


(Had to include this picture... I get this look so often but have never captured it. Here he's doing it because I refused to tie his shoe for him. I'm a horrible mother!)

I'm not much of a cub mom, I'm afraid. I even make Mr. Man sew the badges on because it's HIS thing, not mine. (But I do run a fair amount of errands for these big events.) The day of the crossover was butt freezing cold (as usual) but thankfully it didn't rain, hail or snow and so we kept the location outdoors... which was so much fun for all the boys. They had rocks and brush galore to climb and play on. Even Miss J (who brought a friend to help endure the hours with so many boys) had a blast and got filthy!

(He's growing his hair out! Wants it to be as long as mine. I told him he's going to be having like a three year awkward stage!)

And then the order of the arrow did come, and both boys crossed over and received their upgrades on neckerchiefs.
(Only when your dad is the cub master can he choke you with your neckerchief!)

Now I have a wolf and a bear and a little future tiger!
The day after school let out, my two big boys and the king of scouting took off for day camp and had tons of fun and learned all sorts of new things (like how to start a fire with steel wool and a battery). Gotta love scub scouts!

Recital

Miss J took a ballet class last summer and loved it. Her teacher encouraged her to pursue dance, and so after she finished her beloved basketball season, we signed her up. Our little girl who trips on the side walk and needs stitches, and bumps into every last door knob and corner is so incredibly graceful in her ballet shoes! She has been looking forward to wearing her costume and performing in her recital and was distressed over being so sick the last couple of days and throwing up so much that there was no way we could make it to the dress rehearsal. Yesterday she woke up feeling much better and we limited her food consumption so as to assure no stage displays of stomach flu (one girl DID throw up on the stage and I was dying for her!) Since I can hardly do my own hair and make-up, and there were specific requirements, I had a friend to her "tidy" bun and makes-her-look-ten-years-older makeup. (She does look so much older... horrifying!) She looked gorgeous and performed beautifully! We were so proud of her.

This is my favourite picture I took of her, because she seems so content and looks so beautiful without even knowing I was taking her picture - and notice her brother trying to steal her pretty rose!!!
Well done our little ballerina!

Roll Up the Window

We were driving in the car to the tree nursery yesterday, and all of a sudden Mr. T burst out about something he'd seen that was phenomenal! We had pulled to a stop beside a mail truck and Mr. T informed us that in order to get his window up, the mai man had to turn a handle! He was so awed by this experience, and Mr. Man and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing. Are we really that old?

Long Weekend

We did NOT go camping for Memorial Day this year.

But, like last year, we DID have horrible weather, and we DID have great company!


The minute the sun was out, we were out! Hiking, feeding the ducks, finding frogs, and playing in the yard!Whatever the weather, we still had fun! From playdoh, wii, hot-tubbing, museum, smore making, games, and even a parade in the rain!





Thanks for coming to see us!

(Ryan, can you find yourself in these pictures???)