Collages From our Time at the Missoula House

This winter has been a blur with all the chaos and changes going on for us. Never would I have guessed I would be moving back in with my parents but it happened. Being in limbo between two houses was quite the challenge! We kept busy none the less!

We spent Thanksgiving at Kim and Julian's brand-spankin' new house. It's beautiful! Unfortunately for Kim, she broke her wrist in a few places short while before Thanksgiving and jut had surgery on it the day before. Fortunately for the rest of the family, Kim can give pretty good directions and Julian prepared and cooked dinner. We spent the afternoon watching the Lions play the Vikings. The rivalry was pretty heated between Julian and me...there were some choice words said when my Lions pulled off a victory! Hahaha! Robin, Ramzi, and myself play Tri-Ominos while the boys occasionally sat down to play as well. Nap time on the couch was amazing. Ms. Gail never willingly takes naps :)

 I think the most annoying part about moving across town was having to drive the kids to school and pick them up every day from school. The bus was much more convenient... Ms. Gail and I often had plenty of time to kill before the boys were released from school. She's still working on her silly faces!

 To kick off the holiday season, I reluctantly purchased a village gingerbread house kit because I was simply tired of saying "no" to everything they wanted at the store. Ms. Gail and I decorated ours while the boys were at school. They were so anxious to get theirs decorated, but found it too time consuming. While I was cleaning up their mess, they stole my phone to do some night sledding. If you missed it or need to see it again, they made this video. I couldn't even be mad.

 We also managed to squeeze in one more fun evening at the hotel waterpark before we left town. It's too bad the boys didn't like swimming more when they were younger!

To finish up a little catch-up post, here's a few more random pictures from our time at the Missoula house. When we first moved in, Ms. Gail slept in Robin's bed, HD slept in the spare room, and JP slept on the floor in the playroom. The arrangement changed so many times because everyone wanted a turn sleeping in my bed. For a good month, I would wake up an uncountable number of times. By the end of our stay, all the kids were sleeping in some configuration in my room. I had a love/hate relationship with the whole thing. But we powered through!

Children's Museum with Nanny

A couple months ago, my mom, who my kids know as Nanny, took Hunter to the Children's Museum downtown and has been wanting to go back ever since. I've never taken them because...? I don't know. Hunter was such a high-energy kid that keeping track of him was a task in of itself, let alone to have to keep track of JP as well. It just never worked. And it's kind of pricey if you don't have a membership. 

Regardless, this was Charlotte's first time to the museum, and I'm debating getting a membership so her and I can go more often. 

The first thing of interest to both JP and Charlotte was the water table. What kid doesn't love playing in the water? Thank goodness they had water smocks to wear! Charlotte later tried her hand at fishing after Hunter showed her what it was all about. She lit up every time she hooked one! 

 We also explored the various rooms and found the doctors office where Charlotte practiced her skills on the baby. We even weighed her. She's tipping the scales at a whopping 27 lbs.

 We met up with her brothers digging for dinosaur bones. They all enjoyed digging up bones and burying them again. Tar bits were everywhere!

Hunter took a break and had cast Nanny and me in a play. He came up to me as I was crouched down and said while rubbing my back, "Mom we're going to put on a play. You are going to be the lady who can't pay the rent." My mom got the Superhero role. Here's how it played out: 

Mom sitting on the stage. 

Hunter enters wearing construction gear, and says to "the lady", "I need the rent."

M: I can't pay the rent!
H: I need the rent.
M: But I can't pay the rent!!
H: You need to pay me the rent!
M: But I don't have the money to pay the rent!!
Enter Superhero: I'll pay the rent!
M; You've saved the day!
End of play. We had to enact this skit, not once, but twice.

We finished up at the museum climbing on the rock wall. Charlotte did great! I was debating getting Hunter into a rock climbing class at the YMCA. Perry said no, I'm thinking he'll rock at it. (See what I did there?! Hahaha!) Maybe next fall... 

Before heading to Nanny's for dinner, we swung by the Carousal for Missoula for a ride on the horses. Charlotte's been wanting a ride for a while and since we were parked next door, I figured why not? I was ticked off when I got back to the car to see a parking ticket on my windshield when I made a point to pay and put my ticket stub on the dash. Apparently the wind blew it down the dash board by the vents, when I was getting the kids out, so the meter maid couldn't read the date and time on it...There goes $20. Uuuggghhh! 

It's Time for the Corn Maze!

Since I began working in February, our family time has really decreased and I hate it. Recently I expressed I would be okay working one day a week if other people needed/wanted more hours. My wish was granted, even though I'm sure my pocketbook isn't going to be so in love with the idea once the decreased paychecks roll in! 

On my first Sunday off, I suggested we head over to the corn maze. It's become a tradition in our family; one the boys ask about year round. While it was a little windy out, the kids had a lot of fun!

Charlotte loved wandering through the kids' hay bale maze. She was so cute to watch as she navigated to the middle of the maze to get to the slide. 

Not a very good picture, but the slide is a large culvert. Hunter loved it too! As Charlotte became more comfortable going down the slide, she started getting more adventurous by going down backwards. 

They ran into one of many dead ends in the corn maze so I made them stop for a picture. Hunter's eyes are closed in all of them...

After the maze, they did a little bit of free play. Charlotte went back for more rides on the slide, cheating the system and just climbing over all the bales to get to the middle faster. She was so good as waiting in line for her turn too. I don't know that I've really taught her that. She's so patient, unless we're at the grocery store...

We let the kids pick out pumpkins to bring home as well. I was a little surprised with their choices. Hunter picked out a small white one. It's lopsided and can't stand up like a normal pumpkin. JP chose a small orange one, ignoring all the green ones. Charlotte picked out the largest of the kids' and struggled to carry it. Adorable.

JP wanted me to take this picture. You'd think he'd at least smile for it?!

Before we left to go home and watch football, we stopped at the petting zoo. Hunter and JP put their "masks" on to potentially scare the animals. So thoughtful of them...

Charlotte wasn't having much of the petting zoo and preferred if we weren't even there. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon as a family on the couch watching the football games, and me checking my fantasy team over and over. I also surprised Perry a few days before by buying all the ingredients for his dad's chex mix called "Nuts and Bolts." He had the boys help him whip up a batch the night before and then they all nibbled on them throughout the day. It was a perfect afternoon!

An Outting to Art on Tap

For those who know me, I'm a pretty crafty person. I love making stuff! Although I enjoyed my time in shop class while in high school, I'm still kicking myself for not taking an art class... It was the one class I was so excited to take when I was in elementary and junior high, and then never did when I reached high school. The other month, a good friend of mine invited me to join her at Art on Tap. I had never heard of it before, but it sounded fun so I was all in. After checking out their website, I discovered it's  a weekly event (you have to RSVP prior) that takes place at one of the wineries or distilleries around town where an instructor teaches you how to paint the featured picture. Mini-art class? Heck yes! And it was so much fun!

When Miss Megan and the rest of her posse arrived at the Montgomery Distillery, the five of us staked out our easels, and headed to the bar to claim our free drink (it's included in the class and who can say no to a free drink?!) Mine was delicious - had vodka, honey, a few other things and a rosemary twig for garnish. 

 I would guess there was enough easels for about 40 people, but I would guess that maybe 25 people were there. We, obviously, started with the background, and she demonstrated how to bend the colors. I stuck with the same colors the instructor was using. A lady behind me added purple streaks to hers, which I loved and wish I would have thought of that too. Next time!

Then we had a short break so the backgrounds could dry. During the intermission, we added more paint to our trays and mingled for a bit. There was a poker game going on at the distillery as well so it was a little louder than I had expected it to be, but it was enjoyable none-the-less. After our break we dove into painting the flowers after she demonstrated the shapes and how to shade. I clearly missed something with the shading. The featured painting had orange flowers with yellow highlights, so maybe my problem was the different color flowers. I tried to add some red highlights, but then I ended up with a pink color, when I still wanted it to be purple... It all came together once we added the stems. 

It was fun to walk around and see everyone else's paintings. All the same, but all different at the same time. 

These are two of the many pictures the instructor had on display. My favorite ones by far! The wheat in the corner along with the wheat fields remind me of home. I don't know what it is about the trees, but I love that one as well. Maybe sometime I can recreate the wheat one...

As soon as I arrived home from Art on Tap, Perry helped me hang my flowers at the end of the hall. I had taken down a picture Kimberli drew for me and moved it to my gallery wall (which is missing one thing, and then I'll show you that!) and since then this spot has been bare. We didn't notice it around the holidays because this is where we hang a couple stockings, but as soon as the decorations came down, the blankness started to bother Perry. Problem solved thanks to an enjoyable afternoon! I'm definitely going back soon!

An Afternoon with Aunt Kim

Hunter and JP love when Aunt Kim come over to visit! I'm starting to wonder if they love it because she's more willing to take them to the Carousal...But whatever the reason, we welcomed her company last week!

 Just before lunch, we packed up the kids and went downtown. Our first stop, of course, was the Carousal. And we came at the perfect time! Free rides! JP was eager to show Aunt Kim how he could ride by himself. After that we took them next door to the Dragon Park, where they normally love to play. They instead played for about 5 minutes before they decided they wanted to go. I was fine with that because I was getting hungry!

 It worked out perfectly too! Wednesday was Out to Lunch in Caras Park so the five of us ventured across the parking lot to the people-fill pavilion to grab some lunch. We lucked out and found some shade under a tree.

 Often times I look at Charlotte and wonder if she's really my kid, or if she's Aunt Kim's because she's starting to look a lot like her auntie!

Before leaving, Hunter insisted taking a picture with Aunt Kim. She has a better one on her phone, but this is a picture taken with my finger-printed camera of her and Hunter taking a picture on her phone. If that makes sense... Once we finished up eating, we scurried back to the hot car and headed for Dairy Queen where we picked up some Dilly Bars for a treat at home. I think she got them hooked on Butterscotch Dilly Bars....I'm a cherry girl!

Missoula Maze

If you haven't been yet, you need to go! This year the Missoula Maze has a Western / outlaw theme to it. I'm glad we were actually able to go because as October flies by, our chances to go have been diminishing pretty quickly. We all took naps yesterday, which was much needed, and then ran out the door right after dinner to make it before dark. Although it would have been fun in the dark too...

 Very rarely am I ever in pictures with my kids...usually I'm the one behind the camera. This is actually one of the very few (5?) pictures I have with Charli.

 As soon as we arrived, the boys ran right for the hay bale maze. 

 They made it maybe a quarter of the way through before Hunter cheated and jumped over a bale. After he jumped back over, they turned around and came out. 

 Look at those cute little faces! I was behind holding JP up.

 To start the maze, you had to choose one of the 3 entrances: Jail, Bank, or Hotel. The boys chose the jail entrance. Not the right one, as it had its own exit.

 When we did pick the right entrance, we promptly found our way through the hay bales into the corn. The boys loved it! It probably took us half an hour to complete.

 Afterwards we checked out the pumpkin patch. Initially the boys would pick up pumpkins and throw them...which we promptly stopped. Then they walked around and stood up just about all the pumpkins that were tipped over. 

 Gotta love goofball JP!

Do you know how nice it is *right now* that she sucks on her fingers instead of a binkie? So much easier!

Look at how little the boys were last year!

I Hiked the "M" Trail!

I've lived in Missoula now for 7 years and although it's been in the back of my mind to do, it's been about 9 years since I've hiked it. That is unless I'm forgetting a time or two... Regardless, a good friend of mine from college, Sarah, was visiting over the weekend from Minnesota and hiking the "M" trail was on her to-do list. With a little hesitation, I agreed to join her.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the "M" trail, it's a very popular trail to hike in Missoula. Located on Mount Sentinel, the trail begins on the University of Montana's campus. It's approximately 3/4 miles long and with its steep incline, it's marked as a "moderately strenuous" trail. And I did it with a baby. And good grief was I huffing and puffing!

 The view from the top is amazing! But that darn sun made it impossible to look at, let alone photograph.

 I expected Charlotte to sleep the whole way, but she was a trooper...she didn't load up her pants until we arrived at the top. Go figure.

 And guess who wasn't sore the next day? These girls! What a relief!

Since we successfully hiked the "M", we took a trip to Big Dipper for ice cream. Like a typical summer evening, the line was super long. I think we waited for a solid half an hour, but it was totally worth it!

Western Montana Fair

Last July I was able to take Hunter and JP to the Great Northern Fair, which ironically enough, isn't so great. To them it was though. They have been asking all summer long when we are going to go back to Nanny and Papa's house so we can go ride on the cars that go round and round. Unfortunately this year we missed it by a week. However, the fair is in town right now and as soon as we told the boys, they couldn't contain their excitement. 

The night before we planned to go to the Western Montana Fair, Perry and I explained to the boys that they HAD to take a nap if they wanted to go to the fair. Surprisingly enough when it was nap time yesterday, they boys, without fighting, went to their rooms for a nap. JP thinks a nap is just quiet time where he lays in his bed, so I had to sit on his bed and stare and him until he fell asleep...that was fun for Kiki and I.

Grandma and Grandpa joined us on our outing this year. Before leaving the house, we all had dinner. I think the boys were too excited for the rides that they didn't eat much food. Ah well. Normally Perry and I would have made them eat something, but since we had planned all day for the fair, I was not about to change anything just because they didn't eat dinner.

 Here is my sweet, and funny, JP. He insisted on wearing his helmet because "rides are dangerous!" And because he really wanted to ride on a roller coaster :)

 Before jumping right in and riding on the rides, we took a stroll through the animal barn to check out all the 4-H livestock. 

 JP even decided to pet a goat without any prompting :)

 Although Hunter was too anxious to do the rides, he did have a little attention to give to the chickens.

 The first ride the boys went on was the helicopters. These ones actually went up in the air. It was hard to tell if they enjoyed them or not. 

 Then they checked out the cars. Again. Hard to tell if they enjoyed them. 

 But after just those two rides, they were excited to tell Grandma and Grandpa about them!

 Then my little Hunter turned into a big kid and rode the Dragon Wagon. He was stoked about it!

 As I recall from my childhood, the carts at the end were the scariest. Hunter hopped into the one second to last so Perry and I were hoping we'd hear him scream or the like, but he didn't. He was all smiles! After the ride was over, he got out of his cart and into another one...

 Meanwhile, JP took another ride on the helicopter. After talking to him this morning, it was decided that this was his favorite ride. 

After these few rides, we took a short break and headed over to the concession area for a drink. Everyone ended up getting a LemonDairy, which is soft-serve ice cream in a cup with lemonade slushy around it. Yummy! At this point Grandma and Grandpa went home as it was starting to get late. We bought a few more tickets for the rides stuck around a little longer.

 After our break, they rode on the cars. These ones go up and down. I was wondering why they weren't airplanes...since cars don't typically go up and down. Perry and I found it comical that they chose cars that matched their shirts.

 JP of course chose green. The faces he was making as he was going around were cracking Perry and I up, and the couple next to us!

 And then something happened - JP actually rode on the roller coaster. Earlier all he could say about it was "I don't like that." 

 Clearly he had fun too, but not as much as Hunter did!

 He was pretty good about leaning into the curves :)

 I had to zoom in quite a bit on my computer so you could see Hunter's face. LOVE IT! And it looks like JP was brave for a second and let go!

 Towards the end of the ride, Hunter was completely in his element with his hands up in the air!

I would have loved to send them on the roller coaster again, but we only had two tickets left. We bought two more and the boys took one last ride on the cars before we headed home for the evening. I recalled quite a few memories as we walked out past all the bigger rides. The Yo-Yo, the Kamakazee, the giant slide, the Beary Go Round, the Carousal, the Ferris Wheel...  Both Perry and I were impressed at how well behaved they were. That is until bedtime...