Alpine Slide Arkoudas Style

Those tires have always been here since we moved. They can't be taken to the dump, so they have just been used in a mulitude of ways...this is my favorite by far.

The slide is used with skateboards, rollerblades...

bikes, and with a hose for a water slide.

The Zuccini That Got Away

Note: No babies were harmed in the making of this post!

When trying to figure out how to show scale...just how big this zuccini got before I found it, I couldn't think what would appropriately show it until Annalee squawked! Perfect. The zuccini is bigger than the baby!

What to do with it? Well Stuffed Zuccini for dinner of course! Delicious!

One Last Hurrah on the Missouri River

The view from our friends house, overlooking the Missouri River.

The walk down to the river...about 3/4 of a mile. Watch for Rattlers!

A little alcove where there is really not a current. The kids all 20 of them played, caught crawfish...

found cool rocks...

and Frogs that filled the measure of their creation by being a little girls pet for the day. Thank you little froggy for being the source of joy and excitement for little Emma for the day.

The biggest mud fight ever...the kids were covered and loved every second of it. This is what little boys were made to do...I am pretty sure!

Dry Wolf Creek

Do you see my new birthday present in the background? No more tents that require trees to hold it up. Happy Birthday to Ryan and Me!

Such a poser! Anytime she sees the camera, she has to vogue!

Avalance Lake {Glacier National Park}

At the top of Trail of the Cedars is a 2 mile hike to Avalance Lake. It climbs 500 feet in elevation. That was our destination. Getting all 12 of us up there is the story... It was such a beautiful hike through tall, georgous trees. It started out next to a river of the bluest water you have ever seen. But it just kept going forever. We had no way of knowing how far we had come, or how much further we had to go. We almost turned around twice, but kept trudging, dragging, pulling and carrying Porter, Max, Emma and Annalee up the mountain. The only reward was that we would get to put our feet in a clear mountain lake. Emma slept in the back pack on Matt's back the whole way. Annalee slept in the sling the whole way. Max and Porter held Grandma's had for energy, but they were weary....when we saw this sign, we were so glad...

Some of us really had to go!

This was our reward!

five waterfalls and the bluest water ever!

The boys wasted no time ripping off their shoes and wadding in.

Max and Porter

Matt swinging Emma

We all made it and were so glad we did.

The walk back down went so fast, and was so much easier

Noah and Sam

So glad for Grandmas and Uncles and family and beautiful nature hikes.

The boys had to climb this rock, and Mara had to try as well.

I am pretty sure the camera caught the guardian angel above Matthew's head that was protecting them all!

On the way out, we saw 7 big horn sheep at Logan Pass.

they are amazing!

Pit Stop!

We stopped to get dinner after Glacier, and Matt had Caleb, Max and Porter. I am not sure of the exact conversation that was had, but it ended with Matt telling the boys they could get whatever they wanted. Check out the HUGE drink and the eternal grin on Caleb! Glad I wasn't in that car, three little boys with HUGE drinks and a hour and an half drive ahead!

Sam opted for the medium cone...is there anything medium about that icecream cone?

Oh NO, You Didn't! {Annalee}

I jumped in the shower and left Annalee naked on the bed so that someone could hand her to me once I was all washed.

Caleb picked her up to play with her and set her on his tummy.

She did! She pooped on him.

He was totally disgusted. He kept saying "how can you just sit there and look all cute and innocent when you just did that to me!"

Sam came to his rescue and handed her to me to be cleaned off.

Caleb got to the bathroom to clean up and started dry heaving.What was I doing the whole time?

Giggling of course!

Snaggle Tooth {Max}

It is just hanging by a thread! It looks like he has a pointed tooth... luckily it came out just after this picture. Now he has no front teeth!

Happy 8th Max!

It is Great To Be Eight!We love this kid!

In our family it is a right of passage that when you turn eight, you get a pocketknife and scriptures.
Look at that grin.

The requested cake

Finally!! A bike that is not pink! that fits him!

He was so excited!

{Raspberries}

I think bottled fruit is so pretty!

Slowly my food storage room is starting to look not so bare!

Many Pines Camp 2011

Our first camping trip of the year
Was it a disaster?
We headed out Friday at 1:00 pm to Dry Wolf Campground. But the campground had been washed out and wasn't open...information that would have been useful before we left...we searched for somewhere else, but there was no where that had water, a vital element I would dare say. So we headed toward Crystal Lake, another hour away...good thing we stopped for gas in Stanford where we learned that the bridge to Crystal Lake was out. We decided that we needed to head back toward Neihart, and ended up at Many Pines Campground at 5:30pm. Funny thing is that Many Pines Campground is only and hour from our house. Or maybe it wasn't so funny. But we got there and tried to get the campfire going so we could cook our dinner but...there were no matches. Ryan was determined that we start it with flint and steel, and that I not borrow matches. After trying with flint and steel and getting smoltering embers a few times, he went off to find dry stuff and I snuck over and asked the neighbors for some matches. When he got back there was a huge fire going. My intent was to tell him we started it with flint and steel, but the first words out of his mouth were "you borrowed matches huh?" He knows me too well. But the kids were hungry!

Look how big she is getting...sittin in her own chair!

Brotherly Love?

While I was getting dinner, Sam and Ryan set up tents. Our tent had a broken pole. Good thing there were trees we could tie it to !

Emma Posing! Of course.

Sleeping in the tent...

snug as a bug...

So glad we perservered! We stopped at Belt Creek on the way home and played in the water. I love camping!