{Glacier National Park- 2010}

Matt , Porter and Greyson came up so we headed to Glacier National Park!

My favorite adventure since moving here. I can't believe it took me three years to make it here.

It will DEFINATELY have to be a yearly trip!

Beauty pose!

Sunrift Gorge

Noah on the Logan pass, Ridgeline trail.

The narrow trail, with a garden hose for a hand hold!

Logan pass peak in the distance. All the kids were such troopers! They loved the hikes.

What a view!

The water is green because it is straight from a glacier...we should jump!

Trail of the Cedars...so amazing!

How many kids can fit in the tree?
After the trail of the cedars, we stopped by a glacial pool to jump....

Coming up out of the Glacial water! With a smile!

Grey and Caleb took the plunge right away...Sam and Noah contemplated their fate!

going again!

Idecided that if they all could do it...I guess I could too! They didn't have padded bras that stayed wet the whole way home though!

Even Mara and Emma went in!

On the way out!

Mountain goats, crossing the street! and up onto the rocks...perfect picture!

{MaX is SeVen!}

Woke up at 6:00 am... Opened his first present!

...a fishing pole...good thing cause dad was takin him fishing, now he didn't have to borrow one of his brothers.

He chose Caleb to come with him, and away they went.

To Wood Lake.

Where they got lots of bites, but couldn't land many!

Caleb caught his first though!

Then home to open all the rest of his presents!

Paper Jamz guitar, cowboy stuff...still!

new socks and underwear...a must to start school.

The Giles came over for a BBQ and car cake and ice cream with sugar cones!

We played "fag tag" and had a grand old time.

What a great fun day to celebrate Max on his special day! Love that kid and his querky, ways!

Sam and Noah would just like it noted that they had to pick and snap beans while the other boys were off FiSHinG! of all things. They were kinda bummed, but they got to go to a concert with their dad in Utah...RUSH...their favorite of all.

{Had a Moment}

Woke up early this morning and headed outside with the kiddos to take care of animals and garden. Max was sent to the barn to gather eggs. When we got home from Utah, we discovered a hen with two baby chicks. We hadn't seen a trace of them for two days and I told the kids the chicks probably didn't make it. When Max got to the barn, he happily stuck his head out the door and informed me..."mom, the chicks are alive and well!" So glad...alive AND well! Love that kid.
Watered the garden and after picking beans, the kids got all the playmobile and made and entire anthropologic dig. Complete with egyptian ruins, a burried boat, camels, horses and lots of anthropologists. They played so well, all six of them. Never mind that we never returned inside to eat breakfast until 10:00. It was a moment...one that was filled with perfect contentment. I keep thinking..."these are magic years and therefor magic days, and therefore magic moments." It was well needed. I completed the day with finishing three assignments and cleaning up the garage. Slowly, slowly, bit by bit, I will one day get there. But if you know me, you know I don't like slowly (hence the three speeding tickets...this year....yeah, I know!)

{Chickens}

July 24, 2010
Thanks to our neighbors for all their help! we got our chickens all put up for the winter. I can't even

tell you how much I learned...I think I know a little more about pioneers now...WOoHoO!

{Destruction} ...or rather fixing it!

In March the toilet overflowed, soaking Sam and Noah's room, the hallway and out into the family room. No prob...just tore out carpet, sheetrock, moldings and flooring (that was under the carpet). Moved everything from the right half of the basement to the left half. Enter June...and the umpteen inches of rain that fell so hard and so fast, creating a river into the left half of the basement. Okay was this a joke? Just wondering, I really didn't find it funny. After shop vaccing for hours, digging holes and buying sump pumps, thank you July for the less rainfall and thank you for tractors that tore out our driveway, exposed our footings fixed our footings and graded so that the water will now run away from our house instead of towards it.
Thank you Ryan et. al for re sheetrocking, taping and mudding, tiling the boys room and hallway, re-painting(for the third time since we moved here) and putting up new doors.

It has been a fun adventure to have all children in two rooms. Now bring on the new bedroom!

{Warm River- With the Bouck's}

The Bouck's were heading to Warm River Campground and since it is halfway... I couldn't pass up the chance to met them there. Ryan, of course, had to work, which was a huge bummer! We wish so much he could have come. That would have made it perfect.

We drove 5 1/2 hours wednesday and got there at 7:30 at night. We pulled in and Kevin was gone because Lucy had gotten a huge sliver in her foot. He had to take her to Rexburg to get it out. Yikes. We started a fire for dinner and immediately a huge downpour came... Good thing Joy had started water boiling for dishes later. We got the water and boiled those hotdogs right up.Ate in the tent trailer as the rain slammed down around us!

10 kids in a camp trailer may sound like mayham, but with the Bouck's, it just spells fun!

Noah and Caleb tried to restart the fire after the rainstorm. They love fire...why are all my kids pyros?

Warm River was the greatest campground ever.

There was this really cute bridge that smelled like old wood. I loved it!

We floated down the river that the bridge crossed. The kids thought it really cool to float under the bridge!

The water was so slow and only knee deep.

Though it was a little cold, it was so fun once the sun came out to shine on us.

Stinky latrines.

I know all mom's love their kids, but I really really love mine. They constantly make me laugh.

Caleb... in the girls bathroom...how does he think of these things?

They were both just holes in the ground, so I find it funny that they are men and women labeled!

Of course, Caleb and Noah are in the tree...they are part monkey!

Tubes ready to float the river!

Noah is just inside them all!

Playin by the river

Love these two girls! Love that they will always be best friends even though 550 miles seperate them!

As soon as they get together, it is as if no time has passed at all!

Max fished, caught one and now is hooked! He loves to fish now!

His father will be happy!

Sam even had a great time...the river was so worth the 5 1/2 hour trip!

(so were the Bouck's)

packing up is always the worst part, but the kids helped a lot. Two nights was short, but we loved it!

Next time Ryan will have to come and we will have to stay longer.

{Livestock Auction 2010}

It was the Livestock Auction yesterday and we are just thankful we made it!

After all the work raisin the pigs, we could not for the life of us, get those pigs into the trailer. We chased them around the barn for at least an hour and only suceeded in getting us all tired. Ryan was sure we wouldn't get them in and the kids were totally bummed. I was trying everything I could think of. The kids were so disheartened, just sure we wouldn't make it in time.

Thankfully our neighbor was home, and out of desperation I went over to see if he had any ideas.

He sure had a great idea...they are called hog boards, everyone has them...just not us. So in about 5 minutes, they were loaded and the kids were back to elated, except Sam who was now worrying if we would make it there in time. Ryan left immediately with the boys and I went inside to clean us up...a bit.

We finally made it and the pigs weighed in at 222 (Noah's) and 244 (Sam's)

Then it was time to clean up those muddy pigs!

Scrub those feet clean!

Wash that hog!

Because we are still learning.... I had the boys wear their nice clothes in the morning,

not realizing that they would have to wash their hogs.

So, when Noah fell down in the washing pen, his pants got sopping wet.

Luckily they had time to dry a little before the show.
Another tidbit of info that will be useful next year!

Sam with his black pig

Sam showing his pig

Dad helping Sam manuver the "hog jogger" and Sam's pig after the showing.

Little Lady Pink Boots and Cowboy Max!

Watch it Caleb...Noah is spraying more than his pig!

Ryan is forever so annoyed at me that I make him do things that we have to experiment with.

I really did try to find out all things possible to know... a few details learned this year will make next year so much easier!

I just figure...you'll never know how unless you try! Isn't that what life is all about?

{Love Icecream}

Our great friend Chris Kundis gave us icecream treats the other day!

Emma loved them this much.....

I think it just made her face that much sweeter!

{July 4th } Independence Day!

I am a lover of Independence Day! I love th parades, the fireworks, the military, the jets flying overhead!

This year though, we changed it up a bit and went up in the mountains for the fourth!

Loggin' Creek Campground.

Hiked to the top of this rock cliff. Straight up with all the kids! It was great fun!

love that grin!

Make tinfoil dinners!

All the kids played games in a circle!

Love big kids who are so nice to the littler ones and include them.

It made it so nice for the parents!

Mara Loved Eden!

She would follow her around and sit by her and do whatever she would do!

I loved it that she had a little girl to look up to!

Emma's feet didn't touch the ground much because there were so many who wished to hold her...she loved every minute of the attention!

Max and Caleb showing off "guns"

The long trip to the potty was taken many times...at least four.

No one ever warned me about how often little girls have to go potty!

Tried to get a picture of the Mommas, but the kids just wouldn't let it happen. They had to be in on the action as well.

So funny.

Thanks Prosser's and Birkeland's it was a great time.