Watermelon

Do your kids like the end of the watermelon as much as mine? It is the novelty atound here!

We love watermelon! can't get enough of it!

Fairy Festival!

The boys are still backpacking, so we had to have some fun too! Today just happens to be ther Fairy Festival at Tizer Gardens in Jefferson City.

I was so sick yesterday, and I thought there would be no way to go, but I was up at 3:30 am, so I zoned myself. I really didn't want to disappoint those girls. By the time I got all the chores done, I was feeling okay so off we headed.
I just need to insert here, that running our small little farm by myself is a lot of work. I start the day at 6:00am Milking, feeding, watering, and moving the goats,
Moving, moving and moving more sprinklers (it doesn't help that we laid new sod and it has to be watered twice a day...I have a dream, that one day....I will have a sprinkler system for the lawn.)
gathering eggs, watering chickens, watering the garden, weeding the garden, killing colorado potato beetles in the garden, picking vegetables from the garden, all that, and there is still laundry, cooking, cleaning, and lets don't forget that Annalee loves to follow me during that whole time, and be held.

Okay, I have sufficiently complained, it is just that usually I have 5 extra helpers, and this week I was on my own...except for my amazing girls who sometimes help, and sometimes cause a little extra work. We can move on now!

At the festival we got to color,

Paint magnets, and decorate clothes pins.

 Be in a fairy parade...

...eat rocks! and dig in the dirt...Her favorite pastime...look, she can do it anywhere we go!

Everyone kept saying....Oh, look at the orange one!
meaning the orange fairy.
She was a cute one!

Three fairy princesses!

We got lemonade! Their own!!!!

 and faces painted! It was so peaceful and calm, and I was totally impressed! I will definately go again. The girls loved it! And, so did I!

Splash Pad

The boys left early this morning for Heart Lake to go backpacking.

So the girls headed to the splash pad.

So much fun!
I arranged to meet the Bailey's and Crane's at12:30. Funny thing is, it doesn't open until 2:00. Oh dear! but seriously, what place opens at 2 during the summer? and the pool behind us...not open, not until July! Why have it? It is only open July and part of August...what a waste...Great Falls City needs to get it together with their pools....seriously.

So what did we do while we waited, well it was 1:00, and wouldn't you know it, the City's sprinklers were on watering a huge field, did I mention it was 1:00 in the afternoon, yeah I did. So we ran through them and played sprinkler tag and swang on swings for an hour. Not too bad, We had a long day in the sun and I got my first sunburn...ahhhhhhh! Love that feeling!

Oddfellow Park

Ryan got off work early today, and since lately it has been all work and no play, we decided to play.
We went to the park and the kids played tag on the outside of the equiptment...I am sure it breaks some rule, but they had a blast and there were no other kids who they taught a bad lesson to, so I was okay with it. We haven't been to a park for forever, the older kids think they are too big, so that ususally deprives the littles, but they all had a blast today!



She is the monkey bar queen! She is so proud of herself that she can do them all, and she has the calluses to prove it!

 The rule was you couldn't touch the ground! and no platforms, so they were pretty creative with how they would get from one piece of equiptment to another.

 Earlier, before the park, Noah had painted all their faces as indians. Everyone washed theirs off before we left except Emma, she thought it was beautiful make-up, and she was an indian princess.

After they tired from tag, we went down to the river. There is a access right by the park.

They jumped the waves from the jetski's and motor boats that drove by.

dug in the sand

and eventually Caleb and Max ended up completely soaked...does that surprise anyone?
Fun day!

First Tiggy Pails!

Montana Is Beautiful!

Tower Rock State Park

Adventure!

We needed an adventure and we needed it quick.

The weather has been cool and rainy and finally it was a warmerish day!

So we headed toward Helena to Tower Rock State Park.

Apparently it is a place Lewis and Clark wrote about in their journal as they were with the Corp of Discovery...kinda cool.

We strapped baby girl on and away we went!

Now we all know that Noah would rather stay home, but luckily he has a mother who ....

well I allow him to do things he doesn't want to.

See how thrilled he was to go...but go ahead, ask him now if he had fun....of course he will deny it, but you know he had a ton of fun!

(on the way home though, I reminded them that if they have fun when they are invited to do something they should always tell the person who invited them thank you! Noah pipes in "what if you didn't have fun?" totally taking the bait hook, line and sinker, I said "well you should tell them thank you for thinking of inviting you." You can guess what he said to me next...'Thanks for thinking of inviting me." Stink pot!

At the beginning of the hike, we noted the board and it's caution...

And headed up the trail...

We heard rattles all around us, we were surrounded by them. We kept our eyes searching, we listened, we waited,

Low and behold what do we see.....

you guessed it...Mr. Sunshine himself coiled and ready!

Okay, not really the rattling noise was just the cicadias, and we never saw any movement or any snake. but Noah was tricky and took a picture of the picture of the rattlesnake.

(he is smart that one, S M R T smart!)

The weather was beautiful! perfect for that hike. There was no shade the whole hike, so I am glad we went on a coolerish day.

The sky was so beautiful, and we made it to the top!

Emma did great, but Sam offered to carry her down since her little legs were struggling to keep up with the downward slope.

There conversation on the way down cracked me up.

Sam kept threatening to throw her to the rattlesnakes, and she with all her gusto said "I will just squeeze your neck and you will come with me to the rattlesnakes!"

After Tower Rock, we headed to the Missouri River

Mountain Palace Fishing Access!

We tested the water and ate some watermelon!

Yep it was good!

And then it got interesting, and kiddos got brave, and started removing clothing and dunking...
It ended with everyone soaking wet, even baby girl and Everyone from Mara on up dunked in the river! The day was beautiful, and we didn't want to leave. We will return!

Good-Bye Ms. Olsen

Caleb's last day of school he was so excited. He had the same teacher for 3rd and 4th grade, and he knew he wouldn't get her in 5th, but she was his favorite.
So he planned and good-bye surprise that he thought up all on his own, but she was sick...he was so sad. So I came and video taped it so we could still send it to her.
Here he is saying good-bye...what a goof!

The Kitties are Found!

Saturday I was milking the goat and the cat came into the barn with a mouse in her mouth.

I sent Mara to follow her, and she saw the kitties come out to get the mouse.

Sunday morning they were able to catch one.

Emma is in heaven! Cat heaven

Caleb got the wildest one Monday morning, and has battle wounds to prove it!

OHHHH! that had to hurt! but Caleb wasn't phased, and he is bound and determined to tame that ferrel kitty...they won't be wild for too long, not with our crew spending all day out there with them.