A Promise is A Promise

All good times must come to an end. I promised to display the lovely presentation of what I have to return home to. AND here it is.



And if that wasn't enough then here's the space where a car typically sits in the garage.

Oh, and this is the good news. The bad news is that a Wedding Planner who I've never dealt with before ordered $540 worth last minute, wrote a fraudulent cheque and is now conveniently MIA. I LOVE working until 3am to help people out (for free). Next time, I'll make sure I do it for my friends instead of a criminal. Thank you to the good people on this earth that keep me motivated. All those that find satisfaction in premeditated fraud, lack of commitment and excluding others (just thought I'd throw that one in there); I'm a better person because of you. Thank you for the challenge. The fact that I detest injustice just lights a fire under me to take care of others. And to the friends and family who talk me through tough times ... you are Saints. I love you.

A Waterton First

First, a kind thank you to Montana for stocking up our beverage storage.
We had our first visit to Waterton. That is, everyone except Ryan had our first visit to Waterton. AND we attempted to experience most of the highlights. First stop: Hiking Bears Hump. It was a work out and once we arrived *here* Will says, "This was totally NOT worth it." I believe he said it with a slight smirk on his face but regardless, I'll continue to encourage him toward his future hiking experiences.
If you have a weak heart, then don't go hiking with 6 kids under the age of 10.
It's the cliff edges that create cause for concern.
Picnic in the Park
And Sadie treating herself to a snack of her brother's popcorn. A rain cloud forced us into the car so we drove up to Cameron Lake.
Then we returned to the sunshine in swim suits to adventure to Red Rock Canyon.
But first, a little rock tossing.
En route to Red Rock Canyon we saw a BEAR!
Yes, this was one of the items on my list of things to do. Check.

We also saw a black bear cross the road. He stopped the Glacier National Park bus in front of us. He got to the exact center of the road, stopped and flopped down in a laying position. He rolled over (almost as if he was enjoying the warmth of the pavement) and then he promptly stood up and continued on his way.

Red Rock Canyon was gorgeous. We will return to explore this area more. A super dark storm cloud chased us away. Literally.

The boys thought this looked like Harry Potter's School
We drove into town for a dinner of Sweet Potato Fries from Wieners. Thank you J.B. for the tip. I would have never been tempted to visit a food vendor with a name as such.

And with every dark storm cloud, followed by pretty blue sky, is a rainbow.
On our drive home we even saw double.Our Montana/Waterton trip was great. But all good things must come to an end. AND they sure did. As we returned home to prepare for 3 weekends worth of events before setting out on the road again. This is the house on a good day.

It even spilled out to the front step.
I'll show pictures of a bad day at home when we arrive to a house with 2 weekends worth of returns.

The Montana Tour

We found a place to call home in Montana. 'Camping' is not being able to reach out and touch your neighbor while parked on a concrete pad. 'Camping' is parking yourself in the middle of nature. And, this year, we did!
We had a view of Flathead Lake through the trees.


Our location was West Shores State Park.Our backyard for 5 days. This beautiful countryside works for me.
The forest had tons of cute fuzzy caterpillars.
Our Family Hike
See ... here we go. Some more motivated than others.
And then there's Will. The spec of red in middle of the forestry. Yes, he's the one that marches to the beat of his own drum and off the beaten path.
Will had decided he was tired of walking. He was rolling his eyes at the whole hiking experience and Ryan commented that he should probably start carrying Will because of his lack of motivation. I responded with the usual: absolutely not. It's all a matter of attitude. AND so, I said, "Will, I just want you to know that at the end of this trail is a candy store and everything in it is FREE."

To which Will responded, "Seriously!" and he started running ahead on the trail. Ryan's jaw almost hit the ground in amazement in the change of pace and overall attitude of Will and his hike. Will had probably gone 10 paces and my heart broke at the disappointment this overly energetic boy was about to face. So, I quickly corrected the information provided.

He fell to the ground, placed his head between his knees and didn't move for quite some time. Perhaps that's why he chose to venture on his own on the way home. I feel bad for making will my experiment BUT I knew attitude had enough to do with hiking.

Will still is a super fun guy. He insisted I take his picture as he posed as a Statue. This is what he did to start the hike... and almost what he acted like for the duration of the hike.
And then we were off to the shoreline to do some paddling.

Sometimes the paddling had no destination. Instead it was a chance to just be goofy.
Chase assumed his position for the duration of our stay.I wish I had thought of this at the beginning of our day. I was helping kids in and out of boats with a baby in my arms. I was slow to think of something creative to have my hands free. Only when we were packing up did I find a safe place for the little man.
I said "goofy" right?
Setting out to sea.
Ryan had this great idea to take the kids to the island and go cliff jumping. So off they went.
Can you see Ryan standing atop a rock way out there?I zoomed in for you. I heard later that Will was crying and begging his Dad not to jump. And he didn't.

On their way back after approximately an hour visit to the island.

And this is only the beginning of our Montana stay.

This little guy is so fun to have around. He follows us everywhere we go and he cuddles up when and where he can.


A Day on Ashley Lake with the S. Family.

They got our little kids feeling comfortable with Skiing.
Colby:

Quinten:

Will

Okay, some were not SO comfortable with it.

And then the boating adventure took us to tubing
Sadie didn't mind this water sport too much.

Some of the kids (W and A) got a little confident Onto some adult fun wakeboarding. Ryan enjoyed the experience of refreshing his skills.


A new wakeboarder to the family. This is just the beginning!

There was also time for some kayaking.

And now the show begins. I showed you the start to wakeboarding with Logan...Ryan is likely the middle AND this is definitely the grand finale!!

Can I say AmAzInG?

Here's a view of his proud and super cute little boys watching.

So this is D.S. The brother of the grand finale above. He had to show his magic too. Check out the first picture. Wipe-out Right?

NOT so. The second picture is the next phase of his amazing recovery.

Thanks for the amazing performance S. Men.


We love Boating! Here's a pretty picture of such.
And the fun wasn't over. A view of Logan on the rope swing.

And a picture of the homemade waterslide. I LOVE it! This is something I've always dreamed of doing at Mabel Lake.

But sometimes, the homemade version doesn't pass safety inspections. But it was all worth it! Right Ryan?


Thank you S. Family. It is a day that will hold a vivid memory for us of a really great time.
A day like this really does tire us out...early.


Lake Blaine with another S. family. We spent another fun filled day tubing however, the camera crew did not attend the boating extravaganza. Here's a view from the perspective of the camera crew.


A little fishing anyone? And they said YES! There were only a few minor hooking accidents.Chase had the longest lasting giggle session he's ever had with K.S. He is 9 weeks old here.

We can find fun anywhere we go. Thanks for the toys!
This fishing thing is really gaining popularity as the evening progresses.

And Kayaking - again. It's the thing to do! I WISH I had gotten a picture of the 7 colorful kayaks out at one time sprinked on the water.



This lady has the most adventurous life of any of my toddlers. She spends much of her day chasing boys on bikes and having races ... every knee and elbow are skinned. Thank you to Nurse K for patching her up for this elbow accident.
Chase is now passed out in a position of defense. Perhaps he wants these long days of play in the hot sun to slow down. Until summer is over, it's not likely.




Thank you S. Family. Thank you C, K, C, A, K, & E for the giggles, the fun and the memories. Thank you for sharing your Montana summer with us.